Artist: Hypocrisy
Title: “Virus”
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: 11/1/2005
Genre: Progressive Death Metal
Rating: 8/10

Swedish Death Metal masters Hypocrisy return once again with the highly infectious release “Virus”. It is a smart follow up to 2004’s “The Arrival” and there are a few different reasons that this album will strike you harder than a steel toed boot. The band is led by Metal Mastermind Peter Tagtgren who is considered by some to be a Renaissance Man as far as the genre is concerned. Not only has he produced some of the heaviest artists around (Dimmu Borgir, Marduk and Immortal) but also with other projects like his Gothic/Industrial band “Pain”. All of these elements combined with his love of the extraterrestrial theme and his skills in Extreme Metal give you an excellent display of power that is not easily recovered from. The lineup of Hypocrisy is Tagtgren (vocals, guitar, keys), Mikael Hedlund (bass), Andreas Holma (guitar), and Horgh (drums). This foursome is brutal on album and especially live, which is the true way to enjoy Hypocrisy’s powerful brand of Metal. While it is labeled Death, I am hard pressed to agree with that or the Extreme title as there are subtle moments and softer growls mixed between the crushing impact that is often the case in many of their songs. Given this, I felt the group leans more to the Progressive Death side which is where we find Dark Tranquility falling. This development without an ounce of sacrifice in the delivery guarantees Hypocrisy will be around for a long time. The band has already existed for 10 years but it has only been in the last couple that the US Fan base has been able to witness their brand of onslaught.
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