Review by Greg on October 27, 2026.

Two years after Erect:Eloquent:Extinct likely subverted all the expectations of the few who were paying attention, as a melodic thrash/death album in true Swede fashion disguised behind an alternative metal appearance, Sacrificial managed to put out one more album, AutoHate, before finally calling it quits. Now, the relative novelty (but really I should say shock) of the predecessor might have worn off, but this one can count on extra respect points. Remember, we are in 2002, and yet, with this album, Sacrificial effectively completed a transition from the 90s to the 00s that is rightfully among the more dignified ever made in thrash history, in my humble opinion.

Of course, some of the competition in this time frame was so dreadful that I doubt my last sentence can be taken as a compliment per se. But the good news is that Erect:Eloquent:Extinct did follow some trends, but mercifully sidestepped all the garbage ones, instead catching the rising wave of bands like The Haunted and peers. And the even better news is that AutoHate didn't do much to derail its predecessor's momentum, effectively being believable as the product of the same recording sessions, even. Of course, the side effect is that listening to a random track and guessing which album it came from isn't gonna be a walk in the park – they're that similar. The only main differences are that AutoHate is 10 minutes shorter, and that it features no guitar solos, but for the rest it's more of the same hateful melodic thrash/death metal with vitriolic vocals, and I don't really have any major issues with that. 'Angel Eyes' and 'Victimized' are among the more convincing thrashers, and 'Out Of Touch' stands out for giving a bit more room to breathe to the music, with a chunky, percussive midtempo riff pattern that gets you moving, along with some of that killer melodic riffing that really deserved to be featured more prominently. 'Away With Skies' is also worth a mention for its wonderfully melodic verse that then gets intertwined with the chuggiest riff you'll hear today, but all of this doesn't change the fact that stuff like 'Confrontation Zone' or 'My Kingdom Arise' is still tiring to get all the way through. Once again, the closer is more melodeath-tinged, much like 'Ethnic Cleansing' on the predecessor. Actually, 'Soul Sale' feels closer to a full-fledged At The Gates outtake – slightly repetitive, maybe, but also a neat way to close the album and Sacrificial's discography as well.

The biggest downside to AutoHate is that it's another album that's more likeable in theory than in practice. Indeed, I've been swerving the ratings for the band's three efforts back and forth several times, until finally settling on the same for each one of them, as all of them have clear strengths and several issues, and they all were released in sub-optimal circumstances as well. Perhaps the average metalhead can safely lead his life without ever listening to a single Sacrificial album, but hard-working, passionate bands like this one deserve respect nonetheless. Of course, if there's anybody out there who just can't get enough of The Haunted imitators, you know where to look next.

Rating: 7 out of 10