It was a Swedish triple death threat at the arena this night, and despite them having seniority over the other two, Hypocrisy was up first. We were there from the start, because this was not something to be missed.

“Malmö! It’s nice to be back! I hope you’re feeling well tonight!”
- Peter Tägtgren (vocals/guitar)

Knowing Hypocrisy, this was probably one of the largest places they’ve played in Sweden, or anywhere for that matter, at least when it comes to regular touring. Given the quality of the band, it is a sad statement that they can only do so when supporting someone else, and even more sad that not more people had shown up in support of them. Malmö Arena was not well populated at the start of the show, and most of those who had shown up, weren’t taking much of an interest at first.
Hypocrisy came out strong though, forgoing all kinds of intro music or so much as a word of greeting. Without warning, the lights were dropped, smoke was turned on, and the band went straight into Fractured Millennium. Heads were turned, and a few more entered the first line to get a good look. Which was hard, given the poor lighting these guys once again were given (one can almost suspect that they want it that way).

We were happy though, and the band seemed to be as well. There was a slight alteration - as Mikael Hedlund could not participate on this tour, Peter Tägtgren had gotten hold of good friend and occasional Pain participant André Skaug (Clawfinger), or Gandalf, as he was now jokingly named. Skaug is always something to behold on stage, and even though he hasn’t played with the band for ages, he fit right in. His energetic performance helped lift the show quality, as the rest of the guys were taking it considerably easier. He was even out and about on the speakers in front of the stage, something I’ve never seen done with this band before.

Keeping up with the style laid down at the start, Hypocrisy played fast, and moved quickly from song to song for the most part. Tägtgren did speak a little, and The Gathering was played while the band left the stage shortly before returning with Roswell 47, but due to the short time they had, they went for music first.
Fair enough, short and sweet. Not the best Hypocrisy show ever, but it was certainly entertaining enough. Given that they had both the time factor, and a disinterested audience against them, I think we got the best they could give.

Setlist:

Fractured Millennium
Fire In The Sky
War-path
Eraser
The Final Chapter
The Gathering
Roswell 47