T-H-E grindpagan trampcores (!!!), + Shrew's later project with Jim Whitely (!!!)...
!!!
Dorsal Atlantica - "After The End" 3xCD Discography 2014 (320)
"Dorsal Atlântica is a Brazilian thrash metal band, founded in Rio de Janeiro, in 1981. They were pioneers of the Brazilian thrash metal scene, being acknowledged as an influence to many other bands. Their first work appears on a split album with another Rio de Janeiro-based band, Metalmorphose, in 1984. Afterwards, Dorsal Atlântica released a string of studio albums from 1984 to 1998, before breaking up in 2001. Most their lyrics were written in Portuguese. Some of their work contains two versions (English/Portuguese), and four albums are fully in English."
Byrgan's write-up 2008...
Dorsal Atlantica came off a style of thrash-metal with some lashing crossover ideologies on their debut Antes do Fim. However, this release moved on in a number of ways. The music is at a more definable thrash standpoint with some varying, influencing attachments. It is self-described as more technical compared to the last, as well as shows some progressions throughout the release. Along with each song seeming to have its own personality.
Their start with the '85 split release of Ultimatum presented a band that would eventually come off a speed-heavy fix. Then switching it up on the debut to become much more aggressive and primitive sounding and siding with hardcore influences underneath. While mixing this with an overall metal standpoint and trying to keep up with some of the death-thrash bands at the time as well. I feel that they went for too many genres and were caught in the midst. That is until they found a 'mold' on this release here, while initially challenging themselves and forming clay structures on the Antes do Fim album. Dividir & Conquistar would also keep a few aspects as the last. More precisely the better aspects in my opinion and add a few more to make this a better listening experience compared to their start with Ultimatum and even Antes do Fim.
This also improved all of the instruments into a cohesive whole. For instance, the drums are a little less loud in the mix compared to Antes do Fim, but now blended much more flush. Here on Dividir & Conquistar the vocals are the loudest in the mix. The guitars and bass are equally as loud also. There are some effects layered on top of the instruments, like the necessary reverb effect. However, it doesn't hinder the production level. But rather adds to it and I think centers the instruments and makes them sound like a collective piece. Instead of each instrument actually sounding like it was recorded in different sessions. This basically places the effects on the instruments to add a consistent level.
The music started to add some major progressions compared to only a few basic renditions on the last. The guitars are constantly changing up their playing style, causing to you anticipate what is going to be thrown at you next. Although, I think they find a balance among this. It is almost like listening to an avant-garde-like thrash album for '88. Where there are a number of influences refreshingly doused and brought together, and differing from a typical thrash pathway. He is constantly using single tremolo riffs throughout the album, played sometimes in a spastic or random fashion, but quickly at that. Even when they tread done to a slower pacing he might still use this particular type of quicker riffing. Although, there are a fair amount of uniform, faster thrash moments, there are only a limited few traveling to an actual blast, but it mainly adheres to an every-other-hit, faster, expeditionary momentum. He also conjures up some catchy and simplistic regular thrash riffing with palm mutes and power chords. While on some other songs using strangely placed chords and time structures, to alternate the song into a curious moment of wanting to get to the next point, while barely wanting to escape the one your currently on.
The bass guitar is one of the great moments about Dorsal Atlantica. This was slightly louder than the guitars on Antes do Fim; probably because of the lack of EQ. However, it isn't as loud here, but still shows that they wanted it to shine with attention. Mainly it can be heard mingled with the guitars and at some other moments with more of an emphasis. Like they actually had time to mess around with the mixing board. Instead of an imagined guerilla-like, do-it-now/do-it-quick recording session. His vocals haven't exactly changed a note or deviated since the last, and are still mostly in flavored Portuguese with a gruff, villainous tone. They encompass a heavy amount of reverb. It sounds very hall-like, almost dungeon-like. They really loaded his voice up with heavy amounts, to where the condensation from his breath starts to liquify and drip, trickling down into your ears, to make you want to pond it out like sea-water at the beach. But in the end, you just can't, driving you mad, with his voice bouncing back and forth, echoing inside of your head. It also sounds combined with some delay, which makes his voice sort of thrown around. He uses a thick and deep tone with a partial shouted and roughened voice as well. Mostly it is in a half- and self-raised volume with a speedier emphasis. Which gives the reverb and delay their rightful purposes. Overlapping themselves at points. Carlos in an interview after the band broke up self-describes them as: "...even with a screaming and almost "discursive" punk vocal." The screaming part sounds off to me. Though, I can see the attitude there from a punk point of view. I think it is safe to say it was 'influenced' to a degree from some bands in this genre. But stays on a side with metal with a mostly controlled gruff.
