When it comes to heavy music, Sweden is known for many things. From the doom pioneers of Candlemass, to old-school death metal titans like Entombed and Dismember, to the melodic death metal riff masters like At the Gates and Dark Tranquility, all the way to the black metal legions led by Dissection and Marduk (and Bathory, duh).
But there is another dimension to this nation’s great contribution to extreme music that audiences should not overlook. In the early 1980s, Sweden had a vibrant punk scene, which was inspired by the sounds of bands like Discharge, G.B.H and The Exploited. In particular, Anti-Cimex and Mob 47 helped weave a network of venues and fans that became the foundation for the death metal scene that came later. It would also spawn future acts like Driller Killer, Skitsystem and Disfear.
This brand of “Swedish Crust,” while resting in the punk tradition, has always been informed by heavier, more brutal sounds. So it’s fitting that a band like DRÅP has such a punishing effect. It probably helps that their name is the Swedish word for murder, and that their upcoming album Roten Till Allt Ont translates into “The Roots of all Evil.”
Check out the track below for a good idea of what this act’s Napalm Death-informed version of Swedish Crust is all about, and look out for Roten Till Allt Ont on June 1st from Xtreem Music.
