Sweden

Deranged – Struck By A Murderous Siege Review

Deranged – Struck By A Murderous Siege Review

Cannibal Corpse opened the gates for the pornogrind bukakke blast to come (sp) in the mid 1990s, they were and are a death metal band. Granted, Germany’s Gut was wallowing in depraved and murksome waters for a few years, but they always had more in common with a band like the Meat Shits dashed with a touch of Macabre than anything remotely malevolent. It was with Deranged’s debut, 1995’s Rated X, that the menace Cannibal Corpse lost appearing found a new, grindier and even more perverse host.” Glove up, peeps, this one is venal and vile (and sticky).

Protector – Cursed and Coronated Review

Protector – Cursed and Coronated Review

Protector first hit the scene with 1988’s Golem; a crushing mix of Kreator and Possessed sound that straddled the line between thrash and death. This approach continued with 1989’s Urm the Mad until founder Martin Missy left the band. Missy was replaced with guitarist/vocalist Olly Wiebel, whose contributions brought a more thrash-focused sound to A Shedding of Skin and The Heritage. But after The Heritage, the band pretty much fell off the face of the earth.” And now they’re back!

Yer Metal is Olde! Dark Tranquillity – The Gallery

Yer Metal is Olde! Dark Tranquillity – The Gallery

“Genre-defining albums don’t come along every day – or every year – so when they do pop up, it’s important to take note of them for future generations like me. When The Gallery saw release in 1995, so many moons ago, I was not really prepared to appreciate its artistry due to a preoccupation with jaundice.” Prepare for some yellow journalism.

The Norrman Brothers Leave Katatonia

I kyped this from Blabbermouth ’cause they had it first: Fredrik “North” Norrman (guitar) and Mattias “Kryptan” Norrman (bass) have both left Sweden’s KATATONIA. The band states, “We respect their decision and would like to take the opportunity to collectively thank them both for all the years gone by, all the ups and downs we […]

Marionette – Enemies Review

Marionette – Enemies Review

Marionette may well be Sweden’s very first deathcore band! Well, I guess there could be others, but i’ve not been exposed to them (and frankly, I’m pretty OK with that). Some trends miss Sweden, like nu-metal did for the most part, but unfortunately this one didn’t. So there are a couple of things that I need to say up front, for people not familiar with the context with which Marionette will be dealt. First, the biggest thing in the Swedish underground right now is Japanese stuff. Kids are running off and learning Japanese; everyone and their dog is listening to bands like Dir En Grey and girls decked out in lolita garb are running around in parks playing with dolls and having picnics with every piece of pink they can gather together. This is a trend, and it is a matter of conforming to specific things that are very specific to individuals in that scene. In fact, people from that scene are, in my experience, highly judgmental, obsessed with outward appearance, cliquey and lame. So something in my brain breaks when I have 5 over-dressed glam kids with too much hairspray and neckties screaming “YOU CONFORM!” at me, while playing music that sounds like a blend of In Flames and good ol’ American deathcore. That is to say: ugh.

RIP Mike Alexander

I had a scheduled interview with Evile in Stockholm, but so sadly the bassist for that band passed away from an acute illness that he contracted in LuleÃ¥, Sweden on the 5th of October. Mike Alexander died at the age of 32, and just as they were starting a big European tour with metal monsters […]