Review: Hate Forest – Against All Odds

Review by Jeger

Hate Forest – Against All Odds

Record Label: Osmose Productions

Year: 2025

Rating: 10/10

Boots on the ground… Bravery within their hearts! As Proud Ukrainian warriors so steadfastly defend their land from tyranny, many men are making their voices heard. Hate Forest’s Roman Saenko is one of those men; men who bravely accuse and oppose. This is a time for the harrowed heart! a time for defending what is right, for what is noble… The Ukrainian scene is an under-sung Black Metal movement consisting of bands/projects like Bergrizen, Drudkh, and Hate Forest whose impact on the international stage as of late has been felt the world over, especially now, during these arduous days. The faring of war to guide their pens. The promise of victory to drive them on… On April 25, Hate Forest released their sixth album, “Against All Odds” via Osmose Productions.

Hate Forest

“Against All Odds” marks the third and final chapter in a trilogy of recordings that include “Sowing With Salt” and “Justice”. Straightforward, brutal Black Metal is what you’ll find here: raw in essence, not in production and teeming with rage. Not comparable to any other band; “AAO” is a stand-alone work of both classicism and contempo that once again sees Hate Forest as they rest austere upon their vantage point that overlooks the breadth of the Ukrainian BM settlement. From the mind-scrambling opener, “Werewolves”, to the midway point of the album where you’ll take in the reserved yet strikingly melodic “Mariupol”, on through to the epic closing track, “Courage”, “Against All Odds” is true Black Metal for true Black Metal people: no bells, no whistles, just purely adversarial BM. The final track, the aforementioned “Courage”, like a thousand boots of a legion marching their way boldly into the scourge – a track of the most urgent kind – driving forward with the momentum of a steely panzer – gears grinding and ripping away the earth beneath just before it unleashes Hell. Not a second’s worth of pretentiousness or flair, not a single faux-pa.

Prepare for the stoking of your heart’s inner flame, to feel the ache of the war-torn soul. When compared to Hate Forest’s previous LP, “Innermost”, “Against All Odds” just hits with more passion, more depth. A triumph of a Black Metal album from start to finish. Roman’s brutish vocalizations blend into the mix richly and the drums were recorded live for the first time. A breakthrough album is what we have here. Like the culmination of a life’s works that mushroom clouds over every one of Hate Forest’s previous records, spewing violently over fields of battle, mercilessly over the Russian war machine like an Atom Bomb.

2025 has birthed some of the finest BM albums we’ve seen in years: Trivax’s “The Great Satan”, Sargeist’s “Flame Within Flame” and Hate Forest’s “Against All Odds” – a glorious triumvirate of perfect Black Metal recordings. The Dawn is rising! A new day and the promise of valor to drive them onward through the onslaught. This is Black Metal for victory, for remembrance and honor. The most powerful! The most valiant… From a purely musical standpoint, casting aside its deep meaning, “Against All Odds” is STILL a perfect record. The fact that it stands for something so unforgettable just pushes it over the edge into the realm of transcendence. Banned on all digital streaming platforms, abrasive to the feeble-minded yet still of the most impactful nature is “Against All Odds”. It just doesn’t get better than this. Hats off to Ukraine and to its brave soldiers who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their homeland. Hats off to true Ukrainian Black Metal…