Customer Reviews

A Taste of Extreme Divinity

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When you open the jewel case for the cd, you'll notice the fan dedication on the back of the booklet. Take that as an invitation to destruction as you pop the disc in because as it starts, the band blasts right out of the gates and through the speakers. Peter Tägtgren and co. definitely know how to keep things fresh and heavy, and by making an album such as this that blends a lot of the sounds from their previous albums (Abducted, Final Chapter, Self-Titled, Into The Abyss, Catch 22, The Arrival, and Virus), things are really fresh to say the least. It's almost like a hybrid of all those albums with the production quality of Virus. If you're a fan looking for a little variety from Hypocrisy, this cd is perfect. If you're new, it's a perfect cd to start with.

before this came out, behemoth's "evangelion" or the black dahlia murder's "deflorate" was the best thing i heard this year. even with my bias toward hypocrisy i wasn't sure how they could top those two monster albums. but with the first listen to this modern classic i was pleasantly surprised to hear not only the best thing of 2009 but, probably the best hypocrisy album yet (even though "virus" and the "self titled" are some notable high points).

there is a crushing sound that really calls back to the early days of hypocrisy (before peter was on vox) and a mix of everything since that really pulls together for something that is in one word...Amazing. before this album i really dug hypocrisy's penchant for mid tempo songs(see "abducted" or "the final chapter"), but with this new offering (the bands 11th in case anyone didn't know), they are completely "full speed ahead". at times sounding "black metallish" thanks in part to relative new comer "horgh" (of immortal fame). furious rhythms and blinding double bass are very prevalent on this album only slowing down on a few tracks like, "global domination" and "the quest", bringing back that mid tempo pacing that really sets this band apart from other death metal acts. songs like "weed out the weak" and "valley of the damned" are out of the gate head banger's, making these two the bench mark for this release.

i cant say enough good things about this one, but i'm bias toward hypocrisy and to that effect peter tagtren in general. his side project/second band "pain" (more of an industrial/tech/heavy metal sound) is a really good band as well as his quick black metal outfit "the abyss". not to mention his various guest appearances on other records bloodbath's "nightmares made flesh" stands out the most and lock up's "pleasures pave sewers". if you're really into death metal, then this is a must buy. if you're already a hypocrisy fan...your mind was made up already.

I think this is a superior album to their last three or four. Maybe it deserves a higher score than the four I gave but it's not perfect like The Final Chapter. It is, however, better than almost any metal I've heard this year, definitely on my top ten list. This album is a better investment than the new Slayer. It's crushing in it's heaviness. It has Peter's trademark production. There's also a variety of melodies, and tempos going on here that hold the album together well. Sometimes it's black metallish, and others it's like a Metallica, or Megadeth chorus. Quit buying mall metal and get this!

Cuando parecia que el death metal melódico habia perdido fuerza ante el irrumpimiento del metalcore y su exceso de bandas, el deathcore toma fuerza con excelentes albumnes y el thrash esta de vuelta, Hypocrisy lanza este avasallante LP para volver a poner al death metal melódico en el espectro mundial; y lo hace una banda que toda su vida a sido pionera y respetada por aquellos afines al death metal no solo melódico, sino tambien de la vieja escuela y hasta del black metal, así como tambien a seguidores del thrash.
Por lo tanto, es Hypocrisy una fuerza influyente dentro de la escena metal mundial, no solo del death metal melódico y esto queda claramente demostrado con este nuevo material, el cual sera sin duda un nuevo clasico en la colección de cualquier metalhead.
Desde el inicio, al igual que como en Virus, el album abre con un track (Valley of the damned) que deja sin aliento a cualquiera, por su vertiginosa ejecución e invita a una letal batalla a lo largo de todo el disco, al mismo tiempo advierte de que no será un viaje tranquilo, pero que no será en vano repasarlo entero. Hang him high y solar empire son las que siguen y mantienen una calidad asombrosa, hasta llegar al 4to track (weed out the weak) y el primer extracto promocional de esta maravillosa obra de Tägtgren y co., el cual arranca tan violento como su misma letra y por sobre todo el mismo Tägtgren con un apabullante growl, potenciado de manera exquisita en la edición, realizada por él mismo. No tomorrow nos muestra el excelente manejo del mid-tempo que a caracterizado a Hypocrisy en muchos de sus hoy clasicos y poco a poco va subiendo con excelentes trabajos compositivos como Alive, Quest o Tamed el cual, ya a éste punto a mostrado tanta calidad que se hace increible pensar que el disco está pronto a finalizar, pero no sin antes hacerlo tal cual empezó, a toda velocidad y sin ningun reparo por la integridad de nadie, para morir en pedazos y desangrados, pero con una sonrisa en la cara por el divino sabor de lo extremo.

5/5

Awesome metal album that I really didn't know what to expect other than Peter Tatgrens reputation as a producer is impecable and I had heard songs off of the Virus album that that I remember enjoying, great reviews and Horgh playing drums on this led to a good purchase... this turned out to be one of my favorites of the year as a matter of fact, and it's received plenty a headbanging spin in the player... Horgh is behind the kit so you know the drums are Thunder straight outta blashyrkh!!! HAHAHAHA!!! Fans of excellent metal, buy this and the latest IMMORTAL record while your at it!

The lineage of a lot of the songs on this album can be traced back to several albums in their history. And this is not a bad thing; it's as if you get the hits from all their previous albums. There's even a song where Peter switches to his higher-register vocals for the entirety. The variety of the music on this album lends itself to repeat listens. There are a few tracks on this album that do not have much of a root in previous albums, and they are brutal, to say the least. This is a fantastic album by Hypocrisy, and in my opinion, better than Virus.

A Taste of Extreme Divinity is one of the best albums Hypocrisy has ever made. This album is excellent from beginnning to end with absolutely no filler. Vocals range from low to high and the songwriting takes you on a ride. Highly recommended for anyone that is a fan of death metal, metalcore, or American heavy metal.