Customer Reviews

Into the Abyss

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ok. First off, if you are new to Hypocrisy do not buy this cd first. This is the most hit and miss album these guys have released. Go with Abducted, their self titled album, or the Arrival. There are some great songs on this cd (some of their best, in fact) but also some of their worst.

Legions Descend - 3/5 - A good opener, but nowhere near what Hypocrisy is capable of. It reminds me a bit of Immortal. It's good at first, but then it just seems to drag on and on. Not a good thing when the song is under four minutes.

Blinded - 4/5 - This is much better than the first song. Fast and thrashy with a somewhat epic sounding chorus. Great breakdown as well.

Resurrection - 4/5 - For some reason, I have always liked Hypocrisy's slow songs better than their fast ones. I think they are heavier. This song sounds a lot like The Fourth Dimension, but with ligher vocals and a great chord progression for the chorus.

Unleash the Beast - 5/5 - Now I am starting to hear some of the S/T album. With clean vocals, this song would have easily been at home on any Pain album, but here it sounds like a fantastic cross between Another Dead End for Another Dead Man and Self Inflicted Overload. It has, dare I say, a punk feel to it. Kind of like D.R.I. with a lethal injection of testosterone.

Digital Prophecy - 3/5 - Killing Art no. 10? This song just does not catch my attention. It seems pointless.

Fire in the Sky - 5/5 - In the midst of what is probably Hypocrisy's most mediocre album is one of their greatest songs. Up to this point on the cd, some songs are good, but this is the first that seems really inspired. This is a prime example of what makes this band great.

Total Eclipse - 4/5 - Good God. Killing Art no. 11... Short and sweet, it is a great fast paced song, but Hypocrisy has been here before and done it better.

Unfold the Sorrow - 6/5 - In my opinion the best song on the cd. Just great. Very dark lyrics about a father killing his daughter (at least that is what I gather). Nice guitar solo, and a chorus that will be stuck in your head for months.

Sodomized - 3/5 - What a nice name for a song. Anyway, it is a good fast song, but nothing new. Good breakdown, but the drumming gets a bit repetative.

Deathrow (No Regrets) - 5/5 - Well, they end this album with a great song. This really sounds like the old Hypocrisy material. Very epic and claustraphobic at the same time. Just gotta love it.

I do like this cd quite a bit and if this was any band but Hypocrisy it might even get five stars. But if a band is capable of releasing flawless albums (as they have several times), then they should be held to that standard. Unless, of course, they are experimenting, which here they are not.

Hypocrisy is back after the selftitled album with a more brutal (almost like the beginning) album. All the fans gathered together in happiness because P.Tagtgren and co. are back(after what can be considered their "softest" album)with what made Hypocrisy a great death metal band in their first releases: fast and brutal songs(like the first two albums; 5 total). We'll find less melodies and less slow-melancholic songs(4 total, which I think they're cool). It was said that Peter Tagtgren's solo project "Pain" made him leave the "underground" scene to a more commercial one, in which he doesn`t feel very comfortable; so he wanted to go back to his "roots"... What made this album not as good as their best is that these dudes focused more in the brutality than in the composition or songwriting; a certain lack of imagination, if you prefer. These "return to brutality" is also showed in the cover and the album title(P.T. has something with "the abyss":his studio, his solo project, also a song). Conclusion: Hypocrisy is back with their brutal approach, but for next album, some "fresher" ideas, besides brutality, would be great.

For those who have followed Hipocrisy during the past decade, this album marks an (arguably) welcome return to the fast and fierce death metal of their early days. Whether you prefer their wilder early stage, or the moodier sound of their latter recordings, you must admit that "Into the abyss" is a brilliant disc, and, together with their fantastic 1999 eponymous LP, probably their best. True Swedish death metal doesn't get any better than this. On "Into the abyss", Peter Tagtgren and company mantain the momentum from the very first opening lines to the last blistering riff, something Hipocrisy has not been able to achieve in many of their previous full-lengh records. There are plenty of warp speed blasters this time around. Terrific numbers like "Legions descend" and "Total eclipse" fully demonstrate that this band means serious business with this album. There are only two slow tempo numbers on this set, the sinister "Resurrected", and the typical Hipocrisy epical, "Deathrow (no regrets)". Slow they might be, but surely they pack as much menacing crunch as the fast ones. There are no fillers on "Into the abyss". Even the tracks contributed by bass player Michael Hedlund ("Fire in the sky") and drummer Lars Szoke ("Unfold the sorrow") snap. Productionwise, Tagtgren got rid of the excessive treble that has been present in the band's records since 1996's "Abducted", and crafted their best sounding album yet, raw but well defined and perfectly balanced. "Into the abyss" is the second outstanding studio LP Hipocrisy delivers in a row. Let's hope they keep up their muse.

