Halo - Unreleased E.P. & Loose Unreleased Trax, Live U.S. & Australia, "Massive Corporate Disease", "Subliminal Transmissions" 1998-2004


”Skye Klein quickly recognized that every musical genre contains elements that he likes and can process. Whether metal, drum 'n' bass, drone, soul or dub, Klein knows no musical boundaries. Already with Halo, which followed an experimental path via drone to no wave ('genre fixation means stagnation'), they released five albums, with the last three on Relapse Records. They were also 100% improvised, from the recordings to the concerts [They actually free-jammed an idea multiple times, then chose the best take, only adding basic mixing afterwards, live shows were further improvised renditions of those same trax. --S]. Halo was put on hiatus when Klein moved from Australia to England, never officially disbanding."

(Moar noize, and my own two 1/2 cents, here...

Утро ("Utro / The Morning") - 2010 LP

Radically minimalist post-chernobyl-punk from Russia. The performances are organic and traditional, with an equally uncluttered, even nostalgic production (it really does sound like it was recorded in the early 80s!). Though an entirely different genre, I can comfortably analogize their simplicity to Shitlickers or Sorto...there's just so much world-building they accomplish with the least amount of melodies and beats. Fantastic stuff that will definitely inspire the negligibly talented to ROCK (like Fat Bob).

Ulcerous Phlegm ‎– "Phlegm As A Last Consequence" CD 2015



Interview By Systematic Desensitization Zine November 2017...

Here is an interview with Bernd, who used to play the bass and was responsible for the vocals for the legendary Bavarian grinders ULCEROUS PHLEGM (who broke up in 1993)...

Hey Bernd, let's get started. First of all I have to say by way of introduction that I - born 1978 - never really noticed Ulcerous Phlegm during your active days. When you broke up, I was 15 years old...I came across the name Ulcerous Phlegm every now and then over the decades, but I only really took note of the band when the discography was published via Power It Up. Have you heard from several people who felt exactly the same way or did the discography CD/LP be bought by people who already knew you (although a slimmed-down discography CD had already been released, or even two?)?

Hi! Yes, you are definitely not the only one. Thanks to the discography on Power-It-Up, I even came into contact with people who are just 20 now and who are interested in Grindcore/Death Metal of the 80s and early 90s. But that was also a time that shaped the style. Nevertheless, I think one shouldn't just dig into the past. Musically, every decade actually has exciting developments to show. At the same time, through this discography, I came into contact with people again, some of whom I had completely lost sight of for almost 30 years! That is very exciting, because of course everyone has developed somehow and the common denominator no longer has to be present. All the nicer when it harmonizes again despite all the years. Around 2005 there was an attempt to release an Ulcerous Phlegm Discography as a double CD, but that was then dropped. In 2008 a tape called "Make-Up your mind" was released on an American label, where I plugged together old practice and live recordings. Was fun! The discography on Power-It-Up is definitely the more "official" one as far as the completeness of the recordings relevant to ulcerous phlegm is concerned.

If we do this interview here, it seems like a journey through time. When you founded yourselves, that was about the time when bands like ATROCITY, MORGOTH, LEMMING PROJECT, BLOOD or PROTECTOR (besides the well-known ones like KREATOR, SODOM and DESTRUCTION) started or had been around for a while. In the punk area I think of bands like PINK FLAMINGOS, MVD or SM-70, internationally in the grind scene there were bands like AGATHOCLES, DEAD INFECTION, CARCASS, NAPALM DEATH, EXTREME NOISE TERROR, REPULSION, from neighboring Austria PUNGENT STENCH, MIASMA, DISAHRMONIC ORCHESTRA or DISASTROUS MURMUR...Are you still or are you in contact with some people again? And which bands did you have contacts with at the time? In which "scenes" did you locate yourself back then?