Dorsal Atlantica have a little sense of humor with a few sections on Dividir. There is an altered deep voice between a few of the songs, saying something on its own without the rest of the music. At one point it sounds like it says, "Listen to me, what are you going to do with your life?" (in English). And is accompanied by a smaller voice that sounds like it inhaled helium and says, "I wanna fuck." Then at the very end of the last track it starts to count off ABCs in the deep voice, gets stuck on a letter, pauses, and says the letter in a dumbfounded way, as the music fades out. I can imagine this was a joke to whichever extreme-metal bands had the overtly deep demon-like voices as intros or outros on their albums at the time and before this.
The newest CD version on Encore comes with some extra bonus tracks with the album. They sound like rough rehearsals. And are split between English and Portuguese. Like 'Desunited Metal' and 'Victory' compared to 'Metal Desunido' and 'Vitória' for instance. Some of the fills and solos are altered. And his voice is definitely more higher toned as well. Which I don't like the way he vocalizes as much on the alternate versions. Because on the actual album he has that: "Gotta light?" "Stick 'em up!" "Don'tcha mess with me, buddy" voice [So he sounds like a cheesy putz? --S] that complements Dividir & Conquistar so well.
Dorsal Atlantica started out on their full length debut playing a style of primitive thrash-metal that would have some hardcore punk influences: adopting social issues, with a loud bass, brash music and shouted vocals are a reminder. Dividir & Conquistar would share some individualistic aspects of that release. The vocals, bass, and some drum patterns have similarities to each other, and without those prior influences they probably wouldn't be the same. With this second record, Dorsal didn't exactly drop everything about themselves, they just improved the other lacking pieces of theirselves, and I feel that they added exceptional levels of memorabilty expanded throughout the recording. Bringing out a greater base of stimulation and an enhanced, recollective thoroughfare. This release gives itself a progressive edge. On a moving and winding road, a road that you don't feel like you are going to drive right off the side. There are bumps, dipes and dives. These could be defined with a controlled feeling, rather than a level dropping in excitement, and safe and far from crashing. Like a multi-level roller coaster that has all of the little climaxes and gravitational pulls while raising your pulse in a composed environment. This is the trip that Dorsal takes you on with their release of Dividir & Conquistar.
Timeghoul - '92-'94 Discography 2xCD 2019 (320)
Interview with guitarist Gordon Blodgett 2009...
TIMEGHOUL are one of those death metal rarities: a band with only demo-level output that often outshines that of their more well known peers. Their brand of American-styled death metal was complex, eclectic and, most importantly, constructed on a foundation of solid songwriting and intriguing concept. Guitarist Gordon Blodgett was kind enough to speak to us about their obscure legacy.
I promised no generic questions, but since TIMEGHOUL still ranks among the obscure, a brief history would be helpful here.
The band was originally formed in 1987 by Jeff Hayden and Mike Stevens. It was originally called Doom’s Lyre, and was changed not too long after. They recruited Chad and Tony around 1990 and cut the demo Tumultuous Travelings in April 1992. Jeff wanted to go to a three-guitar attack so that he could incorporate three-guitar harmonies. At this time Mike had decided to drop out and form a Christian metal band. I grew up on the same street as T.J. and we had been playing and writing music on our guitars in his garage, but we couldn’t find anybody in 1993 that wanted to play technical thrash/death. I saw a flyer posted at the record store about Timeghoul tryouts. I followed up, tried out, made the band, and got T.J. in the band as well. Somewhere in there Chad bowed out but we continued on. We then recorded Panaramic Twilight.
Getting the second generic question out of the way: although TIMEGHOUL can be described as death metal, the eclecticism points to a greater array of musical influences. Can you describe what some of those were? What about non-musical ones?
Jeff was the main visionary here. His favorite was Atrocity’s Longing For Death, Suffocation, Immolation, Gorguts, Morgoth, Nocturnus, Malevolent Creation, stuff like that. That pretty much went for everybody in the band back then. Jeff also liked alot of experimental dark classical music from the 20th century too, as well as medieval music.
Only six tracks were officially released, but I have seen listings for live bootlegs showing more than six tracks being performed, though I have not seen the videos themselves. Is there unreleased material floating around, and is it recorded anywhere if so?
Nothing of good sound quality. There was an instrumental version of a song called “Last Laugh” that was scrapped for parts to other songs. We were also rehearsing “To Sing With Ghosts” and “Joust Of The Souls” before we disbanded, but there are only 4-track versions of the various riffs.
What comprises a “riff” in a TIMEGHOUL song? How are these presented cohesively within a song, i.e. is there a current of an idea defining each track, are the riffs composed randomly but placed in logical sequence, or is it totally random? Something else?
