Entering two decades in the death metal world, Italy’s Hour Of Penance have been a band I have enjoyed every single release and had the absolute pleasure seeing them live with Nile, Skeletonwitch and The Black Dahlia Murder. With a new label being signed to Agonia Records, Misotheism is the latest offering from these longtime running technical/brutal death metal band Hour Of Penance. This is a absolute monstrous release start to finish and is a continuation where 2017’s Cast The First Stone left off which was a outstanding effort front to back.
Misotheism, takes elements of past releases preferably 2008’s Vile Conception and what appears to be the album that shot themselves to the scene with 2010’s Paradogma, that defined themselves to incorporate brilliant structures, craftsmanship and was a masterpiece in its own retrospect. From their lyricism of socialized failures, anti-religious Vatican themed, torturous and mortality lyrics, this is not only the band’s return to form but this marks new boundaries of distinctive flavorings for technical death metal. Opening up the album with songs such as Mass Crucifixion Of Kings and Blight And Conquer which features consistent, hypersensitive and consists of relatively thin guitar riffs, unrelenting double bass drumming and humanely mid-paced vocal deliverance from songwriter Paolo Pieri unleashes his furious, aggressiveness, and gratifying range he has pulled off successfully in recent memory.
Hour Of Penance is basically Fleshgod Apocalypse but without the symphonics and orchestrated arrangements but for a band like Hour Of Penance who’s been in their cycle for over twenty years in the existence, the members from Hour Of Penance employed a album that’s filled with death metal signatures written all over the finest passages and powerful messages the album is concentrated on.
Misotheism particularly notices lyrical speed ranges and the instrumentation are some of the best this band has pulled off since 2010’s Paradogma is arguably my favorite from this band but in that regard, this is a album that represents history, historical navigation, designed pictures and undoubtedly continuing what they love doing best for metal music.
If Cast The First Stone was excellent, Misotheism is bar far, Hour Of Penance’s intelligent, hand-crafted, generated and refreshingly natural albums they’ve ever pulled off. I’m beyond intrigued and amazed how far they came to make a album not only very conceptual, but keeping the revolutionized and energized forces to make the presentation simplistic. Fans of Fleshgod Apocalypse, Nile, Hideous Divinity, Bloodtruth, and Septycal Gorge will rightfully find something at home if you love Italian death metal.
Overall Score: 9.0/10
Review by Jake Butler