Wow, I could write novels about it now! In retrospect, there were two main reasons for me to start Ulcerous Phlegm. Shortly before that, I had been elected first board member in our local youth center. Back then, to see all the cool concerts, people drove to neighboring Baden Württemberg (NAPALM DEATH, HERESY, FEAR OF GOD, EXTREME NOISE TERROR) and I thought: Why shouldn't you do that here in our sleepy Bavarian town to attempt? When I got a call saying "There are a couple of unbelievably awesome bands from Austria - PUNGENT STENCH, DISHARMONIC ORCHESTRA and DISASTROUS MURMUR - want to play in Germany, but in Geislingen it won't work on the planned weekend" I got them in our "JuZe". It was just great! Even my parents still tell me today how nice they all were and so politely at the common breakfast table at home. With Alex the then drummer of Pungent Stench, I am still in contact now and then. We are united by another common passion: the cinema of the 60s and 70s. After a long break, I've been in contact with the people at BLOOD for about two years. For next year the aim is for me to run a marathon with Martin, the singer. This is our current hobbyhorse. The fact that we were allowed to play together with CARCASS in 1990 was thanks to our friendship with ATROCITY at the time. We had many contacts with other bands and my parents' mailbox in this pre-Internet age was always full. To name a few more names from the closer contact: DEAD, GUT, GROWING MOVEMENT, DISTRACT REALITY...the scenes weren't that separated. Which is no wonder, because bands from the beginning had their influences also drawn from noisy hardcore/punk and metal. In terms of "spirit" I would rather assign Ulcerous Phlegm to hardcore. We always had political or socially critical lyrics. Even if they were articulated difficult to understand. Oh shit, I forgot reason number two for founding UxPx: A friend of mine played the guitar incredibly well and later moved to the quiet area to play with DEATHROW. He once said to me: "You can make the noise that you always hear yourself." Yes, he was right (tended to).

Haha, cool, which confirms again that people who listen to or make extreme music are more sociable...have your parents ever seen Pungent Stench videos or cover artwork, haha? Wherever you are addressing this passion for cinema from the 1960s or 1970s : I'm really into Edgar Wallace or Doktor Mabuse films. Does this also happen during this time, do you also like something or are you traveling in a completely different way?

No, that definitely fits quite well! Every year in June I organize a film festival called "KultKino", where I again show films from original 35mm film rolls. To name a few titles from the last few years: Godzilla vs. Smogmonster, Magdalena - possessed by the devil, The Killer (with Klaus Kinski), Harley Riders, Zombi (Romero, 1978), Sadomona - The island of the devilish women, Party of horror, King Kong against Godzilla, The revenge of 1000 cats...here the website: https://kultkino.de. Maybe this is also interesting for your readers. Uwe (ex-DEAD) and other warriors from back then are also often there.

Hey cool, if I should linger down there again, I'll stop by! This is followed by the next question: According to some websites, Ulcerous Phlegm came from Höchstadt, to be honest I always thought that you originally came from Augsburg, also because Zong played for INFERNO. Otherwise I saw that there was also personal overlap with the grinders/crusties from CERTIFIED INSANE and a thrash metal band called SOULSTORM. You play with DEEP, I even own the first LP, someone from Augsburg sold it to me, and through him I also got to know your label DHYHANA RECORDS, which has already released pretty weird things musically...do you still do that?

Oh, maybe I should draw a family tree around ulcerous phlegm and its interwoven ties. Only I come from Höchstädt and since I was responsible for the post office this address has probably been memorized. UxPx was founded in Augsburg, in the rock factory. That was in July 1989. As far as I know, Inferno were founded in 1982. Zong came to us when Inferno broke up for the first time and I don't think Soulstorm existed anymore. Certified Insane, however, is still available in 2017! It is the band that Blinki, UxPx drummer from the very beginning, founded. And Zong and I have been active with DEEP for 24 years now. This year, for example, we published a cooperation 7" with SEVEN MINUTES OF NAUSEA. Not much is happening on Dhyana Records at the moment, except for a DEEP release every few years. That's right, on Dhyana Records I gave free rein to my diverse musical interests. I stand 100% behind every release, no matter if techno, singer-songwriter, noise, indirect rock, experimental, ambient... robably all of this was a very important outlet for me to get rid of the blinkers that I mainly dealt with death metal and grindcore for years keep busy.

What do you think of current Grindcore or Death Metal things? Do you still listen to something like that or do you notice what is still going on in the scene - including new bands? For example, do bands like the Finnish DEATH TOLL 80k, which I think are very good, tell you something, or do you also like bands like MISERY INDEX, which were founded much later after the end of Ulcerous Phlegm?

