Here’s one those disclaimers: I’ve never been a fan of Hypocrisy, but since Death Metal – seriously – cannot possibly go out of style, it’s never too late to check these guys out, their latest output being “End of Disclosure“.
Even if you haven’t been following the band, you’ve probably heard of the man behind it – Peter Tägtgren(try saying that family name quickly..twice). The guy has produced a lot of extreme metal music in his own recording studio(The Abyss) and also provided vocals on the excellent DM supergroup Bloodbath. He did such a great job there replacing Mikael Akerfeldt no wonder he is a trademark name in metal, and if that isn’t enough for you, Tägtgren also owns his own village north of Stockholm, Sweden(I’m not joking!).
Honoring his roots perhaps, Mr. Tatgren has made an album that’s very swedish in the melodic sense, filled with everlasting sweet tremolos and leads. Some tracks are totally melody-focused with zero Thrash\Groove metal influences, as if shouting: this is european music motherf**kers! The title track is almost poppy, so anthemic it puts Arch Enemy’s choruses to shame, keeping the melody around but making sure you understand this is men’s DM, goddamn it, and not that watered-down pseudo-melodeth stuff them kids listen to.
Beside some faster tracks like “Tales of thy Spineless” and “The Eye”, “End of Disclosure” is pretty much centered around mid-paced guitars, a kind of sound that you could perhaps label “extreme heavy metal”. And while this might sound weak to blastbeat and shred addicts, most tracks here actually work great. “When Death Calls“, for example, includes one of the most catchy choruses ever, with such a classic vibe that’s it’s a total a guilty pleasure. Give that boy a listen! :
“End of Disclosure” isn’t super original guitar-wise but technical worship aside, Tägtgren manages to materialize a grand vision and that seems to be what Hypocrisy are all about; A grandiose sonic attack that isn’t afraid to be oldschool and melodic, and has a violent sci-fi\aliens concept behind it that gives it an unrelenting drive. It’s not the best DM release of 2013, but it is a solid album, and hearing it made me understand just how much effort goes into making a Hypocrisy album. Just for that Peter has my utmost respect.
7/10
P.S – News is Tägtgren is going to produce the upcoming Children of Bodom release “Halo of Blood“, which will feature a guest appearance by no other than legendary guitar player Jeff Waters(Annihilator). Seriously, just imagining Laiho, Tägtgren and Jeff Waters being in same room makes my head explode. So much talent at the same place. I hope that record will be worth reviewing.
_-__Underrated__-_ 