Hypocrisy
Penetralia

THE REVIEW

It is an honor for me to review this album! It was 1992 when 'Penetralia' was presented by the group, then a quintet. Yes, because shortly after, a split would lead them to their current trio form.

Speaking of the album, it starts with the powerful Impotent God (sorry for the pun..), a very good song that helps us realize what Hypocrisy was like back then! The second track Suffering Souls is not bad either! The song starts at a steady pace and then explodes at a very high speed, bordering on death, offering us splendid emotions!

The next track Nightmare is the first masterpiece of the CD, the song evolves through passages that go from the black atmosphere to the heaviness of death, concluding with a solo with clear Swedish influences. Jesus Fall is a piece that quite stands out from the previous songs, and it is very clear that many Swedish death/black bands have taken inspiration from this track, which at times evidently recalls Dismember.

With God is a… we return to typical death canons; the song is a bomb and is a strong contender for being one of the best on the album, even though the average quality of all the songs on this CD is really very high!! Left to rot continues in the wake of the previous track, even better!! It is practically impossible to stand still during this song, as it manages to deliver really strong emotions, involving the listener in an incredible way!! FANTASTIC! Very likely the best track of the album! After such a strong hit like the previous track, a slowdown was predictable, and indeed Burn by the cross doesn’t push too hard on speed...at the beginning!! After a demonic mid-tempo, the song is reborn from a riff written by Lucifer himself and starts at the speed of light, then slows down again, greatly thrilling those who are listening to the said CD! Wow, what a hit, guys!

At this point, it is very difficult for me to describe To escape is to die, or at least the strange start! At some point, it seems like hearing a riff from the very early Europe, but then the song takes on the characteristics of a ball-busting death metal song with an orgasmic solo and a final gallop! It's okay guys! Take the throne, also starts heavy and cadenced like a stone, then explodes powerful and compact! Beautiful, beautiful song! And so we've reached the last song, the title track. It seems like Hypocrisy wants us to catch our breath with a delicate song where initially only clean guitar, drums, and keyboard are heard but... The band starts again with very catchy riffs! The influence of black and Swedish-styled melody is very present (hey, within limits, I'm not talking about melody like late Arch Enemy or Hypocrisy themselves!!) The song is kick-ass and look at that, it’s also a contender, for a change, to be one of the best of the album!

What more can be said? 'Penetralia' is a milestone of Swedish death metal, it has heavily influenced death/black and does not contain fillers, what more could you want?? A must-buy for all fans of extreme metal, power metal fans need not apply, of course!!

I remember that in this CD we find Masse Broberg on vocals!! If this name doesn’t ring a bell for most, I’ll tell you that a few years after leaving Hypocrisy, dear Masse replaced another singer in a little band called Dark Funeral, adopting the nickname Emperor Magus Caligula, and later he joined another death group called God Among Insects.. Is it clear now?? Cheers!