The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — continues to rate and review the 41 competing entries of Eurovision 2019. Next we head to Iceland, where the award-winning industrial, BDSM, anticapitalist, antiestablishment, techno, dystopian, homoerotic, bondage, sadomaso, demonic Icepop performance art group Hatari has their song “Hatrið mun sigra”. Do we want to frolic with these leather-clad unicorns? Read on to find out!
Hatari – “Hatrið mun sigra”
“Hatrið mun sigra” reviews
Robyn: What’s up with Hatari? Are they an edgy techno group? Leather-clad BDSM hotties? Political provocateurs? Beloved children’s entertainers? Art school kids taking the piss? Or all of the above? The strength of both the group and their song “Hatrið mun sigra” is due to that ambiguity. Hatari is what you need them to be. They promise to be one of the big highlights of Eurovision 2019, both on and off the stage, but at the centre is a really decent song, with a pure schlager core. There’s music in their message.
Score: 9.5/10
Bernardo: Daring, freaky and out-of-the-box, making it perfect for the Eurovision stage. Hatari and their “Hatrið mun sigra” won’t leave anyone indifferent. In all its edginess you can find small flavours that make this accessible to everyone without losing its essence. It was constructed to get you “WTF is this” but conquer you with multiple listens. While it’s not my cup of tea, I respect its goal and what it brings to the contest. Should be in the final.
Score: 6/10
Chris: Looking to end capitalism through the Eurovision stage? Sure, why not! Hatari’s brand of provocative parody is, in many ways, the perfect fit for the state of the world in 2019. Yes, they’re bound to annoy people and lose out on votes in places. But those who buy into “Hatrid mun sigra” and understand the band’s true intentions will likely come out in droves. If this is the revolution, sign me up.
Score: 8.5/10
Deban: The role of music in today’s society should go beyond saturated themes of love and lust. Hatari’s three minutes challenge cultural, political and socio-economic injustice with the power of industrial punk-rock. Provocative and at times sacred, “Hatrið mun sigra” is a sharp documentation of today’s woes helmed by two seemingly opposing forces. BDSM is the main visual driver here — like it or love it, you’re hooked from start to finish.
Score: 10/10
Jack: While “Hatrið mun sigra” definitely stands out against its semi-final competitors, it would be a weak entry in a field of other BDSM steampunk screamo songs and I’m wary of it garnering votes solely for being different. Despite what some would like to believe, I am quite certain that Iceland will not win with this. In a year marred with horrific attacks of hatred like the one in Christchurch — not to mention the contest itself being held in a corner of the world plagued with war and discord — I can’t imagine any scenario where juries or televoters will be voting for a song whose message is “Hatred will prevail and Europe will crumble” on the actual night of the grand final.
Score: 7.5/10
Kristin: What can I say about my own country this year? Hmmm… let’s put it this way. I’m sitting here with my SodaDream, daring to dream about an Icelandic victory. The ingredients may only be water and disappointment but there is nothing disappointing about Hatari and the way they perform “Hatrið mun sigra”. It’s edgy, it’s fresh, it’s in your face and they give it to you straight up. They serve this with some heavy beats and attitude and we may have the perfect recipe for a winning song. Finally Iceland has had its long overdue wake up call. No more vanilla — now it’s time for chocolate!
Score: 9.5/10
In the Wiwi Jury we have 29 jurors but only have room for six reviews. The remaining scores are below:
Angus: 8/10
Anthony: 6.5/10 Antony: 7/10 Antranig: 10/10 Barnabas: 9.5/10 Calvin: 9.5/10 Essi: 3/10 Florian: 4/10 Izhar: 8.5/10 Jonathan: 9.5/10 Josh: 4.5/10 Julian: 7.5/10 |
Lucy: 7/10
Luis: 9.5/10 Lukas: 7/10 Mikhail: 4.5/10 Oliver: 9.5/10 Pablo: 9/10 Renske: 5/10 Ron: 5/10 Sebastian: 8.5/10 Tobias: 1/10 William: 8/10 |
We have removed the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. This is to remove outliers and potential bias. We have removed a low of 1 and a high of 10.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 7.46/10
What do you think of this song? Share your own score and review below!
Wow you truly either love it or you hate it
Not my cup of tea sorry.
But I have to laugh at that juror that called this ‘accessible to everyone’.
This is awesome WiWiBloggers. Thank you! I hope Iceland will win this year or at least get a great, honest voting. (whispering: ” Shantay, You Stay! It will win, see you in Reykjavik in 2020)
I hope Iceland and Portugal qualify. Both didn´t play safe and deserve a good result for taking risks.
