Hypocrisy
Gruenspan, Hamburg - 2026
Text: Tobias Nilsson Photo: Lunah Lauridsen
After two and a half weeks apart, it was time for us to check in on the Mass Hallucination tour again, this time in Hamburg. What was up, what was new, what had happened since last? All questions we were about to have answered…
“Hamburg, wie geht’s?! Fucking amazing to be back!”
- Peter Tägtgren (vocals/guitar)
Despite my misgivings during Abbath’s show earlier, the crowd hadn’t just shown up for the Norwegian black metal outfit. Gruenspan was positively packed now as well, and if it wasn’t sold out, it must have been damned near it! It was hellishly hot, and an infernal scream arose from the audience as the band hit the stage.
The setlist hadn’t been updated, but since we liked it the last time around, there’s nothing bad to say about that. They Will Arrive still delivered a nice opening punch, and the title is a nice sort of pun when the song is placed at the top of the list, isn’t it?
Fire In The Sky is an old school classic, tried and true, and it was received as such by the crowd. Early crowdsurfing expanded into a groovy mosh in the middle, with everyone else raising their horns in respect. The mosh grew wilder with Inferior Devoties, and now the fans shouted along to the song as well.
We don’t need to deep dive into every track, just rest assured that the energy only increased from here on out, sometimes led by the band, like when Mikael Hedlund had everyone shouting “hey” to start off Eraser which bled over to them screaming “there is no time” when the chorus came round. Peter Tägtgren tried the same trick on the “the world is falling” line in War-Path, but this was just met with a nonverbal shout.
“I had a prediction 15 years ago, and just look at what’s happening today! This is End Of Disclosure!”
- Tägtgren (vocals/guitar)
The band was feeling the energy as well, and was delivering a strong show, headbanging, having fun with the crowd, and in general being as metal as ever. That they were on their last reserves towards the end was not to be scoffed at, and nobody said anything about them having to physically lean on each other during Roswell 47 to get through it.
No, of course that was made in jest, we do get that, and it was as a fun little trick.
Despite this, the show tonight was sadly a little underwhelming, but that must be seen in the light of how good the Copenhagen show had been earlier on the tour. That show had been freaking magical, so when this was ‘merely’ a very good show, it just diminished in comparison. Don’t get me wrong, this was a very good show, it just wasn’t quite up to the standard we’ve seen from these guys in the past.
Even so, we had a great old time, as did the rest of the hall judging from the overwhelming response Hypocrisy got before, during, and after the show. That might, or might not answer all the questions, but that’s what we got, and we were happy with it.
Setlist:
They Will Arrive
Fire In The Sky
Inferior Devoties
Chemical Whore
Carved Up
Children Of The Gray
End Of Disclosure
Killing Art
Eraser
Deathrow (No Regrets)
Adjusting The Sun
Fractured Millennium
War-Path
Roswell 47
“Hamburg, wie geht’s?! Fucking amazing to be back!”
- Peter Tägtgren (vocals/guitar)
Despite my misgivings during Abbath’s show earlier, the crowd hadn’t just shown up for the Norwegian black metal outfit. Gruenspan was positively packed now as well, and if it wasn’t sold out, it must have been damned near it! It was hellishly hot, and an infernal scream arose from the audience as the band hit the stage.
The setlist hadn’t been updated, but since we liked it the last time around, there’s nothing bad to say about that. They Will Arrive still delivered a nice opening punch, and the title is a nice sort of pun when the song is placed at the top of the list, isn’t it?
Fire In The Sky is an old school classic, tried and true, and it was received as such by the crowd. Early crowdsurfing expanded into a groovy mosh in the middle, with everyone else raising their horns in respect. The mosh grew wilder with Inferior Devoties, and now the fans shouted along to the song as well.
We don’t need to deep dive into every track, just rest assured that the energy only increased from here on out, sometimes led by the band, like when Mikael Hedlund had everyone shouting “hey” to start off Eraser which bled over to them screaming “there is no time” when the chorus came round. Peter Tägtgren tried the same trick on the “the world is falling” line in War-Path, but this was just met with a nonverbal shout.
“I had a prediction 15 years ago, and just look at what’s happening today! This is End Of Disclosure!”
- Tägtgren (vocals/guitar)
The band was feeling the energy as well, and was delivering a strong show, headbanging, having fun with the crowd, and in general being as metal as ever. That they were on their last reserves towards the end was not to be scoffed at, and nobody said anything about them having to physically lean on each other during Roswell 47 to get through it.
No, of course that was made in jest, we do get that, and it was as a fun little trick.
Despite this, the show tonight was sadly a little underwhelming, but that must be seen in the light of how good the Copenhagen show had been earlier on the tour. That show had been freaking magical, so when this was ‘merely’ a very good show, it just diminished in comparison. Don’t get me wrong, this was a very good show, it just wasn’t quite up to the standard we’ve seen from these guys in the past.
Even so, we had a great old time, as did the rest of the hall judging from the overwhelming response Hypocrisy got before, during, and after the show. That might, or might not answer all the questions, but that’s what we got, and we were happy with it.
Setlist:
They Will Arrive
Fire In The Sky
Inferior Devoties
Chemical Whore
Carved Up
Children Of The Gray
End Of Disclosure
Killing Art
Eraser
Deathrow (No Regrets)
Adjusting The Sun
Fractured Millennium
War-Path
Roswell 47
Hypocrisy
