There are no frills here and no let up in ferocity or intensity. This is Hypocrisy going back to their formative days, but without any hint of nostalgia or desperation, and in doing so they’ve come up with a tirade of riffs, vocal growls and bestial rhythmic belligerence.
As soon as the title track kicks in, you just know Peter Tägtgren and his band are about to deliver something special, and they don’t disappoint. The crushing Tales Of The Spineless and United We Fall lead into the slightly more sophisticated 44 Double Zero, before Hell Is Where I Stay borders on darker, doomier fare, while When Death Calls is an extreme metal masterclass.
As you’d expect from a band of this stature, neither the musicianship nor the sense of melody ever drop below the highest standards. But what is right to the forefront is a brutality that brings to mind their earliest albums. Hypocrisy haven’t so much rediscovered themselves as rejuvenated their spirit. It’s nine tracks of nuclear fission.
