Hypocrisy – A Taste Of Extreme Divinity (2009)

Hypocrisy is back for years after their last studio album “Virus” and it was worth the wait. “A Taste Of Extreme Divinity” in my opinion and also in Peter Tagtgren’s opinion (check out our interview with him HERE) is the band’s most brutal album to date.

The band has managed to keep their own signature style when it comes to guitar riffs and vocals and with this album they managed to take the BPM’s up a notch creating a monstrous release that will make your ears bleed.

Since the addition of Horgh on drums the band’s sound has been greatly benefited by his amazing execution skills bringing the music to a whole different level, and on “A Test Of Extreme Divinity” you can clearly notice it. There are even some tracks sound like fast pace Black Metal songs but with the traditional Hypocrisy songs.

Peter Tagtgren’s composing abilities have matured very well with the years as he manages to create very fast paced songs that are very melodic in nature and are not extremely complex to understand. His different vocals styles are very present in this album and the changes within growls and high pitched vocals fit very well the music. Being one of the most interesting song writers in metal, the lyrics of this album vary between religion themes, serial killers and science fiction themes.

But don’t think this album is all brutality, since it’s not; it features very rhythmical sections in the songs as well as interesting changes of pace. The flow of the album is great since song after song you are kept involved and paying full attention to the skills presented by this group of musicians. The slowdown parts are equally good as the faster paced sections providing a perfect balance between both of them and allowing the listener to be eased into them rather than be surprised by a huge jump in intensity.

The overall production of this album is top notch as you can expect from Peter Tagtgren as you can listen to every single instrument clearly, the mixing provides an excellent overlay of all different instrument tracks coming into perfect unison song after song.

Hypocrisy has managed to add another masterpiece to their arsenal of great albums, and with “A Taste Of Extreme Divinity” they show that they can do brutal while keeping their own identity. This album is on my top 10 for the album of the year award.

Release: November 3, 2009

Country: Sweden