THE FIRST WAVE OF...
Swedish Thrash Metal
There wasn't just traditional heavy metal and epic doom metal greatness going on in Sweden during the eighties. Sweden also had quite a strong thrash metal scene with bands like Hexenhaus, Kazjurol, Agony, Mezzrow, Fallen Angel and Damien. In this article we will shed some light upon a heavily forgotten and underrated scene and all the bands that made an impact on it. The first wave of Swedish thrash metal ruled the icy nordic landscape of Sweden between 1988 and 1992, during these four years thrash metal had it's peak in Sweden. This is how it all started and the bands that rocked the nation.
IT ALL STARTED IN 1984...
MANINNYA BLADE
Maninnya Blade was born out of a hard rock band called Kamax from Boden in the north of Sweden. Kamax appeared on the 1983 compilation called Kommersiell Kultur (Commercial Culture). Leif Eriksson and Jan Blomqvist disbanded Kamax and formed Maninnya Blade soon afterwards and in the summer of 1984, Maninnya Blade got the opportunity to record a single. The single was recorded in Pajala close to the Finnish border way up in the North of Sweden. At the time Maninnya Blade was heavily influenced by bands like Venom, Exciter, Anthrax and Motörhead. The finished product was the 'The Barbarian / Ripper Attack' 7" single released through Platina Records. "The Barbarian / Ripper Attack" was the very first speed metal single from Sweden, the single did well and the band got the opportunity to open up for Motörhead when they played a gig in the North of Sweden.
To surf further on the success from the single the band decided to relocate from Boden in the north of Sweden to the capital, Stockholm. They all moved in together in a house in the upper middle-class area of Helenelund, except Mikael 'Mike Wead' Wikström (later of King Diamond fame) who stayed behind in Boden.
In 1986 Killerwatt Records showed interest in the band and Maninnya Blade recorded the songs in Stockholm and sent the tape to England for mastering. The mastering was a failure and the the songs ended up sounding weaker than what the band had planned for. The album Merchants in Metal was released in 1986 through Killerwatt Records but bands like Slayer, Kreator, Metallica and Megadeth were tough to compete with, in this ever evolving music industry. The album was released without much notice.
Maninnya Blade on the other hand kept recording demotapes but Maninnya Blade stood without a recording deal and members came and went, among them the drummer Martin Eriksson who is more known as the euro dance artist E-Type. They shortened their name to Maninnya for a while but eventually settled for Hexenhaus when Mikael Wikström rejoined the band.
BATHORY
1984 was also the year when a man from Stockholm called Thomas Forsberg more known as Quorthon would introduce his band Bathory to the world, first Bathory appeared on the compilation LP Scandinavian Metal Attack, which was released in March of 1984. Quorthon then recruited drummer Stefan Larsson and bassist Rickard Bergman and recorded and released the self-titled album Bathory during the autumn of 1984, an album that would change the landscape of metal music. The album had a sound unparallelled in the metal universe, together with Switzerlands Hellhammer Bathory was a new type of breed. The early work of Bathory was incredibly raw, distorted and lo-fi sounding. The band used satanic references and anti-christian imagery, traits that later would define black metal.
However after all the black metal and viking metal albums, Bathory turned to a more thrash oriented sound with 1994's Requiem and to a degree 1995's Octagon as well.
AFTER BATHORY
Bathory was ahead of the pack and it would take 2-3 years before the rest of Sweden's metal community catched up to what Quorthon was doing. Bathory had released a second studio album titled The Return...... in 1985 before most metal fans in Sweden took notice. In 1986 another band from Stockholm took a similar route, but they didn't manage to score a record deal but their demotapes was released on CD a few years ago, the band I'm thinking of is Mefisto and their demotapes are regarded as legendary in the Swedish underground, but still they were a mix of speed, thrash and black metal, the metal bands that played true thrash metal had still not shown up on the radar.
