The legendary Swedish death metal band Hypocrisy is back at it again but this time it’s with a live performance of their 2010 show in Bulgaria. Professionally filmed, the DVD and two CD set dubbed Hell Over Sofia: 20 Years Of Chaos And Confusion, is simply amazing. Consisting of vocalist/guitarist Peter Tägtgren, bassist Mikael Hedlund and drummer Horgh, the trio was joined by session guitarist Tomas Elofsson.
Taken from their “Long Time, No Death” tour, the concert had fans in a frenzy from start to finish. “Valley Of The Damned” got things underway and the crowd was instantly pumped up. Off 2009’s A Taste Of Extreme Divinity, “Hang Him High” followed. It was arguably the best track they performed due to its extremely catchy chorus. Some tracks were angry and ferocious, such as “Pleasure Of Molestation” from 1993’s Osculum Obscenum, while others were extremely melodic like “Eraser,” from 2004’s The Arrival.
Songs like “A Coming Race” are dark and melancholic, but that’s what gives the band their mystique. The guitars never really seemed to disappoint either, especially on “Let The Knife Do The Talking,” and Horgh complemented them very well by beating the hell out of the drums. Tägtgren really impressed me throughout the duration and you can really see how talented he is on the final number, “Roswell 47,” as he multitasks seemingly to perfection.
Also included in this set is a lengthy documentary that shows the history of the band. But what really stood out to me on this release was how well the concert was shot. It made me feel like I was close to the action and Hypocrisy put together a great show with songs spanning all over their illustrious career.
In A Word: Phenomenal
