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Hypocrisy > The Fourth Dimension > Reviews
Hypocrisy - The Fourth Dimension

The New Dimension - 95%

Hames_Jetfield, October 9th, 2021

Simplification of the logo and departure from surreal cover paintings = selling out. Usually yes, but surprisingly...not in the case of "The Fourth Dimension"! Over the course of the year separating "Osculum Obscenum" and "The Fourth Dimension" a surprisingly large number of changes took place in the band, including: Peter Tägtgren took the position of a guitarist/vocalist, and the band's style turned into a melodic death metal.

At that time, they could only be congratulated! As usual, such ideas do not convince me (on one hand you can count how many did it well...), in the case of "The Fourth Dimension" I think the opposite - the trio created a piece of excellent music, better than - despite different styles - the previous two discs and above all! - not suggesting too strong associations with other bands. Well, in my opinion, they did so well that they managed to create one of their best albums in the discography! Well-written compositions, catchiness, nice atmosphere and not overwhelmingly with the melodies - these are just some of the attractions that "The Fourth..." has. And most importantly, their own idea for playing melo-death (because with a distinctly different feeling than friends from Edge Of Sanity or At The Gates).

Well, "The Fourth Dimension" is a perfect bridge between traditional death metal and expressive melodies and hitness. The ideal proportions in this respect are presented here, for example, by "Reborn" (the biggest hit), "Mind Corruption" (well...this too), the title track (with well-matched keyboards), "Path To Babylon" (with a nice melody), "Orgy In Blood" (the most brutal in the tracklist), "Slaughtered" (with a marching rhythm) or "The North Wind" (a similar case here as with "Slaughtered"), so as you can see a lot - and yet in each of the tracks there are similar diverse ideas.

Honestly...they could only split this material a bit! The 13 tracks that make up "The Fourth..." are a bit too much for almost an hour of material, and the effect would certainly be equally successful with those 9/10 tracks. Anyway, "The Fourth Dimension" is a new era for Hypocrisy, and the album that turned out to be the key to success (later at the expense of band level, but what they earned was left for them). And also that with Peter as a guitarist/vocalist, the functionality of the group makes perfect sense.

Originally on: https://subiektywnymetal.blogspot.com/2020/07/hypocrisy-fourth-dimension-1994.html

The things are getting really interesting... - 90%

CHRISTI_NS_ANITY8, August 21st, 2008

Hypocrisy never caught my complete attention, musically talking, maybe except for their masterpiece Abducted that featured a violent change of musical direction towards more melodic and weird sounds. That change anyway passed also through another album, this The Fourth Dimension that opened the gates of a more mature sound for them. The violence of the early years and albums was still present but this album featured also more mature and technical compositions.

Another change we can see is the one that happened behind the microphone. Magnus "Masse" Bromberg has been “replaced” by the real mastermind here, Peter Tagtgren that at first was playing the guitars only. This is I think the most important change ever by this band. This guy, initially heavily influenced by the american brutal death metal, had the chance to mature and fill the sound with new elements from his mind and intelligence. It was like everything had to be redone, re-played and reconstructed once again.

The cold brutality of the past efforts this time has been filtrated through another kind of obscurity and coldness. If the one at the beginning was pure Satanic and violent, this time the futurism, the Sci-Fi themes were the most important thing. So, we begin with the strangely mid-paced “Apocalypse” that shows weird keyboards passages and good, melodic lead guitars lines under a suffered growl that sometimes turns also in screams. Peter has grown a lot technically and he could do anything in creative field for his new creature, his new Hypocrisy.

The production this time is more “full” and the guitars are never full of that sick distortion like in the past. This time, they are more simply and more powerful in sounds while we go on meeting the great tempo changes of “Mind Corruption” and the apocalyptic atmospheres of “Reincarnation”. The growls are truly powerful and the melodies are always the important thing. These songs are really astonishing for their musical burden of darkness, sorrow and somehow something artificial and scientific. More than once I felt to be in a mysterious area where weird experiments are occulted to the common people.

