Hot Graves - Haunted Graves EP

 Plumes of death and ash.

(Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on January 17th, 2021)  

Over the past decade, there's been a slow, yet steady stream of old-school blackened speed metal. Bands like Midnight and Hellripper have been carrying the torch of early Bathory, Sodom and Hellhammer, with a punk-like attitude permeating their music. A lesser known band in this field is Florida's Hot Graves, who has been kicking around since 2008. Unfortunately, they haven't quite reached the same level of popularity as their peers, which is a real shame, because the Haunted Graves EP is a great mix of black metal, thrash and crust, that took me by surprise when I first listened to it.
Things kick off with the title track, which is the best song on offer. With its excited drumming and riffing, along with a very catchy chorus it's the textbook definition of punky black metal done right, as it oozes character and energy. The highlight of the track is the lead section at 2:57, which ties up the track nicely, underpinned by a breakdown.
The rest of the album follows suit in a similar manner, with the band moving at a high speed through each and every song, before barrelling into a breakdown or a cool solo like the one near the end of "Sewage Communion". "Ruination Supremacy" is a slight dip in quality in comparison to the rest of the EP, as it just kind of goes in one ear and out the other.
The final song on here is "Rotted", a rerecording off the band's debut album, Knights in White Phosphorus. There aren’t any major changes barring the addition of some guttural gang shouts during the chorus and the slightly different production. That being said it's a pretty good ending to this release, and like every other song here it has some cool moments in it, like the breakdown at 2:14, followed by the solo at 2:26. While it would've been nice to have another original song, this is sure to be a treat for long time fans of the band.
While this release is short, clocking in at a mere 11 minutes, the songs on it still have a slight tendency to run together, due to their similarities in structure (all of them have a breakdown and a lead near the end (just like every paragraph in this review lmao gotem)), which might turn some people off. There's also the fact that, like many other releases in this style, it doesn't break any new ground, so if you're looking for something genre-pushing you're at the wrong place.
The lyrics present here dabble in horror, with ghosts, ghouls, murder and decay being the order of the day. Myk Colby's raspy screaming, coupled with his rapid fire delivery leave very little breathing room, while Jamie Stewart's more guttural backing vocals help reinforce the choruses (title track, Rotted).
The production on this release is typical of this style, with filthy, distorted guitars, rumbly bass, and a very punchy drum sound, which really becomes apparent when John Mamo plays a d-beat or a blast beat. The mixing is also quite nice, with everything being perfectly audible and not fighting for the spotlight, though there are moments where the drums come to the forefront.
All in all, Haunted Graves is an extremely solid and fun, albeit not groundbreaking release. It's definitely something fans of the style shouldn't skip over, and neither should people looking to get into it. One thing I can say for sure is that I'll most certainly keep an eye out for any future releases by these guys, while at the same time working my way through the rest of their discography.
Highlights: Haunted Graves, Sewage Communion

Rating: 81%

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