Hey Robyn, you have put it in the right words, at least for me.
And I am signing Chris’s statement: “If this is the revolution, sign me up.”
Robyn’s opinions are always so valid lol
This song will not make it to the final and it shouldn’t. It’s nothing only provocation
This song ( hmm) are not gonna be in the final. Its gonna be the same as Finland 2015
Finland 2015 was just some guy shouting for 87 seconds with no staging. At least Iceland has a contrast of vocals and a stage show which I’d assume at this stage will be similar to Söngvakeppnin.
This is going to win!
The winners of last years were all unique in their way..
This song is a real outsider in this year’s competition…
The passage from the “hate” part to the “love” part (soprano) makes this song to be so special and i have a feeling that even the juries will appreciate it and put it in their top 5 if not 3..
As for televoting, no doubt that it will get votes in masses…
just remember how controversial was “toy”…
Myself is still in shock about it, but these are my WINNERS. 10/10 and my vote in semi 1 ofc
Best entry in years. Not some X Factor or for-the-contest constructed band. They are the real deal with a message that really concerns them. Google all of Matthias’ work (both theatrical plays as well as his TV news shorts) and there is a common message about consumerism. It is all well served here with the BDSM look and on top of that they are really cute, smart and funny. But even besides all this “Hatrid Mun Sigra” is actually a really catchy song ! And there are almost no power songs besides this entry !! Bless them for gracing this… Read more »
If you live in France, Israel, Spain, and any of the competing semi final 1 countries, vote like hell for Iceland and other unique entries like Portugal. You can’t get complacent and expect the general public to carry the televote if juries underscore it. They may not be as fond as the fan base, so don’t take Iceland’s qualification for granted. We’ve had shock non-qualifiers before when fan favorites fail, so don’t let it happen. I personally can’t vote because I don’t live In Europe, so good luck everyone.
THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE ENTRIES EVER! My clear winner this year, and I think on the night and leading up to the ESC final will get A LOT more publicity and will go up in the odds yep love this nothing bad about it AT ALL 10000/10
I see this as the most likely song to win the whole thing. Looking at the winners of the past 3 years, the key for the win has been standing out. 1944, Amar pelos dois and Toy were three songs that everyone surely will remember – some remember them for being good, some for being bad, doesn’t matter that much. Iceland certainly fits this series. I’m pretty sure this will climb to the bookmakers’ top 3 after rehearsals, at latest.
Musically, it’s not my thing, but I respect a lot what they bring to the table. I like the aesthestics and the contrast between their voices. The whole concept is provocative, but never distasteful. Some won’t get their message, but maybe that’s exactly what the world needs to hear to wake up to the threats surrounding us. There’s a lot to explore in terms of staging and I wished they used its amazing video as inspiration. In Söngvakeppnin, the camera work was all over the place, I need to see more of the expressions at their faces. 8.5/10
My winners this year. Wish them the best of luck ??
The only 0.0001 point from me comes for the icelandic language. This is not a song, just noise pollution.
This is something that back in my teen years I would probably love, after all the Skrillex and Marilyn Manson period that I had now Hatrid Mun Sigra sounds pretty boring to be. I can’t deny that it’s a great song with a wonderful production and composition, but sadly now I can only appreciate their wonderful aesthetic and pretty faces. My score is 6.5/10, such a pity they didn’t bring this song 5 years ago
Once a Marilyn Manson fan, always a Marilyn Manson fan!
I don’t really agree… I liked him a lot in the nineties but nowadays meh. 😉
For me, this year is all about Hatari. Love the song and the performance, everything about them really.
Iceland had their usual NF of safe, predictable Semi-Final-fodder dross and one standout, original, memorable composition. Whereas, in the past, the Icelandic televote flocks to one of the safe songs (still not over 2017 – Daði Pétursson just had a baby so congrats!), this year, they actually saw it through and went for a risk. I want that risk to be rewarded.
Does this song need to win? Probably not. But for non ESC-fans, this might just be the song they remember from this year’s contest.
