Saturday, June 26, 2010

Hypocrisy - Rest In Pain (1991)


Recorded in 1991, Rest In Pain is the first Hypocrisy demo. Apparently, it was recorded by Peter Tägtgren, as a solo effort. He would later go on to re-record the entire demo, with some additional songs, after meeting Masse Broberg. The original version already shows that Peter had a fairly good vision of what he wanted his band to sound like.

Musically, the songs are very similar to the versions that would appear on Penetralia. The production is much more raw, as one would expect from a demo. That being said, it's really not bad, at all. All of the instruments are pretty clear, and Peter's solos are already one of the highlights of the sound, at this early stage. And it must be said that the one tremolo riff, near the middle of "Suffering Souls", sticks out very well and sounds much better on this version.

As it regards the vocals, there's really nothing wrong with them. Nonetheless, it is easy to see why Peter wasn't completely satisfied. His vocals don't compare with Masse's, at this point, in terms of power or focus. Still, they're not very far off and it is doubtful that anyone would have really had a problem if he had continued on as vocalist. All in all, bringing Masse in was a wise move, but not absolutely necessary.

In the end, the album versions are slightly tighter, but this demo serves as an interesting glimpse into the early development of this band. If you are able to track down a copy, it is recommended.