Artist: Bras d’Honneur
Country: Ukraine
Label: Primitive Reaction
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2026
There’s no end in sight to Roman Saenko’s creative output; while over the past few years we’ve already been treated to a number of new releases from both Hate Forest and Drudkh (a new EP is on the way), here we have a new band of his making: Bras d’Honneur. In French, this is a gesture in which the fist of one hand is struck against the crook of the other’s elbow while the other hand is raised: an arm of honour. Essentially, it means something like fuck you or up yours. And that fits seamlessly with Saenko’s musical endeavours, and this one in particular.
Although I have mentioned Saenko only, he is once again accompanied by Vladislav Petrov, his long-time companion in most of his other bands like Drudkh, Windswept, Rattenfänger and Precambrian. When you’ve been making music together for so long, you hardly need to communicate anymore and you understand each other perfectly. That’s very clearly evident on ‘Hate Speech’, the first album released under this name.
Musically, from all the other projects these guys share together, this is the one that feels closest to the heaviest recordings done under the Hate Forest moniker. Primitive Reaction, the label on duty here, compares it with VON, Profanatica/Havohej and Belial. While there are is a bit that is indeed comparable to those bands, it still feels like this is a more harsh sounding Hate Forest. The similarities with these guy’s other band is unmistakable and I would be surprised if this band wasn’t born out of a couple ideas that didn’t fit 100% in the Hate Forest mould. It has the same idiosyncratic propulsive drumming, the same harsh, barking vocals and a for the most part it has similar riffs as well. This is a true wall of sound, built from drums and guitars, dominated by that delightful monotony, characteristic of Hate Forest, and one that proudly lives up to the title of this debut album. A musical formula that is as simple as it is effective, relying entirely on power and energy and clearly not on finesse or a spiritual atmosphere (that’s what Drudkh is for).
If you enjoyed Hate Forest’s heavier releases, such as their debut album ‘The Most Ancient Ones’ (2002) or the more recent ‘Justice’ 12″ EP (2024), then this is also a highly recommended release for you. Although we may debate whether this necessarily needed to be released under a new name, the raw intensity, as honest as it is punishing, makes ‘Hate Speech’ a highly successful debut.
