Hypocrisy have had a varied history that has seen a lot of band members come and go. They’ve also endured some career-ending issues that did, for a slight time, put the band on ice. And I think most of us applauded when they returned, releasing a quite different self-titled album, the heavy Into the Abyss, Catch 22 (with all the criticism that came with it), the somewhat more streamlined yet definitely metal The Arrival, and on forward towards what is considered their best recording, Virus. All of these Hypocrisy albums, not to mention the ones before the band went on hiatus, had different sounds, different elements, and progressed a bit while still maintaining the Hypocrisy guitar tone, ear for subtle melody and great production.
So, it confuses me that A Taste of Extreme Divinity brings nothing new to the table. Instead, the songs have ideas and elements from other songs picked and chosen from previous albums, making this the album that Hypocrisy would’ve sounded like if all of those elements were there from day one. For the record, the production is still top-notch, but I doubt anyone would expect a “Saint Anger” from Abyss Studios.
Album opener The Valley of the Damned is definitely a fast, angry and heavy slab of aggression, with a decent mixture of Hypocrisy’s notorious melody thrown into the mix. And Peter’s vocals, usually the higher-register growl / scream, show some impressive low-ended pitch, almost as if we’ve rewound the clock 15+ years when he took over vocal duties.
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With all that said, there are some definite points of interest here. Taste the Extreme Divine could be in their top 3 best songs since they regrouped, starting with a crushing rhythm that ushers in an interesting lead fill, some blast-beats and almost black metal riffing before the vocals kick in.
(…) Living to Die and All Turns Black were both mellow endings to their respective albums. Sky is Falling Down is an epic, kicking and screaming closer to a great album.
(…) This isn’t Virus II: this is Virus contaminating all of Hypocrisy’s previous releases and injecting it painfully into your ear drums. And you know what? Most Hypocrisy fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
rafazardly 