Words of Weltschmerz

Suicide Bomb Solution

2011-01-05T18:50:00.003+01:00

"Paradise Now", a film might worth checking out in our age of terror.

Plot (from IMDB):

"The story places two close friends, Palestinians Said and Khaled, recruited by an extremist group to perpetrate a terrorist attack in Tel-Aviv, blowing up themselves. However, things go wrong and both friends must separate in the border. One of them, maintaining in his purpose of carry the attack to the end, and the other will have his doubts about it."

America's War On Democracy

2010-10-03T18:03:00.002+02:00

Another must-see film. All available on YouTube, so spread it! First part below. Not suitable for sensitive souls!

"Award winning journalist John Pilger examines the role of Washington in America's manipulation of Latin American politics during the last 50 years leading up to the struggle by ordinary people to free themselves from poverty and racism. Since the mid 19th Century Latin America has been the 'backyard' of the US, a collection of mostly vassal states whose compliant and often brutal regimes have reinforced the 'invisibility' of their majority peoples. The film reveals similar CIA policies to be continuing in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon. The rise of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez despite ongoing Washington backed efforts to unseat him in spite of his overwhelming mass popularity, is democratic in a way that we have forgotten or abandoned in the west. True Democracy being a solid 80% voter turnout in support of Chavez in over 6 elections."

There are moments when I'm really happy to have been born and to live in Northen Europe...

Hell on Earth

2010-09-05T20:35:00.009+02:00

"Dachau. The meaning of pain. The way that I want you to die."

Ladies and gents, this is mankind at its worst: the Dachau WWII concentration camp.

The pix speak for themselves...

Boring Batterists?

2010-07-26T13:22:00.003+02:00

You thought drummers were boring to watch?

Well, this guy certainly isn't - he's a real showman. And he's good too. In fact, he's absolutely flawless. Just too bad he plays in this b-grade coverband.

Great, Not Perfect

2010-06-20T14:05:00.007+02:00

Okay, Munich is a great place to live at and all that - according to some, the best on the planet - but why are the escalators in the subway so goddamn slow?!

FtW (Fix the World)

2010-04-28T14:47:00.007+02:00

Incredible is the word.

The Yes Men, who are on a mission to expose the nastiness of powerful evildoers, outshines the likes of Borat and even Michael Moore by numbers in their 2nd flick "The Yes Men Fix the World".

These elaborate, cunning pranks are political activism at its funniest, and once again prove that humour succeeds where dead-seriousness often fails in shedding a light on and drawing attention to ugly political subjects.

Personally I can't believe these guys haven't got locked up yet (well, actually I can, after reading up on The McLibel Case).

IMDB synopsis:

"The film consists of a several pranks on major corporations and governmental agencies that are performed by Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno (in real life Jacques Servin & Igor Vamos) who fancy themselves serious anti-globalization activists.

The two pose as executives from Exxon, Dow Chemical, Halliburton and the H.U.D. They give faux corporate interviews pretending to be DOW executives in which they supposedly announce setting up a $12 billion fund for the victims of the 1984 Bhopal disaster that killed 1,773 people. The BBC fell for this prank and aired the faux interview. This caused DOW's stock plummet. Our mindless heroes celebrate their power, but fail to realize that most of DOW's stock is held by pension funds; in other words, regular working class retirees. The dynamic duo conveniently found a few such victims who claimed to enjoy the hoax and its impact on DOW's stock."

This is the Iranian Underground

2010-01-03T16:36:00.006+01:00

Being a musician in the West is hard. Being a musician in Iran is about a thousand times harder.

Cannes Film Festival award-winning drama "No One Knows About Persian Cats" by Kurdish director Bahman Ghobadi gives a glimpse into the sprawling Iranian underground music scene that is as shocking as it is revealing, including heaps of beautiful pictures and a soundtrack that will rock your behind.

The film is currently on in (alternative) cinemas around Europe. In times of blood-splattered crackdowns and uprisings, the timing couldn't have been better.

Trailer (in French):

Merry (Anti) X-mas!

2009-12-17T21:52:00.006+01:00

A few days ago I got an email from Rotten Sound mainman Keijo Niinimaa, wishing us all a merry, sort of, X-mas, with a new song and video by one of his side-duties, the underrated Medeia. Quite hilarious stuff, and the track isn't bad at all!

For lyrics and misc info, click to enlarge the below picture.

The South is Rising, Again

2009-11-18T21:36:00.012+01:00

A multitude of great bands have flown the politically controversial Rebel Flag high and proud, but few have done it as high and proud as The Sign of the Southern Cross. (Hell, these guys even have the flag in their bandname!) An upcoming three-piece, hailing from North Carolina, whose first full-length effort "...of Mountains and Moonshine" came out on Season of Mist in mid-September, their sound is unmistakable. Brethren of Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Down and likes should look no further - The Sign of The Southern Cross is the band to pass on the southern metal heritage.

I got a chance to chat with founder and mainman Seth Uldricks, who proved to be more than willing to chat back.

What is so special about the southern sound?

"Well, if done correctly, it’s just plain sexy - if I may be so bold. It makes ya bite your bottom lip and furrow your brow like you just saw a beautiful woman walk by. It’s that soul, that swing, and that grit that makes your body throw a fit and move even when you don’t mean to make it do so. It’s the blues baby. And it’s one of the few sounds that can embody any type or genre of music and be recognized immediately across the world. I’ve seen it light a dull night on fire and cool a burning mad man down all at the same time. It’s deceptively simple yet the feelings it takes and creates to play and hear are resoundingly complex. It’s earthy and organic, it’s thick and rich like milk over a biscuit, it’s hard and resolute like a dead man’s purpose, and it’s cool and charming like a devil man’s sermon. In short - it’s a beautiful thing."

What is the southern lifestyle and philosophy about, to you?

"It all depends on what part of the south you’re from. In North Carolina alone, we have three different regions: mountains, flat lands, and the beach. The thing is that because it took longer for the South to become industrialized, so many places were secluded and isolated for so long that they all developed very distinct and beautiful cultures. Self sufficiency became not only a necessity, but a long lasting reality. Especially in the mountains. That being said, I guess you could say that the over all lifestyle, philosophy, and attitude is live how you want to live and don’t let a damn thing move you on that. Find whatever it is you call family and be fiercely loyal to that. Be proud of what you do because it defines you. Depend on your community but make sure you give in as much as you take. These are all very basic rules for living a good life, but how we do it is exactly how we do it - never because someone else is doing it, even if they’ve already done it... and we do it at our own pace."

Do you feel that people misunderstand the whole southern pride thing? I guess it could be politically sensitive to some.

"I certainly understand why some people dislike the rebel flag that so many display to show their southern pride. Misconceptions of the Civil War and the misuse of it by certain organizations have fueled a negative social stigma. And racism is obviously a horrible thing - but what blows my mind is that a lot of people think that racism is some sort of plague of the south. Something that has to be contained so when they see symbolism of southern heritage they have to piss and stomp all over it so it doesn’t infect the rest of the country. And this is absurd. And to say racism is just confined to white southerners is even more of an unbelievable sentiment. The whole damn world is full of it, along with every other ugly thing imaginable. But what really paints the walls with my brains is when people automatically think that the flag itself is a mark of racism, hate, and ignorance. More often than not the ignorance exists on that side of the argument. I’m not saying that all people who think that are ignorant - I mean, we were all fed the same crap in elementary school. I’m just saying that this ideal that causes someone to absolutely and categorically dismiss you, scold you, and retract their affiliation with you just because you fly The Southern Cross (another name for The Rebel Flag) high and proud is beyond ignorant. It’s arrogant. And some people do it without even knowing why someone displays the flag. And others do it without being educated about the correct history behind it.

Let it be known that The Sign of the Southern Cross is in no way, shape, or form a racist band! Not by a damn site. The fact that we fly The Rebel Flag proudly or adorn our possessions with its mark does not represent any discrimination on our part in any way. As I said, there are those who believe that just because we display the battle flag we harbor hate for people or ideas because they may not match our own. This is most certainly untrue. We have friends of many different creeds, colors, and orientations. We base our opinions of people on their individual behavior and actions.

Furthermore, we are not a separatist band. We do not support treason or a rising up of The Confederate States of America. It must be understood that our song 'The South is Rising' is a firm statement of frustration, chronicling our distaste for many of the southern stereotypes that make reverse discrimination against us prevalent in our society today. When I say 'The South is Rising' I mean that we are rising above the stereotypes and growing as a people while maintaining a beautiful and unique culture.

To us, The Rebel Flag represents heritage not hate. It also represents a rebelling against any outside influence that attempts to fold you into its collective through aggression and violence. It is about individualism and your natural right to be whoever you want to be. I say don’t let our pride scare you - let it enlighten you."

With regards to the above, maybe you could give a few examples of misconceptions or incidents that have come up because of people's ignorance.

"The first thing that comes to mind was an incident that came at the inception of this band. I was just cruising around Myspace, as you do, adding profiles to the band’s page to spread the word and get people to check out our music. We had just played a local show with these other local boys so I was scrolling through their comments and adding those who supported them (especially those who lived in our area) to show that there was a new band in town in attempt to get them to come out to our gigs. The adding was random and indiscriminant. Within a couple of hours I had an email in the inbox from this white woman who was friends with the aforementioned band and she flipped her shit on us. Her rant went something to the effect of 'How dare you add me?! Is this some kind of a joke? I have a half black child and you dare to add me?! As soon as you saw my pictures you should have just turned the other way you ignorant and hateful rednecks.' Needless to say I was at a loss for words because clearly, as I mentioned above, there isn’t a single song we’ve written or intention held that has anything to do with race - nor do we harbor feelings of racial hate or ignorance. Yet her brazen and furious response to our innocent attempt to bolster our musical standing in the community was based purely on the fact that we had a rebel flag in our artwork. In this woman’s mind, somehow, I am accused of going out of my way to find a person with an interracial child, taking the time to confirm that they do by trolling through their pictures, and sending a friend request to her as some sort of digital age, 21st century, burning cross in her front lawn. What the hell? And this woman is from the south! You can imagine the further past the Mason-Dixon line you get, the worse the accusations become. And when this happens, it’s never based on anything that we’ve actually said or done, let alone do they try to engage in a civilized debate of ideas if it were - it’s all just because of the rebel flag. Now tell me, what’s more ignorant - having an opinion based on the actions of the accused or a pure, knee jerk, reactionary assault based on nothing but a stereotype? The answer is - the latter. Moreover, just because someone may not say their hateful and ignorant feelings out-loud when they think about a group of people doesn’t exclude them from the mark of “racist.” Some people love to forget that. We say be who ever the hell you want to be and do whatever the hell you want to do but don’t do that if an aspect of that infringes on someone else. However, there are some who accuse us of contradicting ourselves because they say we’re, 'being ourselves in spite of the way other’s feel about it (in regards to The Rebel Flag).' But what they’re really accusing us of is being ourselves to spite the way other’s feel. And this is most certainly untrue. We have no secret agenda and we sure as hell make our opinions known, so when you break down all the flack that has come our way to the basic argument - their case holds no water."

In the center: Seth Uldricks

In some reviews you have been dismissed as being copycats. What's your comment on that?