To be completely honest, the bands you mentioned don't tell me anything at all. Since I put together the compilation LP "Face The Consequences" last year, on which 43 bands replay the UxPx song Consequence, I did come across some bands of the younger generation, but I'm certainly a long way from getting a full perspective. But I'm already interested in bands that manage to give the old style a new face. By mixing elements of Grindcore with other styles. Grindcore was also something innovative once in a while. With Metal I have the problem that many things now sound too smoothly produced. For my taste, it has to be edgy in some way for it to stick in the ear. In general, however, Grindcore and Death Metal make up no more than 5% of my current music consumption .

I also add the next question to this sampler: did you choose the bands and if so, according to which criteria? Or did the bands approach you? And did all of the musicians involved know Ulcerous Phlegm beforehand, I ask, because some of them are stylistically a long way from grind and metal...did some of the things Jesus Jackson and the Grenzlandreiter come from with their common home in Augsburg? According to Discogs, a Finnish cellist is also represented, for example Martyn Schmidt, whom I didn't know before. Do you want to say something about individual artists and bands that are particularly close to your heart? The whole thing also reminds me of the "Tribute to JAPANISCHE KAMPFHÖRSPIELE" (do you know them?) - sampler, which also contained completely different bands stylistically...

I like the comparison to the JAPANESE KAMPFHÖRSPIELE - Tribute! But my real inspiration was SUZANNE VEGA, who put together an LP many years ago on which only her hit "Tom's Diner" was covered. Also in a wide variety of genres. I collected a total of 65 cover versions of the song Consequence and put the 43 best or most interesting ones on the record. JESUS ​​JACKSON UND DIE GRENZLANDREITER are friends of ours, with whom we have played together with our current band DEEP. A singer-songwriter version is also suitable due to the song structure of Consequence. The vocal artist MARTYN SCHMIDT is also a longtime companion of mine. Many years ago he was my editor-in-chief when I worked for the magazine "Intro" (I wrote reviews), and he is a big Ulcerous Phlegm Fan. That was my chance to finally get a version of the song where you can understand the lyrics. Each of the 43 versions grew dear to me in its own way, whereby I personally prefer the avant-garde approach or a modification to another, my own style of music rather than a 1: 1 copy. For many, Consequence is a song by GUT, the cover version of which made our original so well known. What I find very funny, because the lyrics are about environmental protection, which is not really a priority topic of pornogoregrinders.

But apart from or long before this sampler there were also some ulcerous phlegm cover versions. Do you have an overview of which bands have covered you over the decades?

The Consequence contributions, which I put on the compilation LP, date from 1992 to 2017, they were not recorded especially for the sampler. I couldn't find any contact with many bands, so that some of them still know nothing about their "luck". Just for fun, I've sorted the Consequence cover versions chronologically. The result was that the song was covered most often in the mid-90s. Then there was a consequential recession before a progression set in at the beginning of the 00s. The latest contribution was uploaded a few days before the press shop date without my having commissioned it. That was a funny last minute promotion. Can I also ask the interviewer a short question for fun? If so: With which song did you get to know Ulcerous Phlegm and since I suspect you have the Power-It-Up discography: Which song do you think is the best?

After listening to the discography again, I like "Godless" very much! This slowly grooving slurping middle section is awesome!

Ah okay. This is also one of the few parts in which the snare, which is otherwise too loudly mixed on this EP, goes well with it.

My next question would be: did ulcerous phlegm actually occur abroad? And did you ever think about uploading the old live recordings to bandcamp?

We once had a really cool gig in the Czech Republic, in a nuclear shelter. The sound was incredible: low room and all concrete - a single death reverb, haha! Otherwise we have unfortunately never left the German-speaking area. I remember two cool weekend gigs that I plugged together in my youthful recklessness without first checking the distance between the two venues. Friday evening in French-speaking Switzerland with SAMAEL and Saturday in Vienna in the arena (with DISHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, among others). Some time ago I uploaded all of my old video recordings to youtube. The old live tapes...hm, yes, if anyone is interested, then I could like to tackle it.