This year we have two very different proposals: Portugal and Iceland. As I stated with Portugal, these two are bringing something completely new and original, out-of-the box with quality. And you gotta admit it, even if you don’t like them. Both are divising, but in Eurovision only positive votes count, so I’m pretty confident both Portugal and Iceland will qualify. “Hatrid mun sigra” isn’t the type of song I would listen in my leisure time, but the performance is really enjoyable, the gimmick and aesthetics Matthias and Kasper (? hope their names those lol) have are really interesting. The demonic… Read more »
Iceland, Portugal, Poland and Georgia brought totally unique styles this year and I am a bit upset all of them are in Semi 1, which means some might cancel each other, which would be a shame. I am still on the edge with what to think of Georgia, but I really like Poland, love Portugal and adore Iceland. In any case, hats down for being unique.
Best semi-final in my opinion.
Yeah, Australia, Iceland and Portugal are all really close together, with Estonia separating the latter two. The results could go the following ways–they all qualify and Estonia is left in the dust; Estonia qualifies and one, two or all three could fail.
I hope all four of them + Greece qualify. It’s a strong streak and it will be tough, but possible. But one thing I agree on is that none of them can afford any slightest mishap in staging, singing or camera work. If all five go like a clockwork, they can all make it.
Klemens, not Kasper…;) And dont forget Einar, the drum-gimp who does not speak and the dancers.
Amazing song, amazing artists, amazing band, but Hatari has the worst fans this year and I’m tired. And I don’t like the vibe that they produce between their fans with their attitude.
Song is ok but the messages bonded with it are too edgy for me.
Fully agree. The song and performance are ok but the lyrics are a totally turn off. They could have been provocative but clever in an ironic way but they are just literal: “hate will prevail”, “Europe will crumble”… these verses are quite basic, worth 1/10 at max.
Lol the message behind it is actually a satire and is about if we don’t forget to love, the hatred will prevail. Which is actually happening to this world as we speak. Wake up, the reality is not all roses and rainbows.
But I mean, not everyone speaks Icelandic….
This is a very polarising song. I don’t like the screechy parts much but then the contrast with the mellower parts is perfection. The singer singing the sweeter parts is sometimes out of tune though. This should make enough people stand up and notice to go through the televote. The JURY is a bit unpredictable though . A 6.5/10. The running order with another niche song right before it isn’t great , but not bad either. No points added or reduced. It will gain some points through televote but possibly lose on the JuRy vote. Adding half a point. I… Read more »
Not my cup of tea, but wouldn’t mind if this win, just to see faces of some arrogant favourites :p
Interesting trivia for my personal rating is that last year, I gave nine entries a 10 (5 in the initial run, then rounded four 9.5s), while this year, it will probably be ”only” to two. However, the overall number of entries passing an 8 is pretty close. On the other end, last year, only one song was rated below a 4 and this year, three.* But my lowest scores (Montenegro, Belarus) are the highest lowest scores I gave in a few years (in 2018, Russia was a trainwreck, in 2017 and 2016, Montenegro, in 2015, Finland.) * Still debating on… Read more »
Kudos to Iceland for choosing this! Daring, cool and a definite top 3 for me.
I’m not a fan of this music genre if I’m being honest and I’m not into the whole bdsm image too, it freaks me out but that just me being so vanilla. However, in saying that, I do understand the hype around it, it is different and stands out, not to mention the political undertones of the song….everything a winner of ESC this decade has had, plus, it’s been a long time since my favorite song won the entire contest, so in my opinion, it probably will win. And I would be okay with it, just as 2014, 2016 and… Read more »
Tobias is such a hater lol
I wonder if he gets the irony?
And before you downvote, I know I am a hater for that comment but I couldn’t resist!
i’m not a fan of this song or of the act in general but it’s good to have diversity so i appreciate it
…says the one who hates Portugal!
By the way, in the final they have to put Iceland right after Denmark.
you’re implying denmark is qualifying with this comment
And Iceland too. And both picking the same half on the running order.
Maybe she’ll hypnotize the juries into voting for her with that murderer look.
True, lmao.
Love is forever but hate will prevail. 🙂
But is it too late for love?
Imagine John Lundvik (Sweden) being next after Hatari in the final (assuming both qualify), with the messages they have in their lyrics…
And you can’t look away from the spirit in the sky.
Thanks Tibor. That’s interesting. Do you think the music is too desolate for what it’s about?