"I think it’s a lot like the woman’s perception in my response above. It’s a knee jerk reaction. Fans of those bands are fiercely loyal so for the time being we’re just one of those groups that you either love or hate with not much middle ground to be found. But I think, at least some of the time, those reviewers are told that we’re copycats before they listen to the record and they pretty much have a review written in their head before they even hear a track. If someone told you that you could hear satanic messages when you play B.B. King’s 'The Thrill is Gone' backwards, what are you gonna hear? Satanic messages. However, more often than not, it’s an unfair assessment. I mean, it’s one thing to call a spade a spade, but quite another thing to call a card that just because it’s in the same deck. But to be honest, we have no qualms being compared to Pantera and the other bands you mentioned. If you’re going to be compared to someone, you might as well be compared to the best. However, it must be recognized that they are the contemporary product of roots that we all share. I’m talking about the classic forerunners like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Slayer. Everything from bands like Boston and Kansas to Johnny Cash and the Hank Williams family. Moreover, The Sign of the Southern Cross brings our Carolina swagger to the table. What I’m saying is just like those before us who brought you that Texas swing, and NOLA sludge, our main influences are classic, soulful, and groovy jams combined with our environment - in this case, the sweet Appalachian Mountains of the American South. The power of those influences are an overwhelming combination. I’m well aware of how I sound. It’s not like I’m blind to the whole thing. And I would be full of shit if I said that we were not massively influenced by Pantera (et all), as would any modern metal musician. But I think many people are blinded by the immediate comparisons - especially to Phil Anselmo. I mean hell, I sound like the dude even when I talk. We’re both southern men with deep voices and a taste for heavy ass classic music. If you listen to our song 'Dead Skies' at the beginning where there’s a talking part - that’s pretty much how I sound in everyday conversations. I can’t help how I sound. On top of all that, it seems that the reviewers in question seem to forget what band’s like Pantera started out sounding like and what they eventually became. It won’t take much listening to find that we’ve made this our own. And, as many new musicians find as they emerge on a larger scene, it takes some time to shed those obvious influences. The Sign of the Southern Cross is still growing, and will continue to mature."

Which of the southern metalbands has meant the most to you, and why?

"Wow, that’s tough. For me that’s like asking what part of your home’s foundation means the most to you. Really, the entire NOLA scene means the most to me; not only because of the amazing music that comes out of there but they are what inspired me to really embrace the idea of meshing your music with your environment. Each band is so uniquely of New Orleans that it made me want to do the same for Appalachia."

Also, I heard rumours going around that you were using a drum machine on your album. Can you please confirm to everyone out there that this isn't the case?

"It’s definitely not true. Mr. Brett Wilson, at the young age of 18, recorded every lick of what you hear. However, we’re not rich by any means. None of us are living high on the hog, so unless you’re someone like Metallica with tons of money to throw around, you use what’s called sound replacement on your drum recordings so you can actually hear what’s going on. Sound replacement software finds the individual hits of every piece of your drum kit and replaces it with a prerecorded sound of your choosing. Working with EQ’s is a very complicated science, especially in metal, because you’re constantly battling the high frequencies of the symbols and guitar with the low frequencies of the drums and bass. We recorded the drums and mixed the tracks in a back woods shack that was converted into a make-shift studio. We still wanted a natural and raw sound, so we mixed half of the original drum tracks with half digital sound replacement so it could cut through the thick guitars and vocals. Pick up just about any modern metal album and they do the exact same thing. That’s why you hear stuff on albums these days where every snare hit in a blast beat or drum roll sounds exactly the same every time. The drums sound phenomenal but that just doesn’t happen in real life. Not even the gods of drumming could pull that off naturally. I understand the argument some purists have against digital anything in music recording - but if you have the money to get that long and expensive process of natural drum recording going for us, give it to me and I’ll oblige. Now, it is true that I recorded the drums on our second demo (“Written in Stone”) back in 2007 with an electric kit and keyboard. I write about 95% of our material so in the studio I record the guitars as well, but when it came time to put out another demo all of our members were scattered across two states, so I took it upon myself to get it done. And I don’t own the equipment to pull that off with real drums. So to reiterate, the drums on '…of Mountains and Moonshine' are all Mr. Brett Wilson with some help from digital sound replacement. It’s not a new concept, and it’s certainly not enough to warrant rumors of drum machine use."

I guess the bandname is taken from the Sabbath song?

"In part. That is a small, albeit obvious, aspect of our name. However, the emphasis is on the 'Southern Cross' part. This is another name for The Rebel Flag. The Sabbath part of it is just our way of paying homage to the mighty Black Sabbath. But the true meaning of our name represents our firm statement that wherever you see us, you’ll find our southern pride.

What made you come with the album title "...of Mountains and Moonshine"?

"Because we are of mountains and moonshine. Just like our name bares the truth of our resolve, so does our album name, and so do my lyrics. Everyday I wake up and get to see the majesty and epic qualities of the Great Smokey Mountains. We were born of it. It’s in our blood. It has a very existential effect on not only our music but our attitudes. It is awe inspiring. And moonshine is another name for homemade liquor. Saying that word not only congers up images of the outlaw days of moonshine runners, but it’s a reminder that down here we have our own way of doing things - our own way of life. Now, we’re not the first or only people who can lay claim to mountains and moonshine, but these here are our mountains and the white lightening we drink comes from our land (land rejuvenated by the ashes of our forefathers and their forefathers). It’s almost like a sacrament. Both elements are undeniably a part of who we are. A while back, someone called our music folk metal. I’m not entirely sure if that’s accurate, but I like the way that sounds."

When will you guys get your asses over to Europe and tour?

"As soon as possible my friend. The second we get an opportunity we’re gonna take it. It would be a real honor to get that chance. And, because metal is so much bigger in Europe and there aren’t as many hang ups about The Rebel Flag, it would be an amazing breath of fresh air. I love Europe. I got to study abroad there back in college. It would be great to get to return there with my music."

Anything else you'd like to add?

"I whole heartedly appreciate the opportunity to chat with you and I thank you for helping us spread the word about our music. It’s a real honor and rarity to get to do exactly what your passion is for a living, and no words could express how grateful I am for this chance. This band is my life, and though our journey may ebb and flow, when I die at least I’ll be able to say I tried and left something behind. Thanks again."

Jacek Yerka's Mind Fields #2

2009-10-25T21:10:00.006+01:00

Some more delicious food for thought by surrealist master Jacek Yerka.

Jacek Yerka's Mind Fields #1

2009-10-21T20:56:00.011+02:00

"Painter of fantasy worlds", surprisingly unknown Polish surrealist Jacek Yerka, has indeed got some cool works in his portfolio. Do your eyes, as well as your mind, a favor and check his stuff out!

And, as always, the devil is in the details.

To be continued...

To Oktoberfest!

2009-09-29T22:16:00.009+02:00

The 176st Oktoberfest is taking place as of writing, and the Munich streets are by the second getting increasingly paved with puke from brainless tourists and other amateur swillers.

The media reported this morning - one week after a severly intoxicated Australian dude was deathly rammed by a commuter train - that a piss drunk Englishman was found dead in a hotel yard after falling when trying to urinate from a window on the sixth floor.

It's good to hear those Anglo-Saxons are staying true to their reputation. I mean, who can you trust these days but a decent, strapping young lad like this dude? Just look at that cute little tattoo he has on his chest. Absolutely charming.

This fake Rammstein clip has absolutely nothing to do with the above incidents. It's funny, though. Not very super extra very super funny, but a bit.

For further cheap thrills on the same topic, I recommed the film Beerfest from 2006. It's college style and utterly stupid, and will bring about many a good laughter.

Prost!

More Provocations

2009-09-13T17:04:00.010+02:00

When I was in Siena, Italy, probably one of the the most beautiful cities in the world, a couple of months ago an art (?) museum projected thought-provoking proverbs on the opposite facade all night...

New Rammstein Record - New Provocations

2009-09-09T15:11:00.006+02:00

Grand industrial metallers/rockers Rammstein's back with new provocations on "Liebe ist für Alle da" (English title: "There is Love For Everyone"), due out in October. The first single off of the album is "Pussy", allegedly a satirical take on sex tourism.

I guess the below promo pic gives us a hint of what its Jonas Åkerlund-directed video will be like. Click to enlarge!

Sod Off, Max Cavalera!

2009-09-02T12:05:00.004+02:00

Now, this is what "world metal" should sound like.

The piece is originally by Spanish "hip-hop-flamenco" collective Ojos de Brujo, here arranged by and performed together with forward-thinking French metallers Hacride. The recording is taken from the Frenchmen's 2007 album "Amoeba", and the YouTube comment "WTF this the most fuckin awesome shit that i ever heard" pretty much says it all.

Sod off, Max Cavalera!

Cowboys From Hell

2009-08-16T16:47:00.000+02:00

You've seen it before, the Job For a Cowboy logo. These guys are pretty damn good at marketing themselves, and have made a death metal (not deathcore!) career in no time. Here's a quickie with guitarist Bobby Thompson in order to further promote their sophomore effort "Ruination".

Bobby

Since the release of your debut album "Genesis" in 2007 your career has sky rocketed. What's the recipe?

Bobby: "Constant touring I think was the key for us after the release of 'Genesis.' It really helped us get our music out there, and play in front of a lot of different audiences."

When did you have to pinch yourselves to check that the success actually was real?

"We still feel like we're a shitty local band. I don't think it will ever feel like the success is actually real."

What would you say is your biggest achievement so far?

"For me personally playing Wacken was definitely one of our biggest achievements. It was an honor to be a part of that festival."

What do you want to achieve with "Ruination"?

"I don't know, I guess just to keep trying to get our music out to the public and grow as musicians."

Although it should be clear even to my half-deaf grandma by now that Job For a Cowboy has nothing to do with the "core" suffix whatsoever, evil voices saying you're a bunch of young trendfags surfing the metalcore wave can still be heard. What do you have to say about that?

"Well, creatively we wanted to move away from the 'core genre. Not out of any disrespect to the scene or anything just because that's what we wanted to do musically, and we're really happy with the outcome."

There are plenty of good death metal bands out there today, what can Job For a Cowboy add to the scene as a whole?

"I think we, like many other bands, just bring a different style and flavor to the death metal scene. We're still young and we're still growing as musicians and hope to be a part of the scene for a while."

By the way, what's up with the somewhat odd bandname? Is it just a way to stand out?

"It started as a joke and just stuck. There isn't really a story to it."

"Unfurling a Darkened Gospel" video

Important Information From the PBC

2009-08-11T20:22:00.011+02:00

Lately someone - namely Partei Bibeltreuer Christen (Party of Bible-Abiding Christians) - blessed with an exquisite sense of humour and equally exquisite marketing skills has put up these colorful, highly informational posters all around Munich. I personally think it's a quite nifty contribution to the cityscape.

"Without God everything brakes down - Jesus makes everything new"

"Hands away from occultism: satanism, fortune telling, horoscope, sorcery, magic, esotericism. 'The one who does such is abomination to the Lord'"

"Solidarity and friendship with Israel. 'I want to bless the ones who bless you...' says God, the Lord."

"Jesus says: 'I come soon!' Therefore, no fear for poverty, genetic engineering, death, war, disease, drugs, unemployment."

Used By the Industry

2009-08-07T00:26:00.006+02:00

I discovered the other day that the Nuclear Blast webshop qoutes my review on the latest Suffocation outing "Blood Oath" in order to try and sell a few extra copies.

Although the translation is a bit half-assed, and a line like this always reads better in the original language, I thought it was cool someone actually paid attention to what I wrote.

Nuclear:

"Suffocation have just handed in a new grinding-manual that will give all their clones inferiority complexes."

Swedish original:

"Suffocation överlämnar härmed en ny dos instruktionsboksmangel som kommer ge samtliga kloner mindervärdeskomplex."

...och så några liverecensioner

2009-08-05T20:05:00.005+02:00

Det händer att jag går och tittar när fräsiga orkestrar kommer till stan. För att kunna slinka in gratis och för att Sweden Rock Magazine ska få något att lägga upp på sin hemsida händer det ibland att jag också skriver om dem.

