Hypocrisy - Osculum Obscenum (1993)

Originally released on Nuclear Blast on the 12th of October in 1993 here on a double LP reissue on the Greek label Floga Records from 2012. The second vinyl contains the 5-songs from the EP “Inferior Devoties” (1994) and 4 demo songs from the US exclusive released “Pleasure Of Molestation” (1993) MCD. This vinyl is limited to 250 copies and they also misspelled Hypocrisy as “Hypocricy” on the spine. I have always thought "Osculum Obscenum" is one of the most underrated albums in the whole Death Metal genre and my favorite Hypocrisy record ever. It was also the very first Hypocrisy album I bought on CD back in 1993 or early 94. Masse Broberg or Emperor Magus Caligula as he was known as in Dark Funeral was at the time vocalist in Hypocrisy (he also designed their logo) and his performance is superb just

listen to songs like Necronomicon, Pleasure Of Molestation, Infant Sacrifices, Inferior Devoties or the title track Osculum Obscenum. That’s the sole reason that I even discovered Hypocrisy was with the promo video for Pleasure Of Molestation being shown on Headbanger’s Ball. I had liked the songs Left To Rot and Impotent God when I saw their promo videos from their debut album “Penetralia” (1992) but they weren't as good as Pleasure Of Molestation and I got really interested to hear the whole album and listened to it at my local record store and bought it straight away.

The sound on this their second record is still very North American Death Metal inspired but with some Black Metal hints. Take their best song ever Necronomicon it sounds more evil and nasty then many Black Metal bands. The cover of the classic Venom song Black Metal I liked when I first got the record, but the original is about a 100 times better, Hypocrisy placed it as song number 5 and it breaks the flow of the record I think. It should’ve been placed last or saved for an EP or reissue bonus or something. Sadly Masse Broberg left Hypocrisy in 1993 and for the 1994 EP “Inferior Devoties” Peter Tägtgren took over vocal duties they re-recorded the Inferior Devoties song and also God Is A Lie (from their debut “Penetralia”). They also made a promo video for that version of Inferior Devoties and actually the back sleeve on this vinyl release is the front cover art of the Inferior Devoties EP.

I think Peter is a competent vocalist and the EP is good I got it on release day but it has another cover that only the original band can do justice... Black Magic by Slayer is another typical EP filler material cover. It also appears on the compilation "Slatanic Slaughter (A Tribute To Slayer)" (1995) where Dissection does a great cover of Anti Christ other bands like Merciless, At The Gates, Enslaved, Seance, Edge Of Sanity etc. appears on the first one because Black Sun Records made a Slatanic Slaughter II the next year.

Anyway when Hypocrisy released their follow-up “The Fourth Dimension” in 1994 just 12 months after "Osculum Obscenum" I really liked it but that one hasn’t aged that well in my opinion. Nowadays I only like the title track, Apocalypse and the digipack exclusive song The Abyss (actually one of my favorite Hypocrisy songs) after that I lost interest for the band even if they’ve made some good songs after “The Fourth Dimension”. But back to the matter at hand "Osculum Obscenum" is definitely a hidden gem in the Death Metal genre and a must have album in my opinion if you like your Metal to sound extreme.