Review of Hideous Divinity

MID-MAJOR MAYHEM

By: Geoff Teach

Inspired music can come from anywhere and be about anything. Italy’s Hideous Divinity, an extreme tech death metal five-piece, recently drew inspiration for their latest forthcoming album, “Cobra Verde” (Unique Leader Records), from an obscure German film of the same name. Produced in Germany and filmed in its native language, the movie tells the tragic story of a Brazilian rancher-turned-murderous bandit who ventures into the slave trade and winds up killing a West African king to keep his exploitive business running. Consequently, though, whatever about the story itself motivated Hideous Divinity to write this album (due out October 28th), I can tell you with all assuredness that “Cobra Verde” is one of the finest tech death metal albums of the year. Honestly, I’m blown away by everything about this album. The songs, the dynamics, the excellent production, the bouts of sheer brutality accented by brilliant moments of delicate darkness…everything the band attempts on “Cobra Verde” seems to work in perfect concert with the overall concept, and the end result is an album that causes the adrenaline to quickly flow, the blood to boil and curdle, and the mind to race with violent wonder.

Getting started with a bang, the Roman quintet pulls you into the album forcefully and immediately with the pulse-quickening “In My Land, I Was a Snake”, and what is instantly evident is the band’s stark similarity in sound and production to their contemporaries, Origin. However, while Origin mainly stick to writing short, intense ditties, Hideous Divinity take the concept of “extreme” to the maximum and write compositions that are equally as intense, but range in the four to eight minute time spans. Seriously, it’s nearly a religious experience listening to such extraordinarily energetic music for such long periods of time. Moving along, the album’s title track, “Cobra Verde” stands out as the most masterful track on the album, with its ebbs, flows, and broad brushstrokes of despair, and other gems include the breathtaking “Sinister and Demented”, “The Alonest of the Alone” (featuring guest vocals by Nile’s Dallas Toller-Wade), and an intoxicating cover of Ripping Corpse’s “The Last and Only Son” that finishes out the nine-track effort.

I cannot stress enough just how much I encourage you to get your pre-orders in for Hideous Divinity’s “Cobra Verde” now, for this is one album that none of you should miss!

Keep it metal! \m/

To check out “Sinister and Demented” off of “Cobra Verde”, just press play below!