Artist: Made Of Hate 
   Title: Bullet In Your Head
   Label: AFM Records

The backbone of the whole Polish metal scene was always the heads down Thrash and Speed metal, that to be honest is sometimes without substance.  Anyone can make a noise but taking metal and bringing in harmonies and melodies is something completely different.  One band that is about to change how we view the Eastern Block metal scene is Made Of Hate.

The album gets underway with the title track ‘Bullet In Your Head’ and instantly all preconceptions about the Polish metal scene are thrown aside as the young quartet unleash old school metal like you’ve never heard before.  With the guitar wiz and vocalist Michal Kostrzynski the star on this particular track, he gives the impression of a guitar player far beyond his years, and together with fellow guitar player Radek Potrolniczak, keep time with some fine rhythm guitar, while the powerhouse drumming of Tomek Grochowski and the pummelling bass of Jarek Kajszczak keep it all together.  Although the solo from Kostrzynski at the end of the track is simply magnificent, he is definitely a star of the future.

The intensity is kept going with ‘An Eye For An Eye’, another barnstorming rhythm section gets this one underway before it's Michal's turn to take the helm, as he shreds with such vigour and speed, while still retaining a sense of melody, which is sometime lacking in speed guitar playing and to keep it all together and provide vocals is just astounding.

The band rise to a new level of excellence with the riff laden ‘On The Edge’ this time Kostrzynski puts in a harsher vocal for this one almost a growl with the double kick drums of Grochowski adding to the menace of the track.

The band continue to impress with the excellent metallic tones of ‘My Last Breath’, a true master class in hard edged metal with the guitar of Kostrzynski leading the way once more with his gruff vocals not far behind. This one is definitely in the Slayer vane of thinking but with a more refined guitar sound.

The lightning pace of ‘Mirror Of Sins’ rampages to a crescendo of mean guitar riffs and a pummelling bass and drum backbeat, all capped off by the threatening vocals of young Michal, once again highlighting the bands Melodic Menace.

Things continue along the fiery pace with ‘Hidden’ before really going for the jugular with the speed fest that is ‘Judgement’.  This one is definitely old school Metallica but with gruffer vocals.  The pace of things does slow down a little and I do mean a little with ‘Deadend’.  The melodic metal vibe of this album is never more dominant that with this track, although the aggressive vocal is still there it’s the musicianship of the band that really shines on this one, with Grochowski’s towering drums and Kajszczak’s thumping bass lines being the dominant factor on this one, while the guitars act as a rear guard action on this mammoth metal monster.

The album concludes with ‘Fallout’ and once again it's all guns blazing for this final track as these young Polish metal messiahs unleash yet another blazing assault and conclude what is a very good metal album, and one that will surely blow away the myths that the Eastern block all doom and gloom metal is now a thing of the past, as melody and musicianship takes it hold.

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