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Hypocrisy: End of disclosure

26/04/13 || Smalley

For being one of my fave bands, Hypocrisy sure do have a mixed discography. First, Penetralia was a really good debut, then “Osculum obscenum” & “The fourth dimension” were both kinda dull (‘specially the latter one…), and Abducted, “The final chapter”, and the self-titled are all very-good-to-great, with “chapter” coming out as my #1 Hypo record. But after that golden age-trilogy, teh Tat’s pet project didn’t fare that well for a while, as “Into the abyss” and “Catch 22” were hobbled by production and songwriting probs respectively (the 2008 rerecord of “Catch” only helps the basic songs so much), and while the back-to-back duo of The arrival & Virus had their moments, they were still too inconsistent for comfort. Coming so close in release date/quality, they almost feel like Hypocrisy’s own Load/ReLoad, to be (brutally) honest.

Fortunately, while it did take too damn long to come out, 09’s A taste of extreme divinity still offered us our first glimpse at truly non-disappointing Hypocrisy in a full decade. Not to suggest it was a great album or anything, or even a very good one, but consistently engaging, and surprisingly solid as a whole? Yessireebob. Now here we are another 4 fucken years later, and “End of disclosure” turns out to be (almost) worth that wait, as it takes advantage of the, er, advantage the previous record set up, and proves the appearance of Hypo having a bit of a late career comeback is anything but a fluke, at least according to moi.

It kicks off with the title track, which starts with one of those keyboard sections Evil Pete loves so much (though with an ethereally subdued sound, which keeps it fresh), before all the guitars come crashing the fuck though in a veritable orgy of classic, Hypocrisy melodiousness. Fuck yeah bitch. A full quarter-century into his career, it’s amazing how Tat still has his signature knack for catchy melodies and dynamic songwriting turns, as this title track’s chock of ‘em, and it’s also admirable how his growl is still as strong as ever, since, while he isn’t at his most guttural here at all, he still takes a shrieky, blackened tone, which is at least as enjoyable if not more (and more unique, to boot).

I imagine some fans might pine for speedier material like “Through the window of time” instead, which is a great song as well (don’t get me wrong!!!), but I still feel they’d be missing the point here; this cut isn’t about creating a blistering aural assault, but rather, crafting a more subtle invasion of the ears, not slamming into us full-on speed wise, but slowly infecting and seeping into our heads with its irresistibly catchy melodies. It may not sound as immediately brutal, but it’s just as sinister an approach in its own way, and I for one, <3 it. Eat it, Daemo.

Anyway, the oddly named “Tales of thy spineless” isn’t quite as memorable, but I still dig it a lot due to its relentless energy, which manages to find a balance between sheer speed and Hypo-signature melodies quite nicely, and should slake the thirst of any fan yearning for up-tempo Hypocrisy. Plus, Tat starts the song off with a really long shriek just like in “Weed out the weak”, so if you liked that song, you should enjoy the lil’ homage here.

Anyway, none of the rest of the material on “disclosure” is a gamechanger for Hypo in terms of basic style, since Pete’s (mostly) just restating musical themes he’s already done at one point or another, but I still feel it’s important for the band’s career because it showcases a consistent, nicely rejuvenated Hypocrisy, one that’s using more memorable melodies, sheer riff bite, and general energy than they have in a long fucken time, whether they’re do things mid-tempo, fast, or slower. Nice, huh? Anyway, not trying to imply here that EoD is Hypocrisy’s greatest record or anything, but would I at least call it one of the better efforts out of their 12, a late-career standout, and something that’s (hopefully) gonna help keep ‘em from going back on autopilot? Fuck yeah! So let’s all hear it for a high-profile metal release that doesn’t disappoint for once, pretty fucken please?

8,5

Information
Released: 2013
Label: Nuclear Blast
Website: www.hypocrisy.cc
Band
Peter Tägtgren: vocals, guitars, keyboards
Mikael Hedlund: bass
Horgh: drums

Tracklist
01. End Of Disclosure
02. Tales Of Thy Spineless
03. The Eye
04. United We Fall
05. 44 Double Zero
06. Hell Is Where I Stay
07. Soldier Of Fortune
08. When Death Calls
09. The Return

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