Through a little research, I found out that you were often played by a certain Max Schönherr in a show called "Zündfunk" on Bayern 2 and were even allowed to moderate a show there and "fill it up" with music - I neither know this show, nor the moderator, but found the story interesting and the Google research showed that Max Schönherr now lives in Cologne (in my hometown), on his homepage he also writes something about those times, about very conservative radio bosses...what are they your memories of it?

I've been listening to the program "Zündfunk" since I was 12 years old. I heard it today too. When we recorded our demo in 1989, it was important to me to send a copy to them. "What the Donau-Auen produce ..." was the introduction by Max Schönherr and then he played five songs from the demo because they are so short. That was the starting shot to take Ulcerous Phlegm a little more seriously, because we got inquiries from a label and lots of fan mail, especially from the former GDR. Max Schönherr is a very personable person, I appreciate him very much. About 1, 2 years after the demo airplay, he invited my friend Markus, who wrote the lyrics for the first Ulcerous Phlegm EP, his brother and me to the studio to create an hour of Zündfunk musically. It was a lot of fun.

So now I've asked pretty much everything that came on my mind, this was one of the longest and most interesting interviews I've ever done. The last question: That was all about a quarter of a century ago. What feelings do you have when you think back to this time? Nostalgia? Would you do a lot of things very differently today if there were Ulcerous Phlegm today? Why did you split up then and with whom of the former members are you still in contact today? Otherwise: Thank you very much for the interesting interview, and the last words and whatever else you want to get rid of are yours!

I am happy to return the compliment. I have seldom been interviewed by someone who is so knowledgeable and has done appropriate research. Yes, I had a lot of fun! I am just as glad that the time with Ulcerous Phlegm existed for me as I am happy that it was over at some point. I don't even want to imagine that UxGx could still exist today. I am happy to have met people back then whose friendships continue to this day. In the final phase we were two bands at the same time. We practiced with Ulcerous Phlegm and a few hours later Howie joined in as a singer. Kreso and I tuned our instruments 5 frets up again, were called "INFERNO" and played hardcore punk. The background was that our 2nd drummer Max was also a founding member of these punks and was now trying to revive the band. Actually total nonsense, because with Inferno as with Ulcerous Phlegm everything was said from a certain point in time and nothing innovative came about. From time to time I still have contact with Kreso (guitar and vocals at UxPx) and recently again with Blinki (1st drummer and style-defining founding member of UxPx). Who knows, maybe they'll make it to the KultKino film festival in June 2018, then we could all sit down for a nice drink. Would be nice if it works!

Maniacal Genocide - "Too Late For Apologies..." Demo 1988


Checkered vans, sleeveless flannels, W-I-C-K-E-D Doomwatch-y crossover!

Vhutemas Archetypi LP 1986 (1991 CD Repress FLAC)


Perplexingly forgotten release from Brian Williams' own "Side Effects" label: a compilation of (what was even then considered) heavyweight industrial from Laibach, Hunting Lodge, Gerechtigkeits Liga, S.P.K., and of course Brian too, as Lustmord (with "beats" and kineticism!)...

Seed Mouth - "Scum" Cassette 1991


Unalloyed Japanese harshtronics so measured in presentation it will redshift you...
...atom by atom...into oblivion. Released on Contagious Orgasm's in-house label "S.S.S.M."...

Snares (Venetian) ‎– "Sabbath Dubs" 10" 2007


Sabs...in dub!


"Samples from track A are from 'Black Sabbath', the title track to Black Sabbath's debut album. Samples from track B are from 'Electric Funeral', a track from the groups second album. Additional samples are from an interview with Ozzy where he says 'I always believed...it's never going to get any better than what it is now...I can't see beyond the Black Sabbath, I can't see anything without the Black Sabbath'."

Thomas Koner - "Permafrost" CD 1993 (320)


The pulmonary slush of dead tundras...


