### Hypocrisy: Into the abyss

#### 02/07/08 || Daemonomania

What were your favorite songs off of “Virus”? If they were “Scrutinized” and “Blooddrenched”, keep reading. If they were “A thousand lies” and “Living to die”, get the fuck outta here. And if you don’t own “Virus”, simply multiply get the fuck outta here by two. Math is so useful sometimes.

Yes, if the mean and dirty side of the Swedish death metal coin is your favorite, then “Into the abyss” will fit right into your collection. Hypocrisy is a band that has been all over the place in their 3 million year career – from being early latecomers to that classic Swedeath sound ™ to catchy but bland (that’s an opinion, fuckhead) melodeath, to their recent and triumphant return with a mix of both varieties. “Into the abyss” is the band’s bastard child. Shorty, punky, intense, and with the requisite clean vocal track thankfully buried right at the end where it belongs. But just because it is a bastard doesn’t mean you can’t love it, right? I mean John Ritter ended up happy with that red-headed little fuck in the “Problem Child” movies. Then he died. I guess there’s a lesson in that, somewhere.

Getting back to the abyss, I think what really sets the whole thing aside is the spontaneity with which it was recorded (supposedly in just four weeks). Evil Pete is known for his calculating, precise songwriting and production skills, but on this record they just decided to go for the gonads. Seriously, tape your ballsack to your leg or else it will be thrashed right off. The opener “Legions descend” does not play games with you – it just straight out kills. Legions of world domination indeed. I could listen to this over and over and never get tired of it.

While they go for slower tempos from time to time, you can tell the Hypocrisy three man assault team has their sights set on “old school”. Really, the only songs on here that eventually become skippable are the ones with clean vocal touches. Except “Fire in the sky”, if only for the hilarious “aliens are totally killing everybody and they won’t leave me alone” theme. There’s a reason aliens only abduct nutcases, rednecks, and livestock – no one would ever believe them when they say they were taken up into the saucer and probed. Maybe the E.T.‘s broke their own rules and beamed Mr. Tägtgren up to try and learn his vicious high-pitched shriek.

I guess I’m too nvekkro, but like the interplanetary travelers I’d rather hear Pete sound like a horny wildcat being chased by a territorial gorilla than listen to his intentionally unemotional clean delivery. Again… opinion, fuckhead. So therefore the most pleasurable songs are the ones that take the fewest prisoners. “Sodomized” is certainly one of these songs, and methinks it was the prototype for “Blooddrenched”. What a sweet, grooving, bass filled intro. Take notes ye new tech death bands of minimum catchiness – that’s how it should be done. Plenty of other great tracks on here that take the same death + thrash + melody x crusty production = great tunes. Math to the rescue again.

And as per usual for 2 Poc(risy), they didn’t bother to put the lyrics in the booklet, which is a very half-assed digipack. I guess it probably saves some money to have fewer pages and less printing for your releases, and also saves the band from the embarrassment that is most metal lyrical content. I hear shit about devils controlling your mind, world domination, and sodomy. Sounds good enough to me, but also potentially silly.

To close, if you’re more into the Hypocrisy filled with epic moments, keyboards, and little green men then stay away. But if you crank the fuckin’ “Inferior Devotees” demo to get yourself pumped up, this is your ticket to Hades.

7.5 dirty death metal coins out of 10.

- Information
- Released: 2000
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Website: www.hypocrisy.tv
- Band
- Peter Tägtgren: vocals, guitars, keyboards
- Michael Hedlund: bass
- Lars Szöke: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Legions Descend
- 02. Blinded
- 03. Resurrected
- 04. Unleash the Beast
- 05. Digital Prophecy
- 06. Fire in the Sky
- 07. Total Eclipse
- 08. Unfold the Sorrow
- 09. Sodomized (by Halford)
- 10. Deathrow (No Regrets)