Far and away the best Hypocrisy since their glorious self-titled album from 1999, A Taste of Extreme Divinity is the summation of everything Hypocrisy does well and really, there’s a lot Tagtgren and co. do well. The surprising stint of inactivity (blame it on Tagtgren’s Pain project) has done the band well, apparently, as A Taste of… all but obliterates the inconsistent The Arrival and mostly good Virus.
Melodies of the not-so-saccharine variety criss-cross this 11-song effort and that’s probably what makes A Taste… so satisfying – there might not be a dudsong
in the bunch. The band (rounded out by longtime bassist Michael Hedlund and Immortal drummer Horgh) still are firmly rooted in traditional death metal, as evidenced by opener “Valley of the Damned” and “Weed Out the Weak.”
From there, memorable, hummable guitar lines highlight songs like “Solar Empire,” “No Tomorrow” and “Alive,” the latter of which includes a quasi, but awfully crushing beatdown of the hardcore variety. Best part is, these songs are all easy to latch onto, a holdover of Hypocrisy’s sound going all the way back to 1994 and the Fourth Dimension album.
Like Immortal, an extended absence has worked in Hypocrisy’s favor. Had A Taste of Extreme Divinity quickly followed up Virus, the impact might not be as profound. Thankfully, we or the band don’t have to concern ourselves with such things. Bravo, Peter.
(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)