"With my music I am trying to construct a space that is as open and wide as possible without collapsing back upon itself; hardly any support columns or visible framework. There is a sense of emptiness, of lines that have been drawn but not completed. With my music I am creating an invitation to inhabit this space, and, in a natural flow, the listener gradually fills it with 'himself' - refractions of memory that appear like sparks expelled on a random trajectory from a personal archive of lifelong experiences." --T.K. 2013

Contagious Orgasm - "Thin Skinned" Tape 1989 & "Defective Merchandise" Tape 1996 (320 With Scans)


"Contagious Orgasm is a Pure-Industrial band from Nagoya, founded in the late 1980s by Hiroshi Hashimoto. Their style can be described as ritualistic and sometimes percussive with foreboding psychedelic atmosphere, often performing live with edited visuals of old movies and tv series. They toured several times in Europe and played 'Maschinenfest' and 'Elektroanschlag' festivals in Germany. Hashimoto also runs his own 'S.S.S.M.' label, releasing many CDs and cassettes of international and Japanese underground acts."

Tormentor (Kreator) - Pre-Demos Reh 1984 (WAV)



"Kreator is a German thrash metal band formed as 'Metal Militia' in 1982. Later they used the name 'Tormentor' until 1984 when they changed to their final name. The original lineup featured lead vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza, drummer Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, and bassist Rob Fioretti. Their musical style is similar to that of their compatriots Destruction, Sodom and Tankard. Along with those three bands, Kreator has been referred to as one of the 'Big Four' of Teutonic thrash metal, and they are often credited with helping pioneer death metal and black metal by containing several elements of what was to become those genres."

Abruptum - 1990-2000 (FLAC)



"Abruptum is a Swedish black metal, dark ambient, and power-electronics project band. It is run by 'Evil' of Marduk, but the band was formed in 1989 by 'IT'. IT was one of the leaders of the True Satanist Horde, part of the Swedish Black metal scene. Euronymous of Mayhem described Abruptum as 'the audial essence of pure black evil'. IT had already planned to create the band in 1987, but it was not until 1990 that he found the right members. That same year they recorded their first two demos. After the release of the first demo, they fired their bass player. After the release of a 7" in 1991, another member named 'All' began to drink heavily and was also asked to leave (but reunited with IT to form Vondur). IT then found a new member in Evil.

Abruptum was signed to Euronymous's label Deathlike Silence Productions, on which they released two albums. IT considered Euronymous "a true ally". After his murder, Abruptum contributed the opening track to the compilation album 'Nordic Metal: A Tribute to Euronymous'. It has been wrongly rumored IT left the band and black metal scene following numerous threats made to him and to his family. According to IT, that was not at all the reason for his departure from the scene, as he had simply been wanting to move on for some time. He joined an industrial band called '8th Sin', and was briefly involved with '(Total) War' along with All. All worked with IT again in 'Ophthalamia', but that group also disbanded. IT eventually died on 8 February 2017, aged 44. Evil brought Abruptum back in 2008.

While Abruptum is classified as a black metal/dark ambient band, the group took a different approach to their music. They did not focus on creating any structured songs, and mostly just made noise. Earlier material had shorter songs but their later releases typically included one or two tracks with more than forty minutes of music. They primarily used standard drums, guitars, bass, keyboards and other various instruments, but what stood out even more was the screaming, as the band supposedly tortured and cut each other during their recordings. Whether this is true or not has never really been verified. After IT left the band, Evil changed the band's musical style to more dark ambient/noise and dropped most of the metal sound."



Interview With IT For Petrified Zine 1994...

Hail IT, so what is the current line- up for Abruptum?

IT: I hail you Jon...The Line-up is as follows: Evil - guitars, piano, effects, torture. IT - drums, screams, torture & hell. Whatever other forces have to do with our recording sessions they can not be mentioned here.

Why have "Ext" and "All" left the Band?

IT: "Ext" was afraid of the pure evil that lurked behind our backs all the time...Being a member of Abruptum is no childs play. He heard the result of the first demo and got so afraid that he joined the nearest church - idiot!! "All", on the other hand, left me shortly before the recording of our EP...He couldn't handle the alcohol and he couldn't handle himself so he went for a long journey...to find himself...It must have surely been a journey in darkness...However, he has now returned stronger than ever doing the vocals in Opthalamia and Vondur. He lives at my place here in Stockholm and shares his thoughts with me...He is surely a great brother...

What has been released so far through Abruptum?

