The Other Side

The Abyss was an obscure and short-lived black metal side project from the members of Hypocrisy. Very little information is available regarding the motivations behind creating this dark entity, no lyrics were ever printed in the CD booklets and not a word has been spoken about the two albums that were released under this name in all the years since. However, The Abyss should not be relegated to being a mere footnote in the lengthy discography of Peter Tägtgren. It deserves much more than that. Released in March 1995, The Other Side is one of the best black metal albums to emerge from the dark forests of Sweden and should be revered as such.

My first exposure to this band came as a result of seeing a review of Summon the Beast in Metal Maniacs. Intrigued by the impressive cover art, which seemed all the more grim since it was printed in black and white, I began searching for their releases. My best friend at the time beat me to it, getting his hands on the band's debut, of which I was skeptical since the cover seemed like the total antithesis of the one that first caught my interest. If I'd found myself in a position of having to choose between the two, based on appearances, I would have made a serious mistake and walked out of the shop with the wrong one. At any rate, I only became more interested in the album when he told me that it featured the three members of Hypocrisy, something that the reviewer failed to mention. Being quite enthralled with many of their songs, and the entire Osculum Obscenum album in particular, I suddenly had high expectations of The Abyss. I was not disappointed in the slightest.

What the listener will find here is classic mid-'90s black metal in the northern style. The band shares few traits with their brethren in the nascent Swedish scene, owing much more to Norwegian bands such as Mayhem, Darkthrone and Burzum. In fact, my initial impression of The Other Side was that it reminded me a bit of Gorgoroth's Pentagram, which was released around the time this was being recorded, an album with seemingly similar inspirations. Though hardly surprising, considering the musicians involved, the songwriting is excellent. The compositions are quite dynamic, with pretty much every song running the gamut of tempos and feeling almost like mini-epics, each building to its own climax and yet also forming a cohesive whole. Mikael Hedlund and Lars Szöke prove to be more than capable guitarists, unleashing blistering riffs, accompanied by intense percussion from Tägtgren. The booklet states that each member shares vocal duties, but it seems that Hedlund is responsible for the majority of the throat-shredding blasphemies. His voice is reminiscent of that of Af Gravf, of Marduk, as well as Hat's work in the aforementioned Gorgoroth. His style makes it fairly difficult to discern any of the lyrics, exacerbated by the fact that nearly everything is written in Swedish, as well as the generous use of reverb. Nevertheless, his tormented cries suit the cold, melancholic guitars.

"Marutukku" bursts forth from the blackness in a maelstrom of fast-picked riffs, violent drumming and hateful vocals, laying the foundation for what is to come. In less than three minutes, The Abyss succeeded in establishing an identity and contributed more to black metal than most bands manage throughout their entire, worthless careers. "Tjänare af besten" possesses a rather mournful feeling, taking the listener deeper into the darkness and weaving sombre tremolo melodies into the violent and intense framework of the song. Everything comes together, masterfully, with each riff flowing seamlessly into the next, as the bleak harmonies build tension, pushing the listener closer toward the edge. Much like the first track, the second eventually gives way to a slower, more melodic section which serves as a release for the misery that has been growing, stabbing you right in the heart like a shard of ice. It's during these moments, as the gloomy and sometimes eerie atmosphere envelopes the listener, that the distinctive sound of their primary band begins to bleed through. As the final depressive notes fade into nothingness, "Psycomantum" erupts from below, with a blinding speed and fury similar to the opening of Mayhem's "Life Eternal", bearing a more sinister and wrathful vibe than the previous song. At times, the severity of this track threatens to overwhelm the senses with a torrent of vicious riffs and maniacal screams. There are also brief nods to Hellhammer, which is most appropriate since the next piece is a cover of "Massacra". By doing this, they ensured that the tribute song would blend in with the rest a bit more.

The way that each song leads into the next one, building on what came before, is brilliant. As a result, The Other Side really feels like much more than a mere collection of random songs. None of the tracks are one-dimensional or monotonous, and each one could stand on its own very well. However, when put together and arranged in such a logical manner, it all gives the impression that this is some epic record, despite clocking in at just under half an hour. As the journey into the frozen void continues, we come to the much more intense "Mörkrets vandring", a hellish and almost schizophrenic track that would not have been out of place on an album like Hvis lyset tar oss, though in the hands of the Count it wouldn't have been this tight and powerful. As the anguished cries echo through the endless dark and the pace slows, one might expect this song to gradually fade away as the earlier "Tjänare af besten" had done. Instead, the mood becomes kind of unhinged as everything speeds up and returns to a heightened state of tension. "Sorgens dal" hearkens back to Bathory's Under the Sign of the Black Mark, at times, with a few hints of Marduk's Those of the Unlight for good measure. The feeling of utter desperation truly sets in as the mournful intro of "Slukad" fades in, accompanied by some brief 'operatic wailing'. The listener is nearly lulled into a trance, within the first minute or so, until the song speeds up. The sorrowful guitar harmonies are unrelenting, accentuated by the tortured vocals. This utterly desolate feeling that is created by this song really drains the life from your body. Appropriately enough, the last proper track does have some feeling of finality to it. Of all the songs on here, this is the closest to feeling like Hypocrisy (minus a riff or two).