For Timeghoul a riff was more or less a sequence of smaller phrases that added up to a much bigger overall part of the song. Not to lose you with musician talk but Jeff was thinking like a classical composer and the riffs had the longest phrases to them — they just went on and on, and he didn’t like to come back to parts either that much, just like in classical music. As far as the format of the songs goes, I think Jeff just wrote the riffs chronologically (w/ an exception of a riff or two) as they appear in the structure.
Was TIMEGHOUL tuned to A? Some of the riffs completely bottom out.
Actually we were not really downtuned at all. We tuned to E flat because nobody else was doing it. We used active pickups and played 4th chords to beef up the sound. Back then 7-strings were barely around. I think Morbid Angel, Korn, and Dream Theater were the only ones using them. We used alot of heavy EQing. Jeff actually used super-thin strings because he said it helped him speed-pick better. And T.J. and I were on the other end of the spectrum playing are jazz-gauge strings.
I think the approach to death metal taken by TIMEGHOUL can safely be called “American” for the most part. Does this mean anything to you? What makes American music in general specifically American in your opinion?
Well, I know we didn’t sound a black metal band from Sweden. We were in talks w/ Holy Records from France and they wanted to see what we came up with next before they would sign us. When the label heard the recording of the two songs from ’94 they said we sound like an American death metal band similar to Immolation with too much grinding. It wasn’t avant-garde enough for their label. I guess so. It sounded pretty unique to me. As far as an American sound goes, I would say that maybe there’s more of a focus on groove with catchy hooks or something, like Obituary I suppose. But again we weren’t writing catchy hooks or grooving. We were musically in the world created by Jeff’s lyrics.
TIMEGHOUL’s music is quite complex, but clearly not in a contrived sense. Did TIMEGHOUL strive to make complex music, or did complex music better fit the thematic ideas behind the band?
I think Jeff developed his own style of writing melodies in a midieval way, and the rest in a frantic way that begged for strange and technical patterns. He developed the Timeghoul “Vocabulary” as we used to say.
I have seen the TIMEGHOUL lyrics described as “fantasy,” which seems true. Like all good fantasy though, some seem to be truth buried under complex metaphor. They are also very well composed. Was there any kind of meta-concept, or were they written as seperate short stories that happened to play out well as lyrics?
Jeff wrote the lyrics after the song was written. He may have had an idea or working title to the songs before the vocals were done, but that came last. Phenomenal lyric guy. I know “The Siege” has a backdrop of a castle being overtaken by the opposing army, which is metaphorical for someone going insane. I think “Rainwound” is loosely based on Greek/Norse mythology, and “Gutspawn” was based on a creature from D & D called the “Gut.” “Occurance on Mimas” was fascinating in that Mimas is an actual moon of Saturn, but it’s missing a chunk of itself. The theory was that there were evil, warring tribes on that part of the moon and an asteroid came through and knocked that part of Mimas to Earth where it all crashed into what is known today as the Himalayan Mountains. The creatures awaken from underneath and rise to the surface where they destroy the planet, before going back underground. Maybe that was metaphorical for the “underground” scene in music rising up at some point.
The “clean” vocals provide a wonderfully ethereal effect and are included with good taste. I have an old interview where Jeff Hayden mentions medieval polyphonic music as an influence on them. Was their inclusion seen as a bold move for a full-on death metal band at that point in time?
Definitely. I think Fear Factory was about the only band doing that back then. Jeff was a composer first and foremost, and he wanted harmonies everywhere, especially sandwiched between the heaviest of riffs. The songs are really progressive if you think about it. And they’re always shifting in different directions to keep it interesting.
In your experience, what works better for songwriting: democratic participation, or a more singular vision? Is there a compromise between the two? How did TIMEGHOUL typically operate?
In the band I play in now (Gate 7, what a shameless plug), we have found through trial and error that it’s best to compromise. We write everything live in the practice room, and if somebody doesn’t like it we don’t play it. As far as getting the most artistically out of a song you should probably just let an individual write the whole thing based on his/her specific vision, and then maybe the rest of the band can add their thing over the top, or make a suggestion here or there. I know when I solely write for my projects, nine times out of ten I accomplish exactly what I was going for. I can see both sides of the coin on this one.
Band members, when asked about what they were aiming to achieve, often give an answer to the effect of “Nothing — we were just four dudes playing what we loved and having fun.” This is a believable (and understandable) scenario, but not a wholly satisfying one, particularly for bands that showed greater insight. What answer would you give to this question with regard to projects with which you have been involved?
I was 18 when I joined Timeghoul in January ’94 [WTF I'm older than TIMEGHOUL???!!! --S] so I was thrilled to be in a band that heavy and that original. I learned a ton from Jeff and Tony. When I write music now the songs end up being long, and I don’t like to repeat parts too many times either. It was a great learning experience to go into the studio as well. My first taste of playing live was during this time too. I think we were proud of the songs we played and envisioned sticking around alot longer than we did.
Is music art? Is modern music art? Is there a continuum?