IT: 3 demos, "Evil" EP, "Obscuritatem Advoco Amplectere Me" CD/LP, "In Umbra Malitiae Ambulabo In Aetemum In Triumpho Tenehrarum " CD , some t-shirts. Now we'll do a picture EP, a picture LP of "In Umbra...", some more t-shirts, of course our new album. Also a re-release of the "Evil" EP on vinyl and a release with first two demos and the EP on a CD is planned. We will also be on the Necropolis Records Compilation.

Tell us how you go by recording the album? 

IT: Its true ritualistic and tenebrous/torturous music! Whatever happens in the studio while recording is both too painful and too private to discuss, those fuckoffs out there who do not believe in our torture: go and die! Abruptum are original and we are the superior ones so everybody spreading rumors are just jealous and have to he killed for that.

What is the reason for such hateful and sick music?

IT: We are the chosen ones to do this, we are the most hateful and sick persons ever, That's why.

"Evil" stated that the new recording will have lyrics, is this true?

IT: We have always have some amount of lyrix in our music more or less, that will also be the case this time.

What will the new CD he titled and what will it be comprised of?

IT: I'm still working on it...so you'II just have to wait for it, but I 'm absolutely sure that the new album will crush everything in its way.

What do you do in Ophthalamia? What will the title of the new album be?

IT: I do all the music and lyrics. I play the guitars, do whispers, vocals, screams and keep the band together (which is not always the easiest thing to do). What I hate though is that everyone seems to think of Ophthalamia as a hobby band. This is absolutely not the case! Opthalamia is a band that is fighting hard and you can hear that on our new album. We are not taking this lightly, Opthalamia belongs to the elite of Sweden. The new CD is titled "Via Dolorosa".

I have heard of your solo-project "Vondur ", What is this like?

IT: "Vondur" is not a solo project. "All" has joined so now Vondur consists of the two original members of Abruptum. Vondur are about to sign to Necropolis Records for a full-length CD and just like Abruptum & Opthalamia, Vondur is very original & hateful and very hard to describe. Just buy the fuckin' CD when it is released and you'll see.

Can you now tell us about the "True Satanist Horde" and what it's about?

IT: I formed it back in 1990, it's an organization for black, Satanic warheads, people who live on the edge, on the warpath and live only for Satan, our goals I won't discuss but they are hardly not that difficult to guess.

I heard that the Norwegian Black Circle was a part of or formed because of the True Satanist Horde, is this true?

IT: Yes, Euronymous and Cunt Grishfuck were members in the organization and after awhile they wanted to call it the Norwegian Horde, something different. So they did. I guess that is the big problem, breaking up, going own ways, being too proud hen we should stay close.

I have also heard that you were a true ally of Euronymouse, how did you get to know him?

IT: First I was in contact with Dead from Mayhem but suddenly I did not receive anymore letters from him. Anyway, I got a letter from Euronymous instead where he described Dead's suicide in detail. I am a true ally of Euronymous as I know he was a true ally of me.

Count Grishnackh is not your ally, why is this?

IT: I think everyone can find that out themselves. The cunt must pay for what he did.

What will happen to him if you ever meet-up with him?

IT: He will meet his end.

Whats your opinion of the Black Metal scene now?

IT: Opinion? It's only stupid to bother that much about the scene of today. I haven't got the interest to build myself a opinion about it, I could care less.

Black Metal once brought fear, now it's a huge trend scene, in your opinion, what do you think will happen in the future?

IT: Yes, the future is nice to wonder I about...I do it everyday...but I only think about things that are of great importance to me and not about stupid things as the future of Black Metal. Black Metal is the greatest music, but I concentrate my thoughts on Satan instead.

What bands do you hate?

IT: Hmmm...I think it will be easier for me to tell you what bands I like instead...or the bands I hate would take the whole space in your mag. I enjoy the four bands of Abruptum, Marduk, Opthalamia, and Dissection. I also think Satanized, Dark Funeral and Vondur is ok. From Norway comes three great bands, namely: Mysticum, Mayhem, and Enslaved. I also enjoy Darkthrone and Isengard, besides that...well...

Thanks for your time, comments?

IT: Thank you. I would like to say that I hate you all and that we are the superior humans. Everybody else should kill themselves or we will do it for you. Soon the great 4th Reich will rise. You're probably stupid enough to buy our new album as well. Fuck You! Darkness it'll be.