THE SWEDISH METAL LANDSCAPE
One must remember how the landscape of metal was back then if we're going to tell this story somewhat correctly. In around 1985-1986 when things started moving in Sweden a hair metal band called Europe dominated the magazines and the airwaves, No other metal band of any type could reach any mainstream success because Europe soaked up all the attention with their anthemic Final Countdown. At the same time Swedish hard rockers united under the name Swedish Metal Aid and released the incredibly dull Give a Helpin' Hand. Fluffy pop metal ruled the charts even harder in Sweden than in most other countries.
THE FIRST WAVE OF SWEDISH THRASH METAL (1988-1992)
In 1988 the thrash wave began for real with Hexenhaus, Agony and Damien releasing their first albums. Power / Thrashers Destiny released their second studio album called Atomic Winter and Bathory released Blood Fire Death the same year. The wave kept going through out the eighties but around 1992 the scene started dying off. But not at the extreme level that happened in the Bay Area.
Most bands that was a part of the first wave of Swedish thrash metal were quite technical (Agony, Hexenhaus, Mezzrow), maybe because the American Bay Area scene was more influential than the German scene. One could also thank the "Musikskolan" Swedish Musical school. Which was a part of all schools in Sweden back in the eighties and seventies were kids got the opportunity to pick up and learn an instrument during school hours. But there were also a few punkier thrash bands (Krixhjälters and Kazjurol). Swedish thrash metal might not even be a big thing for metal heads in Sweden these days but there were a lot of talent in the country but most bands just managed to release an EP or an LP before disbanding. The highlight of the wave might have been the Active Thrashes Scandinavia tour in 1990 when Kazjurol, Hexenhaus, Mezzrow and Fallen Angel came together and toured Sweden. Anyway, this is era when Swedish thrash metal became a thing.
THRASH COMES ALIVE
In around 1985 the first demotapes started to appear on the tape trading market. Sure Krixhjälters and Destiny had demos out earlier but none of them can really be defined as thrash metal. In 1985 Virgin Sin from Malmö recorded four-track demo and Agony from Stockholm had their first demo out called The Future is Ours. This was also the first steps towards a Swedish thrash metal scene, If you can call it a scene when most bands in the south had no idea of what was going on in the north and vice versa. Mainly because the cities in the north and south were separated by 1000 kilometers of icy nordic landscapes in the pre-internet days. Swedish thrash metal had it's peak in creativity and popularity during the second wave of thrash metal, from 1988 up until 1992.
HEXENHAUS
AGONY
Agony - The First Defiance
MIDAS TOUCH
Midas Touch - Presage of Disaster
MEZZROW
Mezzrow from Nyköping, Sweden was a thrash metal quintet that recorded two demotapes (Frozen Soul and Cross of Tormention) before they got in contact with Active Records. They signed a deal for five years and three records and in 1990 they released what would become their only full length-release "Then Came the Killing" and it is still today considered as one of the best thrash metal releases from Sweden and Scandinavia. In 1990 Mezzrow, Kazjurol, Hexenhaus and Fallen Angel did a tour together, the "Active Thrashes Scandinavia", but the bands just ended up playing gigs together in Sweden during weekends.
KAZJUROL
Kazjurol formed in 1984 in Fagersta. But unlike bands like Midas Touch, Hexenhaus and Fallen Angel, Kazjurol had a way more punkish style and they took their influences from bands like D.R.I., Discharge and Cro-Mags. Stylewise they also played the part of your typical crossover band with a look more common in punk than in the realm of metal music. In 1987 the band released two singles, Breaking the Silence and Messengers of Death. Kazjurol played a "legendary" gig on the fifth of may of 1989 in their hometown of Fagersta, Sweden. Kazjurol played alongside legendary bands like Forbidden, Sacred Reich and Holy Moses and Messiah Marcolin of Candlemass showed up and took part of the show.