Lamb of God 5p
Backstage Werk, München, 6 Juli 2009

Till tonerna av LAMB OF GODs egen version av METALLICAs ”Blackened” – medleyt ”The Passing/In Your Words” som öppnar senaste plattan ”Wrath”, och alltså också aftonens gig – rusar jag in på Backstage Werk. Det här är en av ett mycket litet antal konserter jag varit försenad till (säg den spelning som börjar på utsatt tid!). Precis lagom till att låten kommer igång, eller snarare briserar av för-alltid-ung thrashenergi, hinner jag inta min vanliga, audiovisuellt optimerade plats bakom mixerbordet. Det första som slår en är inte vilken vild rifforgie bandet inlett – det hade jag väntat mig, och mer därtill – utan att mickdomptör Randy Blythe lagt sig till med en tvättäkta, halvmeterlång hårdrockarman. Den gamle mäskpunkaren verkar ju tidigare ha abonnerat på misslyckade frisyrer, men ser nu efter över ett decennium i branschen äntligen ut som vad han är: en bra sångare i ett bra, PANTERA-infusionerat SLAYER, alternativt Virginias svar på THE HAUNTED.
Överraskningsmoment nummer två är negativt: ljudet. Trots min strategiska position skallrar det och sprakar som om stärkarna regnskadats. Jag inbillar mig att de fått sig en omgång av den Jurassic Park-lika väderlek som verkar råda i den Alp-nära stan under sommarhalvåret, och typiskt nog också idag.
Inte så jag klagar. Ruffigheten ger bandets på de tre senaste skivorna ack så kliniska sound en hård spark i solar plexus, och verkar ha mycket mer gemensamt med den snudd på överdrivet fläskiga ”wall of guitars” som kännetecknar utmärkta ”As the Palaces Burn” från 2003. Vad som kan verka sterilt och klent på skiva blir live desto mer kaotiskt och – just det – levande. Ungefär som det ska vara, med andra ord.
Den organiska grötbröten tar dock tidigt ut sin rätt, frestar på hörselförmågan, och förvandlar många av bandets många fippligare stunder till en grumlig sörja. Jag köttar in Apotekets Musikproppar så långt att trumhinnorna är på väg att brista i hopp om att det ska balansera frekvenserna något – men icke.
Kliniskt spelar annars bröderna Adler, på trummor och gitarr. Willie, lillebrorsan, strängbändaren, ser för övrigt ut att vara lokalens tröttaste, och lyser med sin frånvaro på närvaro, så att säga. Fansen, ett antal hundratal, är däremot på alerten. De håller igång friskt och får ta åt sig äran för att denna måndagsafton blir så uppsluppen som den ändå blir. Klimax nås under dubbeln ”Redneck” (svängigare riff får man leta efter!) och ”Black Label” (svängigare rytm får man leta efter!), då hela stället kokar.
Och sen… tar det slut. Precis när det kommit igång på allvar. Inte ens ett extranummer en gång. Klockan är inte mer än strax efter halv elva. En oerhört snöplig ände på en kväll som trots vissa skavanker hade kunnat bli riktigt lyckad. Guds lamm lunkar – som headliner – av scenen efter bara drygt 50 minuter, med femhundra kids som bokstavligen gapar efter mer. Det duger fan inte.

Burst 6p
Feierwerk/Hansa 39, München, 5 mars 2009

”Hittills har vi spelat i München fyra gånger och varje konsert har varit en total katastrof” hälsar BURSTs gaphals Linus Jägerskog oss välkomna.
Också femte spelningen börjar svajigt. ”(We Watched) The Silver Rain” – som mycket väl kan vara den mäktigaste biten värmlänningarna författat till dags dato – som långsamt, långsamt byggs upp får ingen vidare respons, och dess suggestiva intro känns som en halv evighet. Publiken som förmodligen väntat sig en sedvanlig hardcoremetallisk urladdning verkar inte alls med på noterna. Själv befarar jag att bandet tagit sig vatten över huvudet som valt ett sådant udda exordium. Att byta plats på den och ”I Hold Vertigo”, som avslutar setet, hade med facit i hand passat avsevärt bättre. I tillägg är ljudet i lokalen inledningsvis ganska tamt. BURST känns nakna och trevande. Inte heller har man någon vidare dos dist att skyla missförståndet med.
Efter hand kommer dock spelningen igång. Med tanke på hur komplex bandets progressiva tonkonst faktiskt är gör man överlag bra ifrån sig. Tack vare sin höga, kollektiva, spelskicklighet som möjliggör en hel del aktivitet på scen, och Jägerskogs jävlaranamma är BURST inte bara grymma att lyssna på utan även att titta på.
Låtmaterialet skulle annars kunna tala för sig självt. Härvidlag har gruppen samlat på sig så många progghits att det måste vara direkt plågsamt att plocka ut nummer för att fylla en alldeles för kort trekvart på i rampljuset. Ikväll har lejonparten hämtats från senaste släppet ”Lazarus Bird” (8p i SRM) och samtliga stycken (minus det inledande) flyter mycket bra.
Tyvärr slirar körsången. Sittande (!) gitarristen Robert Reinholdz gnolar både klent och falskt. Detta torde vara BURSTs verkliga akilleshäl, om än den enda.

Sepultura 7p
Backstage, München, 15 februari 2009

Räkna aldrig ut en fallen hjälte.
Senast – i Göteborg våren 2007 – jag såg det senaste decenniet tämligen unisont sågade SEPULTURA var inte speciellt kul. Brassarna liknade då ett sömnigt coverband som med råge passerat sitt bäste före-datum, vars enda behållning låg i ett visst nostalgivärde, varför man då också koncentrerade setet runt gamla hits. Ett halvår dessförinnan hade Igor Cavalera aviserat sitt avhopp, och en tid senare helt okände och många år yngre Jean Dolabella tagit dennes plats. Under giget uppträdde nyförvärvet som en oerfaren, nästan valpig, prao-elev bakom pukorna hos en hop föredettingar.
Men då var då och nu är nu, visar det sig på Backstage i München. Tack och lov, bör tilläggas. Den här gången har låtlistan delats i runda slängar 50/50 med Max Cavaleras frånfälle som skiljepunkt – en måttstock SEPULTURA sannolikt alltid kommer att få dras med. Fräschare bitar som ”Forceful Behavior”, ”Sadistic Values” och ”Convicted in Life” står sig bra, faktiskt överraskande bra, mot sedan länge etablerade örhängen som ”Dead Embryonic Cells”, ”Mass Hypnosis” och – ikväll synnerligen uppsluppna – ”Troops of Doom”.
Orsaken är lättspårad. Tvenne år efter fiaskot i Göteborg har Dolabella vuxit färdigt – och bandet pånyttfötts med honom. Snubben – också han ursprungligen från Belo Horizonte – är lika säker som avslappnad i sin roll som den förmodligen viktigaste kuggen i ett väloljat groovethrashmaskineri, med färdigheter rent av värdiga sin föregångare. Klart som korvspad att SEPULTURA svänger igen. Batteristens självförtroende accentueras av ett fritt ”Kaiowas”-baserat jam där, sedan det excellerats färdigt, numer ende gitarristen Andreas Kisser med sällan skådad iver står och stampar livet ur en stackars katt. Eller om det är en wah-wah-pedal, jag svävar lite på den punkten.
Å andra sidan har Derrick Green aldrig varit någon större publikdomptör, och djungeltrumman borde Max fått ha i fred, för tvåmetersbjässens bankande ter sig både tafatt och krystat. En diafragma lika kraftfull som hans axelparti väger dock upp minusen, och –smittosamt glad i hågen aftonen till ära – överraskar han åtminstone mig med att ledigt haspla ur sig både en och fem fraser på fläckfri tyska mellan låtarna.
I och med den med facit i hand mycket lyckade rekryteringen till trumpallen tycks SEPULTURA ha genomgått en smärre renässans. Av den förra, blaserade, upplagan märks intet. Istället kan man för första gången på väldigt, väldigt, väääldigt länge skönja beröringspunkter, om än så enstaka, med det glödheta thrash-jehu som äger scenen i den 17 år gamla ”Under Siege”-VHS:n. Det är inte bara glädjande, utan också berörande på en rad andra sätt. Skönast är nog – förutsatt att de fortsätter så här – att alla som dömt ut bandet kommer få äta upp vad de sagt. Själv har jag alltid, antagligen av ren feghet, hållit mig reserverad på den punkten, och proklamerade i en analys av färska konceptplattan ”A-Lex” i senaste SRM (#58) att SEPULTURA ”klarar sig utan bröderna som en gång startade bandet.” Efter kvällen på Backstage är jag beredd att kila in ett ”bra” i den meningen.

Devin Townsend in Sweden Rock Mag #63: An Appetizer

2009-07-10T21:00:00.010+02:00

In the upcoming issue of Sweden Rock Magazine, #63 that is, due out in a few days, there will be a three-page-article about no other than Mr. Devin Townsend, and I’m the one to blame. It deals mainly with his former drug abuse, and how this affected him musically (read: Strapping Young Lad) as well as personally, and his new four-album-project that has worked for him as a purgation from his “old” life.

During the interview we had to end our conversation earlier than (at least what I had) planned, due to Devin’s hectic schedule. Therefore, I e-mailed him a handfull of questions. Unfortunately, I received his answers past deadline, why I decided to put them here. See it as an appetizer!

Old Dev

Was cutting off your hair a part of the “cleaning” of yourself?
Devin: “I guess in a certain, obvious way... But more than anything, it was stinky, painful, and hard to get a bank loan with... (Hi, I'm Bozo the clown, can I borrow 40k?) I was postponing the inevitable for so long... It was just time, more than anything else.”

What’s your opinion on drugs today? Are you anti, pro, neutral...?

“I guess I'm somewhere between neutral and anti, my experiences with halluncinogens were interesting to me, but anything after the first experience was gluttony to me. All I needed to know about drugs I learned in the first minute. I'm anti in the sense that it is so connected to crime and innocent people are caught in that, but I think drug laws are pretty much to blame for a lot of the crime. I don't know too much about the specifics of that, though.”

Do you still feel any need to take them?

“No, never.”

I’ve heard you started to meditate. Was that a part of the cleaning process?

“I think it's just been happening slowly over time. I'm still very poor at it though, but I'm trying to commit myself to it. It's not really part of any process, it just seems to make sense now.”

Is your new record “Ki” meant to meditate to?

“No, it's nice... But it's still got issues... It's conscious of them though, so I think you can chill to it... But a meditative record is still to come.”

And last, how do you do today?

“Fine, thank you!“

New Dev

Homage to Misery Index

2009-06-27T22:42:00.003+02:00

Misery Index, ladies and gentlemen.

Everytime I listen to this band I feel a bit richer. Everytime I read their lyrics it's like I wanna quit my dayjob and do something that actually matters. From their stunning 2003 full-length debut "Retaliation" to their latest effort, the just as stunning "Traitors" (2008), including all of their EP's and split releases, which is quite a few, I just can't get enough of this awesome grind/death outfit.

Absolutely brilliant vid.

Lyrics to "American Idolatry"

Burn, burn, Hollywood, burn...

Fetishized model-whores, images, airbrushed hardcore
Harlots, Hiltons, egoistic, wanton waifs
Plastic, paramours, skank pawns of culture war
Fake tits, facelifts
300 years of "enlightenment" comes to this?

(Voltaire is laughing, and Rousseau is puking!)

The joke is on us all
Their faces dissolve into thin air
They are trite and listless
They are empty vessels
They are ink and pixels... yet they walk the earth as gods

Practitioner professionals of sloth, so fucking worthless
This worshiped parasite-celeprosy, let's start the fire
And melt those plastic faces into dust
The carrion of leisure-class fueled waste
This narcissistic venerated filth
The icons of a clueless populace
The idols of a nation in decline

Lyrics to "Ruling Class Canceled"

Class is canceled!

Counter-hegemonics
Multitudes in swarm
On nations at the center
who watch their world deform

This global insurrection was given birth by the ruling class!

And the children of empire, whose world this is to take
Open up the seventh seal and watch the west decay!

Apocalyptic riders, above black horse's hooves
Have come to reap their harvest, to taste their labor's fruits

O' begotten Caesar!
You can't deny what is theirs...
And quickly you forget
Just how YOUR west was won...

...then lost

Oh, and on stage, they're fucking even better.

Who Owns the Water?

2009-05-09T13:23:00.002+02:00

For the lack of regular posts here; judging by its reviews and the below trailer, this one at least seems to be pretty "must-see."

"Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis.

Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.

Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis, at both the global and human scale, and the film introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the water grab, while begging the question 'CAN ANYONE REALLY OWN WATER?'

Beyond identifying the problem, "Flow" also gives viewers a look at the people and institutions providing practical solutions to the water crisis and those developing new technologies, which are fast becoming blueprints for a successful global and economic turnaround."

[www.flowthefilm.com]

¡Viva la Revolución!