From "Lamentations Of The Flame Princess" Zine 2002...

I’ve never heard any of the ABRUPTUM stuff because from all descriptions, I just had no interest in it. Is it true that they were cutting and burning themselves in the studio and recording it?

That’s really true. I recorded everything with ABRUPTUM. I am the one that made them sound evil. They were really bad. They played like assholes. They sounded horrible. I took the reverb unit and cranked it to
eleven and made it sound like it was recorded in a fucking church. The biggest reverb ever made on an album. That made it sound, even to me, really fucking evil. Imagine standing in a school or something that is totally silent, then all of a sudden you hear something really disharmonic and weird echoing throughout the halls. I get goosebumps talking about it. It’s weird. This sound coming from somewhere, very distant, very evil, very eerie, strange. It’s not here. Where the hell does it come from? That’s the sound of the ABRUPTUM demos, that’s what made people freak out. This is the most evil recording. There’s something in the ambience of that. They played like crap. There were no songs. They just tuned down the guitars and I played drums for a few songs. All of a sudden, they were not playing, they were out cutting themselves in the arm and smearing blood all over them and just whipping the guitar with something they found on the floor. It was this big jam session, with the lights out of course. Just this one candle so I could see the recording unit. It’s true, they cut themselves real bad. I remember one really fun thing about the ABRUPTUM sessions. Tony was a pretty small guy. He wanted to crawl under a sofa, put a microphone in there, we would put the sofa over him and sit in it, so when he had this panic attack, it should be recorded on tape. It was so really really funny. And he never got the panic attack! It was hilarious! But they were really cutting themselves with the knives I had around the studio. The knives were from like 1970, they’d never been sharpened, and I used them to cut metal stuff and whatever. Your average scissors were a lot sharper. They were trying really hard to cut themselves. It didn’t work, so they’re biting each other, “Get some blood here man!” So they start burning themselves. “Ow! That hurt!” It was not what you imagine. It was fun. There was a lot of blood. It was hilarious. For the album recording, there were tons of people coming down to the studio. I can’t remember, like ten people just hanging out. Weird times. The classic was the recording of the second album, I just soundchecked one guitar and one drum kit. “That’s good. I’m going home now, and I’ll be back in 45 minutes.” So I got in my car and went back, I had to wait a few minutes, out of tape, turn on the lights, bye then! The fastest album recording in history. In real time! I recorded them to DAT. No mixdown, no nothing. I just recorded to the master tape live. That’s the second album. Really funny. Didn’t cost them many Swedish crowns, I can tell you! It must have sold 10,000 copies! Remember the movie Prince of Darkness? There’s something about that movie, even just looking at the poster gives me chills. It inspired the hell out of me. Tony was into similar stuff. He wanted to sense the evil. The soundtrack to Omen is one of the most evil recordings ever made and it’s just strings, you know? This feeling you get in your body when you hear it, and I admit that I don’t care for the albums of ABRUPTUM, they’re just a lot of reverb. But the first demo, there was something happening in the rehearsal room, in the studio, whatever you want to call it. It was a really evil feeling in the air. I was pretty close to Tony around the time and I remember going to the gas station to buy the tapes to copy the demos, I helped him to copy the tape cover. Of course it was all black. I distributed it to some friends, I sold some. You and I could easily do something that sounded similar. Just a bunch of banging with effects. There was something, it was an accident in a way, that sound that came up. It was unique. No one had ever heard anything like it. More related to industrial music than black metal. It took everybody by surprise because there was a weird ambience in the music. That’s what got them signed.

For OPHTHALAMIA’s Via Dolorosa, is OPHTHALAMIA studios Unisound?

Yeah.

How’d you get the name ‘The Skull’ for that one? They credited you Dan ‘The Skull’ Swanö.