What is art? I look at it like that about half the time. I listen to King Crimson and stuff like that, and that music makes you think the whole time you listen to it. Then I’ll put on something on from back-in- the-day and just start jamming out and having fun. Ultimately I would say I like an approach of a band like Opeth who can give you the “art” and the “heavy” at all times.
What qualities do you seek in music?
Originality and Creativity. It seems that it’s harder and harder to find original bands anymore. Everybody sounds like “this” meets “that” and it’s pretty uninspiring. I watch the new Headbanger’s Ball and for every one video that’s good there are six that either suck, or sound like something that was done ten years ago. I try my best personally to write things that are unique and don’t sound like any one band, especially over the course of an album.
Why are some people more discerning when it comes to music (or any other complex choice) than others? Is there a more-or-less inverse linear relationship between quality/quantity?
It could be a left-brained or right-brained thing. I know people with IQs through the roof, and they seem genuinely entertained by nothing but the simplest pop music of the day. Maybe their enjoyment is that they don’t have to think about it. I get my enjoyment by listening to the structures of songs, and seeing where they go, what effects the band is using, and generally how fresh the material is at the time in which it was written. I guess I do view music as art. Others may view it as entertainment, and some may listen for the message. To each their own.
Why did TIMEGHOUL fail to achieve greater success? Do you think the band was possibly too cerebral? Too different? Or was it the just result of an oversaturated underground?
The problem back then was that nobody had any money, and the technology wasn’t there to record at home on the computer, so without some support we could never record any songs. And the labels weren’t calling us because we just weren’t out there enough for them to know who we were. Plus, we could never keep a full lineup intact. We virtually had no bass player for the final three years. Eventually Jeff and Tony had kids, T.J. moved to Florida, and I joined another band.
Has anybody shown interest in re-issuing the TIMEGHOUL material?
I will eventually post all six songs on my website (http://www.aegea-synergy.com) on the Timeghoul page (w/ kind permission from Mr. Hayden of course). I still talk to Tony and Jeff here and there. You never know — Tony lives in a home/studio with his band, and Jeff talks about writing something more ferocious and complex than ever. If we can ever find the time I would love to record some more of Jeff’s compositions. “Stay Tuned!”
Have you met with any success with AEGEA and SYNERGY?
I haven’t really marketed the music other than posting a website. It’s mainly just a hobby for me while I play in a band and live the married life. Besides, it’s hard to find a market for heavy-progressive- instrumental music (Aegea), and the other project (Synergy) is like Frank Zappa metal or something.
Was TIMEGHOUL highly revered locally? What was the response like in other parts of the US/world?
Back in the early-to-mid-90s there were hardly any any thrash and death metal bands in St. Louis. The whole grunge thing was going on and everybody thought they were born-again hippies or something. Timeghoul was always playing gigs with the same bands, like Psychopath and Immortal Corpse, but that was about it. We also opened for a show that featured headliners Obituary with Agnostic Front, Cannibal Corpse, and Malevolent Creation.
Abraham Cross VS Disdomestic Violence (Discographies)
Binary neutron-bludgeon of Japanese disnoise and experi-stench...
Outo Syojodan - Discography '88-'92 (320)
All gal performative hardcore with B-R-U-T-E vocals (released by Crazy SKB!)...
Aggroman (DJ Bazooka) - "You're A Wild Man" 12" '96 & "Costa Mesa Biaaatch" 12" '97
A speedcore wolf in gabber sheep clothing. Your phat pants are on phire...
Ugly Americans - Discography '84-'86
Newspaper write-up by Bryan C. Reed 2014...
When Durham's Ugly Americans announced last month that they would soon return to the stage, the news wasn't entirely surprising: The early, infamous and important Triangle punks have been reuniting off and on for a quarter-century. After their heyday from 1984 to 1986, the punk group reunited for a yearlong 1989 run that yielded some shows and an unreleased recording session. They continued to play the occasional one-off gig every few years until their last get-together in 2004. But this outing, their first in a decade, promises more than just a nostalgic romp through old songs: Ugly Americans are back in earnest, with plans to record new material. "Depending on who you ask in this band, it's either going to be a single or a double album," guitarist Danny Hooley says with a laugh. Either way, it'll be the first output from the band in more than 28 years.
In their Reagan-era prime, Ugly Americans led the sort of career made for punk-rock lore. Hooley, who performed under the name Danny Hooligan, and singer Robert McIlwee, still known best as Simon Bob Sinister, founded the band in late 1983, recruiting bassist Chris Eubank and drummer Dan Adams, then sophomore college roommates. The Ugly Americans debuted in February 1984 at Duke Coffeehouse. "This sounds like something out of a silly 1980s movie, but we actually did stand outside of Chewning Junior High School with fliers," Hooley says. "I'm surprised we didn't get arrested. Nowadays we'd get arrested for this, like we're creepy predators, but we were 21 and still looked like kids."