The Other Side is highly recommended, and is actually one of the better black metal albums to emerge from Sweden during this period. For as good as it is, it's a little surprising that this recording is cited so rarely. As this was the first full-length to be recorded in Tägtgren's new studio, the sound is more clear and powerful than a fair amount of other black metal albums from this time; however, in late 1994 he had not yet 'perfected' his skills in making things sound overly slick and soulless, so the production is not a problem and suits this material just fine. (Sadly, the same cannot be said for the second album from The Abyss.) At any rate, this is essential for anyone into Swedish black metal. Whether you are a fan of their primary band, or just early just '90s Scandinavian black metal in general, be sure to give this a listen.

(31 Jan. 2009)
http://www.morbidcurse.com/

Initially, I shunned black metal because I found it to be overhyped and low on substance, but would later go on to change my ways, and it was the Other Side that did it for me. When you have all the members of Hypocrisy invovled in something, with Peter Tagtgren producing, you know it's going to be quality and it's going to sound good. It's says that they're playing different instruments, but apart from more lively drumming, you'd never know it.

The Abyss is not far removed from other Swedish black metal, like Marduk, particularily when it comes to the straightforward structures and "brutal" feel, as opposed to the obscurity and mysticism of the Norweigian variety. "Marutukku," "Mörkrets vandring" and "Psychomantum" are the best examples of this, with blast beats and tremolo riffs up the ass. The Hellhammer cover fits in perfectly along the other material.

Where The Abyss really succeeds is by adding in a nice touch of melancholy. Hypocrisy were always experts at delivering despondent songs, and the Other Side is no exception. The best track on here, "Tjänare Af Besten" goes through a variety of moods that drag you into some bizarre place where sorrow reigns...and holy shit, is that ending ever the most beautiful thing I've heard on a metal album! Those melodic moments don't just show up there, though: "Marutukku" has a great clean midsection, as does "Slukad," with its acoustic build up and operatic vocals.

"Förintelsens tid äro kommen" is the weirdest track on here...for the longest time I just couldn't get into it, but it sounds evil as hell, with backwards, looped tapes and strummed power chords. It closes out an album that already feels mysterious and dark with a twisted turn.

In spite of its good production, The Other Side is far from "mainstream" black metal, that you might expect from members of Hypocrisy. This is as essential of an album as anything put out by the Swedish black metal scene in the 90's.

I was curious to find out how a Hypocrisy black metal side-project would sound like, so I decided to check this album out; I didn't expect any mind-blowing results, even though I enjoy Hypocrisy a lot, but somehow I didn't think this could possibly be as great as it actually is.

The band consists of the strongest Hypocrisy line-up (Peter, Lars, Mikael) and the archives say that all of them contributed on vocals, but I only seem to hear Peter most of the time. This time, Peter has also taken drum duties again and fuck, he's simply a lot better than Lars Szöke ever was. Great blastbeats with some thrashy and doom metal beats contain enough variety to keep you interested. I was also surprised that Lars took over guitar duties and does so quite well. A few passages resemble Hypocrisy's sound around the "Fourth Dimension" and "Abducted" era. Mikael is still handling the bass, like always.

"The Other Side" can be described as typical Swedish black metal album, but with hints of Hypocrisy's most atmospheric elements. Some very nice riffs can be found here (especially in the great track "Tjänare Af Besten") and the drumming is, as I said, quite stellar. The songs never excel a certain length, so there is very little to be called redundant. Peter's vocals don't bear too many similarities to Hypocrisy or even his stint in Bloodbath; his shrieks are very high and more typical than anything else that he has done in his career, but can still be recognized as his. The bass work is rather generic, but it's audible and does enhance the experience a bit.

Overall, "The Other Side" is a great Swedish black metal album with great melodic ideas splattered throughout. I recommend this to all fans of early Marduk and similar Swedish acts, as well as to those who are simply curious about how Hypocrisy would sound if they were black metal.