OK. The skull was my stage name for a band I had together with Tony. He was It, and I was The Skull. That album, the reputation he’s got from everything else he’s got, he’s got Lenny Kravitz licks all over that album! Bizarre. I listened to the first OPHTHALAMIA demo the other day, I was going through a bunch of DATs the other day, the old Digital Audio Tape format. Really small cassette. That’s when I found the first mix of the Light’s Bane and I found all this other stuff. Then I found the OPHTHALAMIA demo with the stuff from that album called Journey in Darkness. It’s excellent! The demo is ten times better than the album. The guy from DISSECTION is singing on it, but Tony himself is singing on the demo. But Tony never had the guts to sing on the albums. I don’t know why. He’s got an excellent growling voice, really deep. That’s OPHTHALAMIA. When this guy from DISSECTION is singing, it sounds too much like anything else. On the demo, It was singing, and they mixed the growls with whispers. It was pretty unique at the time and then everyone started whispering.

That’s an interesting trend for extreme metal. About that DISSECTION guy, with the time you spent around him, was there any sign that he was the kind of nutcase that was going to go out and try to kill people?

Nope. I didn’t know him. I didn’t know him in person at all. I knew he was just a little kid, really, I think. He was very influenced by stronger personalities. When he hooked up with this Vlad guy, who was not a musician at all really, just an evil dude, he just bonded with him in a way. I remember being in Gothenburg a few years ago, just before they did this horrible thing. I was at a pub hanging out, and I saw him there. I went up and said “How are you?” There was a sparkle in his eye, and he looked like he was happy to see me, it was nice. Then all of a sudden this Vlad guy came up to him, and just one look, the spark was gone, and Vlad just left. No bye bye, he just left. What was that? “Oh, that’s the Vlad guy.” It’s hard to explain. I’d never experienced that before, I was totally lost the entire evening. Did I say something? What happened? They say he was totally obsessed with this Vlad guy. He was obviously something he’d wanted to be, that kind of evil character. Not a musician, just evil. He was a bit weirder when he was drinking. We were at this party, and he just started banging on doors and people would open the doors and he would just start screaming in their face. Really weird behavior. I don’t know if he was trying to be funny. I thought it was irresponsible, a childish act to do something like that. This is not fun, it’s just upsetting his neighbors. His idea of having a good time was not my idea of a good time. He just got carried away with this other guys. I guess it was one of those “Show me what you got. He’s a fucking faggot, kill him!” Just under the influence, he just did it. He could be influenced by group pressure. And he did it, and destroyed one of the best careers ever in this genre. Everything would have been so much different if DISSECTION would have continued putting out albums. They’re already started marketing his return, because apparently he’s going to be out of jail in the not far future. Rumor going around is that he has two albums written and ready to go. He’s got plenty of time. Talking about some of these characters we’re talking about, I can see why people can grow out of metal if that’s the kind of metal they’re into. But finishing off the Tony subject, I know his sister’s husband. He’s the guitar player in BRAINDEAD. We’re also connected in the selling stuff industry. I speak to him sometimes on the phone, and I tell him to just say hi to Tony. I haven’t spoken to him in years and years. When they killed this guy in Gothenburg, he just snapped from the whole industry. He moved away. He doesn’t have anything to do with it anymore. He doesn’t play, doesn’t do anything. He’s just a normal guy. He just came to his senses, I guess. “This is too much, I quit. Bye bye.” Broke all the bonds with the scene. He’s just somewhere in Stockholm being a normal guy. It’s such a weird thing to go from one extreme to a different extreme. He’s totally out of the whole thing. That’s just me filling in, it’s better off to just leave the shit. Two dead and one in jail from the most influential black metal band… and I never saw BURZUM as being influential. He was quite a character. But Euronymous was very important for the current sound of black metal. He was a lot older than the other guys. He was very mature, he introduced new concepts in this genre that would never have existed if not for him. He never got the credit for it. But I hear what he did, it was all over all the albums from the Swedish bands. Before they managed to get this Mysteriis album out. Once they chose these weird vocals for it, it destroyed the reputation. Imagine classic death metal growling and black metal vocals on this De Mysteriis album. It would have been a killer, even to me.

Alcaloide Labelography 2001-2009


Apocalyptic buzz-bounce and dark-techno EPs from Irreversible, Kanibal Unit Sound System,
Galax, Krazy Killer & Billx, Moebius, Cemtex, Psiko, DJ Mutante, and D32...

"Punk Is..." - Xcentric Noise Compilation Tape 1982 (320)


3rd release by one of the very earliest exponents of interconnected/interconnecting world hardcore...