heavy-metal-darkness: Bitterness |Hallowed Be The Game |G.U.C.

Thursday, February 12, 2026

Bitterness |Hallowed Be The Game |G.U.C.

Release Date 06.02.2026
Format CD/LP/MC/Digital
Genre Thrash Metal
Country Germany

Bitterness has been stomping around the South German scene since 2001, proving that they aren't just some flash-in-the-pan act. These guys have survived over two decades and 300 shows by keeping their heads down and their riffs heavy. While the name "Bitterness" might sound like a depressing goth project, anyone who has seen them live knows it’s actually shorthand for relentless "Old School Thrash Metal." They’ve spent years blending that classic German aggression with a gloomy death metal edge and a splash of Gothenburg melody, carving out a reputation as a band that delivers the goods without the bullshit.

If you’re looking for some over-produced, sugar-coated garbage, keep walking. "Hallowed Be The Game" is a nasty, roaring reminder of why German thrash stays on top of the pile. This is the band’s eleventh or twelfth outing depending on how you count the boxes, and they sound pissed off. Recording at Iguana Studios was a smart move, Christoph Brandes gave the production a punch that actually has some guts. It’s heavy, it’s loud, and it captures that specific brand of "Bitterness" that mixes high-speed violence with those darker, melodic undertones that keep things from getting stale.

The band really leaned into their roots here, but they brought some friends along for the ride to spice things up. Seeing Andreas “Gerre” Geremia from Tankard show up on "High Sobriety" is a total win. His vocals bring that drunken, chaotic energy that contrasts perfectly with Frank’s delivery. Then you’ve got Michael Goldschmidt ripping through solos on "High Sobriety" and "Win-Windustry", adding some serious fire to the fretboards. The songwriting doesn't mess around, delivering tracks like "AMOK : KOMA" and "Hypochristian" that are designed to level a front row.

Visually, they nailed it too. Getting Andrei Bouzikov to do the cover was the right call, the dude has worked with Municipal Waste and Havok, so he knows how to wrap a thrash album in art that actually looks like the music sounds. The whole package is like a massive middle finger to the weak stuff coming out lately. "Hallowed Be The Game" and "Losing" show that these guys haven't lost an ounce of their aggression over the last twenty-five years.

Wrapping things up with a Misfits cover like "Scream!" is just the cherry on top. It’s a fast, mean 43-minute ride that proves Bitterness is still a powerhouse. They aren't slowing down, they aren't softening up, and they sure as hell aren't apologizing for it. This is a top-tier German metal album that deserves to be played loud enough to make the neighbors call the cops.

Score: 8.0