The Final Chapter was supposed to be the last album from Hypocrisy before they were disbanded and you can really hear that they put a lot of work into this album too. The band are still using the alien abduction/invasions themes which was first presented in the album ¨Abducted¨, they also mix some of the satanic and hateful themes as well. This album contains both fast, brutal and hammer slamming songs and slow and atmospheric songs, there is almost six fast songs and six slower songs.
The line up is still the same trio, the workaholic Peter Tägtgren on guitars and keyboards, Mikael Hedlund on the base guitar and Lars Szöke on the drums.
Track Information
Inseminated Adoption (4:34)
This song is a fast song which starts with a catchy and heavy intro, followed by a wah-solo that sounds demonic and spooky. The vocals is harsh, aggressive screaming and of course growls. The guitar-solo is long and chaotic to its sound, not a highlight solo though. Great song to start the album! 4.5/5
A Coming Race (5:08)
A slow song which starts with slow and heavy riffing, it later gets a bit atmospheric and depressing at the same time. The vocals are growling through out the song, the guitar solo is melodic and it sounds really good. A quite average song because it doesn’t really hold up, it can be boring because of its slow pace. 3.5/5
Dominon (3:33)
This one is a fast song; it is insanely fast, probably the fastest on the entire album. It is fast through out the whole song, the band makes a small break in the middle of the song to get more energy and the song slows down a bit and then continues to on the original speed. The vocals are raspy screams which sounds like black metal vocals. And there are two fast and skilled guitar solos included in this song. Not a highlight song though, the extreme tempo can be a bit frustrating to the listener or enjoable for ¨experienced¨ listeners. 4/5
Inquire Within (5:47)
A ballad a la Hypocrisy, this song starts with a slow melodic intro that sounds a bit futuristic and eastern. The song is apocalyptic and a bit depressive, the vocals is both strong growls and calm singing vocals. The verse is the most melodic part as the chorus is heavier and a bit faster. One of the best songs of this album! 5/5
Last Vanguard (3:25)
Another insanely fast song which reminds of the song ¨Dominon¨ but this song has a better structure so it doesn’t sound so ¨simple¨; there is more variation in the song if I say so. The riffing is fast and skilfully played, the vocals is harsh screaming. The song is slightly catchy but no highlight song. 4/5
Request Denied (4:52)
Starts with a slow, melodic and apocalyptic intro which sounds almost superb, the song later slows down and melodic semi-acoustics play along with Peter’s calm and quiet singing. The song gets heavier after the intro section and the calm vocals turns into strong growls. Here is also something that is not common in Hypocrsiy material, keyboards and real acoustics; it is just a short section of it (unfortunately). The solo is one of the best, calm and melodic. This song is very atmospheric and is worth checking out. 5/5
Through The Window Of Time (3:30)
Fast song with a very odd intro riffing which I can’t describe in any way, the riffing just sounds weird. The song is catchy at some times but contains a lot of the well-known overdone drumming. The vocals are growling and a few screams which sounds very strong. This song is a tempo-switcher and it is one of the most complex songs one the album. 4/5
Shamateur (5:18)
This song is played in a medium paced tempo in the intro and it later slows down to a slower song. The riffing is slow and there is little variation in the song which may be boring to the listener. The vocals are screaming, chanting and speaking/preaching. The song feels melancholic and the guitar solo is average. 3.5/5
Adjusting The Sun (4:43)
This song is a fast one but not as extreme as the previous songs, the riffing is some of the more technical stuff on this album. The song is heavy and the intro reminds you a bit of Iron Maiden, the solo is similar to the other solos, there is a great variation in the song that makes it interesting. 4.5/5
Lies (4:37)
Yet another slow song, the intro is slow and it sounds like there are violins in the background, but it can also be the keyboards. It makes a doomsday feel to the song, if you have played the very old computer game FINAL DOOM you will have a small idea how this song sounds like. The vocals is growling and some chanting growls, there is some kind of solo in the end that I don’t know what it is, either guitars or the keyboards. 3.5/5
Evil Invaders (3:49)
A faster song which sounds heavier than any of the other songs, the intro sounds NU influenced and then I mean NU-metal influenced. The song is heavy with aggressive growls and a fast guitar solo. This is one of the heaviest songs of the album it is very close to be a highlight song but the lack of variation in the song makes it a bit boring. 4/5
The Final Chapter (5:22)
One of the most atmospheric songs from Hypocrsiy, the intro is a screechy guitar that explodes into two simple riffs which is played in a fast tempo to create the main sound in the song. The vocals is a mix between what Peter can sing, first some speaking from a scientist (Peter himself), later some growls and the Hypocrsiy chanting. The best song of the album! 5/5
Final Judgement
This was the album that would declare Hypocrsiy’s break up but the fans thought otherwise and Peter continued to make great albums and later became a world wide known producer and musician. When you listen to this album you can definitely hear that the band has put a lot of work on the songs both vocally and instrumentally.
The only bad thing about this album is the album cover, three faces of the band members, if I would create a last album I would make a cover that would show some of the albums general themes, not a face. If you listen to bands like Arch Enemy, In Flames or some other Swedish death-metal you have to listen to this album because it gives you a perfect view of what Hypocrisy is and what kind of music they make.
PROS
•A lot of work has been used in this album
•The vocals is some of the best
•The variation of songs is perfect
•Instrumentally great
•The album gives the listener a good perspective of the band Hypocrisy
CONS
•This is not big deal but the album cover could been better
•Some of the slow songs can be boring after a while
Recommended songs
•Inseminated Adoption
•Request Denied
•Adjusting The Sun
•The Final Chapter
FINAL ALBUM RATING 5/5
