Hypocrisy is a Swedish death metal band formed in October 1991 in Ludvika b… Read Full Bio ↴Hypocrisy is a Swedish death metal band formed in October 1991 in Ludvika by Peter Tägtgren. After spending three years in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 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.

Tägtgren's experience as a producer may 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.

After twice cancelling a U.S. tour in 2009, Hypocrisy confirmed a North American tour for 2010. Joining them on the "Long Time, No Death" tour were Scar Symmetry, Hate, Blackguard and Swashbuckle. From January to March 2010, they toured Germany, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, finishing in Moscow. Their North American tour took place in May 2010.

On 14 October 2011, Hypocrisy released a DVD called Hell Over Sofia - 20 Years of Chaos and Confusion. It contains a full concert from the "Long Time, No Death" tour. The DVD also contains a one and a half-hour documentary about the band. On 10 November 2011, Mikael Hedlund announced writing material for a new studio album during an interview with Metal Shock Finland's chief editor, Mohsen Fayyazi. Mikael tells Metal Shock Finland:

It's too early to say what it's going to sounds like, but all I can say is that it's not gonna be any change of style. It will be a classic HYPOCRISY album without [any] compromises. We already got some material and we're really looking forward to enter the studio again. We don't know yet when it will [be], but hopefully after the summer 2012. Nothing is confirmed yet. We're doing the Metalfest tour [of Europe] in May/June plus some other festivals. That's the plans at the moment.

In early 2012 the band began to write new material for a follow up to A Taste of Extreme Divinity. On 21 December 2012 Hypocrisy announced that the title of the upcoming album is End of Disclosure. It was released on 22 March 2013.

Hypocrisy's thirteenth studio album, and first in eight years, Worship was released on 26 November 2021. The album was preceded by a music video for the first single "Chemical Whore". It was later elected by Loudwire as the 32nd best metal song of 2021. On 5 April 2022, via the band's official Facebook page, the band announced the departure of Horgh from the band. He was replaced a week later by Henrik Axelsson of The Crown.

Musical style and lyrical themes
Musically, the band started off with a traditional death metal sound on their early albums, but soon turned into a melodic death metal band. Their early lyrics – written by original vocalist Masse Broberg – dealt with anti-Christian themes and Satanism. The band later focused on themes such as the paranormal and extraterrestrials. Their tenth album, Virus, contains themes more typical of death metal such as violence, the horrors of reality, insanity, torture, war, drug addiction, and emotional strife. Their twelfth album, End of Disclosure, uses conspiracy and anti-Illuminati themes.

Studio albums
Penetralia (1992)
Osculum Obscenum (1993)
The Fourth Dimension (1994)
Abducted (1996)
The Final Chapter (1997)
Hypocrisy (1999)
Into the Abyss (2000)
Catch 22 (2002)
The Arrival (2004)
Virus (2005)
A Taste of Extreme Divinity (2009)
End of Disclosure (2013)
Worship (2021)

Reincarnation
Hypocrisy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You feel the warning
From behind
The truth is buried in a wall of time
Threw the sorrows of your life
You ain't getting ahead from this Christ

I feel an evil approaching me
The voices calling me on

Silence
The only sound is the knife through the air
Hell
Is where I'll be when I'm through with you

I give up my needs
To get ahead
Cut and ripped through your clothes again
Cut wide open
To drink the wounds
You feel the power of no remorse

I feel an evil approaching me
The voices calling me on
Silence
The only sound is the knife through the air
Hell
Is where I'll be when I'm through with you

Silence
The only sound is the knife through the air

Hell
Is where I'll be when I'm through with you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Hypocrisy's song Reincarnation describe a sense of impending doom, which is conveyed through the use of dark imagery and evocative language. The opening lines of the song, "You feel the warning from behind, the truth is buried in a wall of time" hint at a sense of foreboding, suggesting that something ominous lies just beyond the horizon. The singer speaks of "sorrows" and implies that despite struggling to get ahead in life, they are unable to escape the clutches of a malevolent force.

As the song progresses, the language becomes even more vivid and terrifying. The singer speaks of an "evil" approaching them and the quiet anticipation of violence, indicated by the "knife through the air". The song culminates in a declaration of intent, with the singer stating that they will be in "hell" when they are "through" with their victim.

Overall, the lyrics of Hypocrisy's Reincarnation utilize striking imagery and evocative wording to create a sense of tension and dread, building towards a climactic moment of violence and cruelty.

Line by Line Meaning

You feel the warning
You sense impending danger

From behind
It is coming from an unexpected direction

The truth is buried in a wall of time
The real facts are hidden in the past

Threw the sorrows of your life
Through the difficult experiences you have faced

You ain't getting ahead from this Christ
Religion won't help you progress

I feel an evil approaching me
I sense something malevolent coming towards me

The voices calling me on
I am being urged to act by inner demons

Silence
There is no noise

The only sound is the knife through the air
The singular noise is the slicing of a blade

Hell
A place of torment and suffering

Is where I'll be when I'm through with you
That is where you will end up after I am finished with you