2009-04-14T20:09:00.024+02:00

Plaza de la Revolución, Havana

In Cuba, where I spent two weeks in March, things are just as different as you might think. Life is hard, rough and dirty. And then you die. Without ever having had the possibility of freedom of speech, indulge in a BigMac, or leaving this small island 110% controled by its communist regime (or "The Revolution" as they call it) since 50 years. As a tourist, it's one delicate destination; culturally, weather-wise, and, above all, politically. As a citizen... not quite as delicate.

There are literally no commercial ads to been seen in Cuba (which, to me, born and bred in the West, was as breath-taking as relieving). What they do got plenty of is propaganda. In fact, you see huge posters of Fidel & Co with hilarious qoutes on it pretty much everywhere you turn your head.

"Fatherland or Death"

"Che - Always Present!"

"Anyone who Gives Refuge to a Terrorist Is a Terrorist"

"With Fidel - Revolution"

"We Want You to Be as El Che (quote Fidel)"

"The People Make the Revolutions. No Doubt that the Cienfuego Citizens Are Strong (quotes Fidel)"

"Faithful to Our History"

"Liberty to the Truth"

"Free Press, Run Away Batista!"

"Cuba Is and Will Always Be an Eternal Baraguá - Until Victory Always"

"50th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution"

Ernesto "Che" Guevara Memorial Ground, Santa Clara

Parched with Thirst Am I...

2009-02-13T21:19:00.004+01:00

"In 1984, Tankard signed to Noise Records after narrowly missing out on signing with Steamhammer during a gig where guitarist Andy Bulgaropulous made the mistake of wearing a blue sweatshirt with a deer on the front creating the wrong image and causing Steamhammer to retract their offer of a contract."

If the cover of their latest offering "Thirst" isn't enough to convince you, that Wikipedia-qoute should say it all; it's damn difficult not to fancy the self-proclaimed "Kings of Beer."

Let's Make the World Bankrupt

2009-01-13T20:25:00.011+01:00

Interested in getting a deeper insight in how the world economy and the global banking systems work, and just how sick it all is? Then seeing "Let's Make Money" is a must.

Synopsis of the film:

"It is as if filmmaker Erwin Wagenhofer, known from his commended film 'We Feed the World', had known it all along: he made a documentary about the financial system that is adrift, the degeneration that has affected a liberalised global market without rules. A few months later, the system collapsed. For his film, Wagenhofer travelled all over the world, to provide the spectator with insight from all possible angles into a financial system that is perhaps best described as a global bubble: from the cotton plantations in Burkina Faso to a businessman's car in Singapore's 'emerging market', from the tram in Vienna (nowadays owned by American investors) to the massive hotels and apartment complexes shooting up like mushrooms at the Costa del Sol. The film introduces specialists, scientists and people in the field. It is striking to see how people who for many years have made good money in the world of investment banking, hedge funds and private equity funds, are the first to admit that a system has developed that is not only completely useless, but undermines society in general and developing countries and the 'small man' in the Western world in particular." [Source]

A review posted at IMDB, which I am keen on to consent with:

"Wagenhofer has done it again. This one is better than all of Michael Moore's films combined because it leaves the audience feeling informed, but not manipulated. The prevailing thought after seeing this film is 'what can I do to make it better?' This documentary combines interviews with key people directly involved in strong-arming governments, hiding the owners of trusts whose money has damaged millions of lives, enslaved people in India and Africa and supported laws that allow financial institutions (in London, for example) to operate unregulated in order to maximize profits for a few as they they destroy the lives of many, with outstanding camera work and very clever use of visual and auditory iconography throughout. Just watch it!"

"Money is Debt - Debt is Money - Money is Debt - Debt is Money - Money is Debt - Debt is Money - Money is Debt..."

And the mantra continues to echo in the infinite...

Quote of Today

2009-01-08T20:46:00.001+01:00

"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror."

- Guess who?
CBS News, Washington DC, 6 September, 2006

Nya recensioner

2009-01-04T20:31:00.007+01:00

Yours Truly har svängt ihop två nya liverecensioner till Sweden Rock Magazines hemsida. För att läsa, klicka på länkfan eller sänk blicken en och en halv centimeter.

Morbid Angel 7p
Kataklysm 7p

Backstage, München, 12 december 2008

K-o-m-p-e-t-e-n-s. Så stavas honnörsordet fredagen den 12 december på trivsamma konsertkomplexet Backstage i München. Hos KATAKLYSM märks det såväl i det visuella framförandet som i de väldiga ljudmassorna man åstadkommer – trots enbart en gitarrist lyckas man alltid med att vara fläskiga på scen. Riktigt hur man bär sig åt förstår jag inte. I bandets grooviga, semimelodiska döds återfinns en ansenlig dos slingor och andra flergitarrpartier, där normalt sett minst tolv strängar skulle krävas för att få det att låta ordentligt. Normalt sett. Med 17 års rutin i ryggen är visan en annan. Kvartetten har full koll på både instrument, ljud och publik från start till mål. Värsta öset kommer i setets slut, medelst blytunga ”In Shadows & Dust” och ”Crippled and Broken”. Efteråt verkar alla i lokalen, runt 500, nöjda med bandets insats, inklusive Quebec-karlarna själva. På growlaren Maurizio Iaconos läppar spelar ett brett smil, men gladast är underskattade trummisen Max Duhamel som ger några svettiga fans i de främre leden tidiga julklappar i form av crashcymbaler. KATAKLYSM kan rakryggade gå av scenen och belåtet varva ner med ett gäng kalla från det utmärka lokala bryggeriet Augustiner.
Geografiskt och kulturellt är Tyskland och Sverige inte så värst olika, även om nyansskillnader så gott som alltid finns. En sådan kan skönjas i sammansättningen av besökare på hårdrockskonserter, och ikväll är den extra tydlig. Jag ser besökare i de flesta åldrar och, även om männen fortfarande dominerar till antalet, är oväntat många av kvinnligt kön. En som emellertid skulle kunna tas för att tillhöra en mer androgyn människovariant är ingen annan än MORBID ANGELs publikdomptör David Vincent, som annars tillsammans med kaosgnisslaren Trey Azagthoth är så säker i sin roll att det nästan stör. Vincent – under andra former hade jag tagit honom för en högskoleutbildad konferencier, eller något åt det hållet – påminner inte bara via sin karaktäristiska lack- och läderutstyrsel och sitt stylade, korpsvartfärgade hår, utan också sitt kroppsspråk, mycket om en sleazerockare där han trippar runt på scenen och åmar sig med att ”rocka loss.” Efter så många år i branschen borde människan inte bara ha lärt sig att bemästra vilda fans utan också att headbanga som folk, kan det tyckas. Fast har man å andra sidan lagt ner omsorg på att fixa frillan kanske man inte vill förstöra den i första taget. Vad vet jag.
Dödsstilen hålls dock av den till det yttre klart hårdare Destructhor – eller Thor Anders Myhren som före detta ZYKLON-gitarristen kallas i myndighetssammanhang – och pålitlige trotjänaren Pete Sandoval på trummor. Bägge gör precis vad de ska, och spelmässigt manglar ett av extremfackets allra mest respekterade band ond brutal metal i 75 minuter utan att vika en tum. Låtlistan innefattar bland annat minst halva milstolpen ”Altars of Madness” och min – fast långt ifrån bara min, verkar det som – favorit ”Where the Slime Live.” Ganska förutsägbart med andra ord, utan att det på något sätt skulle vara negativt. Tack och lov sviker ej heller ljudet, och den här typen av musik får för en gångs skull komma till sin fulla rätt i ett livesammanhang. Programenlig är också musikhistoriens tyngsta ögonblick, ”God of Emptiness,” som rivs av strax innan lysrören i taket tänds och portarna till utgången slås upp. På vägen ut ekar frasen ”bow to me faithfully, bow to me splendidly” i huvudet, och jag bugar mig i vördnad för både MORBID ANGEL och KATAKLYSM.

Unholy Alliance: Chapter III:
Slayer 9p
Trivium 6p
Amon Amarth 7p
Mastodon 5p

Zenith, München, 18 november 2008

”’Exotisch’ säger dom, det betyder ’bra’ på tyska.” Campingägarens utsago rörande utlänningars påstådda fascination för Vägverkets älgskyltar i familjekomedin ”Sunes sommar” kan med fördel appliceras på AMON AMARTH. Det är egentligen inte konstigt varför ett magasin som brittiska Terrorizer skriver spaltmeter om ett band som besitter ett framgångskoncept som dessutom skulle kunna dra till sig extra många icke-skandinaviska öron och ögon: kvalitet genom mångårig drill, kryddad med den exotism det fornnordiska temat medför. Sålunda är vikingarna från Tumba minst lika populära i Tyskland som på hemmaplan, vilket accentueras av att man även här fått byta plats med MASTODON i spelordningen. Säkre Johan ”Hagbard” Hegg skördar bifall från en annars tisdagsseg skara åskådare, där en hel del torshammare och allehanda asa-attiraljer skönjs. Ljudet i rymliga plåtladan Zenith – i paritet med Arenan i Stockholm – är dessvärre inte lika vänligt inställt, och flertaliga stycken från senaste ”Twilight of the Thunder God” dränks helt i brummet.
Årets Unholy Alliance-turné, den tredje allt som allt, kan på papperet mycket väl vara den starkaste hittills. Därför är det inte utan att man blir lite besviken på en sådan etablerad begivenhet som MASTODON, som alltså öppnar. Förutsättningarna talar starkt emot Atlanta-männen. Decimerade, utan hospitaliserade gitarristen Bill Kelliher, och med en ynka halvtimme till förfogande, med start redan 18.15, går man en tuff uppgift till mötes: att ruska liv i de relativt fåtaliga besökare som hunnit ta sig hit efter jobb, skola, eller vad det nu kan vara. MASTODONs försök ger skral utdelning, men är inte desto mindre så tappert som man kan förvänta sig av detta klassband.
TRIVIUM lyckas snäppet bättre tack vare tilltagande publiktillströmning och, framför allt, en av aftonens starkast lysande enskilda stjärnor i Matt Heafy, som med sina fjuniga mustascher på håll liknar Kirk Hammett. Dock utan att kunna matcha den mäktiga AMON AMARTH-maskinen i fråga om respons. Det är obegripligt att åskådarna står så oberörda som de ändå gör av ledargestaltens ivriga påhejande. Gruppens många klyschor och vid det här laget tämligen välkända hitlåtar ger viss effekt, medan de storvulna kompositionerna från aktuella ”Shogun” möter ljummet mottagande.
Liksom de två föregående akterna har också de unga floridaborna ljudet emot sig. Den tjocka grötbröten framställer trist nog TRIVUM, AMON AMARTH och MASTODON som just förband, snarare än essentiella beståndsdelar i ett fläskigt, hårt och väl sammansatt metalpaket.
Inte otippat låter SLAYERs karaktäristiska, råa mellanregistersound årtionden av teknisk utveckling bättre. Överraskar desto mer gör den nu 27-åriga kvartettens form. Så här taggad har jag inte sett bandet på flera år. Och ett 85 minuter långt pärlband av de vassaste thrash metal-bitarna som skrivits kan rimligtvis inte slå fel! Dessa – av vilka jag nedan bara måste nämna en handfull – exekveras med precision framför en gigantisk ljusvägg, där videosnuttar och logotyper från karriären spelas upp. Under ”Jihad” (föreställningens svagaste nummer, om man nu ska utse ett sådant) fladdrar provocerande bilder på Usama bin Laden och ”Busken” förbi. Väldigt klatschigt, även fast den praktfulla fonden skyms till minst en tredjedel av den feta Marshall-muren man alltid envisas med att släpa med sig.
Fastän det ikväll inte betyder ett skvatt börjar åren ta ut sin rätt på L.A.-bandet. Särskilt Tom Araya – som nyligen hintat om ett slut på SLAYER-sagan inom en överskådlig framtid – ser ut att ha åldrats för var gång jag går och kollar in världens ondaste tvåtaktsmanglare. Nu kikar en mer än begynnande morfarsmage fram under hans helsvarta t-shirt. Araya är heller inte alls lika aktiv i sin frontmansroll som Heafy, även om hans röst märkligt nog fortfarande håller god vigör. Faktum är att han knappt yttrar ett enda ord mellan låtarna. Kvällens SLAYER-hjälte heter istället Dave Lombardo. Ingen skugga över Paul Bostaph, men Lombardos återkomst i bandet har uppenbarligen inneburit en rejäl vitamininjektion. Jag ser dock inte mycket av honom – bara en försynt keps skymtar bakom ett upphöjt trumset inkilat mellan staplarna av högtalarlådor. Men jag hör desto mer. Inget snack om att snubben kan bemästra sina skinn. Allt – allt! – sitter som en smäck, och hans passionerade smiskande är centralt för SLAYERs kolossala insats i afton.
Ungefär i setets mitt, lagom till ”South of Heaven”, händer något – de stela bayrarna vaknar! Hela konserten tar en ny vändning och stämningen är med ens på topp, även om det är så dags nu. När glöden hos de fyra på scen väl smittat av sig på det tröga tusentalet nedanför den är det inte längre bara imponerande att se SLAYER som fött på nytt riva av färska ”Psychopathy Red” och personliga höjdpunkterna ”Dittohead”, ”War Ensemble” och ”Seasons in the Abyss” – det är till på köpet riktigt jävla kul!
Den revitaliserade thrashmastodonten defilerar till slut hem kvällen med lejonparten av ”Reign in Blood”-skivan (alltså ej hela som var fallet i Stockholm) – från ett av de bästa musikstyckena någonsin, ”Angel of Death”, via bland annat ”Altar of Sacrifice” och ”Jesus Saves”, snabbspolar man förbi ett par spår och rundar av med det lika klassiska som utsökta medleyt på ”Postmortem” och ett, ähum, annat av de bästa styckena någonsin, ”Raining Blood.” Mer än så behöver väl inte sägas?