It’s my second favourite. There is desolation and pain in this music. The machines of life may still be driving the beat forward, but the shouted statements upon a single E-minor chord are desolate. The pain is felt through the multiple melodies in the Chorus. There is the falsetto melody, which is completely without hope, juxtaposed against a moving electro line, and a bass line that appears to add a third melody to the mix. When put together, it sounds like humanity screaming in pain, and without hope. The final key change to F minor is one last attempt to… Read more »
What a really interesting perspective, your knowledge of music is greater than me, and I find it really interesting that you say this song is set up to be intentionally without hope. Maybe, in a perverse way, that is why I feel hope in this entry. Humanity is surely headed towards extinction with some of its actions, so to feel that a Eurovision entry is putting that message out there actually fills me with a hope that we can go down a different route. And the fact that they do it all with their tongues firmly in their cheeks appeals… Read more »
I think it’s a ”red dot on a grey wall” case. When human eye stares at a surface of one intense color (let’s say red) and squints, the flashes of it’s contrast color start to appear (in this case, green). I think H.tari are deliberately giving us so much red, so we would instinctively get the flashes of something green. Sure, this is a warning tale, not a celebration of evil. I love this entry for having so much layers.
Thank you too, Kosey. 🙂
What a truly fantastic reading of the song. Thank you!
Wouldn’t mind at all taking the contest to Reykjavik next year.
there must be more hate in the world, so yeah Hate will Prevail
Either you are super-intelligent and are displaying a level of irony beyond my comprehension, or you are an idiot. Please tell me you are the former. I really want you to be the former because if you are the latter, it is just too depressing.
It’s funny how Antranig judged Greece for not serving ethnic music and then scores Iceland with a 10. Don’t get me wrong, I actually quite like the song, but I find it amusing the level of double standards sometimes.
Antranig is the troll wiwiblogger , take his scores with a pinch of salt
Haha, I don’t mind his scores. Besides, that is the beauty of ESC, that what someone thinks is 10/10 for others is 3/10 and vice versa. My issue is when the justification of the scores has nothing to do with the song itself but with some wishful thinking.
A thorough read of my Greek review will reveal a detailed justification of my score, which was certainly not an awful score by any means, and most of which has nothing to do with whether or not the song is ethnic but rather some unimaginative lyrics. Iceland is my winner for Eurovision 2019. Enjoy the music!
This entry is pure gold. Hopefully it will get everyone to think and have a lot of fun at the same time! Some of the reviews of the wiwijury are excellent, they capture what I believe the essence of the entry to be very well. However, how someone can give this a low score, I don’t quite believe. OK, I can understand that you might not like the techno-punk BDSM sound, and you might be sensitive to the visual aesthetic, I get all of that. But this entry is soaked in intelligence, so to give it a score of 1,… Read more »
It’s interesting how different opinions can be – and really, how boring wouldn’t life be if everyone felt the same about everything? For me it doesn’t matter if a song is “soaked in intelligence” if I can’t even bear to listen to it to begin with. Yes, I love that they’re trying to bring something new to ESC (Go Hatari!), but I personally can’t stand this kind of music at all. The screamo parts are nothing but pure agony to me (probably because it brings me back to when I was 12 and “emo” haha). So no, I do not… Read more »
Hi Niya, you are right, all opinions are valid and I didn’t mean to give the impression that they weren’t. The point I was trying to make (badly!) is that I could understand a score of 4 for this entry, on the basis that you didn’t like the style of music or the visual, but to me, a score of 1 suggests this is practically the worst thing you have come across. Now, if you were a one-time viewer who hadn’t read the lyrics, seen the interviews, etc, I could forgive you. But I am guessing the vast majority of… Read more »
But the general public is going to see this once for the first time, and they’re not gonna know the backstory or meaning behind non-English lyrics–it may be off-putting to them and they could be drawn to more conventional entries. You can’t take anything for granted. I’m not overly worried about iceland’s chances, but we’ve had shocking non-qualifiers before. Don’t take anything for granted.
The difference between 2018 and 2019 XD Yeah Iceland never stood out in the contest and this DEFINITLY stands out for all the right reasons. If they don’t do something too proocative (like wave a Palestinian flag for instance) then they should soar into the final and get a top 10 placement too. 10/10 and I don’t even like this kind of music.
Me neither, but I wish it luck and I hope it does well. I don’t think it will win though, but I hope for a decent result that gives Iceland a confidence boost after four drought years. Maybe an Icelandic winner is around the corner. It’s about time.
They better not do anything stupid–Israel is voting in this semi final.