In 1985, Adams, who'd go on to play bass with the California miscreants of Oxbow and engineer robotic animals for movies such as Free Willy and Anaconda, left the band. When Stillborn Christians drummer Jon McClain stepped in, the band turned toward the then-nascent sound of punk-metal crossover. "I had double bass drums back in the day when the little tiny punk rock kit was the standard," McClain says.
"I can remember the first time we played with Jon in the basement, and it was just like, 'Holy shit!'" Hooley says. "All of a sudden, I felt like I was a badass. I could tell that was going to be a fertile period." In fact, that lineup scored a deal with Death Records, the thrash imprint of heavy music titan Metal Blade. Death released 1985's sophomore album Who's Been Sleeping ... In My Bed, a follow-up to the rawer, self-released 1984 debut The Dream Turns Sour. By the time Ugly Americans broke up in 1986, they'd toured the country with The Descendents and made a fan of Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, sometimes seen sporting Ugly Americans shirts. They also helped bring punk rock to Durham by booking bands such as The Minutemen, Fang and Jodie Foster's Army at venues like Duke Coffeehouse and St. Joseph's Church. However small it was, their catalog remains both emblematic of and irreverent to punk's prevailing currents of the time. The Dream Turns Sour interrupted its raw, proto-thrash for the surf-inspired "Bob's Beach." In My Bed let that influence creep again into "Graveyard Beach." And between dynamic ragers like "Mess Me Up" and "Homophobia," Ugly Americans added the sing-songy juvenalia of "Weenie Man," a playful bit of Dead Milkmen-worthy goof.
For Sinister, who also briefly fronted Corrosion of Conformity, Ugly Americans' willingness to bend the template of hardcore was crucial. "It's never been pigeonholed," he says. "Our music has really varied throughout the years. I don't think it's a straight-ahead, one-size-fits-all kind of thing." But in 1986, hardcore was in transition. The music, so defined by youthful urgency and untrained musicianship, had to adapt to its players getting older and better. The bands that didn't break up started looking for new avenues to explore. "Writing songs became more of a challenge, and maybe we just couldn't come to an agreement about how to do that," says guitarist Hooley.
Then there were the normal issues plaguing young bands with a taste of success. "We were all young stars with big heads," McClain adds. Still, the members refer to each other even now like family, and their periodic reformations attest to their lasting bond. "We piss and moan with each other but haven't moved furniture to wrestle yet," McClain says. "You disagree, but your shit works out. We're stuck with each other, so it has no choice but to work out."
Sinister, who'll drive 18 hours from his home in Des Moines, Iowa to rejoin Ugly Americans, echoes the sentiment. "If I'm 90, and the guys call me and say, 'You want to play?' Well, if I can still walk, I still want to play." While many of their hardcore-era peers have staged nostalgic reunions and critics have reevaluated the genre's impact in books and documentaries, that's not driving Ugly Americans this time. They'll play the show on Friday night and spend a few days recording a mix of new songs penned by Sinister and Hooley and reimagined takes of their lost early-'90s material. There are no careerist objectives. They're pushing themselves beyond their past, celebrating their 30-year milestone while again trying to bend the notions of what "hardcore" can mean. "I play with these guys, and it always brings something out of me," Hooley says. "It just feels awesome at my age to still be a student of something, and it inspires me to be a student of the guitar to play with these guys."
"We're just four dudes who like to play in the band," Sinister says. "That's all we have right now."
Acroholia - Split Tape With Lixo Urbano 1993, Split Tape With Kakofonija 1993, "Ubistvo Sveta" UNRL LP 2001
'Bloc Grind!!!
2001 Interview...
1. For the beginning, tell us something about the long history of the band Acroholia.
You won't believe this, I've been thinking so hard. What is upstairs, I have the impression that it was much more to be written when we were a year old, but now we are ten. The historic perspective is a miracle...we gathered at the end of 1991, Ban's on the guitar, Oliver on Bass and I (Uros) on the drums. We tried various singers but unsuccessful until Ilija appeared after 7-8 months. We all had little or no experience and miserable music knowledge. From the first moment, we wanted to play classic, old-fashioned grindcore without any progressive influences (for which we later started other projects), so the formula of the central imitation of early attacks was rooted and cemented. In 1992, we recorded the first and second demo, and in 1995 the third, so we appeared on a million compilations (mainly cassettes, one LP and two CDs) throughout Yugoslavia, Europe, North America, the Far East, etc. The first and second demo are distributed in Switzerland, and Giulio The Bastard (from the Italian band Cripple Bastards) distributed them first alone, and then as a split cassette with one South American Band, who I can't remember at the moment. The third demo is distributed as 3 Way Cassettes with Yacopsae and Entrails Massacre. Then we two wonderful Slovenians published Split 7" with Belgian Bend Intestinal Disease for its ultra DIY label "Abnormal Beer Terrorism" and it was a first-time material. Then we did nothing. In May 2001 recorded new materials to get out of a German label soon. We appeared in a million fans on all sides of the world. We re-recorded the song "Murder of the World" from another demo for local television. The setup was changed over the years, after Olivera, played dry, and today is a slob whose lazy. I'm very much helped the fact that we're doing something right now. For all this time, we have almost no musical advancement. We still sound like we are fighting with our instruments.