Happy (?) New Year

2009-01-01T18:19:00.002+01:00

From all of Us to all of You, or, a message from the kind people at The Pirate Bay:

"Man måste stoppa de här monsterhjärnorna"

2008-12-30T22:23:00.006+01:00

Ja, vad ska man egentligen säga?

Snubben är ju så sorgligt trasig att han är rolig. Skitrolig, rent av.

"Såna här människor som knullar spädbarn, småbarn, ungdomar, vuxna, och pensionärer. Sen äter de upp spädbarn, småbarn, ungdomar, vuxna och pensionärer efter knullandet. Jag är badmästare"

"Den där Carl Gustav, kungen av Sverige, som tar in knarket i Norden, som är knarkhandlare med Englands prins... Tydligen är han slavarbetare också den där Englands prins, den där Carl Gustav."

Fler videoklipp finns där videoklipp brukar finnas.

Go Halmstad!

2008-12-26T14:47:00.002+01:00

From Disinformation:

Halmstad is a small city in western Sweden best known as the birthplace of soccer star and sometime-model Freddie Ljungberg. This winter, Halmstad will be staying warm in novel fashion: using excess heat from the town's crematorium.

The plan was developed recently at community meetings to address the massive amounts of smoke emanating from the crematorium's chimneys as corpses are burnt to ashes. The heat will now be redirected to warm the city. Here's more:

"When a body is cremated, toxic materials are released from the corpse. For example, fillings in the teeth, when heated to high temperatures, release mercury. In order to filter out the toxic materials before they are released into the air, the crematorium must cool the smoke from around 1,000ºC to 150ºC. But, with the heat now directed into the public heating system, the smoke will already be much closer to 150ºC and the crematorium will spend less on materials, including water, to cool it down."

Gå ur kyrkan idag!

2008-12-26T14:24:00.005+01:00

Länge velat gå ur kyrkan men aldrig fått tummen ur?
Här kommer en liten hjälp på traven:

UTURKYRKAN.se

Public Service Rules!

2008-12-18T18:46:00.004+01:00

Coming home to Sweden after living abroad for a year, turning on the TV for the first time in ages. And getting nailed to it! Swedish public service, SVT, was broadcasting a very interesting discussion on the role of literature today and freedom of speech, between renown writer Salman Rushdie and soon-to-be equally renown writer and journalist Roberto Saviano, moderated by literary historian Horace Engdahl. Although being far from perfect - kudos, SVT!

And, once again, a big "fuck forever off!" to corporate commercial stations for constantly passifying the masses with superficial bullshit that means nothing to no one.

Best Metal Concerts 2008

2008-12-13T13:06:00.010+01:00

Gojira rocking out.

Well aware of telling you how much I despise ranking stuff, I sidestepped my principles for a quick second and penned down a list of the best gigs I attended during the year of 2008. Purely in order to promote a few exquisite live acts, of course.

1. Cult of Luna - Hansa 39, Munich, June 24
2. Rotten Sound - Hansa 39, Munich, April 5
3. Dillinger Escape Plan - Backstage Halle, Munich, March 10
4. Slayer - Zenith, Munich, November 18
5. At the Gates - Wacken Open Air, Wacken, August 2
6. Misery Index - Hansa 39, Munich, February 11
7. Municipal Waste - Orangehouse, Munich, June 19
8. The Ocean - Hansa 39, Munich, April 5
9. Gojira - Zenith, Munich, October 19
10. Morbid Angel - Backstage Werk, December 12

...and now for something completely different;

Would you care for some Kukident?!

Best Metal Albums 2008. I think...

2008-12-12T15:51:00.006+01:00

Bad people. Very bad.

How I hate ranking stuff, especially culture products... But this time I had no choice. Below be my final list of the most bad-ass metal albums this year. Don't blame me, I was forced into it - blame the editors at Sweden Rock Magazine. If you'd ask me in this very moment I'd might as well try throwing in Earth "The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull" there. And Hate Eternal "Fury & Flames". And Crowpath "One with Filth". And...

1. Rotten Sound "Cycles"
2. Gojira “The Way of All Flesh"
3. Misery Index “Traitors"
4. Krisiun “Southern Storm"
5. Bloodbath “The Fathomless Mastery"
6. The Rotted “Get Dead or Die Trying"
7. Cult of Luna “Eternal Kingdom"
8. Coldworker “Rotting Paradise"
9. Jex Thoth “Jex Thoth"
10. The Freezing Fog “March Forth to Victory"

To view the complete list of all writers' top tens and read their motivations, click HERE.

Fact or Fiction?!

2008-12-09T10:21:00.003+01:00

Is the American people getting screwed big time again, or is this just utter bullshit??

Only time will tell, I guess. Except of Mr Hal Turner, that is.

Cosmetic Change We Can Believe In

2008-11-05T10:26:00.004+01:00

As expected, Obama wins a landslide victory. Congrats to Barack, congrats to all corporations who poured Big Bucks into his campaign, you made it.

The ultimate question:

Will we, this time, also see a change beneath the surface?

The Most Important Film Ever 2

2008-11-04T00:28:00.009+01:00

The sequel to "Zeitgeist: The Movie" - the most important film of all categories, all time - is finally here: "Zeitgeist: Addendum".

To stream the entire two-hour-piece:

Further info on how we're all fucked by the "corporatocratic" mainstream, and how to fuck back, eventually creating an ideal world:

www.ZeitgeistMovie.com
www.TheZeitgeistMovement.com
www.TheVenusProject.com

But before browsing your way into the www, lest ye forget:

MONEY IS DEBT
DEBT IS MONEY

Pretty damn accurate these days, huh?

US and A: a Politically Incorrect Guide

2008-10-31T17:22:00.003+01:00

More of the same; the US election. This time a somewhat more politically incorrect approach to it. Watch the six short episodes below.

Episode 1/6

Episode 2/6

Episode 3/6

Episode 4/6

Episode 5/6

Episode 6/6

US and A: a Nuanced Picture

2008-10-30T14:03:00.006+01:00

As we're rapidly approaching the forthcoming US election, watch THIS for a nuanced picture of the situation in America gone out of hand. The narration is in Swedish, but these documentaries, recently made by Swedish national TV4 (commercial station), should also attract those non-Swedish-speakers of you, as the interviews are in English (and occasionally Spanish). And the great deal of pictures of this vast, intractable mastodon of a nation speak for themselves.

How War is Made Easy

2008-10-29T22:57:00.007+01:00

"War Made Easy: How Presidents &
Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death"

No matter how politically correct it may these days be to slander and smear the US and its government in every way possible, this documentary is well worth the effort looking into, being one of the most profound and convincing I've seen on the topic. The film, based on and using the same title as Norman Solomon's book, rightly and thankfully makes great concern about the bigger picture, instead of falling into the watered down mainstream-bickering trap of America being a "bad", greedy nation only guarding its vested interests and Bush being a ludicrous goofbag.

Its synopsis, as by the authors:

"'War Made Easy' reaches into the Orwellian memory hole to expose a 50-year pattern of government deception and media spin that has dragged the United States into one war after another from Vietnam to Iraq. Narrated by actor and activist Sean Penn, the film exhumes remarkable archival footage of official distortion and exaggeration from LBJ to George W. Bush, revealing in stunning detail how the American news media have uncritically disseminated the pro-war messages of successive presidential administrations.

'War Made Easy' gives special attention to parallels between the Vietnam war and the war in Iraq. Guided by media critic Norman Solomon’s meticulous research and tough-minded analysis, the film presents disturbing examples of propaganda and media complicity from the present alongside rare footage of political leaders and leading journalists from the past, including Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, dissident Senator Wayne Morse, and news correspondents Walter Cronkite and Morley Safer."

More info: http://www.warmadeeasythemovie.org/

A Forgotten Classic

2008-10-22T12:28:00.013+02:00

For the upcoming issue of Sweden Rock Magazine (#56, due November 11) I recently conducted a so called “Forgotten Classic” on Canadian old-school thrashers Sacrifice and their ageless “Forward to Termination” from 1987. As this article form strictly limits the space for qoutes, I’ve put the whole interview with frontman Rob Urbinati here - who's revealing the mighty Sacrifice's about to return!

Rob Urbinati back in the day #1.

First; any general comments on the album? What do you think about it today?

Rob: "This is probably the one I am most proud of. Very seldom do I go back and listen to our stuff, but once in a while I will throw this on for a spin. "

Sacrifice released four high class thrash/speed metal albums, but “Forward to Termination” seems to be the one release people still talk about to this day – why do you think? What was so special about it?

Rob: "When we started writing it, the band gathered a lot of momentum and the songs just started to write themselves. I always find that songs which are written quickly are best, everything just magically falls into place, like you somehow know where the pieces of a puzzle go. The riffs are catchy and the songs fit well together as an album."

What differed “Forward to Termination” from other thrash records at that time? I personally believe its production is a bit cleaner and that you focused more on solid songwriting rather than making an all out chaotic and raw album as, let’s say, Exodus or Dark Angel.

Rob: "Our first LP 'Torment In Fire' was pretty damn chaotic, and while I love that album, the songs weren’t very polished or involved. We were also getting much better on our instruments which played a big part. Our influences were fairly evident on “Torment In Fire”, and we wanted to establish a Sacrifice sound. We also learned that while we loved to play fast, if you do it all the time it becomes a blur. On 'Forward to Termination' we let the chaos settle for a bit with slower parts before we released the insanity again."

Who were your influences back in the day? Any non-musical influences?

Rob: "We started out being influenced by Venom, Mercyful Fate, Metallica, Exciter, Anvil, Maiden, Priest, also the newest bands of the time like Slayer and Exodus, and some hardcore like Discharge and DRI. Later on, around the writing for “Forward to Termination” we went back further to music we grew up with like Rush, Sabbath, Thin Lizzy and Deep Purple. Outside of music, horror films were very influential to my lyric writing. Songs like 'Re-Animation' or 'The Entity' were basically about the plot of those movies."

What was the atmosphere in the band like back then we you wrote and recorded the album? Can you recall?

Rob: "It felt like we were starting to be recognized for our music so the atmosphere around us was pretty intense. We were starting to understand what we were capable of with Sacrifice and we pushed each other to make each song better. The only pressure we felt was internal within the band to complete writing the album."

Was there initially a vision when creating it?

Rob: "As a band we wanted to take what was started on 'Torment In Fire', and make it better. Put more thought into the writing, how parts are put together. Our vision was really just to write the best songs we could and retain our heaviness and speed. One thing we knew would be essential to this album was the production needed to be much better. Brian Taylor, Sacrifice’s producer, booked us into U2s producers studio and it was our first experience in a professional recording studio."

