less melodic, more brutal

Review Score: (6/10)
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."

More Reviews:

• Into The Abyss
• The bottom drops out for Hypocrisy
• Pulverizing!.
• Thank god...Hypocrisy is back!
• Yet another excellent release by Hypocrisy!
• Hypocrisy's miss o' the day
• ...is where you should throw mainstream garbage
• good but not the best
• its okkkk
• A return to form for Hypocrisy.
• Hypocrisy Deliver Again
• Into the Abyss
• Hypocrisy returns to roots...sort of
• A great debut!