By Rob Kachluba

Well, isn’t this a surprise. A Taste of Extreme Divinity could well be the best offering from Mr Tägtgren’s Hypocrisy in years. This contains all the elements you want in a classic Hypocrisy release: superb production, great riffs and some extraordinary, pummeling drumming from Horgh (he of Immortal fame) really propels this album to new heights. Opener “Valley of the Damned” is just vintage Hypocrisy. Razor sharp riffing with a great middle section that reeks of heaviness clearly make this song a winner. “Solar Empire” and “Weed Out The Weak” are catchy numbers with just enough melody that it really drives these songs up to another level. Also worth noting on the guitar end of things, the simple but effective soloing really adds to the overall vibe of the album. Every song is a winner here, which in the past wasn’t always the case. You could almost always count on there being a few clunkers going into it. Not this time. If I had to put this up against the new release by one of my all time favourite bands, Immortal, there would just be no contest. This is a much better album overall than All Shall Fall. Well done!

(Nuclear Blast)