How did you write your songs?

Rob: "Most the time, we would bring riffs to band practice and add upon what one of us would start. Many times, the songs came about very spontaneously at rehearsal. I would record the finished songs onto cassette tape and write lyrics at home."

Rob Urbinati back in the day #2.

Would you say “Forward to Termination” is a band effort or an individual effort?

Rob: "It was a total band effort."

Where did the recording take place?

Rob: "Brian Taylor, Sacrifice’s producer, booked us into U2s producers studio and it was our first experience in a professional recording studio. Grant Avenue Studios in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada."

Was there any overall lyrical concepts or themes?

Rob: "There wasn’t really an overall concept, the lyrical subject matter is pretty diverse. "

What about the album title itself, what does it refer to?

Rob: "One recurring theme with Sacrifice was how our world is deteriorating socially, morally and environmentally. Basically it refers to the way humanity behaves."

“Re-Animation” is Sacrifice’s ultimate stand-out track, according to what fans write in discussion forums, blogposts and so on. What was so special about this very song? And what is the song about?

Rob: "This is one of those songs that just came together. I remember hearing Joe and Gus jamming the main verse riff and I ran in and said 'remember that!' From there, I think we completed the song soon after. The lyrics were inspired by the movie 'Re-Animator'."

You shot a video track off of that song, can you tell me more about that?

Rob: "The idea was to keep the video looking underground by having it a grainy black and white. Our initial location was to be a church which fell through, so we ended up filming in Brian Taylor’s enormous loft apartment. The video producer John Zytaruk did a great job at editing it, we didn’t have too much of an expectation about getting airplay with it, but it ended up getting quite a bit of play on our music video station MuchMusic. If you were into metal in the 80’s in Canada, I guarantee you saw this video at least 10 times. The look of the video we saw copied by numerous bands. Very few extreme metal bands had done any videos yet, so we kind of broke new ground with it. There was no flashiness, lasers, cheesy themes, just black and white footage of a band jamming."

Which are your own personal favorite songs from that record and why?

Rob: "My favourites are:

'Terror Strikes'- really straight forward fast song with a great middle part. Lyrically, about someone snapping. Someone who has had enough and unleashes the fury.

'Afterlife' – I love Gus’ drumming in this song.

'Flames of Armageddon' - Influenced by Rush, and Mercyful Fate but really thrashing.

'The Entity' – This was the last one we wrote for the album, we were having trouble coming up with ideas and suddenly, again, this one just wrote itself.

'Light of the End' - Joe’s leads in this are awesome. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster happened around this time and was the inspiration for this one."

Anything you dislike or wish to change on the album? Song-wise, lyrically or production-wise?

Rob: "I would change nothing. Over 20 years later, metal fans still regard this as a classic so we must have done something right."

I know the album cover is just a tiny piece of a much bigger painting. What made you go with this cover? Who made it?

Rob: "The entire cover was great, but the label felt it lost too much shrunk down to album cover size. I disagreed, but they decided to use bits and pieces of it for some reason. I can’t recall the name of the artist, and I really wish we could get our hands on the original."

To this day, how much has “Forward to Termination” sold? Do you have a clue?

Rob: "I have no idea on the sales figures, but I know it was our best selling release."

How do you feel the album has aged? I’ve heard people saying it’s now dated, while others claim it sounds fresher than ever. What is your opinion?

Rob: "I listen to old Sabbath and it sounds dated, but I will always love it and actually prefer the production from back then. I am sure it sounds dated to some but I don’t consider that a bad thing. Newer thrash bands are trying to recapture the sounds from back then, and they should be commended for it. Today’s production values are shit, everything sounds the same… The same drum samples, the same quantized drum sound, the tight, gated, compressed guitar sound. Sometimes I feel like metal is getting a bit too fake in that department, I wish bands would actually mic up the drums properly, forget the click track, and create their own sound."

Sacrifice made itself quite a name in Canada and the US back in the day, but in Europe you remained virtually unknown. Why do you think?

Rob: "Our first two albums had a release in Europe, and did quite well, but we lost our Roadrunner distribution which really hurt our popularity in Europe."

What are you doing these days? Involved in any music?

Rob: "These days I am pretty much a regular dad kind of guy. Since our reunion show in 2006, we have been writing a new album which is almost complete and should be recorded by the end of 2008. The songs are fast, heavy, we are really happy with how they are progressing. The vibe is similar to 'Forward To Termination'… It has elements from all our albums really. One thing I will say is that it is definitely recognizable as Sacrifice. The album title will be 'The Ones that I Condemn'."

Sacrifice back in the day. Left to right: Rob Urbinati, vocals & guitars; Scott Watts, bass; Joe Rico, guitars; Gus Pynn, drums.

Graphic Violence and Nudity

2008-10-10T22:13:00.006+02:00

After observing this message from the author,

“WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND NUDITY”,

I guess you, brethren of bad-blooded, raw fucken metal, would like to go here: http://www.lairwarmetalvideo.com/.

Scary Symmetry?

2008-10-07T11:18:00.006+02:00

American actor Paul Walker...

...and Swedish sweeper rock/playboy Olof Mellberg.

"As alike as the two halves of a symmetric ass"
my dear flatmate Göran concluded.

Honorable Mentions

2008-10-06T19:14:00.008+02:00

In addition to my previous post, some honorable mentions that didn't quite make it to the list but are all well worth checking out:

21 Lucifers "In the Name of..."
Abysmal Dawn "Programmed to Consume"
Agenda of Swine "Waves of Human Suffering"
Aura Noir "Hades Rise"
The Batallion "Stronghold of Men"
Belphegor "Bondage Goat Zombie"
Cor Scorpii "Monument"
Darkane "Demonic Art"
Daylight Dies "Lost to the Living"
Dead Shape Figure "The Grand Karoshi"
Demiurg "The Hate Chamber"
Deicide "Till Death Do Us Part"
Hackneyed "Death Prevails"
Lair of the Minotaur "War Metal Battle Master"
Meshuggah "ObZen"
Metallica "Death Magnetic"
Nachtmystium "Assassins: Black Meddle Part I"
Opeth "Watershed"
Order of Ennead "S/T"
Phazm "Cornerstone of the Macabre"
Sideblast "Flight of a Moth"
Sotajumala "Teloitus"
Tiamat "Amanethes"
Testament "The Formation of Damnation"
Torture Squad "Hellbound"
Within Y "The Cult"
Zimmer's Hole "When You Were Shouting at the Devil, We Were in League with Satan"

Phew! Don't we all just love to name drop killer albums? :)

Candidates to the Throne

2008-10-06T18:20:00.012+02:00

As we're entering the final quarter of 2008, it's about time to get ourselves prepared to sum up this year's record crop. You readers of Sweden Rock Magazine will probably find my final top ten-list in one of our forthcoming issues. I hold no doubt it will be damn hard compiling it, as there have been plenty of solid releases both during spring and the past few months, and no obvious winner among them.

The candidates so far, in alphabetical order:

Bloodbath "The Fathomless Mastery"
Burst "Lazarus Bird"
Coldworker "Rotting Paradise"
Corporation 187 "Newcomers of Sin"
Cryptopsy "The Unspoken King"
Cult of Luna "Eternal Kingdom"
Cynic "Traced in Air"
Gojira "The Way of All Flesh"
Hate Eternal "Fury & Flames"
The Haunted "Versus"
Hail of Bullets "...of Frost and War"
Khold "Hundre År Gammal"
Krisiun "Southern Storm"
Misery Index "Traitors"
Netherbird "The Ghost Collector"
Portal "Outre"
Psycroptic "Ob(servant)"
The Rotted "Get Dead or Die Trying"
Rotten Sound "Cycles"
This Haven "Today a Whisper, Tomorrow a Storm"
Thorium "Feral Creation"
Unleashed "Hammer Battallion"

Let's see, which ones did I now forget...?

Band of the Day

2008-09-22T23:52:00.004+02:00

Ladies and Gents, let me proudly present the band of the - um - day:

Australia's own PORTAL! Hooray!! Hooray!!

Now here with their sophomore effort "Outre". Try penetrate that chaos-ridden, jet-black sonic art right HERE if you dare.

What exactly do they sound like? Well, I'd say the exquisitely enchanting album cover of their full-time debut "Seepia" (2003) below says (shows) it all.

Just relax and let get sucked in into Portal's dark musical maelstrom.

Some Welsh, Anyone?

2008-08-23T22:20:00.003+02:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_rarebit

Recent empiric field research made by Yours Truly at spot in northern France has it that this culinary oddity/cheese soup/fat shock might just be the most unhealthy thing ever served.

Bitte, sag mir...

2008-08-11T21:54:00.006+02:00

"Warum lebst du?"
("Why do you live?")

[Die Apokalyptischen Reiter "Warum?"]

Feel the Khold

2008-07-29T12:33:00.007+02:00

Callously creeping Khold do primitivistic black 'n' roll so good it makes me wanna knit myself a black lusekofte in the Bavarian summer heat (superfueled by festival-frenzy - Wacken Open Air is up tomorrow, oh yeah!), and their oven-fresh "Hundre år gammal" is yet another proof. Do yourself a favor and enjoy these underrated Norwegians (what else?!) in the appetizer below!

"Hundre år gammal"

Remembering spinning "Blod og blek" on endless repeat when "Krek" came out, I just couldn't help but include these fine vids as well.

"Blod og blek"

"Innestengt i eikekiste"

"Død"

...and if Khold isn't enough for quenching your thirst for blackened rock minimalism, you might wanna check out their sisterband Tulus.

Independent Music for Independent People

2008-07-24T19:20:00.007+02:00

This movie is nothing but surreal.

It’s not so much about metal but the true face of the ongoing war in Iraq and daily life in the constant shade of its impending danger. The viewer also gets a useful glimpse into how the bullshit media actually works at the spot; how it uses different techniques to produce pro-American/anti-Muslim propaganda in order to further sell the war.

Metal fans are known for being dedicated to their faith but these guys in the film, including its makers, must be extremely brave or just utterly stupid. At the same time, that’s what keeps them going, obviously the only thing. They seem to have lost everything – every joy, every ambition, every prospect is deadened – but their passion for music.

When watching, you're (well, almost) sensing this. Whereas many bands just fool around on their instruments trying to create some weird noise while sharing a few sixpacks these young men really do play to stay alive rather than merely (still) breathing. There’s also this creeping nerve - this fear - to the film that you’re under attack and knowing that any second The Bomb could literally come tear you and your whole existence apart.

Being active in a metal band – something that’s reportedly mischievous enough to get you locked up in Iraq, even in times of peace – under these circumstances, man... Fuck the world-music has never before been so real.

Soulful Soulfly Covers

2008-07-19T15:06:00.008+02:00

Say what you want about Soulfly’s sound but the new stuff, though a bit too photoshopped and digital, at least looks promising!

And, no matter how much one may miss his time in Sepultura, one must give Max cred for those adoringly exotic ethno-elements. An album like "Prophecy" definitely deserves the tag "world metal".

Peeing Perkelee...?

2008-07-19T02:08:00.006+02:00

Finnish Florida-styled deathheads Sotajumala have to my great appreciation come out with their sophomore effort "Teloitus", and as expected it's far from a disappointment. These guys know how to make sonic meat of the new millennium. Only one thing seems a bit odd; is the man on the frontcover taking a piss, or what?!

Wrongly Accused

2008-07-15T19:05:00.005+02:00

In the microscopically small case anyone stumbled upon the Neuraxis-review (awesome band, btw!) in the brand new issue (#53) of Sweden Rock Magazine and happened to give a shit and then happened to stumble in here, I'd like to clarify I'm not the author of this review. Yes, I know my name's underneath it so you might think I wrote it but I didn't. Jane Cedenberger did. And of course she didn't put my name instead of her own there by accident or so. It's the dear sirs at the editor's office that fucked up. Woe to thee, bad bad editors.

Posted at UltimateMetal

2008-07-12T20:24:00.004+02:00

The dear sirs at UltimateMetal asked me to write an article on the thesis I'm constantly nagging about and so I did. Check it out!

