Hypocrisy
Metaldays - 2019
Text: Tobias Nilsson Photo: Lunah Lauridsen
Hypocrisy headlining? Noise!
Well, almost at least. Demons & Wizards had the big headlining spot of the day, but Hypocrisy was just below them on the card, and for a band that usually sticks to playing the earlier times, that’s something for us fans.
“How the fuck are you doing tonight?! We’re so fucking happy to be back again!”
- Peter Tägtgren (vocals/guitar)
Hypocrisy had a lot of fans waiting for them. The ground in front of the main stage was nearly filled as they got ready to hit the stage, and when they came out and opened up with an old classic, Fractured Millennium, the crowd erupted in cheers and raised horns.
The band in turn replied by giving us a lively show, where Horgh was the only one sitting down, figuratively as well as literally. Hell, Tägtgren was even jumping when the band played Valley Of The Damned.
Musically, Hypocrisy brought a rather standardized best of setlist, but with as strong hits as this band has in the bag, one can certainly live with that, especially at a festival setting where you just want to have fun. Carved Up is a not too frequent guest, and gave a nice change of pace in the latter half of the concert.
It was in the sound that the band’s real problem was hiding. The guitars were nice and crisp, but the bass muddied up and drowned out almost everything in its way - and when they finally got that under control in the second to last song of the evening, it was time for the bass drum to kick in (pun intended) and see us through what little music we had left. Yeah, I know, it’s a festival, and sound can be bad at these from time to time - depending on the festival it’s even a rule - but this was aggressively bad, so much so it killed some of the joy that the band otherwise did a good job of bringing to the table.
It wasn’t enough to kill the mood however, and while the crowd was content in cheering the band on through the first song, the mosh started up in the second song, and especially for the fast tracks, the crowdsurfing was wild. To keep with the dynamics, the slower songs generated a calmer response, but the connection was always there, strong and vital.
Personally, I hold Apocalypse and The Fourth Dimension as highlights of the show, but it was all good, if not counting the terrible sound, and while Hypocrisy has proven they enjoy visiting the festival, this being their fourth turn, we do hope it won’t take them six years to return again.
Setlist:
Fractured Millennium
Valley Of The Damned
End Of Disclosure
Adjusting The Sun
Eraser
Osculum Obscenum
Penetralia
Apocalypse
The Fourth Dimension
Fire In The Sky
Carved Up
War-Path
The Final Chapter
Roswell 47
Well, almost at least. Demons & Wizards had the big headlining spot of the day, but Hypocrisy was just below them on the card, and for a band that usually sticks to playing the earlier times, that’s something for us fans.
“How the fuck are you doing tonight?! We’re so fucking happy to be back again!”
- Peter Tägtgren (vocals/guitar)
Hypocrisy had a lot of fans waiting for them. The ground in front of the main stage was nearly filled as they got ready to hit the stage, and when they came out and opened up with an old classic, Fractured Millennium, the crowd erupted in cheers and raised horns.
The band in turn replied by giving us a lively show, where Horgh was the only one sitting down, figuratively as well as literally. Hell, Tägtgren was even jumping when the band played Valley Of The Damned.
Musically, Hypocrisy brought a rather standardized best of setlist, but with as strong hits as this band has in the bag, one can certainly live with that, especially at a festival setting where you just want to have fun. Carved Up is a not too frequent guest, and gave a nice change of pace in the latter half of the concert.
It was in the sound that the band’s real problem was hiding. The guitars were nice and crisp, but the bass muddied up and drowned out almost everything in its way - and when they finally got that under control in the second to last song of the evening, it was time for the bass drum to kick in (pun intended) and see us through what little music we had left. Yeah, I know, it’s a festival, and sound can be bad at these from time to time - depending on the festival it’s even a rule - but this was aggressively bad, so much so it killed some of the joy that the band otherwise did a good job of bringing to the table.
It wasn’t enough to kill the mood however, and while the crowd was content in cheering the band on through the first song, the mosh started up in the second song, and especially for the fast tracks, the crowdsurfing was wild. To keep with the dynamics, the slower songs generated a calmer response, but the connection was always there, strong and vital.
Personally, I hold Apocalypse and The Fourth Dimension as highlights of the show, but it was all good, if not counting the terrible sound, and while Hypocrisy has proven they enjoy visiting the festival, this being their fourth turn, we do hope it won’t take them six years to return again.
Setlist:
Fractured Millennium
Valley Of The Damned
End Of Disclosure
Adjusting The Sun
Eraser
Osculum Obscenum
Penetralia
Apocalypse
The Fourth Dimension
Fire In The Sky
Carved Up
War-Path
The Final Chapter
Roswell 47
Hypocrisy
