HYPOCRISY

Just how does multi-talented Swedish musician and producer Peter Tägtgren fit everything into his busier than busy schedule? Following heavy touring duties with PAIN for 'You Only Live Twice' and producing Amorphis' soon to be released new album, he's managed to write and record a new Hypocrisy masterpiece. The mind boggles further just how Tägtgren's able to maintain such quality in his output considering the prolific nature of the man's work. And yep, you read that right, this is indeed a modern metal masterpiece...that is, 'modern' in the sense of its release era, not creative impetus for this stylistically harks back to Hypocrisy's mid-late nineties aesthetic. The album's title track opens proceedings which instantly brings to mind 'Fractured Millennium' with its keyboard intro and mid-tempo pace (albeit said 1999 song is slightly more up-tempo). A pervasive dark metal vibe weaves a melancholic menace as Tägtgren's classy death voice cuts through the mix with poetically ferocious efficacy. Next up, 'Tales of Thy Spineless', is a more up-tempo number as the melodically underpinned death brutality of the song's first half is juxtaposed and offset neatly against the thrash grooves of the second. And the tone of the album is set during those first two tracks as tempo changes switch between and within songs throughout although all characterised by catchy, yet unpredictable, darkened melodies. With Tägtgren obviously responsible for production and mixing duties in his very own Abyss Studio (Jonas Kjellgren mastered the whole thing), 'End of Disclosure' sounds every bit as richly layered and resonantly hard-hitting as you'd expect. Coupled with a superlative set of compositions, this is a mightily fine addition to Hypocrisy's canon of work and it's been well worth the four year wait since 'A Taste of Extreme Divinity'.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Nuclear Blast

Album

END OF DISCLOSURE

Review by Mark Holmes

RUNNING TIME:

43:45

RELEASE DATE:

22nd March 2013

TRACK LISTING

1) End of Disclosure
2) Tales of Thy Spineless
3) The Eye
4) United We Fall
5) 44 Double Zero
6) Hell is Where I Stay
7) Soldier of Fortune
8) When Death Calls
9) The Return

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Sweden

"...a mightily fine addition to Hypocrisy's canon of work and it's been well worth the four year wait since 'A Taste of Extreme Divinity'."