Hypocrisy (band)
Encyclopedia
Hypocrisy is a melodic death metal
band
from Sweden
. It was formed in 1990 in Ludvika
, Sweden
by Peter Tägtgren.
Musically, the band started off with a traditional death metal
sound on their first albums, and soon drifted to become a melodic death metal
band. The lyrics
in their early stages - written by original vocalist Masse Broberg
- were dealing anti-Christian matters and Satanism
. However the band later chose to focus on lyrical themes such as the paranormal
and extraterrestrial
, which prompted Broberg out of the band (and to transfer his interests to black metal
band Dark Funeral
as Emperor Magus Caligula
). Their tenth album, Virus, contains lyrics of a more typical death metal nature dealing with violence, the horrors of reality, insanity, torture, war, drug addiction, and emotional struggles.
in 1990, founder Peter Tägtgren
returned to his homeland of Sweden
to form his own band. Hypocrisy's early releases were noted as being well-executed death metal, but panned for not being particularly innovative. That criticism waned as the band matured, cultivating a more distinctive sound as well as employing an introspective lyrical approach. Later releases have a more atmospheric sound, with lyrical exploration of aliens and abduction experiences. Their release, Virus, has seen the band return to more death metal themes. Their most recent release, A Taste of Extreme Divinity
, continues this path.
Tägtgren's experience as a producer may have also have led to the band's change in musical direction, as he is more closely involved with many other bands while producing their albums.
On November 17, 2009 Hypocrisy cancelled their U.S. tour because of troubles with the U.S. immigration in regards with Ensiferum
, Ex Deo
, and Blackguard
. After cancelling earlier in 2009, Hypocrisy has now confirmed a North American tour for 2010. Joining Hypocrisy on the 'Long Time, No Death' tour are Scar Symmetry
, Hate
, Blackguard
and Swashbuckle. From January to March 2010 they are touring in Germany
, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia
, and finishing in Moscow
. Their North American tour will take place around May. They will also play the Summer Breeze
festival in August.
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. It was formed in 1990 in Ludvika
Ludvika
Ludvika is a bimunicipal locality and the seat of Ludvika Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden, with 14,018 inhabitants in 2005.-Overview:The conurbation of Ludvika extends over the border of Smedjebacken Municipality, where about 400 inhabitants live....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
by Peter Tägtgren.
Musically, the band started off with a traditional death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
sound on their first albums, and soon drifted to become a melodic death metal
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
band. The lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
in their early stages - written by original vocalist Masse Broberg
Emperor Magus Caligula
Emperor Magus Caligula is an extreme metal musician best known as the former vocalist, bassist and lyricist of Swedish black metal band Dark Funeral, performing for the band between 1995 and 2010. He has also been the vocalist of death metal bands Demonoid, replacing Christofer Johnsson, and...
- were dealing anti-Christian matters and Satanism
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
. However the band later chose to focus on lyrical themes such as the paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
and extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
, which prompted Broberg out of the band (and to transfer his interests to black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band Dark Funeral
Dark Funeral
Dark Funeral is a black metal band from Stockholm, Sweden, founded by guitarists Blackmoon and Lord Ahriman in 1993. They are one of the bands to have emerged in Sweden during the Second wave of black metal....
as Emperor Magus Caligula
Emperor Magus Caligula
Emperor Magus Caligula is an extreme metal musician best known as the former vocalist, bassist and lyricist of Swedish black metal band Dark Funeral, performing for the band between 1995 and 2010. He has also been the vocalist of death metal bands Demonoid, replacing Christofer Johnsson, and...
). Their tenth album, Virus, contains lyrics of a more typical death metal nature dealing with violence, the horrors of reality, insanity, torture, war, drug addiction, and emotional struggles.
