Abducted

Hypocrisy just barely cross into black metal territory with their follow-up to the successful The Fourth Dimension, Abducted. Guitarist/vocalist Peter Tagtgren not only delivers some of the heaviest guitar playing of his career, he makes significant strides with his voice as well. Instead of exclusive reliance on the typical cookie-monster grunting featured on The Fourth Dimension (the musician's first attempt at vocals), Tagtgren expands his repertoire to include sub-sonic growls and piercing black metal screeches, along with the grunts and hollers he had already mastered. In fact, on the title track, the singer/guitarist shifts his voice through all three styles, lending a new dynamic to his band's music. That music, specifically Tagtgren's guitar playing, is an essential element of Abducted's success. The record opens with some truly massive guitar tones that decorate cuts like "Roswell 42" and "Killing Art" and never let up throughout the 13-song track list. Simply stated, this is another highly recommended effort from Hypocrisy. ~ Vincent Jeffries