Meresin – Anthems of Hatred

Meresin is a Polish symphonic black metal band, formed in 2021 in Kraków as a collaboration between two musicians: Seraphiel and Perun. Following spontaneous and intense studio work, their debut album, Black Messiah, was released through Via Nocturna. The record featured a distinct mix of black, industrial, and symphonic metal.

The duo’s follow-up album, Anthems of Hatred, took over a year to complete and was also released by Via Nocturna. The core lineup responsible for the new album remains unchanged: Perun handles drums, synths, samples, and vocals, while Seraphiel provides guitars and vocals. Additionally, guest bassist Abrams (formerly of Feaces and Defeated) contributed to the tracking.

Anthems of Hatred contain ten hymns detailing a profound “hatred for human weaknesses and abuses.” Lyrically, the band targets humanity’s hypocrisy across various spheres of existence—ranging from religion and morality to power dynamics and mental decline. While the songwriting does not always flow naturally, meaning the structural layout isn’t flawless, the record remains cohesive in spirit, maintaining the band’s identity across all ten anthemic tracks. Most songs successfully pair ferocious, fast-paced guitar work and thunderous rhythms with eerie, ethereal interludes and savage, guttural vocals.

The first notable takeaway is that this new 10-track record is much more thoughtfully crafted and represents a significant step forward from its predecessor. Meresin utilized higher-quality instruments and placed a sharper focus on the overall production value. The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered at Take47 Studio by Mr. G. The result is a clean, high-production sound, though many tracks tend to follow a uniform structural pattern and blend stylistically into one another.

A key highlight of the album is the track “Anthem to Humanity,” which serves as the core pillar of this aesthetic. It seamlessly combines aggressive, modern extreme metal execution with the grand, bleak atmosphere the duo builds throughout the runtime. The melodies here are uniquely thrilling. The cover artwork, created by Astral Infernum Productions, directly mirrors the album’s lyrical themes. It serves as a dark, visual reflection of the band’s distaste for human hypocrisy.

In summary, Anthems of Hatred blends elements of symphonic and experimental black metal with ferocious death metal to create a highly specific, intense, and unique musical experience. Imagine a horror movie soundtrack fused with the heaviest music imaginable. If you are a fan of bands like Shade Empire, Vesania, Der Weg einer Freiheit, Septicflesh, Dimmu Borgir, or Malhkebre, you should give Anthems of Hatred a spin or two.

Physical releases and purchasing options are available directly via the Via Nocturna Facebook Page or on label’s Bandcamp.