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/interviews/410725-we-who-others-metal-lifestyle-mapped.html

Wulffmetaller

2008-07-08T15:03:00.004+02:00

Wulffmorgenthaler is simply the best.

Sydsvenskan Linked

2008-07-05T17:03:00.002+02:00

A link to the Sydsvenskan-article:

http://sydsvenskan.se/kultur/article342127.ece

Up the Underground!

2008-06-30T20:07:00.007+02:00

Today's post pays homage to a few of the many promising unsigned metal/rock/whatever acts in Sweden, some with whom I've had the pleasure to get acquainted with through my writing. Do the underground a favor and check 'em out, folks!

From A to Z (! = extra worthy your attention):

Arsonist !

Astral Carneval

C.B Murdoc !

Embers Arise

Facing Death !

Feared

Feared Creation

Flushed

The Goddamned

Godsic

Hatework

Havok !

Highball Shooters !

Kaliber

Lesra

Lowood

Malum !

Mindfall

Mynjun (sadly disbanded) !

Pg.lost !

Shadowbuilder (sadly disbanded)

Skiller

Stabotage !

Suma

Tortyr

Learn from Benjamin

2008-06-25T15:39:00.002+02:00

On the FRA-law-topic, qouting Benjamin Franklin:

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."

In the Year of 1984

2008-06-19T11:33:00.003+02:00

As for the powers it's been a short and easy ride and finally they brought us home. Sooner than any of us could predict. Year 1984...

The insanely insane and highly anti-democratic, Stasi-like FRA-law - which gives our now totalitarian state tight to monitor every single step we take - is REAL, as you might already know as journalists, bloggers and - believe it or not - public woke up in the eleventh hour.

One reflection, amongst several hundreds, on this issue:

Many have asked the question what's with all the hurry. There obviously was no certain terror threat circling above our Swedish heads, only waiting to strike down upon us like a horde of evil buzzards, whatsoever the last few years. It's documented; this was never an urgent matter. They could easily have waited a few months, a year if not ten. So, why now??

Because for an extraordinary thing like this to pass through without causing some major protest - words and demonstrations, loud and pissed-off yet peaceful and harmless won't stop them - it takes extraordinary distraction.

And extraordinary distraction these very days rules.

It's summer, even midsummer; media and people are busy with "quality life" and holidays. It's the European Championships; even if Sweden would have beaten the Russians yesterday media and people would have been busy celebrating, haussing our ridiculous national team instead of grieving and projecting their disappointment on the head coach.

The powers are not stupid. They never have been and will never be stupid. But they are greedy. They grab all they can get. Thus, they also took advantage of this opportune moment and truly fucked us again.

Featured in Sydsvenskan

2008-06-18T19:26:00.005+02:00

Swedish regional newspaper Sydsvenskan have these days published an article on my thesis. For those of you who read Swedish - voilà!

Svenska hårdrockare lever långt ifrån den rockmyt som odlats flitigt senaste åren i biografier som The Dirt. Urflippade bilder från sommarens musikfestivaler visar bara korta besök på dekadent mark.

En kultursociologisk avhandling från Växjö universitet slår nu fast att hårdrockare är vanliga människor. Två tredjedelar motionerar minst en gång i veckan. Drygt lika många har i en enkät angett familj och vänner som det viktigaste i livet. Den politiska åsikten hos landets metalfans liknar svenska folkets.

Vidare har 60 procent arbete, medan 30 procent studerar. Det ser alltså inte ut att vara någon större idé att be en hårdrockare att ”klippa sig och skaffa ett jobb”.

Sex av tio uppger sig ha haft sex med en partner senaste året. Två av tio har haft ihop det med två till fem stycken. Många av de svarande är födda på sjuttio- och åttiotalet, och siffrorna står därmed inte ut jämfört med svenskarna som helhet.

Men trots metalfansens påfallande normala liv känner de sig ändå ringaktade. Runt hälften av de svarande tror att de ses som anti-intellektuella och aggressiva. En tredjedel tycker att hårdrock är för socialt missanpassade.

Rapportens författare Andreas Rana menar att hårdrocken mist sin revolutionära status. Även om många i undersökningen är unga, tyder känslan av marginalisering på att det i tanken är viktigt att odla sin särart. Inte minst för subkulturens överlevnad. (Kristian Svensson)

Tro't eller ej

2008-06-11T19:02:00.006+02:00

"...den västerländska fundamentalism(en) /.../ hotar inte enbart den ideologiska och kulturella mångfalden i världen, utan den äger också medel att utplåna den. Dess beslutsamhet mot att forma hela världen i västerlandets avbild är skrämmande. I ljuset av den ökande islamfientligheten får följande fråga, ställd på femtiotalet av en västerländsk kristen och humanist, samma aktualitet idag som då: 'Om det är fråga om huruvida islam ska rätta sig efter den västerländska civilisationen, så är det också en fråga om västerländska civilisationen utvecklas så att den även omfattar islam.'"

Vår västliga ödesgemenskap där kristna, muslimer, sekulära, och många andra grupper försöker (?) samsas under ett och samma realpolitiska tak mår, som alla säkerligen tagit notis om, inget vidare idag. Den här artikeln kan öka din förstaelse för det socio-religiösa kaos som rader, där bland annat intressanta distinktioner görs mellan traditionell/intellektuell tro och fundamental/radikal tro. Låt dig inte avskräckas av mastig och tungrodd text.

...and Water for All?

2008-06-10T23:30:00.004+02:00

From Disinformation:

"As populations increase and shortages become more frequent, lack of water isn't just a poor nation's problem any more. At least 36 U.S. states are expected to face shortages within the next five years, according to U.S. government estimates, and by 2025, nearly 50 per cent of the world's population will live in water-stressed areas, according to the UN."

Oh, finally I get it, that's why you morons are all buying that ridiculous bottled water - you actually care!!

Joking apart, you may read this if this subject attracts your attention. Which I, of course, hope it does.

Paralyzing Paradoxes

2008-06-09T22:14:00.004+02:00

This shit is, to me, cool as shit!

Möbius Strip

Klein Bottle

Inside is outside is inside is outside is inside is outside is inside is... oder was!?!

Media Reactions

2008-06-02T20:05:00.003+02:00

Ålrajt!

Media react.

I was interwieved a few days ago by Swedish nationwide public service-radio for their heavy metal show named P4 Dist. The final result can be heard HERE. The actual interview is around the 40:30-mark.

Have another talk coming up tomorrow, this time with Metro.

They Call Us Metalheads

2008-05-21T17:28:00.009+02:00

I've previously mentioned my thesis about fans of metal music, which I completed in January this year, graded "pass with distinction", and finally I've managed to make it available for the public - i. e. you!

Its abstract (sort of scientifical rundown) is right here for you to behold. Please find a link to the whole thing in PDF-format further below.

Social groups primarily coherent of deviant taste in music and deviant lifestyles, thus riddled with mythopoeia, are a colourful and common contribution to (post)modern society and have long been subject for research in the Culture Sociology field. Although, some are more investigated than others. Studies on metalheads, i. e. fans of heavy metal music, are moderately few and the greater part focusing on an American audience, taking off in the moralpanic-stricken media debate during the 80’s.

In its English translation, “They Call Us Metalheads: a Culture Sociology Mapping of the Swedish Metal Public”, is most likely the first one on the Swedish metal audience. The study thoroughly makes concern of the values, ideals and lifestyles rooted among fans of heavy metal music, relating their cultural spot and aesthetics to the society in whole.

Through an extensive Internet-based questionnaire survey in the fall of 2006 – ranging from issues concerning social background and aesthetic taste to politics, religion as well as everyday practices and alcohol and drug consumption – the study’s quantitative foundation is built. This aiming to map out the group’s socio-structural composition, cultural preferences and practices, and to fulfill its main purpose: to make research into the up-to-here underexamined Swedish heavy metal public.

The collected data are overhauled empirical as well as theoretical analysis. The latter one using theories of Pierre Bourdieu, Göran Bolin and Sarah Thornton, amongst others, to outline the group’s internal and external relations in terms of identity, cultural ideals and social power structures.

Like similar subcultural elements in the society of today, the Swedish metalheads consist of white, moderately young and blue-collar males. Imbued with deviant and underground-ish aesthetic ideals the group rejects culture that is considered as commercial and legitimate, the prime reason being their need to rise against mainstream hegemony from a low position in the social hierarchy. In terms of aesthetics the group may therefore be referred to as anti-culture.

Through consumption of underground music and related culture products and practices the fans create their own aesthetic avantgarde, helping to maintain and legitimate their deviant ideals and developing both an individual and a collective identity. This may offer the group’s members intimacy as well as solid ideals and beliefs and ways to deal with weariness, resignation and spleen from confusion upon the complex postmodernity. Social hierachies within the group and its subgroups are based on the individuals’ degree of commitment to lifestyles reversed to the overall mainstream society, given the group’s anti-cultural status.

The thesis in its entirety is to be found here (only in Swedish, sorry!):

http://home.vxu.se/ajpfr02/dom_kallar_oss_hardrockare.pdf

Enjoy!

On Taxes

2008-05-21T17:06:00.004+02:00

For those of you not too familiar with the insanely complex German tax system I’d like to shed some light on this matter. What the above (click the pic!) basically means is that in Bavaria, and Germany in general, you pay taxes to separated and sometimes private institutions, unlike at home where a lot of it is still centralized. I. e. the social insurance; in Sweden it’s state-run, more or less equal to everyone and included in your total %. In Germany, you get to choose between different private-run social insurance companies and between their different products respectively in order to find what suits your own special needs best.

All in all, I pay like 35 % of my income in taxes, which might not be a big difference to home. But once you’ve managed to decode the cryptic abbreviations and ciphers above you begin to realize that you pay shitload of money for nothing if you’re unmarried and childless.

I honestly think this is pretty goddamn ridiculous.

Of course, there’s some background to it; Bavaria and it’s capital, Munich, are the most prosperous parts of Germany and they are anxious to stay rich, so they also want you to stay right where you are. It’s like this: if you have less bonds to the region, like (well, quite) young and lost people like us, you’re more likely to move to search your luck elsewhere – you are taxed higher. If you instead choose to settle down and form a family and all that shit – you are taxed lower. And as the true God fans they are here, they marry.

To me, that’s not all fair play. Why through unjust means force youth, newly graduated students, international labour, etc, to more or less permanently give themselves to this place? Why not welcome them with somewhat reduced taxes? They obviously need it.

I hold nothing against taxes in general – I hail them; our taxes are the foundation for our welfare. Just look at the parts of the world where the taxes are the highest: the Nordic countries and western Europe, Canada and (at least a few states in) the US and other territories where society is built on similar welfare state-models. In terms of materialistic wealth and health most of us here lead good lives.

After all I didn’t come to Bavaria neither make money nor work my ass off so maybe I shouldn't be bitching too much, but still I can’t help to think of the greed of the city of Munich like a nail in the eye.

Predigested Piss Poem

2008-05-21T13:52:00.005+02:00

urine of false truth
we drink

predigested piss
just shove it down my throat

in a squeaking squirrel wheel
we run and we run and we run

forcefed futile cycles

chewless and aimlessly
we run like mad

New Noise

2008-05-15T15:12:00.005+02:00

Coldworker, Hate Eternal, Cryptopsy, Cult of Luna, Thorium, Havok, Malum, Belphegor, Deicide, Unleashed, Sideblast, Kataklysm, The Rotted, Meshuggah, Tiamat, Corporation 187, Demiurg, Aborted, Testament, Abysmal Dawn, Nasum live.........

God, there's so much cool shit coming these days!! Where the hell am I supposed to find time for all this!?

I still haven't had enough of the devastating last Rotten Sound.

"Making a less-consuming working class in the West will not help us at all when the South doubles the effects"
- Keijo Niinimaa

Letter to Mankind

2008-05-13T23:48:00.005+02:00

(Please note: today I’m in a good mood)

Dear mankind,

have you ever heard of the butterfly effect?

Basically it means that everything and everyone is linked together, everything I do will affect someone and something else. Nothing new, of course, but still of frighteningly present interest. Just think of the below as yet another reminder.

