5th January 2026

Review: “Taste of Hatred” by Krushor

Rather than being driven by a single musician with a vision Oulu Finland based Groove Thrash quintet Krushor work as a collective in composing songs, writing lyrics and editing their creations. They cite influences in older Metal with a desire to create music that not only sounds good but also gives them time to talk about some of the more difficult things in life, offering catharsis in therapeutic fashion. Their debut EP is “Taste of Hatred” and finds vocalist Ville Lehtoranta joined by guitarists Joni Kärsämä and Juho Mattila alongside a rhythm section of bassist Sami Keränen and drummer Saku Hirvimäki.

The band comments: “Taste of hatred is about situation where a person takes a stand for someone who’s pushed ’em down long enough to make that person retaliate. What happens, when beaten and oppressed person decides to stand their ground and says they’ve had enough and gives back all they had to endure. What kind is this persons actual hatred if just a taste of it can turn tables and make the one who made them suffer have taste of their own medicine.“

Sonically opening cut “Shockwave” throws back to the 90’s with flavours of Pantera and Exodus in the riff department, Lehtoranta’s harsh vocals adding the spice of Death Metal to the bands otherwise Groove Thrash orientated sound. Back to back solos bring in an influence from Traditional Heavy Metal before a tastefully executed whammy bar moment, the gang chanted moments making you want to throw your fist in the air and join in with the action. “Vortex” keeps the energy levels high with Trivium meets Motorhead vibes, the kind of thing you might expect to hear on the Jukebox at a biker bar on Route 66 if it wasn’t for the fierce vocals from Lehtoranta. While there is no mistaking the influences the track has more than enough of its own energy, the spellbinding scorcher of a solo a seriously impressive moment. A tale of biting your tongue to be the better person “Rise Above” is about surviving your enemies in the long run with a little Judas Priest flair to it and another ripper of a solo. Punchy and aggressive its a song that confirms every night’s alright for fighting once you’ve had a few beers. Cut from the same cloth “Taste of Hatred” has the emotive quality in the vocal of someone who has been through the situation of being pushed down one to many times before snapping and biting back. Slick transitions mean tempo shifts work incredibly well and you can taste the chaos as the whammy bar destroys the place in the final moments. A solid start to a promising career this one will stand them in good stead because it proves that they have the talent [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Shockwave
2. Vortex
3. Rise Above
4. Taste of Hatred

“Taste of Hatred” by Krushor is out 9th January 2026 via Inverse Records and is available over at bandcamp