TRIBULATION
Tribulation from Surahammar was originally called Pentagram, but as most of you know, there is a legendary doom metal band with the same name so the band took the name Tribulation. Also worth noting is that this is not the same Tribulation as the death metal band from Arvika, Sweden. In 1988 Tribulation from Surahammar was a part of the "Is This Heavy or What" compilation EP with the track Pecuniary Aid. The track was taken from the bands demo tape Pyretic Convulsions. Atrocity (pre-Rosicrucian), Gravity and Damien were the other bands that were involved in the release. In 1991 the band released their only studio album to date, the somewhat jazzy and punky Clown of Thorns. The album was released on Bathory's own label Black Mark Production. The album was produced by Quorthon's alleged father Börje 'Boss' Forsberg and engineered by Rex Gisslén known for his work with Candlemass, Bathory and Hexenhaus.
FALLEN ANGEL
Fallen Angel - Faith Fails
RAVING MAD
Raving Mad from Västervik was a power / thrash band and in 1987 they released the very first Swedish thrash metal 7'' single titled A Dazzling Display. But they were not alone to release a real heavy single in 1987, Warning from Älvsbyn also released a heavy / thrash metal single titled Armageddon. But back to Raving Mad again, the band recorded a handful of demotapes in the late eighties and in 1990 the band released their self-titled 10" EP. Raving Mad never got any further than this but they are still somewhat remembered amongst fans of Swedish metal for being an early pioneer.
DAMIEN
Damien from Uppsala was one of the most talented and heaviest Swedish thrash metal bands but like just about every Swedish thrash band they only managed to get one EP out. The Requiem for the Dead EP from 1988, released through Gothic Records. The EP was only released in 500 copies so it's pretty hard to find a copy of it today. Damien also appeared on the "Is this heavy or what?" compilation from 1988 with the track Hide and Seek, Other bands on the compilation was: Tribulation, Gravity and Atrocity (pre-Rosicrucian). 1988 was the year when everything happened for the band and it seems like they disbanded the same year.
ICE AGE
THE KRIXHJÄLTERS
The Krixhjälters loosely translated into The Warheroes formed in 1982 in Stockholm Sweden, they were a hardcore band with crossover tendencies. They were influenced by Black Flag and Dead Kennedys. The band's debut EP The Krixhjälters was recorded in 1984 but it was unreleased until 1986. Then the band signed to CBR Records and recorded the EP Hjälter Skelter in 1988. On the bands early recordings they sung in Sweden but by now they switched to English. In 1989 the band released their full-length debut Evilution, they also recorded a christmas single called A Krixmas Carol (1990). The band later evolved into Omnitron.
OMNITRON
Omnitron was the continuation of The Krixhjälters. This time with a little more seriousness and a thrashier sound compared to the material recorded under The Krixhjälters name. The band recorded Masterpeace in 1990. They also recorded an EP in 1994 with the strange title "Somewhere, Sometime, Someone is Nude You're Dressed.". But then Omnitron was laid to rest and members Pelle Ström and Rasmus Ekman founded death metal band Comecon with L-G Petrov (Entombed).
MERCILESS
Sweden's most extreme thrash metal band in the early nineties was without a doubt Merciless. A death / thrash act that took Swedish metal into new extremes. To be completely honest Merciless leaned more towards death metal if you ask me, but hey. Let's tell there story here too.
Merciless - The Awakening
MESHUGGAH
ATROCITY
Atrocity formed in Sala before moving to Västerås. Atrocity was active for about three years before the band changed the name to Rosicrucian. During their short spell they recorded two demo tapes in 1988 and 1989. They also appeared on the Is this Heavy or What? compilation from 1988, together with Tribulation, Damien and Gravity. In 1989 Atrocity became Rosicrucian.
