Album Reviews : Hypocrisy – End of Disclosure

With a melancholic sound that recollects the days of The Fourth Dimension album, the eponymous track that opens Hypocrisy’s latest release, End of Disclosure, is a welcome return to the dark fantasy provided in both their lyricism and unique style of melodic death metal. With lyrical themes focusing on being’s named “The Celestials” it quickly becomes apparent Peter Tägtgren has once again tapped into his interest in ufology and extraterrestrials.

The track begins with an eerie symphonic score which carries throughout the rest of the song. Similar in vein to ‘Eraser’ (from The Arrival album), “End of Disclosure” is intentionally played out of direct focus when it starts. Once the drum beat kicks in, it leaps into dark, familiar territory and moulds that depressive atmosphere that Hypocrisy has made their own. It builds an ambiance of fear and the unknown.

There’s a few interesting themes that flow throughout this album. In key with the apocalyptic feel of the album, Hypocrisy touch on issues such as the political and economic climate of Africa, epidemics, and the threat of global invasion. Appearing on tracks such as “The Eye”, samples from interviews are coupled with the deep growls of Tägtgren and the instrumentation of band mates Mikael Hedlund and Reidar “Horgh” Horghagen.

One of the notable tracks on the album is “44 Double Zero”, a song based on the cancelled CBS television show ‘The 4400’ that ran from 2004 to 2007. It pays homage to the series with a beginning quote that states, ‘The forty-four hundred is a fictional account of ordinary people who have had a portion of their lives stolen, brought to this temporary hijacking of their lives. Most identify this experience as alien contact.’ Without referencing it directly, the lyrics in the song mention aspects of the show such as flashbacks to the past and the abductions. Tägtgren’s pronunciation of “forty-four double zero” also differs to the pronunciation in the show, being that of “forty-four hundred”. It is interesting with this track as the riffs and drum beats have more of a heavy metal and industrial feel to them than other songs on the album. “44 Double Zero” possesses a faster, driving rhythm that suits the chaos and confusion depicted in the lyrics. More akin to the industrial, heavy metal style of Pain, Tägtgren’s side project, than Hypocrisy it is one of the band’s less melodic tracks on the album. That being said, however, it is still an enjoyable song to listen to, even for those who are unfamiliar with the series or without nostalgia.

There is very little filler in this album. Each track feels like it has its place on the album, and the production is excellent. With each sequential track, you feel the aural assault that is Hypocrisy. The guitars are heavily distorted and the drum beats roar, but neither is ever lost on the other. As expected, Peter Tägtgren holds his own on the album and delivers a fine and brutal performance. There is such aggression and passion in his vocals that you can believe the message he is trying to portray in his lyrics.

In a genre that has at times been redundant in its use of melodic elements, End of Disclosure is something that, while not groundbreaking, does feel fresh.

Notable tracks: End of Disclosure, The Eye, 44 Double Zero, Hell Is Where I Stay, Then Return
Reviewer’s choice: Hell Is Where I Stay

Band: Hypocrisy
Album: End of Disclosure
Year: 2013
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast/Riot Entertainment
Origin: Sweden
http://www.hypocrisy.cc/

Track list:
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

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