Bongripper / Hate – Split 12″ (2013)

August 16, 2013
Bongripper / Hate – Split 12″ (2013)

Hate sound absolutely nothing like what I expected. Being totally unfamiliar with them, I should really have looked them up before buying this record, but Bongripper’s name alone carried enough weight to seal the deal for me. This split spins at 45rpm, so it is unfortunately very short, but hey – give me quality over quantity any day of the week.

So like I said, Hate sound nothing like I anticipated. Splitting with Bongripper made me assume that they would be slow and heavy by default, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Hate do have a few slower songs, but mainly play lightening fast sludgy hardcore. Imagine Eyehategod meets Converge at a grindcore all-dayer and you should get the picture.

Bongripper contribute one long track; the elegantly-named “Fisting”. Whilst not as brutal or punishing as the title suggests, it is still groovy, down-tuned and heavier than the weight of the entire ocean. Maybe it isn’t the best place to start with Bongripper, but longtime fans should be more than happy with the material on display here. A perfect soundtrack for the ripping of bongs, as the name suggests. There are 400 copies on black and a limited run of 100 on a smokey wax. This record is still available at the time of writing. You can get it directly from the band’s mail order at Great Barrier Records, or fairly cheaply on Discogs (2021 edit: its now worth between £20-£40).

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