The short range on Hashut spells is irritating, yes - but that just means you go 6 dice Flames of Azgorh turn 1 - I find that prompts most people to get in range of the other spells pretty quickly Just don’t forget the Earthing Rod…
Breath of Hatred is the real star spell though - cast on a 6+ is very handy, lets you really put the pressure on when the combats begin.
If the Prophet is on a Taurus, then it has to be Lore of Fire - the ability to heal your mount and do extra damage in melee with one spell is awesome.
Metal is nice for the combat Prophet - if you know he will see melee, then he can support his troops very ably with Glittering Robes/Enchanted Blades. Its very cool, but probably yields the fewest obvious rewards, unless you’re up against STanks, Mournfangs, etc. I like Metal a lot though, its very underrated.
Death probably yields the most efficient returns, but its a shame not to use the signature lore. What’s the point playing CDs if you’re not going to throw gigantic fireballs or open up a volcano underneath your opponent’s troops?
I think the answer to this question really depends on the type of Chaos Dwarf army you are fielding. For my lists (heavy war machines, lower unit), Death seems to work the best. The shorter range of Death spells (average of 18" without increasing the casting cost) plays right into my strategy when dishing out lots of template hits from CD war machines. Obviously, launching Purple Suns with an advancing CD army isn’t the best strategy!
I also think our main Lore is great when used in conjunction with an army list that can take advantage of those spells.