After the majestic self-titled album, I was yet again left wondering how the next album would sound after hearing that Hypocrisy was returning to their brutal roots. However, for the second time in a row, I was more than pleasantly surprised once I heard the album. This album is a mixture of 'Obsculum Obscenum' and 'Abducted' and some new brutal and melodic elements. 'Into the Abyss' may be more simplistic and "back to basics" than the last few albums, but it is uncompromising and powerful. This album is more brutal but Hypocrisy has not forgotten the more melodic ways of the last few albums, and frankly it sounds awesome!

And yes, ladies and gentlemen, the death growl has returned! After an absence on the self-titled, it has returned in full-force, which is great because Peter possesses one of the best in the business (for evidence, listen to "Sodomized"). The more recent albums all have had three styles of songs: speedy songs, more mid-paced, and the slower songs and 'Into the Abyss' is no exception. There are songs with blinding speed like "Blinded" (bad pun intended), somewhat slower songs like "Fire in the Sky" and the meloncholic "Resurrected". There are some instant classics on this cd like "Digital Prophecy", "Fire in the Sky", and "Sodomized" but the stand-out track is definately "Unleash the Beast". This song is one of the catchiest death metal songs I have ever heard. You will want to scream along and play this one LOUD! And boy, does it ever get stuck in your head! For both Hypocrisy fans and newcomers this is a mandatory purchase as Hypocrisy continues the streak of great album after great album. This is definately one of the best if not THE best album of the 2000.

I just read some of the lower rated reviews. I find that this makes me interested in writing my own.

A good deal of the lower reviews complain that Into the Abyss is too heavy, hard, or not what they are use to. They are right. Abducted is fantastic and stays interesting, but if you are looking for a CD to just kick your butt, this is it. For someone that really enjoys Hypocrisy's first 2 albums this is a must buy. The sound is more death metal, and the riffs are repetitive. This works with the vocals well. Hypocrisy has a nice blend of high pitched screaming, and deep growls are just right for this kind of music.

From the album art with the skull and pentegramish design in the background, it reconnects the well viewed fan a connection to the Death Metal past. If you like a more melodic sound, stay way. From beginning to end this a truly a plat from the past, and something they haven't done since. Anyone wanting something in your face, with screaming solos and vocals should give this a chance. This is one of my favorite albums.

For a long while, Hypocrisy was the one band both "brutal" death metal fans and melodic metal fans could agree on: bands like In Flames were too "sissy" for the former and bands like Deicide too simple for the latter. Now, Hypocrisy has taken a definite lurch toward the brutal with "Into the Abyss."

"Legions Descend" and "Blinded" showcase the new aggressive sound very well. There are several slower, melancholic songs, such as the closing track, but what are missing from this album are the fast melodic songs, with frantic solos and harmonies that redefined my conception of extreme beauty (I'm thinking of songs like "Adjusting the Sun" and "Time Warp").

One thing I do like about this album is the production, which is similar to that on "Hypocrisy." The bass is quite prominent. Unfortunately, it isn't usually doing anything particularly interesting.

I give this a high 3 rating, indicating that for melodic metalheads like myself it is a marginal purchase--if you like melodic death metal, it's worth getting eventually but don't expect anything along the lines of "Final Chapter" or "Hypocrisy."

The follow-up to Hypocrisy amazing self titled album, is extremely good. There is much more of a death, thrash metal vibe on this one, but there still are several melancolic melodic passages like on the last one. In the end, with "Into the Abyss," Hypocrisy didn't try to top there last album in any way, but they just tried to make a solid Hypocrisy album, and they were successful.

is where this record will blow you! This Record is complex(Legions Descend), fast(Blinded, Digital Prophecy), grooving(Unleash the Beast) and always spine-breaking. It's not as aggressive as Vader, but a Death Metal Masterpiece.

If you like the swedish scene, sawing guitars and straight drumming, this is your record, I really love it

This seems to be the best Hypocrisy album to come out in a while. Their last, self-titled album was okay, but the production struck me as a little thin and the songs unmemorable (with the exception of the slower, melancholy ones).

On "Into the Abyss" I was immediately struck by the improved production and songwriting. The guitar tone sounds thicker and the crunch heftier. Peter Tagtgren also uses a variety of vocal styles, from his black-metalish screams, to his death growl, to weird, modulated singing. The songs are much more immediate on this album; excellent riffs abound and the songs stand out from one another. Standout tracks here are the slow, lumbering "Resurrected" and the chugging "Digital Prophecy."

all the songs are pretty good except track 4. that song is horrible. the background vocals are dumb as dogs. this album is melodic and fast, much faster than their previous records. i recommend this if you like melodic death metal and don't mind one bad song. pretty good. b+