Search - Hypocrisy :: The Arrival

AMAZING METAL FOR OPEN EARS

SOUNDWAVE | Decepticon Headquarters | 12/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

The Hypocrisy of old. Fine form indeed.

Ben Stubbs | Australia | 05/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

4.5 For A Great Intro To Tagtgren's World

OzzyApu | Seattle, WA | 04/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."