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)

Reversed Reflections
Hypocrisy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

On the edge of insanity
Lost from the world
Sticking an hand into the soul
To disappear from this Earth

Nervous again?
Do you want this whole hell to be?
You're running out of breath

Do you see about me?

The drugs don't work anymore
Give me some to ease the pain

Damned by the dead
Cursed by the dead

The guilt is hanging
Over my shoulder
To the lights of taking
My cause will never end

Burn
I will burn
I'm screaming hard
I can't be heard

The drugs don't work anymore
Give me some to ease the pain
The drugs don't work anymore
Give me some to ease the pain

Damned by the dead
Cursed by the dead
Damned by the dead
Cursed by the dead
Damned by the dead
Cursed by the dead

Damned by the dead
Cursed by the dead

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Hypocrisy's song "Reversed Reflections" depict a sense of despair and desperation that the singer is experiencing. The first few lines suggest that the singer is on the verge of losing their grip on reality and is feeling lost and disconnected from the world around them. They seem to be seeking solace and an escape from this pain by delving into their own soul, hoping to disappear from the Earth entirely.

However, their journey towards self-discovery is fraught with anxiety, with the singer becoming increasingly nervous and panicked. They question whether they really want to subject themselves to the hellish experience they are going through, and feel like they are running out of options, and possibly even breath. They reach out for drugs to ease their pain, but the lyrics suggest that this is no longer working effectively for them.

The final lines of the song refer to being "damned" and "cursed" by the dead, which could suggest that the singer is haunted by some sort of previous trauma or past experiences. Ultimately, the lyrics convey a sense of hopelessness and resignation, as the singer screams out in pain and feels unheard.

Line by Line Meaning

On the edge of insanity
I am teetering on the brink of losing my mind

Lost from the world
I feel disconnected from reality and everyone around me

Sticking an hand into the soul
I am trying to explore the depths of my being and understand myself

To disappear from this Earth
I wish to vanish from existence

Nervous again?
Do you feel anxious once more?

Do you want this whole hell to be?
Do you want everything to be a living nightmare?

You're running out of breath
You're struggling and barely holding on

Do you see about me?
Do you care about my wellbeing?

The drugs don't work anymore
My substance abuse is no longer effective at numbing my pain

Give me some to ease the pain
I need more drugs to cope with my suffering

Damned by the dead
I am cursed by the memory and influence of dead people in my life