The country is Sweden, the year is 1999 and four friends, all with a mutual love for The X-Files, and the classic works of Agent Steel, decide to start a band. THE HIDDEN took shape and immediately began work on a demo inspired by all things paranormal. This extremely rare and underground demo made its way through very select circles while simultaneously generating an intense buzz within the industry, naturally, landing them a record deal. Now, it was no secret that THE HIDDEN liked to dabble in all sorts of taboo subject matter when it came to their lyrics, but what happened after the completion of their much anticipated debut album could never have been foreseen. Shockingly, the original masters of Fearful Symmetry were seized by the Swedish government and members were detained, questioned and eventually released. The members of THE HIDDEN have only speculated on why their masters were seized and to their knowledge had been destroyed. Whatever the reason might have been, the ultimate mystery still remains to this day. Surprisingly, a second copy of THE HIDDEN?s debut album was recently exhumed. While the original engineer was cleaning out a store room he discovered an old filthy master reel, but, upon further investigation, realized what a treasure he had stumbled upon. We all rejoice now that Fearful Symmetry can be released, nearly 14 years later, at what could be exactly right time considering how much of a resurgence thrash metal has seen in recent years. Maybe the mysterious government intervention was truly a blessing in disguise? COMRADES IN ARMS: Agent Steel, Hirax, Exciter, Helstar and Abattoir
