Album Review: Hypocrisy - Worship

When I think of melodic death metal, I automatically think of Sweden, a country which has spoiled us for choice in the genre and Hypocrisy is no different. A vastly underrated band who don’t get nearly enough of the love and attention that they deserve. After a long 8 years since 2013’s ‘End of Disclosure,‘ they have returned with their 13^th studio album ‘Worship.’ But despite the long time period between records, they have not dulled their sound nor their capabilities.

Peter Tägtgren is a mastermind, a wizard, a virtuoso taking the helm and driving the death metal machine forward, blasting the remnants of 2021 with a blistering new record. Hypocrisy have a rich history of writing about conspiracy theories, the paranormal and extra-terrestrial activity; ‘Worship’ slots quite comfortably in to this theme and is everything you would expect from a Hypocrisy record. Yet it isn’t boring or predictable, not in the slightest.

The record opens with the title track; a haunting, acoustic offering lulling you in with a false sense of security before blasting all of your senses with a cinematic multi-guitar riffage . The breakdown that follows is brutal; breakneck speed drumming, lightning fast shredding and the signature demonic Tägtgren scream.

The record is full to the brim of razor-sharp riffs, addictively catchy choruses and heavy, well-crafted mid-tempo hooks that make you want to headbang like your life depends on it. In particular, ‘Chemical Whore’ (see below the for music video),’Greedy Bastards,’ ‘Dead World,’ ‘Children of the Gray‘ and ‘They Will Arrive’ stand out for me as massive crowd-chanting anthems. Whilst the likes of ‘We’re The Walking Dead,’ ‘Brotherhood of the Serpent‘ and ‘Bug In The Net‘ are much slower, darker and sinister bringing a healthy balance to the record.

‘Worship’ is another solid example of Tägtgren’s mastery of sharp production and mixing. It is a colourful and imaginative record full of ferocious emotion and brutality. If this record doesn’t get you headbanging in a state of worship, I don’t know what will. I completely vibed with this record and it is a strong contender for my Album of the Year list; I give it 8.5/10.