Artist: Hypocrisy
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release Date: 8/22/00
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Title: Into the Abyss Artist: Hypocrisy Label: Nuclear Blast Release Date: 8/22/00 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
I don't know what the Hell it is in the water in Sweden that makes their bands come out with a new album every year, but I'm pretty sure I'd like a cup. Hypocrisy is back in (what seems like) record time, following up their self-titled album with 10 tracks that make me proud to be a metalhead. I dread the fact that some may not be completely on board because it's not played at a million miles an hour, but this is the stuff that really counts- the stuff that keeps distortion from getting old. The tempos shift throughout this piece, especially taking hold of the slower, brooding riffs found on the last work. Hypocrisy was a masterpiece in itself, and this album is just the progression I was looking for.
When compared to their early work it might sound a little polished and less aggressive, but fans of The Fourth Dimension and on are in for quite a treat. Think of the well-laid composition of the last album, but somehow this hits harder. I've struggled to explain it to myself, so the probability of me getting it across to y'all is probably next to nothing. Those of you who have the latest effort from In Flames (Clayman) might be able to envision the kind of step I'm thinking of. But to compare this album to that one is quite misleading. While I see them going in somewhat parallel directions, they are by no means copycats. I think of this as Clayman's bastard older brother that gets the drugs and the beer for his siblings (Hell, maybe even a prostitute too). This album just takes the prolific songwriting that has been the mainstay of this band, and actually has made it a little more accessible. But unlike Clayman, this one seems dirtier, or maybe dirty isn't the word… how about unclean. It sounds stupid, but this is an album that is moving towards marketability but is keeping the underground coursing through its veins. It refuses to compromise, and with crushing songs like my personal faves, "Resurrected" and "Fire in the Sky", which incorporate a veiled clean vocal track under the much improved harsh vocals, the underground should continue to embrace this band.
"This is an album that is moving towards marketability but is keeping the underground coursing through its veins. It refuses to compromise."
Peter (not that I'm on a first name basis with him or anything, I just hate typing his last name), has taken his brilliance in the studio and (yet again) applied it to his own, underappreciated songwriting. I find it hard to believe that this won't be on my list come year end, and I recommend it to EVERY metal fan. I consider this disc a lesson in texture and torture, and am just trying to finish this review as fast as possible so I can run into my room and listen to it again (Don't you hate it when you're roommate doesn't like metal?)
"I am just trying to finish this review as fast as possible so I can run into my room and listen to it again." I feel like I'm not doing the disc justice, and doing an even worse job of explaining it. The "writer" in me keeps trying to come up with sentences like: Hypocrisy has come out with a very influential album that incorporates a multitude of riffs and tempos, while exhibiting a breathtaking ear for aesthetics and technical ability, and produces a pleasurable listen that will continue to keep us listening. But the fan in me just wants to write: Dude, this album is AWE-some!.
Death's Review:
If this review were a newspaper article instead, the headline would read: Peter Tagtgren and Co. return to face-ripping death metal on Into the Abyss! The news here is that unlike Mr. Tagtgren's Pain project, or even the last self-titled Hypocrisy album, atmosphere does not take a back seat to sick-ass riffage on this album. In many ways, Into the Abyss is a return to form for Hypocrisy. Fans all over the globe are calling it a return to the sound popularized by Hypocrisy's Abducted record, and this is a generally accurate statement. But truth be told, as much as I love that album, in some ways, I like this one better. It's that good.
"Peter Tagtgren and Co. return to face-ripping death metal on Into the Abyss!" Into the Abyss is about speed, riffs, drums and more speed. Most importantly, it's about the wild abandon Peter sings with, which somehow is packaged in such a way as to come across as catchy. Like in the opener, "Legions Descend." The song is fast as hell right outta the box, with Peter screaming "yeah, yeah, yeah!" in a way that only makes sense if you've heard it. "Resurrected" (is everybody using this term these days? Halford, Venom, etc., it's almost like the "Now I lay me down to sleep" that Metallica, Overkill and Megadeth all used in songs which came out around the same time) gets experimental in the right way, with semi-spoken word vocals which sound a bit like Slayer's "Dead Skin Mask." But the "Roswell '47" of Into the Abyss has to be the awesome "Fire in the Sky," a nice, catchy mid-tempo stomper about Peter's favorite lyrical topic, and probably the album's best track.
Really, short of not liking Hypocrisy or generally less-melodic European death metal, you will absolutely love Into the Abyss. Further listening will reveal whether this is "just a great record" or truly one for the ages, but from where I'm sitting it has to be included in the top ten of 2000 so far.
"Into the Abyss is about speed, riffs, drums and more speed."
Hel's Review:
I need to make one thing very clear right off the bat - I think this album is fantastic. Now, it is probably pretty well known that, as a general rule, I'm a big Hypocrisy fan. So it's not a big surprise to hear me make a declaration like that, but it is important to understand that I think this album is good not because I'm a fan of the band, but because it truly is a superior metal work.
Overall, the tempo of the album is mid-paced and there are two words to describe it which kept recurring to me while I was listening: riffy and groovy. The first time I heard Into the Abyss, I thought it was great. But by the 10th listen, I decided that it's fucking amazing. I won't waste time telling you where this falls in the grand scheme of the Hypocrisy discography, since Abyss can generally be relied upon to do a pretty thorough job in that arena. Instead, I simply hope to relay to you how exciting this album is.
"I need to make one thing very clear right off the bat - I think this album is fantastic." First of all, each and every song contains an element, be it melody or riff, that makes it recognizably Hypocrisy. Why is that so exciting? Because it means that a rare thing has been achieved - an almost intangible quality of simultaneous consistency and change in the band's sound, spanning their entire catalog. You'll hear a lot of talk of differences and/or similarities in comparison to other albums, but I find this ability to make the music so different, yet so much the same, fascinating.
Another thing that makes this disc so much fun is the experimentation, found most obviously in the almost mechanized sound of "Resurrected", which ultimately is not a distraction but adds, in conjunction with the melody and cadence of the tune, a catchiness that is hypnotizing. Songs like these cause me to reflect on what a genius Peter is. The other song which very much caught my attention time and again is "Sodomized". This is one of the fastest-paced tracks on the album, yet contains a groovy section which is the icing on the cake.
"The first time I heard Into the Abyss, I thought it was great. But by the 10th listen, I decided that it's fucking amazing." So enough of me blathering on and on about what a brilliant album I think this is. What you, gentle reader, need to walk away from reading this review with should be the overwhelming desire to go out and buy this album. If so, then I've done my job. If not, only listening to your friend's copy will change your mind.
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