Review | Hypocrisy’s End of Disclosure

Swedish death metal band, Hypocrisy, has always managed to keep my interest with original themes, experimentation, and the incredible writing ability of Peter Tägtgren. His signature style incorporates death metal riffs with memorable melodies, all while creating a unique and dissonant atmosphere. End Of Disclosure superfluously resonates all of these qualities. This album reinforces the classic Hypocrisy style, combined with fresh and forward thinking for a brand new experience.

Band: Hypocrisy
Album: End of Disclosure
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release: March 22, 2013

The title/intro track to this album was released early, only giving a taste of what the album has in store. It’s a simple track that’s reminiscent of The Arrival, with its haunting intro that breaks out into full, rich, chords. Though many tracks off of End of Disclosure exhibit a similar mood to the self titled track, there is another side to this album. Intense and powerful songs are peppered throughout, bringing you from atmospheric heights to crushing riffs that really make you bang your head. This is apparent on the sixth track, “Hell is Where I Stay”. In my opinion, this is the heaviest song on the album and Pete’s deep, guttural growls bring it to another level. This track has such a powerful buildup paired with chunky grooves and classic Swedish death metal riffs, a song every Hypocrisy fan is sure to love.

One of my other personal favorites would be the eighth track of the album, “When Death Calls”. It starts off with furious blasts from drummer Horgh, followed by a double-bass groove, which fused with ferocious guitar playing creates a balance of pure aggression and strong melody. As the intensity builds about two and a half minutes in, the intro is revisited, making for a great transition into the final song, “The Return”. In contrast to the previous track, “The Return” is a lot calmer and atmospheric, referencing the intro track of the album by its use of keys.

Overall the album has a good flow by utilizing a variety of mid-paced and fast tempos, while maintaining signature melodies and heavy riffing. Though a couple tracks were a bit lack luster, the album as a whole offers a lot to the listener.