Customer Reviews

The Arrival

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After "Catch 22" fell short of its glory, Hypocrisy went into hiding and re-emerged in 2004 with "The Arrival". They have gone back to the classic melodeath formual with this album, again concentrating on the art of songwriting and mood of the songs rather than experimentation. The soaring guitar melodies, the straight-forward baterry of the drums, and Peter's anguished high-pitched screams topping everything off. "The Arrival" is the melodic death metal album for a new generation, and is a hige return to form and comeback for the melodeath masters.

The guitars... utterly amazing! The crunchy classic death metal parts blend perfectly with the double-layered melodies and larger-than life choruses. The main concentration of the album is the power of the songs, and every song will stick to you unlike any death metal you've ever listened to, especially the choruses in many of the songs. The song structures follow basic verse-chorus rhetorics with occasional solos, but the songs maintain their freshness with originality, power, and the technical flairs that pop up every now and then. The drums sound huge, as they do in usual Abyss Studios fashion; it fits the music well, adding that much more to the concept that the album is based on... Which may raise a few eyebrows. (The whole album is a concept album about aliens.)

The album is strong and consistent in its delivery, and won't disappoint any metal fans. "The Arrival" is definitely one of the better metal purchases of 2004, and is reccommended to virtually all metal fans. The standout songs are "The Eraser", "Slave to the Parasites", "The Abyss", and "Dead Sky Dawning".

This album has some very strong points. I'll give a brief song description below:

1. BORN DEAD BURIED ALIVE - Excellent intro, quite alien spooky sounding, giving the listener the urge to keep listening on, then some amazing vocal use for an intro and then..."uuuw" comes in the vocals and a furious, ripping, pounding and utterly chaotic sound at mid/fast speed. Amazing intro track with great instrument and vocal use. 5/5

2. ERASER - Starts with a creepy yet mellow bass solo, then the guitars and drums come in, and then the vocals. This is a pretty good song and has a very melancholic guitar riff which holds the song together nicely. Slow paced, but suited. 4.5/5

3. STILLBORN - Starts off with a rhythm guitar solo. This track has a certain type of energy that just drives like a locomotive. Excellent screams. 4.5/5

4. SLAVE TO THE PARASITES - A mid/slow paced song that gets very emotionally distressed as the song progresses. One of my favourite tracks. Very interesting subject matter and I enjoy listening to this song when I'm angry. Melancholic guitars rule this almost suicidal song. The best vocal use on entire album. 5/5

5. NEW WORLD - Ok intro, but once the pounding double-kick bass drums come in you'll be hooked. This is my favourite song on the CD. It has a hard-driving energy chorus which is so perfect in my perception that I wish Hypocrisy would make more songs with powerful sounding choruses. Everything is as it should be on this track. 6/5

6. THE ABYSS - Feels like it belongs on 'The Fourth Dimension' for some reason, but this is an excellent song and a nice flashback to the style used on 'The Fourth Dimension'. Nice complex drumming patterns and chants to suit a slow paced melody. 5/5

7. DEAD SKY DAWNING - Starts with some heavy guitars and drum beats...and then the most amazing vocal intro to any song I've ever heard. WOW...Hypocrisy have really become a powerful band able to depress and anger anyone who listens to this track (not in a bad way, just a mix of emotions that works so well). Makes you think about what the world will become. This is another favourite. 6/5

8. THE DEPARTURE - Nice intro, severe screaming...this song would have been an amazing last track, but it is still excellent as second last track. Hypocrisy's maturity is most present in this song. Absolutely amazing vocals/lyrics/music. Another favourite without a doubt. 6/5

9. WAR WITHIN - Starts with a very black metal style intro which soon transforms into a heavy chuncky sound, and keeps changing back and forth through the whole song. Vocals are spot on. An excellent last track that lifts your spirit a bit after hearing the melancholic 'The Departure'. Nice finish.

The thing I really like about this album is that there are a few outstanding tracks which brings interest and climax to the album as a whole, and those few outstanding tracks will almost never bore, no matter how many times you hear them.