“Reborn” and “Orgy In Blood” are just the two of the most representative examples of the most violent death metal band’s side. Anyway, also during these parts the way of playing and the more “controlled” fury help in creating more mature and less chaotic compositions. In these cases the tremolo picking is the most utilized technique while during the other, more melodic, songs the open chords long noted are required to give the right atmosphere. Anyway, it is good to notice that also during the fastest compositions they never abandoned that burden of darkness and occultism.

“Black Forest” is shocking for the number of tempo changes inside it and they lead also to complete changes of atmosphere. For example, check the mid-paced beginning that turns to galloping riffs in the middle and flows directly into a kind of obscure and sad black metal part by the end. Unbelievable. Sometimes, during the path to the Fourth Dimension we can meet also whispered vocals, melodic solos and melodic death metal parts. I believe that this album is the most representative for the growing melodic death metal scene, and not Heartwork like many say.

This album is the classic example of unexpected, surprising, astonishing and unpredictable musical change by a band. When you leave the band to someone competent this is what you get. A great album. Actually, the new efforts by this band are a bit beyond for me and too strange for my tastes but if you want to enjoy the Hypocrisy’s essence, take this one and Abducted. The previous albums were Okay but with these two the things got really yummy.

Tagtgren's Outlook On The Fourth Dimension - 87%

OzzyApu, October 14th, 2006

Dayaaaaaamn! With everything evil about 90s Metal, Hypocrisy lays the foundation of our ever-mysterious 4th dimension. Peter picks of full duties on the beloved mic, and the band becomes a tight 3-piece. Although the size has shrunk, the musicianship has grown stronger.

The addition of keyboards into the music, most notably on the starter "Apocalypse" sends a deep message into what Hypocrisy wish to accomplish. While catchy in its own right, it does steer left of what they performed on the previous releases. Peter's vocals are typically common in Death Metal, you know, the literal growl. This may seem unsatisfactory and redundant, but on tracks like "Reincarnation", "Never To Return", and "The Fourth Dimension" (Combined with his riffs, solos, and melodies), it makes for some apocalyptic tracks.

The bass is clearly audible for the most part, which is a no brainer since Mr. Mikael Hedlund is the one picking at it. Our dear friend Lars Szoke commands the battery, and his beating becomes the forefront of the record. The backbone however, lies in the aggression, theme, and sheer Tagtgren-ness of the album, all surrounded by the brooding atmosphere (Take a good hard listen to "The Arrival Of The Demons"). To me, this fusion creates one of the better albums done by Hypocrisy, also leaving it as one of my personal favorites.

For anyone interested in Death Metal from our counterparts in Scandinavia, this is a sure pick to listen to. Pete, Mike, and Lars possess unique qualities to create something to our liking; "something" being -The Fourth Dimension-.

A New Dimension of Hypocrisy - 85%

antipath, December 3rd, 2004

This marked a departure for Hypocrisy in a few ways. One, this was the first one without inhumanly evil vocalist Masse Broberg, second, Hypocrisy was expanding thier horizons a bit. The riffing was similar to Osculum Obscenum except with a melodic element. This was also the first Hypocrisy record to have a prominent keyboard presence. The keyboard is not overly used, and all it does is add atmosphere to the songs. There is a different vibe and feeling about the album. Its slower, more mid paced, but there are still a few really fast songs. I would say that there is a bit more technicality in the riffing style too. The lyrics are more about the supernatural as opposed to cheesy satanic stuff. Peter's vocal are really low and brutal, not as good as Masse though. Almost every song is really good, even if they are slower than the last record. The bass is more prominent here as well. Overall I would say that this one is softer and more mature in some ways than the previous two records, yet it is unmistakably death metal. I highly recomend purchasing this if you like mid era Hypocrisy.