Other than a couple of brief tumbles, Hypocrisy has long been one of the most consistent death metal acts on the scene. It's been 4 years since their very strong Virus, but Peter Tagtgren & crew are back with the equally stirring A Taste of Extreme Divinity, an album well worth the long wait while he was busy with production jobs and work with his other act Pain. Alongside Tagtgren once again is Immortal drummer Horgh and bass player Mikael Hedlund, one of the most potent trio's in death metal.
Opening cut "Valley of the Damned" gets things started on a high note, a pummeling death metal march that signals the brutality to come. "Hang Him High" proves that point, a speedy tune with bone crunching guitar riffs and powerhouse drum blasts, not to mention Tagtgren's deathly growls. Other highlights include the manic "Weed Out the Weak", the black 'n' roll "No Tomorrow", and the super crunchy "Alive", which is one of the heaviest, grooviest death metal tracks you'll hear this year. As always, the musianship from these three is top notch, Tagtgren especially unleashing some potent riffs and blazing lead fills throughout A Taste of Extreme Divinity, and he still has some of the best death metal growls in the business. You can also expect a top notch production job here, courtesy of Tagtgren at his famed Abyss Studios. His work tends to sound a bit on the dry side, yet quite massive, as evident on the crushing "Tamed (Filled with Fear)", which makes the album as a whole just a pleasure to listen to.
Quite simply, A Taste of Extreme Divinity is one of the better extreme metal releases this year, a truly solid slab of death metal with some melodic black metal bits thrown in for good measure.
Track Listing
1. Valley of the Damned
2. Hang Him High
3. Solar Empire
4. Weed out the Weak
5. No Tomorrow
6. Global Domination
7. Taste the Extreme Divinity
8. Alive
9. Quest
10. Tamed (Filled with Fear)
11. Sky Is Falling Down
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