Swedish anarcho-punks Svarteskerm have released a bit of a discography that is worth checking out in all its raw, chaotic glory.
Svarteskerm are Swedish and nearly everything I can find on them is in Swedish as well, which complicates doing things like reviews, but given that they’re primarily an anti-capitalist punk rock outfit, that probably doesn’t matter much as you get the idea. I liberally tried google translate in some cases and it failed me (see band member list below, lol). They’ve apparently been around nearly 10 years and the guys at ZAP Records thought it was time the world should hear the brilliance of the band. The song on the anthology start out from a 2014 recording and go back to some recorded in 2008 with a couple remixes added at the end for good effect.
The video for the song “Maktlös” should be all you need to know. Grainy footage, multiple vocalist jumping around and trading lyrics back and forth over a fast punk rock beat that sounds equal parts Crashdog and old Blindside, with maybe some NYHC thrown in for good effect. The song is fast with a great driving rhythm that would incite near riots in the pits and the production is rough and raw, perfectly matched to the song.
The first four tracks are from 2014 and by far my favorites on the album. “Fatta Eld” instantly reminded me of old Blindside, which makes me think there is something about Swedish music that I never realized before. I don’t know what it is, but I can hear it. The combination of male and female vocals works perfectly in this song as they trade verses back and forth and the inclusion of a hardcore stomp section breaks up the song nicely.
“Dom Ljuger!” adds in more speed to the mix but many of the main elements are the same. Throw in a slower section with another vocalist in the mix and some old Crashdog guitar lines and you have another great track.
“Stolthet Och Fördom” further riffs on the Crashdog sounds for the guitars and the song starts out with that nice slow buildup before speeding things up. Throughout the songs, one gets the feeling the recording process was to hit “record” and then just go for it. The song have that sense of urgency lacking in so much music today.
Having this set up as a reverse chronological discography was probably a stroke of genius as the tracks do tend to get more raw, rough, ragged, and maybe even disjointed as the album progresses, but by starting with the more polished material one gets drawn in.
Svarteskerm is one of those bands you hear about and then wonder where they had been all your life and how you missed them up to this point. Yes, some of the older material is pretty rough but it must have been amazing to see live, and the newer material has that catchiness that makes you want to jump around, slamming into people and inanimate objects screaming punk rock lines in Swedish.
Written by John Jackson
Rating 7/10
Tracklist
01. Fatta Eld 01:48
02. Dom Ljuger! 02:14
03. Stolthet Och Fördom 01:38
04. Maskinellt Oflyt 02:41
05. Arton 02:22
06. Kojans Talan I Palats 01:31
07. Maktlös 02:28
08. Inshallah 01:35
09. Spotta Upp Det! 01:17
10. Gamar 00:34
11. Vad Är Frihet? 02:41
12. Introduktion 02:06
13. Rebel Yell 01:30
14. Levande Död(a) 01:02
15. Kkkurragömma 02:39
16. Den Nya Sången 03:08
17. Tårgas 02:49
18. Satan Och Kapital 04:35
19. Den Cencurerade Yuppien 03:41
20. Inshallah Reva Remix 01:38
21. Inshallah Trädet Remix 02:5
Band Members
Haga – Stränginstrumentalist och kör (guitars, bass)
Elof: Skrik och stämband (vocals)
Ola: Trummhinnor (drums)
Jesper: Basutbud
Lilian: Skri
Samuel: Skrål, gura
Emelie: Vrål/Skönsång
Record Label: ZAP Records, 2018
Release Date: Sept. 14th. 2018
Weblinks: Website / Facebook / Svarteskerm Bandcamp
Video for ‘Maktlös’