Review by Greg on February 19, 2023.

A review challenge pet peeve of mine, R.O.D. (Razor Of Death) are a distinctly hateful thrash crew from Poland. You might be familiar with their compatriots Terrordome, and the band here examined is kinda similar at the core, but way more hostile and less lighthearted in their presentation. I left them after their sophomore #SocietyKill in 2018, and with a global pandemic happening in the meantime, there's no reason to believe they would be less angry than before in their latest offering HateSpeech (I mean, the title's a dead giveaway if ever there was one). Last time I checked, I'm pretty sure copying and pasting sections from my past reviews was still not allowed, so, briefly contextualizing, the band has found somewhat of a comfort zone in 20-minute-long albums consisting of short fast songs and not much more, and a look at the tracklist shows they aren't done yet with this modus operandi. It's, um, starting to get redundant to say the least.

Fortunately (more or less), I don't have to succumb to my frustration to say that HateSpeech is the least convincing R.O.D. LP to date. The album sounds way too overwhelming and doesn't strike with me immediately, nor gets better with further spins. The lyrics are even more alike to what your 50-something years old, right-wing conspirator uncle might be posting on Facebook while you're reading this. That's not the only factor making me feel a strong hardcore influence – the constant screaming leaves zero room to breathe to the riffs (the title-track is particularly guilty), which aren't the most refreshing you can find around, but would arguably benefit from not being overpowered by the vocals at every second. There are even a couple of angrily spoken sections which inevitably make me picture frontman Wafel with a megaphone in his hand indoctrinating their fanbase. Apart from the decent first 4 tracks, and the somewhat clever nod to George Orwell's Animal Farm in the last of them, there's very few material leaving a lasting impression.

One bonus point for finally making a (particularly despicable) song longer than 4 minutes – their longest ever by a full minute. Damn guys, was it so hard?

Rating: 5.6 out of 10

Review by Jack on June 5, 2003.

Amongst a metal world full of deathly gazes and consistently depressing moments, Runemagick are something of an eternal-continuum in the doom and death metal scene. Never quite attaining the immortal greatness to truly raise them above the bands that just 'hover,' yet always putting out records that have some truly fantastic material, Runemagick might appear something of a frustration.

Last year's "Requiem of the Apocalypse" was certainly a solid record, yet didn't really smack you in the face with its sheer force, and it definitely wouldn't win any excitement awards. One for fans of the genre. This year round, Runemagick haven't really changed their approach towards their darkness death doom brand of metal, they just seemed to have refined and worked on their art to such an amount that it doesn't stagnate out of favour like "Requiem of the Apocalypse" had a tendency to.

"Darkness Death Doom" has a peculiar vibe to it that hasn't been present on past Runemagick outings. More atmosphere that seems to take on an almost tangible element definitely points "Darkness Death Doom" in the right direction. The opening three tracks 'Intro – CDXLIV,' 'Ancient Incantations' and 'Eyes of Kali' are all worked together with a strong Egyptian ambience that really sets an interesting mood for the rest of "Darkness Death Doom" to build on. It's a tough record to describe, really. Runemagick have managed to put together "Darkness Death Doom" in such a way that while it still remains at its core a doom and death record, there are enough interesting elements to keep most listeners very content.

Bottom Line: With the most appropriate record title in history (seriously... this is the most aptly titled album ever) "Darkness Death Doom" is a disc that lovers of old school death metal, and slightly newer wave of doom metal will jump right into without a worry in the world; brutal, yet mysteriously calming. The Runemagick warhorse keeps on running.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7.5
Atmosphere: 8.5
Production: 7
Originality: 7.5
Overall: 7

Rating: 7.5 out of 10