𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…
July 30, 2001 — Hypocrisy released the compilation album, 10 Years of Chaos and Confusion. Hypocrisy’s first retrospective collection, it was released via Nuclear Blast Records. (Apple Music or Spotify)
10 Years of Chaos and Confusion - A Nuclear Blast Retrospective:
In the beginning of the 90s the Metal underground was on fire with a new and glorious trend: coming out of the humid swamps of Florida, Death Metal was taking the world by storm.
One talented musician saw it where it happened, and on return to his home country Sweden decided to form a band of his own. His name: Peter Tägtgren, his band: Hypocrisy.
Someday the big trend was over, and while some of the names remained, most celebrations came with more than a hint of nostalgia. Many bands never made it to the venerable age of 10 years, and most of the survivors only dwelled in their past glory. Only a few still have an impact on today's Extreme Metal scene, and none more than Hypocrisy.
Their first album, Penetralia, was released in 1992 amongst myriads of other Death Metal CDs.
Although it got good reviews, most of these can be attributed to the general enthusiasm about this style of music common in those days.
A year later Osculum Obscenum hit the Metal community like a sledgehammer: Probably the most intense and rawest album ever to come out of the Swedish Death Metal scene, it was also the first Hypocrisy effort that showed their interest in all forms of Extreme Metal, combining the sonic pureness of old school Death Metal and the hysterical frenzy of Black Metal - the then upcoming underground trend that in the end would dominate the whole scene, turning Death Metal into a thing of the past.
It was after Osculum Obscenum that Hypocrisy emerged in the line-up so familiar to all fans. Vocalist Masse Broberg left the band, leaving guitarist Peter Tägtgren in the position to take up vocal duties as well.
On 1994's The Fourth Dimension, Tägtgren together with drummer Lars Szöke and bass player Mikael Hedlund began to develop their magic formula: Death Metal at heart, but full of variation and open to all things happening in the ever changing extreme music circuit; a core of pure evil, surrounded by ethereal shrouds of psychological monstrosities, demons both mythical and personal, emotions ranging from fear and terror to elevation and power.
In 1996 it became obvious: the classic Death Metal scene was losing its momentum, old trend setters like Entombed changed their style, while others quit altogether.
Then came Abducted. Back then hailed as possibly the last great album out of the Swedish scene, in fact it established Hypocrisy as the leading force of what could be called post Death Metal. Including one of the greatest hits they ever wrote - Roswell 47 (Watch video)- this album shows all trademarks of Hypocrisy's unique sound.
Tägtgren displays his new talent for singing, displaying variations running from unearthly growls to his typical high-pitched pipes.
Around this time he also became renowned as one of the best producers for Extreme Metal, owing to the unique and massive guitar sound of Abducted and the overall quality of its production. Over the years to come his Abyss Studio turned into the hottest address for aspiring bands, which on one hand broadened his experience in creating sounds, on the other proved to pose the only serious threat to Hypocrisy's ongoing quest for world domination.
1997 rumors started to spread that the The Final Chapter actually would be what the name implied. Fed up with all the work going into Hypocrisy resting on his shoulders, with the financial success of his studio outshining everything he would ever be able to earn with Hypocrisy albums and tours, Tägtgren had decided to call it a day after this album, which continued the path started with Abducted into darker realms, offering loads of atmosphere and a huge spectrum of tempi.
I would not write this if Peter would have stuck with his decision. It was the affection of the fans, the growing success of the band and the immense fun he experienced when playing live that made him continue.
The live album Hypocrisy Destroys Wacken, also released on VHS and DVD, is a perfect documentary of what happens if band and fans come together for one of these magic moments in Metal history.
With renewed vigor Hypocrisy attacked the boundaries of extreme music.
The two latest albums show how unrestrained and varied their approach is nowadays.
1999's Hypocrisy is probably the best production Tägtgren ever put together in his Abyss Studio, at the same time brutal and sophisticated - the perfect envelope for the most varied Hypocrisy album so far.
What once started as a pure Death Metal act, now appealed to Death, Black and Gothic Metal fans alike.
