Handful of Hate is one of those black metal bands that I have always enjoyed. With eight studio albums and several EPs to their credit, the band has established itself over three decades as one of the most powerful names in the black metal scene in Italy and Europe. True to its guiding principle, Handful of Hate has always offered violent and uncompromising black metal. In early 2026, the band released a new album entitled Soulless Abominations via the Dusktone label, available in digital, CD and vinyl formats.
Soulless Abominations is a new offering consisting of eight tracks with a total running time of 39:09. Through this album, the band presents fans of the genre with brutal and complex black metal. The tempos are fast, the blast beats omnipresent, the atmospheres gloomy, all supported by demonic vocals that exude palpable hatred. Handful of Hate excels here in its own register. On the production side, the sound is raw and sharp, a choice that preserves the band's cold and aggressive identity.
So I'm going to go back over the moments I particularly enjoyed on the album. From the very first track, Libera Me, the tone is set: fast, violent, and the rhythm doesn't let up for a single second. It is followed by Worlds Below, which maintains an untouchable intensity, with blast beats dominating the soundscape. At 1:34, I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere that builds, supported by morbid vocals, and at 2:58, one of the most intense moments of the song emerges with a powerful and visceral vocal performance.
On Gall Feeder, I enjoyed the performance from 1:05 onwards, a captivating passage for those who take the time to listen carefully, then at 2:03 a gloomy atmosphere takes hold amid a veritable wall of sound. Next, Winter March evolves in a more atmospheric and slightly more melodic direction, with notable variations in rhythm. This track brings a different aesthetic to the album, less overtly violent but still imbued with darkness, demonstrating the band's mastery in creating atmosphere.
Age of Infamy (Grown in Starvation) returns with renewed aggression. I particularly liked the composition starting at 2:27, followed a few seconds later by blast beats that further intensify the heavy atmosphere. Different - Distant - Apart starts off powerfully; from 0:26 onwards, the composition grabs your attention, but it is especially from 0:45 onwards that the whole thing exudes a truly evil aura, with one of the best vocal performances on the album.
Skinless Salvation is an outburst of sonic violence. From 1:11 onwards, I particularly enjoyed the construction of the passage and the unhealthy atmosphere that sets in, and at 1:29 the guitar reaches its peak (this is clearly my favourite moment on the whole album). On this track, the bass is also more audible, especially from 3:29 onwards. The album ends with Where Sanctity Rots, a track that doesn't stray from the violence established from the outset, confirmed at 1:39 by a buried outburst of instruments that concludes the work with intensity.
Soulless Abominations is a brutal and uncompromising album that I enjoyed from start to finish. Built on the pure identity of these veterans of the Italian black metal scene, it does not seek to reinvent the genre or redefine its standards, but it strikes with force and conviction. For me, it could well be one of the albums of the year... until I discover the next mreleases.
My three favourite tracks: Worlds Below, Different - Distant - Apart and Skinless Salvation
