Hour of Penance – Devotion (Album Review)
Hour of Penance – Devotion
Released: April 5th, 2024
Lineup:
Paolo Pieri // Vocals & Guitars
Giulio Moschini // Guitars
Marco Mastrobuono // Bass
Giacomo Torti // Drums
Online:
Immensely underrated Italian technical death metal unit Hour of Penance have never gotten their just rewards for nearly 25 years of service in extreme music. While certainly in the tech death realm, there is an epic side to Hour of Penance’s music that sets them apart from almost all their peers – not symphonic/orchestral per se, but enough cinematic and blackened touches to give them moments of vast scale amongst the fury and pace, whilst also staying away from the genre’s sterile and lifeless trappings.
Marking the quartet’s ninth full-length and the Italian’s first effort in five years, Devotion is the longest gap in Hour of Penance albums to date. Sadly, much of the pre-release focus was not on the act’s return after half a decade, but rather the band/label’s decision to use AI to create the record’s artwork – something universally derided across their social media accounts. It’s a shame that this has distracted from the music, as the accompanying first single/almost-title track ‘Devotion for Tyranny‘ is a scorching reintroduction to the crew. It’s a classic Hour of Penance album kick-off; blistering pace, epic cinematic touches, and vicious instrumentation for days, start the new LP perfectly.
The second preview tune ‘Birthright Abolished‘ is solid, if not a touch by-the-numbers, as is the following ‘Retaliate‘, which seems to fade out as the tension builds abruptly. On a positive note, ‘Breathe the Dust of their Dead‘ is a single-tempo, foot-on-the-gas racer, while ‘The Morality of Warfare‘ has an appropriately battle-worthy bridge, starting with a stomping beatdown that moves into an epic blast section. The fifth Hour of Penance drummer across their last six albums, newest member Giacomo Torti certainly has all the chops and pace of his predecessors, though lacking the individuality and creative flair of previous players. Torti’s kit sounds fantastic, however, with the dominating drum work sitting neatly behind the chunky guitar tone and longtime frontman Paolo Pieri’s monolithic bark. A great lead break in ‘The Ravenous Heralds‘ takes the song to the next level with the apocalyptic choral backing, while on the other hand, ‘A Desert Called Peace‘ and ‘Spiralling Into Decline‘ frustratingly ends Devotion on a weak note; a shame as previous efforts had always been so strong at the back end.
A short album – 10 tracks, with only three cracking the four-minute mark – Devotion is a more memorable collection than 2019’s Misotheism, and while it may be a bit too patchy to consider it a wholly satisfying listen, there has been no backward step in intensity and pace from Hour of Penance. It’s lacking in the ear-worm department, with a lot of parts sounding same-y unless given the listener’s undivided attention, but lovers of extreme metal at its most intense will appreciate the band’s ‘business as usual’ ferocity. This new record is unlikely to broaden Hour of Penance’s fanbase, but those who have followed the group across the last two decades, as well as fans of tech death old and new, will certainly find plenty to worship on Devotion.
Hour of Penance – Devotion tracklisting
- Devotion for Tyranny
- Parasitic Chain of Command
- Birthright Abolished
- Retaliate
- Breathe the Dust of their Dead
- The Morality of Warfare
- Severance
- The Ravenous Heralds
- A Desert Called Peace
- Spiralling into Decline
Rating: 6.5/10
Devotion is out April 5th on Agonia Records. Get it here
Review By – Andrew Kapper. Twitter: @andrew_kapper