A must have for all HYPOCRISY fans and anyone who is currently listening to black/death metal, actually chances are that this album will appeal to most metal fans who are after a diverse and wierd yet known subject matter...mostly about humanity and how we are heading towards a dead world. I can't get enough of the subject and I'm glad their next album 'Virus' runs on very similar subject matter and more.

I would like to thank HYPOCRISY for producing some of the most innovative metal available today. Please keep at it strong, and never give in to trend or fan expectations. Follow your hearts and minds.

Despite it's absolutely horrid cover art, Arrival, the 9th album from Swedish death metal tyrants Hypocrisy, is a HUUUUUUUUUUGE step forward from their last album, the 2002 disaster Catch 22. Gone are the nu-metal elements that made that album so god-awful, and back are the classic elements of the band; Peter's demonic voice, amazing combined agressive riffing and twin harmonies, kicka$$ bass lines, and monster drumming. So, it looks like Peter came to his senses and realized how awful it was to experiment with nu-metal. And now, a look at the three highlights of the album. The three best songs on the album are tracks 1, 2, and 5. Track 1, "Born Dead, Buried Alive," begins with a slow harmony intro, then speeds up drastically. Another example of a metal album with a great intro. Track 2, "Eraser," opens with a melody bass solo, then the guitars come in, harmonizing throughout the whole song, most notably the solo. And track 5, "New World," is very fast and heavy, and Peter's really growlin' on the vocals. Overall, highly recommended for fans of some of their earlier work like Osculum Obscenum, Abducted, and Final Chapter. Other bands you might like if you like Hypocrisy: Dimmu Borgir, Bloodbath (Peter sings for them now!), Dark Funeral (original Hypocrisy singer Masse's other band), In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, and much more.

This has to be one of the best albums of the year.Every track is just repulsive and heart pounding.Every song is just mind bobbeling(if thats how u spell it).My favorite song on the album has to be "Slave to the Parasites" i thought the way how the song was put together was just amazing,this album is clearly a work of art....
song ratings...
1.Born Dead Buried Alive 4/5
2.Eraser 5/5
3.Stillborn 5/5
4.Slave to the Parasites 5/5(fav song on album)
5.New World 5/5
6.The Abyss 5/5
7.DEad Sky Dawning 5/5
8.The Departure 5/5
9.War Within 5/5
as you see i really liked the album
....but to summarize all of this there is only 3 words i need to say about this album....
....Simply...F***ing....Amazing.....
BUY THIS CD IF YOU LOVE DEATH METAL!!

Many bands seem to get a bit bored after years of playing the same style. Some of these bands chuck in the towel and call it quits. Others make a genuine attempt to do something different. This is not always successful, especially when a band chooses a new direction that leaves their well-earned fans feeling disillusioned and frustrated. I think Hypocrisy was very close to crossing this boundary with 2002's "Catch 22". Personally, I didn't find it too bad, but it definitely had a nu-metal feel to it that just didn't sit well with the hordes of death metal fans that have followed Hypocrisy since the early 90s.

So, what's "The Arrival" got to offer? The answer is, Hypocrisy have gone back to what they do best. This album is completely in the vein of "The Final Chapter" and "Hypocrisy" and is sure to make the previously disgruntled fans happy little campers.
For the uninitiated, Hypocrisy play death metal, but they have a rather distinctive sound. Most of their albums are a mix of slower melodic tracks and pedal to the metal more standard death metal tracks. It's the slower tracks that have always got my attention, but I'm glad the band chooses to mix things up. As they say, variety is the spice of life.

"The Arrival" is all by the books Hypocrisy. The science fiction theme runs through the album's lyrics and artwork once again, and the vocals constantly switch between a scream and a growl. Anyone who thought Peter's vocals were getting too soft will be sufficiently impressed (even more-so if you get the latest Bloodbath album).

"Erased" is a superb track that's up there with the bands best work, but there really aren't any filler tracks here. The production is great, as if we'd expect anything less when Peter Tagtgren is involved, and the music is catchy enough to demand repeat listens.

Overall, I've been pleasantly surprised by "The Arrival", as I thought the band's better years were behind them. Hypocrisy has shown that there's a lot of life left in this legendary Swedish act yet.

