Penetralia

I admit that these older Hypocrisy albums weren’t my cup of tea, but Hypocrisy were one of the forerunner bands in getting me into metal. Ever since I heard “Slaves To The Parasites” back in 2004 I felt like the path to metal was the way to go. It didn’t take too long to settle into the melodic death albums, but these pure death metal ones are really where the cake tastes the best. From first to last, this album is packed like a warship and holds a very persistent attitude. It somehow keeps getting forgotten among early 90s death metal albums, yet manages to still be seen as popular.

Death metal is a sound that is easy enough to replicate, but Penetralia really has an atmosphere and tone of its own that I don’t hear anywhere else. It’s got a sense of style, unmatched aggression, and just a colossal wall of sound that can’t be destroyed. Broberg is a fucking beast on this; his vocals here are insanely deep – kind of like a cross of inhales and gutturals. I myself can replicate this style pretty effectively, but the important thing to know is that these vocals relish in the evil nature of this album - all the compositions take heart in bonding with such despicably demonic roars.

Tagtgren gets his share at vocals with the title track – a song that I myself deem as the best on the album. It’s got everything in a death metal song: arcane melody, hostility, malevolence, and the most haunting backing synth/acoustic melody in any song. His growls aren’t as deep as Broberg’s, but they aren’t out of place either; I gotta give him props on the heavily distorted demonic growls during the middle, as well.

Riffwise, this album mutilates; nothing is simplistic or contrived here. Nay, every riff has qualities that add so much depth that just keep you engrossed as hell. They all sound colossal and crispy, with more backing power from Hedlund who makes sure the blood is always pumping. Production allows everything to stay completely balanced in the mix, but there seems to be some debate as to whether the drums are artificial or not. The playing is incredibly vigorous, charging, and fast; double bass is in motion and blast beats are the norm, but other styles add extra flavor to already crushing songs. They sound a tad bit mechanical and loud, but the playing sounds much more natural.

There’s no shame in denying that this album is damn heavy but varied at the same time. It truly left a mark in the scene, but gets shrouded by Hypocrisy’s later and more accessible output. I must come forth and say to get the latest pressing, since it likely added to this production boost and two extra kickass tracks. I’d like to end this by telling you to look at the cover art… look at it, god damnit. If you haven’t heard this album, then let the sadistic artwork be your glimpse into this album.