Hour of Penance – Devotion (Review)

This is the ninth album from Italian death metallers Hour of Penance.

I always enjoy a bit of Hour of Penance’s brutality. Devotion follows on from 2017’s Cast the First Stone and 2019’s Misotheism, delivering 38 minutes of textured death metal destruction.

Devotion walks a path between the technical and brutal death metal styles, bridging the two with satisfying songwriting that speaks of the band’s experience and skill. The music is fast and aggressive, but not lacking in dynamic presence. The ferocious riffs and crushing displays of fierce groove really hit the mark, while the punishing drums brutalise with impunity. The harsh growls are impassioned, and the solos like liquid fire. The songs benefit from memorability that is enriched when compared to Misotheism, making Devotion a record that’s instantly enjoyable, but that also just gets better the more time you sit with it.

In addition to this, keyboards are incorporated to add extra atmosphere, and there is a blackened feel in places deepening the music’s impact. The keyboards and atmospheric blackened enrichments really work well, and help in adding layered longevity to the music’s impact. These aspects are frequently subtle, compared to the punishing brutality of everything else here, but they are very effective.

I really enjoyed this record. Hour of Penance have returned from their biggest gap between albums to deliver a solid, roaring slab of death metal carnage.

Very highly recommended.