Biography
After spending three years in Fort Lauderdale, FloridaFort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
in 1990, founder Peter Tägtgren
Peter Tägtgren
Alf Peter Tägtgren is a Swedish musician and producer. He is the founder, main songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of the death metal band Hypocrisy as well as the industrial metal band PAIN in which he is the only member....
returned to his homeland of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
to form his own band. Hypocrisy's early releases were noted as being well-executed death metal, but panned for not being particularly innovative. That criticism waned as the band matured, cultivating a more distinctive sound as well as employing an introspective lyrical approach. Later releases have a more atmospheric sound, with lyrical exploration of aliens and abduction experiences. Their release, Virus, has seen the band return to more death metal themes. Their most recent release, A Taste of Extreme Divinity
A Taste of Extreme Divinity
-Band members:* Peter Tägtgren – vocals, guitar* Mikael Hedlund – bass guitar* Horgh – drums...
, continues this path.
Tägtgren's experience as a producer may have also have led to the band's change in musical direction, as he is more closely involved with many other bands while producing their albums.
On November 17, 2009 Hypocrisy cancelled their U.S. tour because of troubles with the U.S. immigration in regards with Ensiferum
Ensiferum
Ensiferum is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The members of the band label themselves as "heroic folk metal." Since their formation, Ensiferum has released four full-length albums, one EP, one compilation, three singles, and three demo albums and one unreleased album.-Musical...
, Ex Deo
Ex Deo
Ex Deo is a Canadian death metal band formed in 2008 in Montreal, Quebec. The band is a side project of Kataklysm frontman Maurizio Iacono, based on the history of the Roman Empire.-History:...
, and Blackguard
Blackguard (band)
Blackguard is a melodic death metal band from Montréal, Québec, previously known as Profugus Mortis.-Formation :Blackguard was formed in 2001 by guitarist Terry Roadcase and drummer Justine "Juice" Éthier as a straight ahead black metal outfit, the Montreal-based sextet - was originally named...
. After cancelling earlier in 2009, Hypocrisy has now confirmed a North American tour for 2010. Joining Hypocrisy on the 'Long Time, No Death' tour are Scar Symmetry
Scar Symmetry
Scar Symmetry is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Avesta in Dalarna County, formed in 2004. The band has released five albums, with six released singles...
, Hate
Hate (band)
Hate is a Polish death metal band from Warsaw, Poland, formed in 1990. Their most recent album, Erebos, was released in 2010, under Listenable Records.-Biography:...
, Blackguard
Blackguard (band)
Blackguard is a melodic death metal band from Montréal, Québec, previously known as Profugus Mortis.-Formation :Blackguard was formed in 2001 by guitarist Terry Roadcase and drummer Justine "Juice" Éthier as a straight ahead black metal outfit, the Montreal-based sextet - was originally named...
and Swashbuckle. From January to March 2010 they are touring in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, and finishing in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Their North American tour will take place around May. They will also play the Summer Breeze
Summer Breeze Open Air
Summer Breeze Open Air is a heavy metal music festival in Germany. It takes place annually in Dinkelsbühl, Bavaria. It was first held in 1997. The festival had been held in Abtsgmünd until 2006 when it was moved to its new location of Dinkelsbühl. The festival draws around 40,000 attendees annually...
festival in August.
Members
- Peter TägtgrenPeter TägtgrenAlf Peter Tägtgren is a Swedish musician and producer. He is the founder, main songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of the death metal band Hypocrisy as well as the industrial metal band PAIN in which he is the only member....
- vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
(1990–present) - Mikael Hedlund - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1992–present) - Reidar "Horgh" HorghagenHorghHorgh is a Norwegian drummer, currently playing for Swedish death metal band Hypocrisy and Norwegian black metal band Immortal....
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2004–present)
Former members
- Lars Szöke - drums (1990–2004)
- Magnus "Masse" BrobergEmperor Magus CaligulaEmperor Magus Caligula is an extreme metal musician best known as the former vocalist, bassist and lyricist of Swedish black metal band Dark Funeral, performing for the band between 1995 and 2010. He has also been the vocalist of death metal bands Demonoid, replacing Christofer Johnsson, and...
