HIDEOUS DIVINITY
HIDEOUS DIVINITY “Unextinct”
by Thor
Italy’s titans of tech-death, HIDEOUS DIVINITY, return with the band’s fifth full-length, and its first LP in five years, titled “Unextinct”.
To state the obvious, these guys can play their asses off. My only other exposure to them was 2017’s “Adveniens” LP which, like this album, is a showcase of jaw-dropping musicianship from front to back, maybe even more so. Both albums are inherently and obviously impressive musical accomplishments.
The vast majority of the time, though, bands of this ilk strike me more as proofs of concept for the type of musical wankery most death metal players exude in their 20s and into their 30s (me included) before the realization that music-as-sport yields diminishing returns as we age, both as fans and as musicians. “Unextinct” feels like the band may have come to a similar conclusion, as the technical extremities have been mitigated to some extent. There seems to have been a real intentionality behind HIDEOUS DIVINITY’s song-craft here.
“Unextinct” also leans into a warmer, more wooden, and organic sound—as much as modern tech-death can, at least. The results are mostly successful as the album sounds huge if also a little woolly and muddy at times.
Unfortunately, though, my problem remains the same: for as well played and expertly recorded as this material is, I find it dull. It was a slog to get through this album once, never mind ever feeling compelled to do it again. Nothing here is bad … but for me, the time to engage with this style was fleetingly long ago.
Nevertheless, fans of bands like FLESHGOD APOCALYSE, HOUR OF PENANCE, and later-era CATTLE DECAPITATION will find a lot to like on HIDEOUS DIVINITY’s “Unextinct.”
To quote my review of “Adveniens” from seven years ago: “Too good” beats “Bad,” hands down. So, go buy it.