In 2010, a severe meltdown at a gig in Spain resulted in drummer Mauro Mercurio being ejected from Hour of Penance. The incident also gave vocalist Francesco Paoli the extra incentive to leave for a full-time job within the soon-to-be-greener pastures of Fleshgod Apocalypse. Many fans doubted Hour of Penance's future, yet the band was back on the road touring with a new lineup virtually overnight. Would this new version of Hour of Penance continue to soldier on? If so, what would the new material sound like?

These questions have just been answered by Hour of Penance's latest album, Sedition. In a nutshell, the band still sounds surprisingly like the Hour of Penance we have come to know, though the band's sound is not quite as relentless. In fact, Sedition is slightly more accessible than previous albums, though, admittedly, the differences are minor. By anyone's frame of reference Sedition would be considered "intense," but it's lacking some of the severity of 2010's Paradogma. While new vocalist Paolo Pieri isn't quite as powerful as Paoli, he comes damn close. Pieri is certainly no slouch, but his voice doesn't have the same intense character. Another area where the intensity is somewhat dialed-back is in the songs themselves; this is where the "accessibility" comes into play. The tunes on Sedition are easier to immediately recognize and at times have more breathing room within their structures than the tracks on Paradogma. Don't get me wrong, Sedition is without a doubt recognizable as an Hour of Penance album; the basic foundation of suffocating, chaotic riffage and pounding drums is still intact (new drummer Simone Piras does an incredible job),  and comparisons to heavyweights like Behemoth and Nile still hold true. However, Sedition brings us a more catchy Hour of Penance. Simple dark melodic leads give the listener something to latch onto immediately; many of these "leads" are actually more like melodic themes in the songs. Since there are no true vocal melodies, these ‘melodies’ stick in the mind instead. "The Cannibal Gods" has a recurring melodic lead lifted straight from the Watain/Dissection playbook that is impossible to forget.

Melody is not the only source of catchiness on Sedition. While the music can certainly be oppressively suffocating, rhythmic shifts and stop/start parts open up the songs and give them some breathing room. "Fall of the Servants" and "Sedition Through Scorn" both make use of these rhythmic changes. The dark melodies and strong rhythms really unite forces on the album highlight, "Ascension," which may be Hour of Penance's most accessible and catchy song to date.

Sedition shows us a slightly different version of the Hour of Penance we have come to know in recent years. The fact that the band has managed to more or less retain the familiar Hour of Penance sound after losing two crucial members is highly impressive.  Judging Sedition on its own merits, it's an amazing album. Nevertheless, it's impossible not to compare Sedition to earlier releases. I personally prefer Paradogma and The Vile Conception, but for most people it will probably be a toss-up. However one chooses to look at it, Sedition is a worthy addition to the Hour of Penance discography and to your collection. Sedition is sure to be one of the best brutal death metal albums of 2012.

It's fantastic to see Hour of Penance is still going strong.

TRACK LISTING

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*Comments:

1.  Transubstantiatio
2.  Enlightened Submission
3.  Decimate the Ancestry
     of the Only God
4.  Fall of the Servants
5.  Ascension
6.  The Cannibal Gods
7.  Sedition Through Scorn
8.  Deprave to Redeem
9.  Blind Obedience

Total playing time:  31:27

Release Date: March 27, 2012
Label: Prosthetic Records

Hour of Penance - Sedition

Reviewer: Roswell47

March 31, 2012