The consequences of your actions doesn’t pay no attention whatsoever to territorial, organizational and personal borders. What goes around on earth, if not the universe, also comes around. What you do here affects someone else there. What you get for free someone else has to pay for. The responsibility is not his or hers, ours or theirs, it lies on all of us, every single man walking the earth. So, there’s no way out but to cooperate, all and everyone, otherwise we’ll go down alone.

And it’s so obvious! Even though you’re duped in a capitalistic, secular christian system, forcefed fucked up values and ideals, and your biggest passion is to senselessly consume everything that makes you not having to use your brain I know you know it. And I know you don’t wanna know it. I mean, just lift your gaze for once, will you?! This time no one but you can save yourself.

Your indolence will kill you. Thinking you driving your car, wasting energy and buying stuff shipped three rounds around the world “doesn’t matter, someone else will do it anyway” is but the most stupid thing ever. It fucking does matter. You can’t honestly tell me you actually believe it yourself. I mean, would you rob the bank, beat down the old lady, rape the neighbour’s daughter just because “sooner or later someone else will do it anyway”!? Don’t think so.

Outsourcing the earth works exactly the same. Your mother doesn’t belong to you, you belong to your mother. You fuck with her, she fucks with you.

So, dear mankind, fuck you for being so vain and so ignorant, for slowly killing yourself without understanding shit. That’s exactly where all your fears and your foolishness come from and where the root to all your abominations lies: your ignorance, your vanity, your pettiness and your indolence. See, you’re not cool, you’re not smart, you’re not sexy, you’re not strong, you’re not young, you’re not beautiful and for sure you’ve got no style. You’re just embarrasingly silly and no one likes you.

Always remember: just because you’re born into this world doesn’t mean you deserve your place in it.

Love,

Muffinstomach Johansson

Vad gjorde Du i påsk?

2008-04-08T00:00:00.004+02:00

100% kul!

Yeah, why??

2008-04-05T11:59:00.000+02:00

“You suffer, but why?”

[Napalm Death “You Suffer”]

.

Truth Movement

2008-04-05T00:04:00.006+02:00

When people think of "Activism", most envision some form of awareness program, protest or public disobedience. While these forms of Activism are functional and important, they often only operate on a limited level, usually failing to address root causes. In fact, our whole society tends to address any and all social problems from a superficial standpoint. For instance, we imprison millions of people in the US, based solely on the supposed "illegal" actions of that person, with little to no regard as to what has occurred in that person's experience to cause that action.

This is an important point, because the "Truth Movement" that exists today, while doing a good job in educating people about the problems themselves, falls far short in regards to actually accomplishing anything. This is because they are operating within a myopic understanding about what the actual problem is. Just like all other elements of society, the "Truth Movement" has created factions, which, out of ego, serve to compete rather than unify. Furthermore, no holistic, logically derived, philosophical disposition is understood.

For instance, we often hear about this thing called the "Patriot Movement". Not only is this an outmoded concept, it is entirely offensive and counter unifying. We all should know that at this stage in our social evolution, we as human beings cannot allow a "One World Government" to take hold, because the Religious/Corporate/Government/Banking Institutions that rule our world will only manifest even more tyranny and totalitarian dominance. This is the tendency our social systems create - the need to consolidate power, to the most extreme. As an analogy, Corporate America continues to monopolize the retail sales sector by producing powerhouse retail outlets like Walmart. Walmart is an example of how the world economic game works. It is a logical step in the unenlightened self interest of a company to do things like use cheap labor from poor countries, drop the price of each product, and build huge stores in small towns, consequently destroying the smaller shops in the town as they are unable to compete. This is essentially what the Banking Systems of the West are doing to the world. They are moving to absorb anything and everything and reduce/eliminate competition. The One World Government that the Council on Foreign Relations and numerous other despots speak of, is merely a manifestation of the corporate tendency to reduce competition and consolidate power... no different than Walmart. The United States, and the banking institutions behind it, operate completely and entirely as a Corporation. Their entire interest is in the self perpetuation of their institution. They don't care about people - They can't afford to.

Now then, the Patriot Movement, on a certain level, functions very well in its work against the North American Union and the like. However, it is also broadly counter productive because it implies support for "America" and nothing else, by definition. In reality, the problems with the elite that are working to create a One World Government are not solved by protesting for "America". In fact, it is an entirely biased and inadvertently racist disposition to say things like "America is the greatest nation on earth", for America is, just like all countries, another manifestation of million of years of development by human beings of all nationalities. Additionally, the "Pledge of Allegiance" is a horrific invention, which serves the same underlying operation - to Separate and create Arrogance.

Religion, Race, Class, Patriotism and all other arrogant notions of dominance and separatism is the actual problem. We must understand as human beings that our religions, races, classes, nationalities, and even fear, greed and arrogance itself are learned associations. They are no more a part of you than the clothes you have on, and you are free to take them off at anytime and discover who and what you actually are.

Therefore, the reality for true Activism resides not only in "divisionary" protests and disobedience as they relate to the issues at hand, but also in the critical analysis of the social environment that is creating the problems to begin with.

We can continue to kill the cockroaches that keep coming into our kitchens, but until we find the hole in the wall or the spoiled food behind the fridge, they are just going to keep coming.

[http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/activism.htm]

---------------------------

On a completely different note, we are finally online at home! It only took our dear Internet provider Alice like 2½ months to set up our connection! Not bad, huh!?

x

The Story So Far

2008-02-24T20:24:00.003+01:00

Howdy, bathtub-shitters!

It's been more than a month and a half in Munich now, thought I'd give you a look into it.

It's funny how fast you adapt and develop new routines; a new everyday. It's the transgressive period of, say, one month that might be a bit tough and you feel a bit lost. Once you've passed that stage, it's almost like nothing changed, and I guess I am there now. And, all in all, I think I like it.

What I've seen so far of the city - which isn't all that much due to a up-to-here pretty heavy workload - is predominantly positive. I like Munich more for every day elapsed.

For instance, the weather is most often lovely, sunny 18 C today and the city centre is beautiful; a typical Central European one with some bombastic old buildings, riddled with ornaments and other middle age megalomania attributes which you can't help but adore. People - there's a lot of them! Munich is bigger than I remember from my previous visits - also seem to be nice. The Scandinavian habit of complaining on everything that's not meeting your expectations or demands doesn't really seem to be quite as present here. Which, of course, is good.

So I've been busy working. Working in various respects. The Job is quite shitty to be frank, in particular the late shifts (every second week or so) when you start wondering if spare time is nothing but a governmental hoax. A few aimable colleagues might make me withstand this for a while, though.

Apart from that the first few weeks were very hectic laying down the last on the thesis. Then the usual missions for Sweden Rock kept me nailed to the keyboard for another while. Have also, when my schedule has allowed me, been helping my beloved Göran with obtaining some Bavarian brew connaissance /alcoholism. And you can't really blame him, this hype is true; Bavaria is indeed a beer paradise and the different brews are as many as good tasting.

Explorations of the surroundings are loosely planned, and there's a lot to see and do around, at least that's what people keep on telling me. The only place I've visited so far outside Munich is the KZ in Dachau and that scary place sent some chilly shivers down my spine for sure. But, anything that touches is good and, as stated, there are obviously more places where you can kill hangovers. Just have to check out The Alpes soon.

Angst Isst die Seele Auf

2008-02-19T12:00:00.004+01:00

What is a blog without regular updates?

We're still waiting for that goddamn Internet connection, hence still cut off from the outer world. You do feel very handicapped being offline. Now isn't that a bit tragic?

Saw Misery Index and a few other badass grind acts last week. Totally awesome. Just can't help but worship the immense power they're generating on stage.

Also did a few interviews the last couple of days; Max Cavalera, Within Y and Thorium. Check them out. SRM will be celebrating #50, which means I've made my contributions to 46 f*ckin issues. Never thought I'd be their slave for that long.

Dismember and Hatesphere coming up at the Metropolis tomorrow. Will be a lot of fun.

Until next time: inget bajs i maten nu!

Yours truly.

Damn Deal Done!

2008-01-18T19:20:00.000+01:00

I just can’t believe it.

It’s done, it’s over. The burden on my shoulders has eventually been lifted off. Two years of anguish and infernal mental battles now gone. Those years at university weren’t all in vain, they just paid off.

I’m of course talking about what I spent the last six months or so working on: my thesis. It wasn’t nearly the easiest thing I’ve accomplished and it took me a healthy dose of blood, sweat, toil and tears and many sleepless nights to get through, but I finally rode out the storm.
I’ll put the thing here for everyone to behold in a close future.

Finally, I’m a free man.

Killer stuff.

An Ideal World

2008-01-01T17:02:00.000+01:00

So here we are.

Bearded and beered.

Frosty-lashed.

Långkalsonger på.

The white smoke pumping out our mouths, the green so immense it’s dangling out our nostrils.

Munich 2008.

An ideal world.

Or so it could at a first glance seem. Even to our cold ivory tower – a stiff three-room apartment not too far from the Ostbahnhof – some more ugly information on what the world has come to has found its way.

You’ve probably heard about it; if you’re about to cross any american border, America steals your fingerprints. It used to be “only” two, the prints of your index fingers – now it’s all of them! The system’s already in use at Dulles in WDC.

“Well, ten is better than two” some moron spokesman of the land of the free and home of the slaves government declared. Now that’s one damn fine argument! Congrats!!

Mein Gott... yeah, first it makes you laugh, but in the end it just sickens you.

How far till they’ll be taking DNA samples?? Not far. I’d say maybe five years. Iris reading, like in Dubai, is (t)here any day.

The saddest thing is that many of us will be demanding it ourselves.

Scanned, filed, mapped. Your I’s reduced to database zeros and ones for the patriarchal powers to desecrate and for the posterity to play pathologist with.

Feels good, no?!?

To further rejoice, check out the fat, obnoxious sludgeoholics in Crowbar performing three of their classics:

“Planets Collide”

“The Lasting Dose”

“Slave No More”

München, mon amour

2007-12-30T17:20:00.000+01:00

So, this is it. I'm once again letting down my ideals; now creating this electronic den for venting opinions and contemplations, disturbing thoughts and nostalgic anecdotes, random drivel and silly nonsense coming to mind while crossing the river Styx, caressing the six-string, awaiting the S-bahn or just taking a shit. I. e. what some may refer to as a "blog". Happy reading!

First; Zeitgeist – The Movie.

I know I’ve been nagging and nagging about this one but it’s probably the most touching thing I’ve gotten exposed to since your sister stole my chastity. I personally believe that this one should be mandatory viewing in high school and object for discussion in all public-service media. Although I’ve been hearing and reading about this stuff for a while now this colossal two-hour-piece really flung me headfirst into the wall.

Facts or fraud? Well, I guess the first part should nowadays be quite obvious for everyone, but the latter ones... Frankly, I don’t know! But they do make some sense.

However, the primal thing about this movie is, to me, not whether all is correct or not, but that it sure will plant a healthy dose of nasty thoughts in people's heads and oblige them to think for themselves for a while instead of like empty receptables letting biased media pouring the gospel of corporate "truth" into them. And we all could need that these days, couldn’t we!?

Available in its entirety here: http://zeitgeistmovie.com/

Definitely a must-see for everyone!!!!

Second; Munich coming up!

Believe it or not, I’ll be nightriding with the kind dames and sirs at Deutsche Bahn on New Year’s Eve (tomorrow, that is), reaching beautiful Bavaria at nine the following morning. There are probably more exciting ways to begin 2008 but since work starts already on the 2nd it was this solution or no solution.

I’ll try to keep you posted on what Germany smells like!

Also;

Some fine jet-black art that’s been spinning lately:

Gutworm ”Disfigured Narcissus” (Unholy, Intronaut-ish, mindblowing)
Hollow Corp. “Cloister of Radiance” (Frenchmen who prefer barbed wire to baguettes)
Long Distance Calling “Satellite Bay” (Sheer jävla beauty)
The Ocean "Precambrian" (Massive in its splendour)
Dillinger Escape Plan “Ire Works” (No comment needed)
Raging Speedhorn “Before the Sea Was Built” (Angry Corby-sons, now epic!)

Until next time,
New Year's-salutations and love!