I’m beginning to think that Italy gets an unfairly bad rep when it comes to metal. It’s true that most of the country’s flagship bands are comparatively limp-wristed power and goth metal bands, but there’s an indigenous death and black metal scene there that’s as strong as that of any other Mediterranean country (would you want to spend all your time in a smelly practice space if the weather was that good?).

Take Handful of Hate, for instance. These black metal practicioners have been around since 1993 and have been putting out albums every three or four years ever since; You Will Bleed is their fifth effort. Those who like their BM distant, icy and simplistic had best look elsewhere—this album is a frothing, white-hot affair that exudes aggression from start to finish.

That’s not to say Handful of Hate don’t sound Scandinavian as all get-out. This band’s three biggest influences are Dark Funeral, later Immortal, and Marduk, approximately in that order. As you’d expect, the band spend the bulk of their time busting out face-scouring trem riff after face-scouring trem riff, with the occasional thrashy breakdown representing the bare minimum in songwriting dynamics. A few short plodders (“The March of Hate” and “The Fault to Exist”) break up the torrent of blastbeats, but for the most part You Will Bleed goes straight for the throat and stays latched there like a bulldog for its 40-minute runtime.

Of course, Handful of Hate’s tanker-load of hate wouldn’t be of much use without proper execution. Fortunately, these guys have the experience to pull off their somewhat  redundant approach rather well, especially with the aid of You Will Bleed’s raw but powerful production. This album isn’t required listening by any means, but it’s nonetheless a very satisfying excursion into face-ripping, riff-centric black metal.