CoC : Hypocrite - Edge of Existence : Review

Hypocrite - _Edge of Existence_
(Off World, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon (6 out of 10)

Hypocrite are yet another band exploring the fertile waters between death metal and black metal. Their emphasis is more on the melodic death metal side, like Amorphis' _The Karelian Isthmus_, but they incorporate a good deal of melodic death/black metal influence as well. Most of these black metal-like parts are well done, and remind me most of Sacramentum's _Finis Malorum_, being melodic, single-note line riffs, usually with either harmonization or countermelodies. One nice thing to note is that their melodic parts aren't completely predictable, which tends to be a big problem among melodic bands (e.g. In Flames). These parts of the album work very well, but their transitions between them and the more typical melodic death metal sections could be a little smoother. They also suffer from the same out-of-tune guitar problems that Sacramentum did on their MCD, which really detract from their effect. There are a few repeated motives throughout the album, which I found curious, because this album isn't in any way a concept album. Even more curious is the inclusion of the song "A Black Wound", which seems completely out of place. In fact, it sounds like something off of Fates Warning's _Parallels_. I don't know what the band was thinking including it. These guys seem to be fleshing out the spectrum between death metal and black metal, and do a reasonably good job at it. I'd recommend them above Amon Amarth (see CoC #12) in the (more death than black) death/black field.

(article published 11/10/1996)

ALBUMS
19/5/1999	P Azevedo	7	Hypocrite - Into the Halls of the Blind