LIVE REVIEW: Hypocrisy @ Academy 2, Manchester
This is a night blessed the death metal gods from around the world. Proof that outside of the United Kingdom, metal is alive and thriving and should be taken advantage of when the accessibility is easier than ever. On a night of music from Europe and North America, Swedish metal act HYPOCRISY are bringing it all together in a way only they could. Hard, loud, and fanatically.
THE AGONIST took over for a short and bittersweet set which got everyone thinking, “this is going to be a fantastic night”. Getting fans and non-fans moving, cheering, roaring, it’s a great sign for their future in UK touring. Vocalist Vicky Psarakis was the standout star of the set: being the frontwoman of the Canadian outfit, she brings the range of clean and unclean vocals with no skipping beats. No note out of place. The melodic motions of her voice is enough to bring the angels to the Manchester venue; while the growls are slamming those white-winged wonders into the depths of hell. Captivating and enticing. That’s how you kick a show off.
Rating: 8/10
Following on is dipping the toes into the mythological side of death metal. The beauty of death metal in particular is the stories and fables it can tell. The sounds and sensations of a world unknown; and that’s how SEPTICFLESH rocks and rolls.
Hailing from the legendary land of Athens, Greece, the five-piece take the stage to bring the last warm up before the fire of HYPORCRISY bursts. Setting up the stage with ancient-inspired artworks, the art side of the performance urged on the power of the music. The rough and tough sounds work to tell the takes inspired by the band’s homeland, and it is inspiring on many levels. The crowd were going for it. The band were not holding back any energy. This is the basic necessities for a standard death metal gig; not bad, but at the same time, not memorable. It can be difficult to wow in a genre anymore, but thank goodness for lore.
A chord can scream a thousand words more than a stanza of lyrics can. Visual art sings louder than audio art when executed right. SEPTICFLESH have won over more with their visuals this time round. No losses, but one win.
Rating: 7/10
Time for the main event. The experience of the night. A story from beyond the stars, that can only be told by Sweden’s own HYPOCRISY. Highlighting their latest release, 2021’s Worship, the night was based around the group’s career-long concept. The intergalactic aesthetic; visitors from planets beyond; civilisations more complicated than humanity’s. With beams of starlight, the band were ready to take on the north-western audience – but were the audience ready?
The one downfall for the night was that the answer to the above question was, “no”. With a genre such as death metal, all the stops are expected to be pulled out. Mosh pits, crowd kills, walls of death; the usual combination of alternative gig activity. HYPOCRISY were ready to bring it on, and the crowd were holding back. There was a glorious gaggle of fans right by the barrier that wanted to show their entire heart and soul, but they were almost being shadowed by the zombified majority taking to the floor.
Death metal deserves full respect. With the longevity and dedication that acts such as HYPOCRISY gives, that respect should be a given. It should not be an ask.
This however did not let the band down. They were cheering on the crowd, screaming and growling to the chosen few’s approval. These are professionals and their energy did not falter. Thank goodness. HYPOCRISY have brought the European scene to the forefront for over 30 years, and here is to another 30 years. The galaxies are the limit. Keep the head in the clouds. Never stop believing.
Rating: 7/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Manchester from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography here:
Like HYPOCRISY on Facebook.