Hypocrisy is one of Sweden’s finer death metal bands. In late 2009, they had to withdraw from a co-headlining tour with Ensiferum due to VISA issues, or something like that. Luckily, they came back on a headlining tour once their VISA was sorted out with none other than Sweden’s Scar Symmetry, a top-notch melodic death metal band. Joining would be Poland’s own death metal masters, Hate, and then the two bands that make you think of pirates: Swashbuckle and Blackguard. Unfortunately, Hate and Swashbuckle weren’t able to make the Toronto date… But this might have been for the better. The venue (the small, intimate WreckRoom) had a curfew for 10:00 pm, which gave just enough time for Blackguard, Scar Symmetry, and Hypocrisy to play their full sets. Anyways, on to the review!

After discovering Swashbuckle would not be performing – apparently, they wrecked their van when they crashed into a deer -, Blackguard hit the stage. They jokingly introduced themselves as Swashbuckle and proceeded to play their set. I was disappointed that Scarlet To Snow was not played, but it was an electrifying set nonetheless. While they certainly had the stage presence going, the sound system wasn’t on their side. I could barely hear any vocals throughout the performance. The set seemed to be shortened, which was also unfortunate. Overall, it wasn’t Blackguard’s finest performance. I had seen them before and in the pasand they did much better then. I hope it was just the venue’s fault, this time.

While I was expecting Hate to come out next, Scar Symmetry setlists were being taped to the ground. I don’t know why they were forced to cancel, but they did, so it was Scar Symmetry’s turn. The main criticism I have for Scar Symmetry’s live set was that while Lars Palmqvist sounds great on the recordings, he’s the weakest member live. Roberth Karlsson nails his growls, on the other hand. The guitarists were in top form, and the rhythm section held things together quite well. They had a really fun set, with Lars even coming down into the crowd for The Illusionist. A good variety of songs were played, with the majority from Pitch Black Progress, surprisingly, and only one song from Holographic Universe, also surprisingly. The crowd reception for Scar Symmetry was also a lot more than they seemed to get at other cities, which seemed to translate into a more explosive performance for the band themselves! It was great, overall, and I can’t wait to see them again.

Scar Symmetry Setlist:
- The Iconoclast
- Morphogenesis
- Noumenon and Phenomenon
- Pitch Black Progress
- Mind Machine
- Ascension Chamber
- Chaosweaver
- The Path of Least Resistance
- Retaliator
- The Illusionist

At this point, it was nearly 8:00 pm, but Hypocrisy was about to come on! Talk about early, eh? Eventually, Hypocrisy DID come on, and then things got a little crazy. From the moment Valley of the Damned started to when Roswell 47 ended, the crowd was moshing and throwing up horns in salute of one of death metal’s finest: Peter Tägtgren. Peter put on an incredible vocal performance and had great command over the audience. In the middle of The Final Chapter was one of the night’s finest moments, with the following scene playing out as follows…

Peter: Scream for me!
Crowd: *Screams*
Peter: Now, I’ll scream for you… *Screams*

It seems slightly less than epic now, but trust me, it was a great moment. Hypocrisy played for well over an hour, with never a boring moment. They tried their best to play songs that represent their entire career, which resulted in two medleys! They were a nice surprise. The first one mixed songs together from Osculum Obscenum and Penatralia, while the second medley mixed songs together from The Fourth Dimension. The only album, I believe, that went unplayed was the forgettable Catch-22. Horgh was as great as ever behind the drums, and Mikael Hedlund was audible and fantastic for his bass lines. The touring rhythm guitarist seemed did a great job, complimenting Peter perfectly. Hypocrisy certainly put on the best death metal performance I’ve ever seen.

Hypocrisy Setlist:
- Valley of the Damned
- Hang Him High
- Fractured Millenium
- Adjusting the Sun
- Eraser
- Pleasure of Molestation / Osculum Obscenum / Penatralia
- Apocalypse / The Fourth Dimension
- Killing Art
- Let the Knife Do the Talking
- Weed Out the Weak
- Fire in the Sky
- The Final Chapter
- Warpath
- Roswell 47