It was clear that Malae Artes ushered in a newer, polished style for Macbeth, while still keeping true to their gothic roots. Now, 2 ½ years later, it was time to hear more of the new sound and how it follows up to an album that truly hearkened great things to come.

Track one, "Don’t Pretend", brings in the trademark Macbeth guitar sound. Andreas’ angry voice comes in, then Morena, sounding pretty pissed herself---all this to the thunderous guitar and drum work. "I will break your heart in two", Morena warns in her enchanting voice before Fabrizio comes in with some tight-ass drum rolls. Andreas screams his anguish as the drums really rip it up. Morena sounds as clear and pure as ever, with Andreas’ gritty vocals dueling with hers. I’m only halfway through the song and already headbanging! The guitar solo has some nice kick to it. The chorus is sang a few more times before it fades out. This is a rockin’ opening track.

Some more of the classic Macbeth overtones kick off track two, "To my Falling Star". Andreas and Morena go back and forth, this time in Andreas’ clean vocals. Some spacey keyboard work comes in. Andreas’ clean voice really belts it out just before the chorus, where he returns to his growly vocals. This is another song that keeps up the tempo of the album’s mood. I can see this as a possible radio single. Fabrizio kicks in with some awesome drum work right before the blistering guitar solo. Morena’s voice echoes the last part of the chorus as the song comes to its end.

Gloomy guitar work opens up track three and the band’s first single, "Without You". Andreas comes in with deep, vampiric vocals, with Morena greeting him with her melodious vocals. "Without you!" Andreas screams in the chorus, as Morena sings of all the things that are happening "without you". Some more of the male/female dialoguing vocals in the next verse. An aggressive guitar solo, back to the chorus. The band ends explosively while the guitar remains on, taking us out of the song.

Punchy guitars kick-start the fourth track, "Watch us Die". Morena’s voice is almost robotic as Andreas’ twists its way around. The roles take a switch in the chorus as Andreas’ voice becomes more hypnotic. It has a nice creepy feel that is not of your average choruses but still makes you remember it nonetheless. Then a wildly ripping guitar solo---the best on the album so far! These same guitars make a long wail at the end of the song, making you wonder how long they can go before it ends, and then strange radio sounds are heard as the song makes its way to the end.

Track five, "Don’t Include me in Your Dreams", starts off with fuzzier guitars before the band breaks into their gothic jam. Morena’s vocals are pleading as she sings of her plight. Andreas joins her moments later, his vocals equally mournful as Morena leads us to the chorus. This is more a mid-tempo song, slower in vibe than the last few songs, but not lacking a rockin’ vibe. Some Middle-Eastern inspired drum work by Fabrizio? These cool drum rolls take us back to the song’s chorus. "…Or it will be too late!" Andreas’ pained vocals take us to the song’s end.

Some futuristic keyboard work takes us on a little musical trip with the instrumental track, "Veils". As the keyboards become less, some cadenced drumming comes in, and then the entire band jams the initial part, taking it heavier as it goes to the end, taking us straight into…

"H.A.T.E.", track seven, is mostly Andreas dominated in the beginning, his clean vocals and extreme vocals dueling back and forth while the spacey keyboard jam from the previous song still keeps us going. Morena comes in, her voice soothing as she sings the chorus. Back to Andreas’ feuding vocals. This is a favorite track of mine so far. Tight drum parts, moody keyboards, this slow, heavy groove is awesome.

"Grey Skies" lives up to its name by giving us a dark ambiance, with wailing guitars and crazed drums bringing Morena and Andreas’ lamenting vocals to us. The haunting chorus takes us to more of the same in the second verse. Another song that is a favorite for me. I can see this being a favorite among older Macbeth fans, bringing in the clean, tight riffs of their newer sound, coupled with the melancholy atmosphere that dominates the earlier works. Morena’s vocalizations, along with Andreas’ voice sounding like it is echoing far away, takes the song to its climax and eventually to a fade-out.

Some downright techno-influenced keyboard work kick-starts track nine, "Break the Circle", and then roaring guitars jump in to rock out. "Too many ways to die so young", Andreas sings sadly as his growly vocals introduce Morena’s comforting voice, followed by some chanting vocalizations. Andreas’ voice begs and pleads in the second verse, while Morena consoles him, "I find my way". Andreas’ accent sounds quite charming when he sings, "break the seer-cle". This song carries a lot of the Malae Artes vibe while still maintaining a new take on it. The churning guitar and drum work takes the song to its end.

While Macbeth’s primary lyricist has been drummer Fabrizio, the final track of the album brings us some lyrics from Morena with "(The World) In my Mind". The gothic instrumentation that is classic Macbeth starts us off; with Morena’s soft and sad vocals singing a verse about how nothing she does is good enough. She and Andreas have equally morose vocals in the chorus, as guitars slice their way through. The band takes us through a gloomy jam as Morena and Andreas sing the bridge, as we hear Morena whisper in the background, "big bad love, I need a love with an attitude". Their voices are what fade out the song and the album. This superb closer is my favorite track on the entire album.

Overall opinion: Macbeth has deemed this their "greatest album ever", and while I still have my favorites, I am not inclined to disagree with them. As someone who has seen heard their evolution as a band, they are a tighter unit, and many awkward points that give that special charm to the older efforts, are practically gone now and show the mature band that they are at this point. Both Andreas and Morena have improved greatly; Andreas is not just a screaming background voice, and Morena sounds stronger and more confident over the last few years than in her earlier days with the band. They are very good at incorporating their over-the-top gothic stylings while keeping the songs short and sweet. There are no ballads to speak of on this album, Macbeth is clearly going with a more outward rock style on this album, and it fits them well. Fabrizio’s lyrics still have the poetic feel to them, but they are also more streamlined and easier for the casual listener to follow. If you are new to Macbeth, this isn’t a bad starting point, but it is also rather far from the spectrum from their earlier works, so you may want to check out one of those to get an overall feel of the band’s sound. If you are a fan of Macbeth’s older sound (Vanitas or Romantic Tragedy’s Crescendo), you may feel at a loss at first for lack of the gloomy mood that used to dominate their music. But if you like up-tempo tunes with a gothic feel, then Superangelic Hate Bringers is at least worth a listen. Max and Fabrizio make a good songwriting team and know how to mix it up to keep the listener’s interest. There are straight-up rockin’ songs like "Without You" and "Don’t Pretend", as well as more experimental songs like "H.A.T.E.", headbang-worthy tracks like "Watch us Die", and echoes of the classic Macbeth songs such as "(The World) In my Mind" and "Grey Skies". It keeps up a good vibe from beginning to end, leaving you to press the repeat button at the end of the album and listen all over again. Macbeth is keeping to their reputation as one of the bands in the femme-metal scene to watch out for.

9 / 10