I still don’t know if they’re serious, or not serious, or half serious, if they’re anti-capitalism, or make fun of anti-capitalism, or both at once, and what does BDSM has to do with all of this, but I guess that’s what makes them so likable. Of course the visuals and band’s image play a big role here, but even on its own it’s a hella catchy tune! Unlike many “WTF” acts the music and perfomance keep being interesting even when the surprise effect is gone. I’m not sure if it’s gonna battle for the top spot, but I think that… Read more »
Personally I’m not a fan. For one, the genre is not one I’m very familiar with, but I also don’t like the hidden political agenda of the whole song. One thing is conveying a political opinion, another thing is having a whole hidden agenda and “promising mayhem”.
Indeed. They don’t need to provide mayhem – the song will do it for them.
P.S. I’m loving that username!
1st listen: ‘WTF?!!’
2nd listen: ‘mmm… actually OK’
3rd listen: ‘I love this!’
This is Iceland’s biggest chance of winning the contest in years, and I would be totally fine with it.
Not much more to say about it, actually. They are my personal number 3, with a score of 9.0/10, and I am pretty confident they will qualify.
A low of 1 and high of 10. That pretty much sums up the fan base’s opinion on the song
Great entry, the public will love them…the juries not so much.
7.5/10
One word: GARBAGE!!!
OMG stand in rehearsal of Replay is already leaked and on youtube…
https://youtu.be/IVaC1isI1o0
It’s a very small part though.
ICELAND – Striking and unique, this song is so daring and in your face you have to respond. You can love it, hate it or even have a mixed review, but one thing you won’t be is neutral. The band has a sense of humor which makes them both cute and creepy. They use deep, provocative imagery to emphasize social criticism and spark debates. Steam techno punk in an unusual choice for ESC to begin with, but the lyrics make it even better. This song just got me from the get-go. I am definitely Team Hatari this year and I… Read more »
Love it too! Is this your only 10 this year, Colin?
One of two. 🙂 Do you have any 10s this year, Rimig?
Yes, my number one is a 10 🙂
Yey. 🙂
It’s difficult not to give this either a 10 or a 1, since it either works or it doesn’t. Also it’s not like this act have anything they can change or work on, except for maybe the falsetto vocals, which seem to be getting better all the time.
I don’t know what to think about them. Yes, they can win, but if all Europe will understand their anti capitalism, I don’t see many points coming from Eastern-Europe that is just afraid of communism coming back again. Also they are too erotic, and people might not like that they have to see this, sitting on the couch next to their children. But yes, they can win. We’ll never know why. Mattias and Klemens are cousins, and both are rich kids. Are they honest? Maybe yes, Che Guevara was a rich kid too, and he was honest. Do we want… Read more »
I totally agree with eco-bio-vegan lifestyle, and also I believe people who have this life should not accuse one another at the smallest mistake, but for H a t a r i probably will not matter. Will be 3 minutes of music. They must hope that nobody understands anti capitalism message. Will they be in Moscow pre party today? I bet no. Tell Russians about anti capitalism, and they will not be happy. Russians know how life is without freedom to have capital.
Eastern Europe will vote for them.. sadly, but not because of the message, but the act and song. Because nobody understands the message, if they don’t exclusively present it in live show, but they didn’t in national final. Okay, commentators might mention it, but I don’t think the viewers are gonna pay attention. They’ll take it as a rock, punk song, just like AWS, Lordi etc… If they acknowledged the message, then Hatari’s result would be much worse. They won’t win, they’ll be in finals, midtable I’d say. With risky songs like this, it’s always a possibilty they won’t qualify,… Read more »
Evolution E. S. C. Reikiavik 2020 plus.
This is one of those songs that is good for Eurovision, and certainly the whole act and the lyrics put a smile upon my face, but to be honest if you judge it by the standards of its own genre it’s just not that good. Listen to stuff like the Nine Inch Nails, then listen to this, and you’ll know what I mean.
they are not the same genre, NIN industrial rock, Hatari electro industrial EBM, and in that genre they are pretty good. Their other songs are even better.
Yes, I know Hatari are slightly different than Nine Inch Nails (a whole lot different, in fact) but I was going for a familiar name. And no, they’re not great among their peers. They’re clichéd, and their vocals are poor. That’s not a real problem, Slovenia is probably the only song this year that’s actually good in its genre, and Hatari do know how to perform. But to see some reviews say ‘daring’ and ‘original’… nah.
Sorry but I disagree on that. Are you into this music genre at all? Who are those” peers” you speak of? In what way are they cliché?
Wow, you actually know your music! Really good review. Please apply for Wiwibloggs.
I agree! When I open the reviews the first thing I do is typing Tibor in the search function and every time I find something very interesting to read. Thank you guy.