there is some innovation here - not every song relies on thunderous chords, pounding drums and guttural growls though there is certainly plenty of that. "celestial incest" is particularly stand out to me with its use of sustained notes. "putrefiction" starts off with a nice slow doom feel before the drums find a faster pace. this album "the cross is not enough" throws a few surprises at you - it's more than just grind/death ! it conforms while breaking the rules ! there's plenty of variation in the riff work; the drumming has moments of sheer brutality, you can just about make out the thunderous bass and the vocals, while not that varied, are somehow perfect and growling.
this is a well put together album - a few level tweaks here and there perhaps, but the band as a whole seem well rehearsed and it shows within this release; i bet they are great to see live. if you like grind you'll like this, it's not always fast-paced but it's certainly brutal at the right times and spews enough hatred with necessary vengeance. can't wait to hear more from Hungry Like Rakovitz.