Hypocrisy - _Abducted_ (Nuclear Blast, January 1996)
by: Gino Filicetti (8 out of 10)

Back, and with a vengeance, is Peter Tagtgren's own Hypocrisy. Blazing at mach speed is the fast and furious _Abducted_, a CD that not only pleases the mind, but wrecks the brain in the process. Their fourth album to date, Hypocrisy show that their breed of guitar oriented death metal has not yet died. The album begins with a weird opening track called, "The Gathering". It consists of a distorted sample of some kind of military radio transmission about extra-terrestrials. Then the music comes into play and seizes the listener by the scrotum (or various other genitalia) and doesn't let go for the entire rollercoaster ride. The vocals on this album have a good variety in that they go from high-pitched screeches, to distorted soft-spoken parts, to guttural growls. Guitar work on this release is of the utmost perfection, the multitude of leads throughout this album proving my point. The production of this disc is of the highest calibre, but the biggest disappointment was that, despite a FULL album liner, NO LYRICS WERE INCLUDED! This is perhaps my biggest pet peeve, and especially in this case, I wanted to read about what was being said. The last three tracks of this album show that the band is not modest about being experimental. "Reflections" is a slow, almost ambient instrumental piece that utilizes orchestral arrangements. "Slipping Away" has a melodic guitar approach throughout its course, complemented by soft-spoken, yet distorted vocals. And finally, "Drained" is a quiet, acoustic piece that gently lets the listener exit from Hypocrisy's latest domain of sound. I definitely recommend that everyone at least listen to this album, because you just might find something you've long been looking for.