Fans Come To “Worship” as Hypocrisy And Friends Invade The Abbey In Orlando, Florida, 05/24/22

 

 

Nestled perfectly within the hustle and bustle of Downtown Orlando, the Abbey has the ambience that appeals to a variety of events including parties, concerts and even weddings. With a capacity of 367, the Abbey creates an intimate and up close and personal experience for fans to enjoy. Tonight’s main course was a serving of death metal delivered by a bevy of headbangers from all over the world. Swedish rockers Hypocrisy were in town as they were winding down the final leg of their North American Worship Tour and they brought along plenty of friends to share in the experience. Although I was almost an hour early, I noticed that a line of fans had already formed outside the main doors. After checking in I set out to explore the merch tables and see what the set-up was for tonight’s show. 

 

 

 

Kicking off the night’s event was a band I was familiar with. I covered Hideous Divinity several years ago and was eager to see their development. The Italians started off their set with “Acheron, Stream of Woe” from last year’s EP LV-426. The creative album relates to James Cameron‘s movie Aliens and looks at things from the character Newt‘s point of view. The tracks draw parallels between the alien invasion and the Covid-19 pandemic. Lead vocalist Enrico H. Di Lorenzo got the crowd fired up and the horns were flying furiously. The 30-minute set also included “Chestburst” which can best be described as bone-crushing brutality in its most primitive form. The guitar work on this track was nothing short of stellar. Drummer Giulio Galati kept up the tempo which was intense to say the least. Be sure to check out Hideous Divinity online and give their socials a click (listed at bottom of review).

 

Hideous Divinity:

Enrico Schettino: Guitars

Enrico “H.” Di Lorenzo: Vocals

Giulio Galati: Drums

Stefano Franceschini: Bass

Riccardo Benedini: Guitars

 

 

Setlist:

1.Acheron, Stream Of Woe

2.Angel Of Revolution

3.Anamorphia Atto III

4.Chestburst

5.The Deaden Room

6.Cobra Verde

 

The next band on the bill came to us from Montreal Canada. The Agonist is a female-fronted band that has been blazing a trail throughout the death metal scene for close to 20 years. Lead vocalist Vicky Psarakis took center stage as the band was greeted with a raucous applause. After performing “In Vertigo” Psarakis took a moment to explain that she’s anemic and had an episode a few hours earlier that had left her a little light-headed. With ice flowing through her veins, she and the band charged forward, determined to put on a helluva a show and they did just that. The soft blue lighting that accompanied most of the performance set the mood which was frenetic yet haunting. “Remnants In Time” started off with a somber tone before yielding to a more aggressive approach. Lead guitarist Danny Marino simply shredded this track. The band ended their set with “Days Before The World Wept” which is from last year’s EP of the same name. The EP delved into “a grim, conceptual tale of greed, gluttony, confusion, pain, redemption and hope.” You can’t get more real than that. Make sure you catch The Agonist live and follow them online.

 

The Agonist:

Danny Marino: Lead Guitar

Chris Kells: Bass, Backing Vocals

Simon McKay: Drums

Pascal “Paco” Jobin: Rhythm Guitar

Vicky Psarakis: Lead Vocals

 

 

Setlist:

1. In Vertigo

2.Blood As My Guide

3.Remnants In Time

4.Orphans

5.Immaculate Deception

6.Days Before The World Wept

 

Keeping the foreign theme in play, next up was the Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. The band is comprised of Seregor (vocals/guitar) and Ardek (keyboards/vocals) but they tour as a quartet. When you think of a quartet, you probably form an image in your brain. If that’s the case, you should probably stop right there because Carach Angren is about to redefine that image. The band crept on stage sporting face paint that warned of their ominous intent. “The Sighting Is A Portent Of Doom” got things going and then the horror show was on in full effect. Seregor’s growling vocals and continuous stage stalking had the crowd going nuts. Ardek was stationed at his keyboard which resembled a pulpit, complete with a human skull. With songs like “The Necromancer,” “Frankenstein Strataemontanus,” and “A Strange Presence Near The Woods” it’s no mystery that Carach Angren love to dwell in the darkness. For the performance of “Monster” Seregor donned a skull mask and crown and taunted the crowd by saying “Orlando, Carach Angren loves you so much we want you fucking dead.” In the real world that might peak some eyebrows but here it elicited an outpouring of cheers. Carach Angren is a band that you definitely want to see live because it’s there that they thrive on their most evil desires.

 

Carach Angren:

Dennis “Seregor” Droomers: Guitars, Lead Vocals

Clemens “Ardek” Wijers: Keyboards, Orchestration, Backing Vocals

Bastiaan Boh: Guitars (Touring)

Michiel van der Picht: Drums, Percussion (Touring)

 

 

Setlist:

1.The Sighting Is A Portent Of Doom

2.The Carriage Wheel Murder

3.The Necromancer

4.Bitte Totet Mich

5.In De Naam De Duivel

6.Franckensteina Strataemontanus

7. A Strange Presence Near The Woods

8.Monster

9.Bloodstains On The Captain’s Log

 

As 9:30 grew near, it was time for Hypocrisy. The Swedish death metal band has been crushing souls for more than 30 years and are out on tour in support of their most recent album, Worship. Guitarist and vocalist Peter Tägtgren formed Hypocrisy back in 1991. The band has gone through lineup changes over the years, the most recent being the departure of long-time drummer Reidear “Horg” Horghagen who left after almost 20 years. The band hasn’t missed a beat and is storming forward with new drummer Henrik Axelsson providing the beats. 

 

What better song to begin the set with than the title track “Worship.” The circle was rotating at full force as the fans indulged themselves in the maelstrom of metal that they were being bombarded with. The rhythmic “Chemical hore” delivered a powerful message, lambasting the pharmaceutical industry. The video is a must see and you can check it out below. Hypocrisy favorites were flowing freely and included “Eraser,” “Until The End,” and “Warpath.” With the government’s acknowledgement of UFOs making the news recently, it was only appropriate that the band’s encore concluded with the “Roswell 47.” Bassist Mikael Hedlund and guitarist Tomas Elofsson were on point tonight and the band gave the fans everything they wanted. 

 

My afterthoughts about tonight’s show are threefold. First off, these bands combine to make the perfect metal ticket as they all complement each other and leave nothing on the table. Secondly, I would expect an influx of chiropractor appointments over the next few days as a result of the all the neck whipping and headbanging that took place tonight. Finally, I know that the Abbey sits on the ground floor of a luxurious 18-floor condominium complex called the Sanctuary. I would definitely be inspecting for any cracks in the foundation after this pulverizing performance.

 

Hypocrisy:

Peter Tagtgren: Guitars, Vocals

Mikael Hedlund: Bass

Tomas Elofsson: Guitars

Henrik Axelsson: Drums

 

 

 

Setlist:

1.Worship

2.Fire In The Sky

3.Mind Corruption

4.Eraser

5.Inferior Devoties

6.Chemical *hore

7.Until The End

8.Don’t Judge Me

9.End Of Disclosure

10.Weed Out The Weak

11.Children Of The Gray

12.War-path

13.The Final Chapter

Encore:

14.Fractured Millennium

15.Impotent God

16.Adjusting The Sun

17.Roswell 47

 

 

 

 

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