Hypocrisy should need no further introduction to readers of this site. Not only were they the main headliner of the first festival day (Frei.Wild may have had a longer stage-time but who cares?), but also the first and main reason for us to travel to Rockharz to begin with!

So on they came at about 9:30 P.M., and with an hour to play in they went straight for the throat, opening with one of their many top hits better known as Roswell 47. After this the road was paved for a best of show, the likes of which are seldom seen. Yes, if there was one thing above all else that Hypocrisy should really be congratulated on here, it was the fact that they knew how to construct the perfect festival set. If it had been a normal concert I would have asked for some more daring moves in the choices of songs, but when at a festival bands should choose a set of recognizable, well-known songs every drunken one can sing along to. This may sound odd, speaking of a death metal band as I am, but this was exactly what Hypocrisy had done. Not only had they chosen the right songs for the job, but they had also placed them in such an order as to create a very dynamic set, moving from fast to slow and back again, always keeping the crowd interested and alert.

“Let’s see how crazy you people can get! Just give me a sec…”
- Peter Tägtgren (vocals/guitar)

Well, now I’ve written a bunch about the songs, but what about the performance?
Well, Tägtgren really didn’t speak much, except for a few predictable but welcome comments about how it was great to be here and how great Germany and the fans were; instead, the band was very much focused on delivering the songs. Not that they were boring to watch because of this, especially Mikael Hedlund and Tomas ‘Elof’ Elofsson delivered a powerful performance without really doing much more than play their instruments and move about a bit from time to time. I think what was shining through here, for the whole band, was presence; they were exactly where they were supposed to be and fully committed to deliver this concert. I have seen many good Hypocrisy shows, but this one was certainly among the top of the crop, and I don’t think the large audience would like to argue about this.

What you could have thought would have put a damper on things was the rain.
The day had been warm and sunny pretty much up until now, but soon after the concert began a gentle dripping started which quickly developed into a full-blown shower which lasted for the duration of the concert (and beyond).
This didn’t seem to bother people however, some pulled their rain-kit out while other just opted for getting wet; I don’t believe anyone left though, the place was still as packed as ever, and people were still dedicated to the concert. A million (or so) arms were in the air for Fire In The Sky, and when asked a circle pit readily ensued as well during Pleasure Of Molestation. These were only some examples though the entire show saw a pretty wild and positive crowd.

I suppose I don’t need to say I loved the show, do I? Well, it was certainly the highlight of the day, and in the definite top of the festival as well…

Setlist:

Roswell 47
Valley Of The Damned
Fire In The Sky
Adjusting The Sun
Killing Art
Let The Knife Do The Talking
Pleasure Of Molestation
Eraser
Weed Out The Weak
The Final Chapter
Warpath
Fractured Millennium