Metal Underground.com

While it may take an eternity for new albums from Hypocrisy to debut, no thanks to Pain and reopening Abyss Studios, it's almost always worth it, as “Virus” and “A Taste of Extreme Divinity” were both pretty awesome. That said, I was a bit wary this time around after being underwhelmed by the new music video for the title track. Thankfully, “End of Disclosure” certainly picks up the slack from “Tales of Thy Spineless” onward up until the very end. It's quite a shame that all this awesomeness is book ended by the weakest tracks on the album.

Title track and “The Return” aside, “End of Disclosure” takes Hypocrisy in a more thrash-influenced direction mixing with Hypocrisy's trademark Swedish melodeath. Lyrically, “End of Disclosure” focuses heavily on the conspiracies centering around the New World Order and Illuminati, rather than the usual UFO material. It's a welcome change, and one that certainly still fits the theme of Hypocrisy, while moving forward into a more relevant direction, as conspiracism has gone through a massive shift over the past decade. Thankfully, there are still some songs about aliens, but the palette has been broadened this time around. “End of Disclosure” doesn't reinvent the wheel; it just adds some hydraulics to the axles.

With every album that Hypocrisy has made, there have always been tracks that overshadow the rest of the album. “End of Disclosure” is no exception, as “The Eye” and “44 Double Zero” are likely to be live staples for years to come in the same way that “Fire in the Sky” and “Adjusting the Sun” are almost always present at Hypocrisy shows. This isn't a flaw as much as an observation, but it goes without saying that Hypocrisy has long been focused on singles over albums.

While it's not as consistent as the past two albums, “End of Disclosure” still contains some of Hypocrisy's best songs to date. It's just a shame that it both starts and ends with some pretty weak tracks and keeps the meat in the middle. Regardless, this is proof that Swedish melodeath isn't dead yet. While some bands like In Flames and Soilwork may have moved on, it's good to know that Hypocrisy is still keeping the sound alive.