2. What is your opinion about Grindcore scene with us and do you think there are few bands playing something like that?
And what do I tell you about this? Has Grind Scene ever existed? I would say that music was always listened to but a very small number of people. I believe that in Serbia there is a local Grind/Noise/Metal band as well as to cause euphoria on rare gigs, but how many people really listen to it at home? How long before the musicians reach out to stop fucking and start doing something more serious? Early was the best generation of domestic Grind: Brainstorm and Kerosene, Pataren in Zagreb, Fear Of Dog in Novi Sad, later Extreme Smoke in Slovenia...It was somehow the most serious and highest quality. After, a bunch of bands appeared everywhere in Serbia which were mostly awful, or anarchopunk grind-era who were terribly boring and pretentious. I'm not following the scene today, but I doubt things changed a lot. All in all, I don't mind that people make Grind as a cheap consumable valve for psychosocial pressures that are exposed, but no one is worth what I'm interested in listening to. To understand each other, it is not much better even abroad. It's wrong when you stop everything that you're thrilled to make a lot of noise. Grind (which rejects Russian traditional performances of melody, harmony, rhythm) are so much more than that, why do we stay forever on the first step? I wouldn't want this to be understood as a criticism. Acroholia is part of all this and I would lie if we did not contribute to the poor quality of the global grindcore scene. This is valid for the whole world, not just for our country.
3. Acroholia took part in a well-known compilation "Falafel Grind (Tribute to Cripple Bastards)", which was published for Obscene Productions. Tell us anything about that?
Giulio The Bastard and I have been rapping for years. I'm a fan Cripple Bastards, and he's a fan of Acroholia (at least so he says), so we were already promised participation. We re-recorded three songs from our third demo and I sent it to him in 1995. I was surprised by the CD last year, as he did not announce anything.
4. An interesting thing is that we heard your voice on the latest album of Napalm Death. Are you still influenced by them?
Napalm Death unfolded in 1989, after publishing "Mentally Murdered ". I am not following their work now. We've heard my voice on that album, but I credited them with their use of narcotics. Why wouldn't anyone listen to the fantastic album of the band Discordance Axis, for me is an inventive mystery.
5. Finally after a few years, you have recorded your official first album. How did everything go?
Well, it didn't get pressed yet. So 6th of May 2001 was recorded, and mixed on the 13th. The songs are 29 in some 37 minutes (the last song lasts about 13 minutes) and the sound is better than before and the music varies. Everything else is almost identicaly in style. We are currently working on a CD cover. When it appears, it appears.
6. Can you tell me something about your future plans (if they are)?
Ilija is currently in the military so it's a lot hard to make any planning. When he is back, we will see. We are all working and very busy. Ilija and Bane are married, and Bane is slowly on his first child (his kid is used to Grindcore) and starts planning another.
7. Something to End?
Nothing for the end. Standard thank you for the interview, good luck and be healthy and fat!
🐖🐄🦃🍺
Demencia - Lost 7" 2003 (Recorded Mid-90s, 256)
Bogota noisy hardcore and chorus-pedal-punk with the shit-fi feel of a mid-80s Japanese tape comp.
BITCHIN'!
Autopsy & Tugie - "First Blood" 12" 2007 (320)
Cyberdelic hardcore & gorilla-pimp core-breaks.
"Unbelievable kicks!!!"(lol)
Shitlickers - Discography CD 1997 (FLAC)
Interview with Lasse, vocalist of Shitlickers, 2008, by Christ of Driller Killer...
I first tried to contact Lasse circa 2000. After multiple attempts, I gave up. Nevertheless, this interview is akin to what I would've hoped to have produced with him. It's remarkably interesting and actually contains more information than I'd expected. Some highlights are the description of line-up changes and the evolution in sound; the existence of a live tape (which Lasse says he won't share); the recording process for the EP (including a reference to Felix Havoc's fantasy); Lasse's positioning of the Shitlickers in the history of Swedish punk. I could go on. It's an awesome read, and, of course, it leaves me craving more information. I have not edited the text in any way, except for the deletion of an emoticon. Finally, Lasse, if you're reading, I'll give you a copy of the original record, which you need, if you'll dub the live tape for me.
