Review
Peter Tägtgren's twelfth studio outing with Hypocrisy, revitalized in a 2026 remaster by Miro Kiiski, aims squarely at Swedish melodic death metal's core. Opposing forces of hostility and high-drama accessibility clash through grandiose key arrangements and the heavy-handed, chuggy rhythm parts that define their catalog. Critics generally received the album as a polished consolidation of strength rather than a forward leap, with Exclaim! noting that it "rolls out more like a highlight reel of Hypocrisy's specialties."
Other reviewers were far less patient with this retrospective stance. In a skeptical take for Decibel, the record was criticized for its "potluck songwriting," which gave the impression of "cycling through various stages of Hypocrisy's (and the Abyss's) repertoire, giving it a shiny, modern coat of paint and calling it an album". Yet for those seeking sheer impact, the tracking delivers a "tirade of riffs, vocal growls and bestial rhythmic belligerence" that easily satisfies long-term devotees.
