CoC : Ing - It's a Hate Thing : Review

Ing - _It's a Hate Thing_
by: Quentin Kalis (3.5 out of 5)

Although the name suggests a Viking metal band, they are not named after the consort of Nerthus, the Germanic earth mother; instead they offer up a more prosaic explanation: "[We] believe that all good verbs end in ING. Whether it be loving, hating, drinking, smoking or killing, much depends on whether you see Mother Theresa or Geoffrey Dahmer as your mentor." More lowbrow than might have been suspected, but it also establishes what you can expect from this Cape Town, South Africa based band: four tracks of straightforward, fist waving thrash.

There is a noticeable retro edge that isn't taken to ludicrous extremes like (the Swedish) Bewitched. The song structures are uncomplicated and conventional; however they could rise above mid-tempo on occasion. Although social commentary features, Ing are not attempting to enlighten the world as to the myriad horrors of the third world, and they have their tongue firmly in their cheek, without descending into self-parody -- and this attitude serves them well in allowing them to get away with lyrics such as "hate is our game" or "don't discriminate when it comes to hate".

_It's a Hate Thing_ can be downloaded in its entirety from the address above.

Contact: http://www.myspace.com/inghatesquad/

(article published 6/11/2006)