Q: OK, let's take it from the beginning. When and where did The Shitlickers start? Did you sound much different then? What other bands did you play in?
A: Me (bass) and Jimmy (guitar) started The Shitlickers/Skitslickers in Gothenburg, Sweden, in the beginning of 1981. Gutte played drums and on vocals Jimmys girlfriend. At this time I worked as a roadie for UK punkbands, and made us a support band to The Exploited. We played some kind of rock 'n' roll-punk and it sounded terrible. This was the only gig we did with this line-up. We started a new band with me on vocals, Jimmy on guitar, Gutte on drums and Sixten (GBG-Punx, Anticimex...) on bass, and with another musical direction. In lack of another band name, we kept The Shitlickers. We wrote new, fast, short songs with heavy riffs and lyrics with violent content. We did one gig with this line-up before Jonsson took over the bass (at this time Jonsson also played bass with Anticimex), and Bob Stacy, a security guard at the nightclub Roxy, took over the drums, and the real Shitlickers was born. Other bands? I played bass with GBG-Punx (-82) and drums with Troublemakers (-83).
Q: When did you first hear raw punk? Did you ever called your music raw punk? Did you talk about "D-Beat" at this time? Shitlickers were very early with that kind of brutal music, where did that inspiration come from? If there is any other swedish band around this time that could compare to your brutality it is Anticimex. Jonsson played in both bands, do you think that this had any affect?
A: In the winter of 1981, we and a couple of other bands (Anticimex, Asta Kask...) played at Rockers Club. That gig became the start of Swedish hardcore punk. We called the music hardcore punk, raw punk, trash punk etc. Discharge inspired, but we wanted to find our own style. Me and Jimmy wrote the songs, but Jonsson always delivers, both as a person and a musician. We had no Swedish references at all. Our influences came from the UK, which was easy to get to by ferry from Gothenburg. I listened, and still do, to 4-Skins and Cockney Rejects, even if they played another kind of music than we did.
Q: If I understand it correctly, you recorded the first album during the spring of 1982. In which studio? The sound is incredibly brutal, and few band has managed to surpass it. Tell me some anectodes from the recording. You recorded the second album during the summer of 1982. Where? Was this unreleased until Distortion released it?
A: Yes, we recorded the first album THE SHITLICKERS in the spring of 1982 at Studio Lane, Gothenburg. People think that we broke into the studio in the middle of the night, recorded on stolen instruments and skipped as fast as we came. It's a myth. We took the recording most seriously. We knew that we had to find a sound that would differ us from other bands. E.g we put the guitar in a closet and made a hole in the membrane with a syringe needle which gave us our specific guitar sound, and we added 4-5 identical guitars on each song to get a fat sound (as Pistols did). The same thinking applied on the other instruments; a lot of reverb on the drums, high middle register on the bass for distinctive sound etc. We experimented. The mistake many bands do, who play in genres where there are few opportunities to separate one band from another, is that they don't spend time on their wall of sound, which makes everyone sound the same and very few sound unique. The second album THE SHITLICKERS II was recorded during the fall of 1982 (in the same studio). We wanted the music to take a new direction with a darker sound and longer songs, but the compositions were too poor and we where in a lousy condition. The thrill was gone and we knew that this was the beginning of the end. The dissatisfaction with the album made us unwilling to release it until 15 years later.
Q: The first album was released with two different covers; 1. GBG 1982 with the knife in the stomach and 2. the sketched Cracked Cop Skulls for the foreign market. Did Malign Massacre print both with a total edition of 300 copies? Why two different covers? Do you know how many different prints there are? The split EP with Anticimex is a bootleg, isn't it? Do you know who released it? Have you given approval of more prints of the first album, besides the original (and by that I don´t mean the Distortion-print with Silence, I presume that was approved by you)?
A: There is only one vinyl version of the first album; knife in the stomach on the front and a photo of the band on the back, white label, 300 copies, own release. All other releases (Bullshit Records, Malign Massacre, sketched cover, split with Anticimex etc) are bootlegs, not approved by us. The interest for the album was immediately big in Sweden and abroad. Record companies in UK wanted to sign us. So the information spread fast world wide, even back then. Jimmy has a couple of the original album left, I lost my only copy in a separation. I do have a live recording that will not be released due to bad quality, that embodies some other songs not released on the first two albums.
Q: The Shitlickers is one of the most mythical bands from this era. Why is it so, do you think? I have never seen any interviews with the band, and the rumour says that your live performances were extraordinary, with a brutal singer in front. Could this have something to do with the fact that you were around for such a short period, released an album, did a couple of gigs and then disappeared?
