Hypocrisy - End of Disclosure (2013)

To say that Peter Tägtgren is one of the busiest men in metal is an understatement. When the Swede is not mixing or producing an album he is playing in two bands. The industrial Pain and the more melodic death metal oriented Hypocrisy. "End of Disclosure" is the 12th installment from Hypocrisy and with four years since the last album, "A Taste of Extreme Divinity", makes "End of Disclosure" the album in the Hypocrisy discography that has had the longest time to be made.

The first thing you take notice with "End of Disclosure" is the grand and pompous sound that lays as a ground for the heavy and dark music that Hypocrisy stand for. It is more epic music that is brought to the table which means that everyone in the band have to bring their A-game to make the best out of this album. So does Hypocrisy perform as masterly as the album demands? I find some times that the drums disappears behind the big guitar sound but overall it is a great performance by Hypocrisy. The timing is great, the guitar is doing splendidly and Peter's dark voice is perfect as always. So no complaints on the performance department.

When it comes to the song material however, it is just simply extraordinary. Most of the songs in "End of Disclosure" holds a high standard straight through and there is a red line through the entire album (except maybe for the fast "Living Dead" that sounds like a Pain song in death metal clothing). But there are songs that stands out from the pack. "The Eye" impresses with a strong chorus and a glistening guitar work while "United We Fall" takes a more aggressive approach with slamming drums and a more apocalyptic sound. Then we also have the title track that shines with its epicness but lacks a lasting punch that is needed for a opener.

No bad song anywhere in sight but I feel that the song "Hell Is Where I Stay" could have been a little more melodical and that the chorus of "44 Double Zero" could have been more memorable if the band had laid in more heaviness into it. But I am not going to bitch about it since there is no song in "End of Disclosure" that Peter Tägtgren and the rest of the band should be ashamed of. All the 10 songs creates a very solid and stable record that is probably the best album that Peter has made since Pain's "Cynic Paradise" that was released in 2008.

In the end, "End of Disclosure" is a highly enjoyable album that is worthy the standard that Mr. Tägtgren has set since he started Hypocrisy in 1990 but I could wish for at least one or two songs that would make a big impact on me. But it is the whole picture that matters and "End of Disclosure" is a grand and proud picture that should make most of the death metal fans very pleased.

Songs worthy of recognition: United We Fall, The Eye, Living Dead

Rating: 8/10 Soldiers of Fortune