Italy’s brutal tech-death masters Hour Of Penance unveil details of their highly-anticipated ninth studio album “Devotion”, set for release on April 5th via Agonia Records.
“It has been almost five years since Misotheism [last studio album], but we are finally ready to unveil our new opus,” comments Hour Of Penance. “Devotion is our anthem to the futility of war, with no light at the end of the tunnel. The main theme of the album is the misguided devotion which we, the people, give to our leaders, who mercilessly send us to our deaths under the pretense of democracy; while being guided only by imperialist ambitions and greed. The faceless crowd of the artwork stands in worship of these deformed statues of false deities. Musically, the album builds on the 20-year-old, fast-paced trademark style of Hour Of Penance, and enhances it with more technicality and catchiness, interspersed with epic landscapes. We cannot wait to share these 10 songs with you all; stay tuned for more news and the release of the first single!”
Hour Of Penance is a blackened technical & brutal death metal outfit formed in 1999, widely considered as one of the most intense and talented representatives of the genre to emerge from Italy. The band needed three albums to surpass its local character and transform humble beginnings into international following, which triggered massive touring across Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and Asia, with heavyweights such as Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, Devildriver, Deicide, Nile or Behemoth.
From early output, through trademark installments – “The Vile Conception” (2008) & “Paradogma” (2010) – up to 2019’s “Misotheism”, Hour Of Penance has been consistent in crafting their sonic identity through a complex, crushing and surgical brand of death metal. Whilst tailored for hyper speeds and untamed brutality, the group doesn’t shy away from perceptive social metaphors in their dark imaginary and lyrics.
The new album “Devotion” features long-standing members Giulio Moschini (guitars), Paolo Pieri (vocals & guitars) and Marco Mastrobuono (bass), alongside new drummer, Giacomo Torti. Recordings took place at Bloom Studio and Kick Studio in Italy, with mixing and mastering handled by Hertz Studio (Vader, Decapitated, Behemoth) in Poland. New band photos were shot by Massimiliano Rocchi.
Tracklisting: 1. Devotion for Tyranny 2. Parasitic Chain of Command 3. Birthright Abolished 4. Retaliate 5. Breathe the Dust of their Dead 6. The Morality of Warfare 7. Severance 8. The Ravenous Heralds 9. A Desert Called Peace 10. Spiralling into Decline
Album formats: – Jewelcase CD / – Digibook CD / – Black LP / – Cloudy LP / – Gold nugget LP / – Red smoke LP / – Clear splatter LP / – Gold metallic MC / – Smoky tint MC
Clothing: – T-shirt / – Zipped HSW
Hour Of Penance line-up: Giulio Moschini – guitars / Paolo Pieri – guitars and vocals / Marco Mastrobuono – bass / Giacomo Torti – drums
Official “Devotion” website & pre-orders: https://hourofpenance.store/