This four-piece comes from Italy and plays – drum roll, please – epic symphonic blablabla like their fellow countrymen Rhap…, no, bullshit, they really are from Italy, but they play US-styled, technical, brutal Death Metal in the vein of MORBID ANGEL, IMMOLATION and the likes. After a demo MCD in 2000 they now have released their debut album which offers nine songs full of raging blasts, doublebass attacks, furious breaks and technical riffs. Their varied songwiting covers the whole range of speed, from mid- to up-tempo to fast to very fast etc., everything you can ask for from a good Death Metal band. To put it plain and simple, if you like pure, high-quality Death Metal, without any kind of disturbing influences, you should give these guys a chance and check their website www.hourofpenance.com where you can find some mp3 files from their two CD releases plus an excerpt from their forthcoming split 7″ EP with CADAVERIC CREMATORIUM which will feature a cover of DEICIDE’s ‘Lunatic Of God’s Creation’. Label website: www.xtreemmusic.com.