On Music Choice during some odd time a couple years back I came across I very spacy song that i would soon forget about for sometime. I vaguely remembered it a few months later, but a riff stayed in my head from it so i figured downloading the song because i still remembered the title. It was quite hard to get but eventually i got a good version. Oh damn would this be the first on Hypocrisy's discography.

This was my first introduction to Hypocrisy, and oh do I love it.
Favorites include:

Born Dead Buried Alive - Very...spacey isn't the word but it's good
Eraser - Obvious single, but a great one
Slave To The Parasites - First song I heard by them, and damn addicting
Dead Sky Dawning - Pretty well done, all I have to say.

Finally Hypocrisy have made a comeback album, and oh did it take some time. Peter has made an album that will have all those that were questioning his sanity over the creation of "Catch 22" forgive all his sins and gladly raise the horns in the name of Hypocrisy.

I just have to say that I was amused by a review (just a few down from this 1) that says in regards to this album "If you want to hear Hypocrisy retread an album from 7 years ago because the fans couldn't handle anything outside of the strict spectrum of death metal" & the title of the review itself "Hypocrisy sucumbs to fan outrage, churns out more the same." First, I just want to point out that like THAT reviewer, I think it's good for bands to be "new and innovative." In fact, some of my favorite metal albums are albums that fans or critics panned because it was a LITTLE different. But REMEMBER, a good artist wants to satisfy the majority of their fans if possible, especially if they want to continue to be successful & make a living. And most people in the underground scene BARELY make a living! So keep in mind that 'Catch 22' & 'Into the Abyss' got so-so reviews for a reason, & those are back to back albums, so if Hypocrisy wanted to be successful, they had to go back to what works!! Besides, this album isn't entirely "same old, same old" if you actually listen to it!! Eraser, Stillborn, Dead Sky Dawning, The Departure----GREAT songs that yes, have a feel like some past GREAT works, but they still encompass musically some differences that Hypocrisy havn't used yet. To fans who especially love 'Final Chapter,' 'Abducted,' 'Hypocrisy,' this album definitely has a blend of all 3 & more! **Oh yeah, as for Hypocrisy being called "death metal", yes they have done some death metal works, but in my opinion they have far succeeded beyond just typical death metal like their first few albums.**

Well, "The Arrival" is definitely better than their last outing, "Catch 22." Hypocrisy has been rehashing their signature sound and alien concept ever since 1994's "The Fourth Dimension", but I found "The Arrival" to be the most enjoyable to listen to so far. It's not overly long (a mistake many bands make - just because a CD can fit 75+ mins of music doesn't mean you should round it out with filler songs) and there are a good number of catchy tunes that will stick with you after listening. Some are definitely radio-friendly, but you won't hear them on the radio here in the US, because of the all-powerful mainstream and the fact that Hypocrisy's label (and many other similar ones), Nuclear Blast, does very little advertising in the US for its bands.

As for individual songs, the ones that stood out the most were "Stillborn", "Slave to the Parasites", "The Abyss" and "The Departure" (by far my favorite on the album). And unlike some of their recent albums, all the songs on this one are good and listenable.

If you've enjoyed any of Hypocrisy's last 5-6 albums, you will like this, as well anyone who is into melodic metal or some of the more heavier emo stuff.

WOW!, I just got this CD today, and I'm very impressed, I loved Catch 22, but this album totally kills it, I just got into Hypocrisy not to long ago, So far I have Fourth Dimension, Hypocrisy, Into The Abyss, Catch 22, and now this, and I can say, they all own!, stand out tracks are "Born Dead, Buried Alive", "Eraser", "Slave to the Parasites", "New World", "The Abyss", "War Withtin" but all the songs are good from start to finish, if you didn't like Catch 22, and you're a Death Metal fan, get this, you won't regret it!

By far Hypocrisy's best work. The guitar riffs on this album are powerful and hard hitting. I just saw these guys last night with Cannibal Corpse and I was blown away by how intense Hypocrisy was!! Hearing the songs from this album live ( Eraser in particular) was awesome.
Very intense album, along with some cool technical riffs. These guys have been around for a while and deserve much more attention in the scene than they have received.
Seriously this is some really good metal. Get this album!