- vocals (1992–1993) - Jonas Österberg - guitar (1992)
- Mathias Kamijo - live guitar (1998)
- Andreas Holma - guitar (2004–2006)
- Klas Ideberg - live guitar (2006)
Albums
- PenetraliaPenetraliaPenetralia is the debut album of Hypocrisy released in 1992. The cover artwork is created by Dan Seagrave. The digipak reissue contains two bonus tracks; "Life of Filth" and "Lead by Satanism".-Track listing:...
(1992) - Osculum ObscenumOsculum ObscenumOsculum Obscenum is Hypocrisy's second album, released in 1993. The cover artwork was created by Wes Benscoter. Osculum Obscenum was re-released in 1996 as a digipak with bonus tracks and a photo of the band lineup from that year with Mikael Hedlund, Peter Tägtgren, and Lars Szöke.-Track listing:-...
(1993) - The Fourth DimensionThe Fourth Dimension (album)The Fourth Dimension is the third studio album released by Hypocrisy on October 25, 1994. The limited edition digipak — not to be confused with the digipak re-release, had "The Abyss" instead of "The Arrival of the Demons". This track was later re-recorded for The Arrival album...
(1994) - AbductedAbducted (album)This digipack re-release features four live tracks recorded at the Nuclear Blast Festival on September 25, 2000.-Band members:* Mikael Hedlund − Bass* Lars Szöke − Drums* Peter Tägtgren − Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards-Production:...
(1996) - The Final ChapterThe Final Chapter-Band members:* Peter Tägtgren − vocals, guitars, keyboards* Mikael Hedlund − bass* Lars Szöke − drums-Production:* Produced and mixed by Peter Tägtgren* Recorded, mastered and mixed in Abyss Studio, Sweden, May 1997* Engineered by Hypocrisy...
(1997) - HypocrisyHypocrisy (album)- Credits :Hypocrisy* Peter Tägtgren − Electric 7-string guitar, Vocals & Keyboard* Michael Hedlund − Bass* Lars Szöke − Drums...
(1999) - Into the AbyssInto the Abyss-Band members:* Peter Tägtgren − vocals, Electric 7-string guitar, keyboards* Lars Szöke − drums* Mikael Hedlund − bass-Production:* Produced by Peter Tägtgren* Co-produced by Lars Szoke* Recorded and mixed at Abyss Studio, April 2000...
(2000) - Catch 22 (2002)
- The Arrival (2004)
- Virus (2005)
- A Taste of Extreme DivinityA Taste of Extreme Divinity-Band members:* Peter Tägtgren – vocals, guitar* Mikael Hedlund – bass guitar* Horgh – drums...
(2009)
EPs
- Pleasure of MolestationPleasure of MolestationPleasure of Molestation is an EP released in 1993 by Hypocrisy. All the tracks were later re-recorded for the Osculum Obscenum album, and are available as bonus tracks on the album's re-released digipak version.-Track listing:-Credits:Hypocrisy...
(1993) - Inferior DevotiesInferior DevotiesInferior Devoties is an EP released in 1994 by Hypocrisy. The other songs were the first Hypocrisy recorded as a three piece, and were added as bonus tracks to the digipak re-release of the Osculum Obscenum album...
(1994) - Maximum AbductionMaximum Abduction- Credits :* Mikael Hedlund − bass* Lars Szöke − drums* Peter Tägtgren − vocals, guitars, keyboards...
(1996) - Virus Radio EP (2005)
- Eraser EP (2011)
Demos
- Rest in Pain (1991)
- Rest in Pain (1992)
Live albums/DVD's
- Hypocrisy Destroys Wacken (1999, live album)
- Hell Over Sofia - 20 Years Of Chaos And Confusion (2011, DVD)
External links
- Hypocrisy official website
- Hypocrisy at Encyclopaedia MetallumEncyclopaedia MetallumEncyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives is a website which lists bands from various forms of heavy metal music...
- Russian Fan-site