A: Many reasons; we were one of the first bands in the world in that genre, we did a record with a personal, specific and identifiable sound, and with strong songs people remembered, our violent gigs, that we existed during a short period (1981-1982), that we left the punk community (at least me and Jimmy, who disappeared into the biker world). We haven't given any interviews, protected the trademark and don't participate on any compilations with other artists. The band members were also colourful characters. The fact that we in the Shitlickers-sphere were oldest amongs the hardcore punks also mattered. The young ones looked up to us and we didn't have to care about what other people think and thought. E.g. Jonsson and I often listened to 50's rock like Elvis, Dion and Sedaka, so the young punks must have been quite confused. Sure, we could be a mean bunch, but we took the band, the music, the rehersals, gigs, the recordings, the covers etc in real earnest. The music came first, everything else was of secondary importance. And we knew what we were doing. We knew that a band, no matter which genre, must have a) good songs, b) a personal sound and c) an aggressive marketing of the band.
Q: Your lyrics stands in a class for themself. Who wrote them and from where came the inspiration? Did you ever see yourself as a political band? War lyrics amongst raw punkbands are not unusual, and I suppose you've got some inspiration from Discharge?!
A: Discharge wrote lyrics against war, we wrote lyrics that advocated change through violence. To repeat the lyrics in every verse was a deliberate choice. If you could say what you want in one sentence, there's no point adding more lyrics. We weren't a political or a non-political band, we were The Shitlickers, and we had a whole lot of different opinions depending on who you spoke to. We saw ourself as an original punkband, which means that we were against whatever you were for, and we were for whatever you were against. As long as there was a conflict, I was happy. This also applied against other punkrockers. I despised the predictable. The politically correct. Some punkrockers wanted to change the world by throwing stones against porno theaters. Bob and I, who hanged at Roxy with strippers and people in the porno business, didn't understand what they were doing.
Q: Was there a lot of violence in the hardcore scene? If so, who were the enemies? Rockers? Nazi-skins? Was there a lot of drugs circulating?
A: Unfortunately, there were a lot of drugs in the scene. Like in the society today. We had some problems in the band, but the majority landed on their feet. When it comes to violence, there wasn't much difference on stage or off stage. I was always in a fight, due to my short temper and partly because no one stopped me. It was like in A Clockwork Orange. When you're a teenager, you want to test limits, and you do so until somebody you respect says stop. You looked up to bikers, and there was never any trouble, on the contrary, they stood up for the punks, and they often visited the gigs, and some of the older punk bands played at biker and rocker places. It was a big difference between Gothenburg and the rest of Sweden. When we started, Jimmy shared an apartment with one of the skins, and we had some parties with them. We had different values, so it was natural that we started to hang with the, at the time, small crowd of hardcore punks instead, which just a half year later had become a whole movement.
Q: Can you tell me about the punk scene in the beginning of the 80's? It seems like it wasn't the same dividing of genres that the scene later became. How much did Haga (district in Gothenburg) mean for the punk scene? Why do you think Gothenburg was so early with so brutal bands? What bands do you think meant most for the new raw punk scene in Sweden when it started?
A: We, who were involved in the punk scene in the beginning of the 80's, experienced presumably what the punks experienced when punkrock hit in the middle of the 70's; something is happening here that no one has experienced before. Something new. Haga became the centre of the new music, so it had an enourmous importance. And almost everything was in the same block; our rehearsal room, Sprangkullen, Roxy... Haga was just like Christiania in Copenhagen, Denmark, a sanctuary with its own rules. And there were a lot of opportunities for live performances in and around Gothenburg. You started a coverband just for one night, and played songs of old punkbands from Gothenburg, like Goteborg Sound, Perverts and The Leather Nun. Let us not forget that it was people from these bands - like Lob, Blomgren, Freddie Wadling and Jonas A - who supported the raw punks, so they meant a great deal, not in a musical sense, but in other ways, also for the new scene. I believe that Shitlickers was the most important band for the genre in the beginning. We set the bar for recordings, live performances and organization. It was e.g. Sixten and I who arranged the first raw punk festivals at Sprangkullen. Anticimex became the most important band for the survival of the growing genre.
Q: If you want to document the beginning of the Swedish raw punk scene, what bands do you not wanna forget? Do you think that Egg Tapes and Really Fast meant much?
A: Egg Tapes didn't exist during our time, I don't know what Really Fast is. Anticimex was our friends, but our musical competitors. We were older and had bigger jaws, and we made sure always to play before them in the playing list, 'cause when we were finished, the audience had got so much beatings that they had gone home.
Q: Have you ever after you quit in 1982 talked about a reunion? Opinions about bands that reunite? Why did you quit? How does it feel to get responses from all over the world because of something you did so many years ago? 25 years too late, or what?
A: Sure, it's great when kids of today credit what you did. But it's a long time ago now. We quit because we didn't have much more to give, and we have never discussed a reunion live. But I don't have problems with bands that reunite. If the money is right.
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