19th March 2023

Review: “Hate Is My Mentor” by The Last Prophecy

While honouring their influences in Children Of Bodom, Megadeth and In Flames, Espoo Finland natives The Last Prophecy have begun to make a name for themselves having found their own sound in the space between Thrash and Melodic Death Metal. Formed in 2021 they unleashed four singles while playing a run of shows around their homeland over the next twelve months before returning to the rehearsal space to work on debut EP “Hate Is My Mentor“. An entirely DIY affair, it finds the band, who comprise vocalist and guitarist Joakim Haahtela, guitarist Petteri Karinen and drummer Henri Toropainen, creating faster, heavier and more ferocious material when compared to their previous works. The later pairing mixed and mastered the record while Saku Kivirinne is credited with playing bass…

A style shift between early works new found power isn’t uncommon in bands as musicians grow together and feel more confident in expressing themselves while working out what works for them, so to hear evolution rather than revolution from The Last Prophecy is welcome while not necessarily unexpected. How that manifests itself is something of a curiosity as they’ve become more focused and essentially distilled their sound so we get all the thrills and none of the spills of those earlier offerings. What was fast and loose with a live feel has become far tighter. The record starts with crushing opener “Deranged” which sets the tone, the band choosing an old school production style that gives them a 90s Metal sound, while a couple of Slayer inspired riffs creep in. If it wasn’t for Haahtela’s Death Metal vocal abrasions “Dead Forever” could easily be a Pantera demo from “The Great Southern Trendkill” era with its aggressive Groove orientated riffs and clean crisp drum sound firing up the memory banks. That’s not to say that the cut doesn’t have a life of its own but it has an overly familiar style which initially makes it addictive and Mosh pit worthy but doesn’t necessarily bode well for its longevity. Following a similar holding pattern, “Dark Sky Of The Dawn” drives down the darkness with neck snapping riffs at breakneck speed, confirming the bands level of musicianship is impeccable. The bass bleed out accompanied by stuccato riffs in the final third are something that you want to hear more of the band shying away from the opportunity to get a little more expansive and instead bringing things to a conclusion a little earlier than you might have thought. The same is not true of the title track, a six minute surpassing magnum opus that reminds of “Master Of Puppets” era Metallica in the way it’s constructed. A melodic introduction is swept aside by a whirlwind of riffs and percussive battery, the caustic vocals and Death Growls a consistent and reliable style choice when others would have offered up a clean chorus. The solo in the final third deserves a mention, an absolute face melter that puts the pedal to the metal and raises the hairs on the back of the neck. “Course Of War” brings the curtain down before setting it ablaze with the bands trademark punchy aggression and a tapping solo that mesmerises. Sonically this one is the most fun in the later half we’re treated to Trivium style soloing as the band get creative before a final chorus. All in all a fun place to start a career in Metal that leaves you wondering exactly where they’ll go from here [7/10]