The Abyss

Summon the Beast (Nuclear Blast)
by Chaz Thorndike

The second release by this Hypocrisy side project (same members on different instruments), it comes as no surprise that there are no keyboards used, and the snakespit vocals are on par with the best in black metal. The only potential drawback of Summon the Beast is that there are no dynamics, rather one go-for-the-throat pace established and maintained for the 30ish minutes of this hyperspeed trip through Hell. Similar to a horror movie that’s all slash and no plot (or a porno that’s all gash and no plot), it’s up to the individual whether they prefer tempo changes and subtle nuances or just the red meat of the matter. I’ll take the stabbing and screams, hold the subtext, please.