Hate Eternal new drummer Chason Westmoreland

HATE ETERNAL have announced Chason Westmoreland as their new drummer, reports Season Of Mist. The Las Vegas native has already laid down drum tracks for the bands forthcoming new album and will be behind the kit with the band for the albums ensuing tour cycle which begins in spring 2015.

The twenty-five year old Westmoreland has already been playing drums for more than twenty years, and touring internationally for the past seven with the likes of FALLUJAH, BURNING THE MASSES, ENFOLD DARKNESS, OCEANO and more. Recent tour footage of Westmoreland can be viewed here, while a collage of  some recent behind-the-scenes studio footage and further details can be found at SickDrummer.com.

HATE ETERNAL founder and principal member Erik Rutan (guitar, vocals) comments on Westmoreland joining the band, “Chason is such an amazing talent and a very determined guy. He came down to try out in June and literally blew us away! We bonded instantly musically and personally, and JJ and I knew he was the right guy and drummer for Hate Eternal. Chason has a high motor, hits hard, plays fast and is a very diverse and dynamic player. The drums on this album have a very primal and visceral feel to them and I think he did a tremendous job on the recording. I cannot wait for us to get on tour and deliver the goods!”

Westmoreland comments on joining the band and his contribution to the new album, “I am extremely honored to join Hate Eternal. The new material is very challenging and has a lot going on. I put everything I had into this album and I’m very excited about the results. I cannot wait to see what the future holds and get on the road with our new album!”

The legendary death metal band recently announced their signing to Season of Mist. Widely considered one of the leading bands in the worldwide death metal scene for over eighteen years, HATE ETERNAL’s five prior full-length albums are considered crucial genre touchstones, and the band is a proven headliner across five continents.

HATE ETERNAL (Rutan [guitar, vocals], Hrubovcak [bass/vocals], and Westmoreland [drums]) are currently holed up in Rutan’s Mana Recording studio (CANNIBAL CORPSE, MOUNTAIN GOATS, GOATWHORE) recording a new album that will be released in early 2015.

Rutan comments, “The recording process has been fantastic so far. I’ve never felt so focused and determined on a Hate Eternal record, and I know that this will be an album our listeners and supporters will truly appreciate. It represents an important milestone for me personally since 15 years ago both Hate Eternal began recording it’s first album and Mana Recording Studios was born. We have so much more news to share with you over the coming months. We’re super proud of what we’ve accomplished creatively, and excited at the prospect of releasing what we feel is our most powerful Hate Eternal material to date.”