Hate Theory

Although 99 percent of Hate Theory's listening audience will consider their self-titled album to be straight death metal, the savage screech of the band's eponymous debut has more than a little in common with the muted riffing of mainstream acts like Korn and Slipknot. Whether it be the similar influences (it seems like all these groups picked up lessons from Sepultura and S.O.D. along the way) or the unavoidable exposure of those bands, the fact is that this is a cross between that mainstream metal throb and the ugly approach of death metal. This mix creates a sludgy, dirty sound that has similarities to groups like Iron Monkey and Bongzilla but has more of a groove than what those bands produce. A good example is "So You Think," which starts with a slow, chugging riff that supports the unintelligible chanting of singer Jeff Fahl. As it builds, it suddenly stops and presents a new rhythm that is more hip-hop influenced.