Review by Felix on April 28, 2019.

Extinct, the debut of Defiatory, came out of the blue and was a powerful kick in the teeth. Therefore, I had great expectations with regard to Hades Rising, but due to reasons unknown, the band has decided to reduce its level of aggression. Thrash metal is still the métier of these Swedish ruffians; however, they are at risk to drift into meaninglessness. Attention boys do not collide with The Haunted. 

No doubt, it feels good to listen to many lacerating Slayer-inspired riffs and it goes without saying that there is nothing to grumble about in terms of technical skills. This applies for both, the music and the mix. Hades Rising can rely on a powerful, clear and direct sound. Nevertheless, there are lukewarm parts or even complete tracks ("Morningstar") which lack vehemence. This is a new symptom in the musical cosmos of the protagonists and I hope they will quickly return to the stricter approach of the first album. Fortunately, some elements have remained unchanged, for example the imperious, vigorous and charismatic vocals. Furthermore, some songs grow with each new visit. Just like so many of their compatriots, Defiatory have an excellent grasp of coherent compositions. For example, the chorus of "Dance of the Dead" gives the song a very catchy touch, although its slicing riffs during the verses speak another language. Another brilliant chorus shows up in the dragging "King in Yellow", which has an oppressive, totalitarian aura due to the “Hail" background shouts of an anonymous crowd.

Unfortunately, a few other tracks fall by the wayside. "Death Takes Us All" is too modern and reminds me unpleasantly of "God Hates Us All". The melodic chorus of "Down to His Kingdom Below" reveals the weak point of this track. However, there are still enough outbursts of aggression to push the record to a solid level. Fans of albums such as "Blood in Blood Out" or "Repentless" will immediately start to play air guitar, although it is surely a tough job to copy the mostly effective solos - only the fluffy excursion on "Bane of Creation" marks an exception and reduces the penetrating power of this actually good song. So, no matter from which side one looks at Hades Rising, one thing is for sure: great musicians with an enormous potential were not able to write a flawless work. They meander between their home base (riff-driven, merciless songs that mainly hail the old school) and new territories (less narrow-minded, comparatively soft elements) without knowing exactly the place they want to stay. Consequently, the third album must be the one that gives us clarity as to whether or not these dudes want to start a journey into less combative sections. Frankly speaking, I am skeptical.

When this review was originally written I gave seven out of ten points. But as mentioned above, the album grows and tunes like the title track or "Stronger than God" (two further songs which combine catchiness and harshness excellently) are definitely worth a listen. Thus, I feel free to give a slightly better rating here - and I admit, that I am not that skeptical anymore with regard to the third full-length. Hopefully, the dudes are already working on it.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by Adam on March 26, 2001.

Against is the latest offering from jungle thrashers Sepultura and their first with new singer Derrick Green. After the departure of Max in 1997, many thought it was the end for Sepultura. But the boys decided they were not ready to pack it in just yet. Upon first hearing this cd I can honestly tell you I stopped it right after the first track and sat there for a minute to take it all in. It is definetly a pretty big stretch for all you die-hard Sepultura fans out there, but upon listening to Against the whole way through I began have a different outlook.

To start of fthe album, the group uses a fast and short hardcore type number with the title track Against. Common Bonds is the album's headbanger and my personal favorite, and Reza and Drowned Out are the album's flashbacks to their old thrash days. This time around the songs are even slower in pace for the most part, and those that are fast usually take on the characteristics of hardcore.

Basically, it is Sepultura exploring deeper and deeper with different sounds that could prove fatal for some of their long time supporters, but if you are like me then you will at least be able to find a couple good things about this cd. I, in fact, found many good things with this release and for what it is, it isn't all as bad as many are reporting. It is obvious that they are not playing up to their potential as a band, but this disc is still relatively good, and if you are still a real Sepultura fan, then this disc is sure to at least mildly entertain you.

Bottom Line: Either you will respect the band for wanting to experiment and remain a dedicated fan, or you will choose not to and deny them this right. Either way you decide to go, this is a good cd!

Rating: 7 out of 10.