ROSICRUCIAN
DESTINY
Destiny from Gothenburg was never a pure thrash metal band, their mixture of heavy, power and thrash metal was effective yet heavily underrated. They had this Metal Church meets Vicious Rumors approach, a style that themselves crowned as Dark Metal, a style that was quite different from what people think Dark Metal is today. Destiny debuted in 1985 with Beyond all Sense, in 1988 they released the somewhat thrashier Atomic Winter. In 1991 they released Nothing Left to Fear. The band has remained active and they released their seventh studio effort in 2016 titled Climate Change.
ATROX
Atrox from Gunnebo formed in 1990 and released a two-track 7" single and two demo tapes before disbanding a few years later. The single was called Land of Silence and it was released in 1992. Not much more is known but the band supposedly disbanded somewhere in the mid nineties.
MORTALITY
Mortality from Nyköping took their influences from Testament, Exodus and Metallica. They had some serious talent but somehow the band didn't get signed by any label. They had a song on the Rockbox compilation LP for Swedish Radio. They also recorded three demo tapes in the late eightes and early nineties before disbanding. Lately, founding member Danne Andersson has started up the band again as a solo project, because he plays all the instruments himself these days. In 2016 Mortality finally album debuted with For whom the Bomb Tolls, only available through digital download.
GOD B.C.:
God B.C. from Helsingborg in the south of Sweden formed in the late 80's and they released on album through Wild Rags Records called Eargasms in Eden. The album was released in 1989 and after that the band merged with Hyste'riah and the band Hyste'riah G.B.C. continued on.
HYSTE'RIAH
As said earlier Hyste'riah merged with God B.C. and became Hyster'iah G.B.C. Hyster'iah only recorded two demo tapes before the two bands merged. Hyster'iah was from the neighbouring town of Landskrona. In 1991 Hyste'riah G.B.C. released an album titled Snakeworld through Hellhound records.
CANDLEMASS
Yes, I know, Candlemass is not a thrash metal band, they are the inventors of the epic doom metal genre. But Candlemass had close ties to the thrash scene, their faster songs even had a few thrashier elements to them, just listen to a song like the instrumental 'Into the unfathomed tower' but that's not what I'm going to focus on here. Candlemass did shows with everyone from Mezzrow to Kazjurol and probably a few others as well. They were also included in the legendary "3-Way Thrash" video, recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1989. The video also featured live appearances from D.A.M. and Dark Angel.
VIRGIN SIN
Virgin Sin was one of the first bands to play thrash in Sweden and they had this dark Slayer inspired sound and style. They originated from Malmö in the south of Sweden and their first demo tape was recorded in 1985. They kept releasing demo tapes until 1991. In 1999 and 2003 they released two EP's Make 'Em Die Slowly and Seduction of the Innocent. In 2007 they finally released a full-length album titled Brotherhood of Freaks.
DAMNATORY
Damnatory from Borås released one LP in 1990 titled The Madness Never Ends on Büms Records. They also recorded two demo tapes back in the days. They reunited in 2012.
SHOUT-OUTS
I also want to give a shout-out to these thrash bands for contributing to the Swedish thrash metal scene of the late eighties and early ineties:
Black Uniforms, Death Ripper, Equinox, Gung-Ho, Hatred, Melissa, Exile, Thrashholes, Kjell-Peders, Cardiac Arrest, Morbid, Metal Mercy, Slow Death, Brejn Dedd, Intoxicate, Satanic Slaughter, Filthy Christians, River's Edge, Barophobia, Calipash, Obey, Kjell-Peders, Virgin, Pagandom, Psychodeath, Total Death, Orchriste, Morbidity, Killteam, S.L.R., Hasty Death, Afflicted Convulsions, Rabbit's Carrot, Desecrate, Appendix, Metroz, Harvey Wallbanger, Claustrophobia, Contra, Helvetica, Mutilator, Leprosy, Aeon, Division S, Cripple, Morbid Fear, Amentia, Sarcazm, Toxic Waste, Graveyard Disturbance and Formicide.
Ruthless
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