In spite of their newcomer status, Dragged into Sunlight has achieved underground notoriety as a punishingly heavy  death metal band.  Dragged into Sunlight surround themselves in a frighteningly mysterious image–they perform under pseudonyms, and wear balaclavas to hide their faces.  Some may dismiss this as a gimmick to distract listeners from the low quality of their music, but those people only need to listen to their work to learn that they are completely wrong.  Their debut album Hatred for Mankind was released in 2009 to underground acclaim, and although the heavy metal community can be frustratingly elitist–often lauding bands who do not offer anything new, or possess any substantial amount of talent–the album’s rave reception was absolutely justified.

Hatred for Mankind is sickening in the best sense of the word.  Everything about this album exudes a sense of doom and evil that is intoxicatingly good to any fan of extreme music, and atrociously awful to anyone that is not already invested in the heavy metal genre.  T’s vocals on this album are nothing short of devastating, he is capable of harsh raspy screaming and genuinely disturbing wails that both compliment the music perfectly.  Dragged into Sunlight also include several spoken sound samples in their songs to further the sinister tone of their music.  Instrumentally, Hatred for Mankind alternates between slow atmospheric passages and fast paced sonic assaults.  The drums and guitar are able to handle both of these styles with ease, accentuating the brutality of each other’s parts amazingly well.  All of the numerous tempo changes are remarkably clean, and attribute a sense of unpredictability to the album that is nothing short of gripping.

Billy Anderson also deserves some recognition for his outstanding production job on Hatred for Mankind.  The album was recorded in a relatively low-fidelity setting–the guitars are left somewhat fuzzy, the drums sound sharp, and the vocals have a distinct echo to them.  Hatred for Mankind is not meant to be a display of musical virtuosity, it is meant to be an experience.  The low-fidelity production is Anderson’s effort to achieve this goal, and he succeeded in every way.  Not only does Anderson draw out the intensity of the music, but he also allows the listener to be entirely immersed in the album’s slower sections making what was already a great album into something truly stunning.

Ultimately, Hatred for Mankind is an album that needs to be experienced to be fully understood.  Words cannot entirely capture the raw power of Dragged into Sunlight’s music, and neither can a single listening.  Hatred for Mankind is an album that needs to be experienced several times before it can be truly appreciated simply because it is too shocking to fully appreciate after one listening.  If you are a fan of heavy metal, or any extreme music this album is required listening; however, if you are not then it should be avoided at all costs.  Dragged into Sunlight cater to a small but devoted underground fan base, so accessibility was the band’s last concern in making the masterpiece of a debut.