I must say that 2024 is treating us well when you consider the number of excellent, hard-hitting heavy metal releases that have already reached us. Now, it’s my honor to scrutinize the fifth full-length album from the Italian Hideous Divinity. The band has also released an EP in the interim titled LV-426. This latest album is named Unextinct and marks the second release under the Century Media banner, the first being Simulacrum. Century Media is a label that resides in the premier league of the metal world, and rightfully so does Hideous Divinity. Additionally, we welcome the new drummer, Edoardo Di Santo, who has replaced the veteran Giulio Galati, who amicably left the band last year.
As most people probably know, Hideous Divinity plays brutally intense death metal with a technical edge. The music is raw, fast, and densely packed. There’s generally not much breathing room, and that’s absolutely no problem with these gentlemen! The songs are so well-crafted, and so much interesting stuff happens that you’re constantly on your toes, realizing the albums have finished without you even noticing. That, in itself, is quite an impressive feat. Let’s hope the same is true now, as, with 51 minutes of ultra-brutal violence ahead, we might need to apply tiger balm to our ears as a warm-up.
Hideous Divinity doesn’t deviate from their well-established recipe of unrelenting death metal on this new album. The album is relatively long for this music genre, featuring several 7/8-minute tracks. Aside from the numerous blast beats, we fortunately find plenty of variations in tempo and intensity. This is crucial because when the band unleashes all its fury, there’s no holding back. What power. What passion. But, as mentioned, there is room for variety. And it’s executed so brilliantly that it highlights why this band stands out in the overcrowded brutal death metal world. I hear songs interwoven with a mysterious edge and a theatrically classical musical undertone a la Fleshgod Apocalypse, with a touch of bombast. I also occasionally detect light Eastern influences and Nile-like sections. Noteworthy are the solos, which are sometimes injected with emotion and are pure enjoyment. However, the band quickly resumes its furious onslaught to undo that moment of beauty with sheer violence. Even during the fast passages, you hear the fantastic riffs that the band is capable of writing. Just listen to the tempo acceleration accompanied by a truly phenomenal riff around the three-minute mark of the track Quasi-Sentient. If that doesn’t guarantee a massive circle pit, I don’t know what will. There’s also some instrumental work that adds to the variety, with Der Velorene Sohn even displaying an ambient touch.
Hideous Divinity has once again succeeded in producing an album that at least equals its excellent predecessors, if not surpasses them. Unextinct is packed with details that reveal themselves gradually over multiple listens. This greatly enhances the listening experience, and even after multiple spins, the album remains exciting. Considering all factors – the great songs, the technically outstanding execution, and the enjoyment I had listening to the album – I can only conclude that this is a fantastic record. Once again, I get to describe a potential candidate for the upcoming year-end lists for the wonderful Zware Metalen.
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