A year later Into The Abyss was recorded in just a few weeks, an exercise in spontaneity by all three band members, the result a display of raw energy and the prove that although Death Metal in its original might have come to a standstill, its spirit could still drive music to exciting new dimensions.
Well, that's it: the history yo the point of this release. Hypocrisy had proven that if you combine talent and determination, there are no boundaries. Extreme music is all about challenging your audience, and this band has always been true to that goal. Their success has never been a sell-out, but a sign of growing appreciation for what they do. And continue to do, as this tale is far from over. With Peter Tägtgren exploring even stranger regions with his solo project PAIN and the other two members eager to display their own songwriting skills as on Into The Abyss, the future looks bright. — Robert Müller (HAMMER); May 2001
10 Years of Chaos and Confusion contains many re-recorded version of their songs. The album is also available as a limited edition 2CD boxset. The card sleeve bonus disc includes six video clips, the 1991 Rest in Pain demo (tracks 1 - 3), the Rest in Pain 92 1992 demo (tracks 4 - 8 ) and a new track, Turn the Page (Watch video)
Tracks 1 - 4, 7 and 9 have been re-recorded.
1. Penetralia - 5:26
2. The Fourth Dimension - 5:29
3. Osculum Obscenum - 4:55
4. Apocalypse - 5:26
5. Killing Art - 2:57
6. Deathrow (No Regrets) - 5:47
7. Left to Rot - 3:37 (Watch video)
8. Until the End - 5:54
9. Pleasure of Molestation - 4:38 (Watch video)
10. A Coming Race - 5:06
11. Fractured Millennium - 5:15 (Watch video)
12. Roswell 47 - 3:57
13. Fire in the Sky - 4:48 (Watch video)
14. The Final Chapter - 5:21 (Watch video)
Bonus Disc (Limited Edition):
1. God is a Lie - 2:51
2. Suffering Souls - 3:33
3. To Escape is to Die - 4:18
4. Nightmare - 5:40 am
5. Left to Rot - 3:41
6. Suffering Souls - 3:40
7. God is a Lie - 3:04
8. To Escape is to Die - 4:08
9. Turn the Page - 4:06
Lineup:
Peter Tägtgren - vocals , guitar , keyboards
Masse Broberg - voice
Jonas Osterberg - guitar
Mikael Hedlund - bass
Lars Szöke - drums
Axel Jusseit - photography
Robert Mueller - notes
Dan Swanö - audio repair
Critical Reception:
In a retrospective for AllMusic, William York wrote;
“𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝙲𝙳 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝙷𝚢𝚙𝚘𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚢‘𝚜 𝚎𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢-’𝟿𝟶𝚜 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎, 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝-𝚊𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚂𝚠𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝙴𝚗𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙰𝚝 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙶𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚔𝚎𝚢𝚋𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚍-𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚢, 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎/𝚂𝚢𝚖𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝙼𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚘 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚋𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚄𝙵𝙾𝚜. 𝙵𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚕𝚋𝚞𝚖𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍-𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗, 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 (𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚍𝚒𝚌) 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚜 𝙿𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚊 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙼𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢-‘𝟿𝟶𝚜 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝙼𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛. 𝙻𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚕𝚋𝚞𝚖𝚜 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍, 𝚖𝚒𝚍-𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜, 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝟺𝟽 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙰 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚁𝚊𝚌𝚎, 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠, 𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌 ‘𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝙼𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚋𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚍𝚜’ (𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖) 𝚊𝚜 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚠 (𝙽𝚘 𝚁𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚜) 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚄𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙴𝚗𝚍.
𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚛-𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚔𝚎𝚢𝚋𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚟𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝙿𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚊 𝚘𝚛 𝙾𝚜𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚞𝚖 𝙾𝚋𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚞”. 𝚄𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢, 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝙲𝙳 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛, 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚟𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚣𝚘𝚙𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚌 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚋𝚞𝚖 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎. 𝙰𝚜 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚞𝚕𝚝, 𝟷𝟶 𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚘𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝚋𝚎 𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚠𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎, 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚌 𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚞𝚝, 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚜, 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐.”
Notice: Any reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells
Follow Us:
Comments