The Leather Nun - “Whatever” CD

Superb return from Swedish legends

Returning to the scene after a 20+ year absence, Sweden’s Leather Nun have created a stunning and powerful return to form with “Whatever”. Known mostly in the 80s for their association with Throbbing Gristle and Industrial Records (who released their debut EP in 1979) and their flirtation with stateside success with their darkly catchy “I Can Smell Your Thoughts" single in 1987, Leather Nun’s sound falls somewhere alongside Iggy Pop’s artier experiments (in and out of the Stooges) with a trace of Velvet Underground and a touch of industrial around the edges. 

This album of mostly new material opens with the lovely and introspective “All Those Crazy Dreams”. “Outside My Window” is a rumbling rock song with an ominous air, before the tongue-in-cheek interlude “Dancing In The Rain (I’m In Love)”. “Red Hot Gwen” begins with a late night piano before erupting into a sleazy big blues sound, albeit with Jonas Almqvist’s trademark Swedish-accented English. It’s a mix that’s distinctive and unique. The revved-up electro-blues of “Godtherapy” takes its name from the Jonas-led post-Leather Nun band of the same name, and fits well alongside the other cuts here.

Other standouts include the anthemic “Star (Yes You Are!)”, the haunting “I’m Not Afraid”, the swaggering “Mainstream”, the touchingly sensitive piano remake of “For The Love Of Your Eyes”, and the atmospheric “Another Rainy Day”. Yes, the whole album is top-tier.

“Whatever” is anything but negligible or passive. This is a complete return to form for a band on the verge of being forgotten (at least in America), and is the perfect continuation from the band’s past. Any fan of the Leather Nun’s “old days” will be delighted by this collection of melodic-yet-often heavy, sleazy-yet-romantic, and well-produced rock sounds that snarl darkly alongside a cheeky wink or two. A great album, period.

Wild Kingdom/Sound Pollution

Leather Nunbook

Cat Rapes Dog - "Life Was Sweet" CD

Swedish trash-electro

Sweden's kings of sleazy biker-rock-tinged electro have returned after a hiatus of 14 years. The 9 new songs here clock in at only 35 minutes, and I get a much more clubby, disco sound that I've heard in the past. Nonetheless, the same tongue-in-cheek humor and offensiveness are intact, as evidenced by the opening single, the solid EBM-groovy "God Hates Christians".

"Through A Glass Darkly" pumps up the dance vibes, with female vocals from Annelie Bertilsson (aka "Dannie Dudemeister"). The new-wavey "River Of Pain" is a fun diversion, while "Head Around" harkens back the the band's earlier, harsher  EBM-electro days. "A Thousand Years" closes out the album, unfortunately, on a pretty forgettable note. Overall, it's good to see CRD return, and "Life Was Sweet" fairly sums up their career, from harder electro to more synth-poppy disco cuts. Long-time fans will not be disappointed, and those looking for retro-electro with teeth will also be satiated.

ArtOfFact Records

Cat Rapes Dog site

Agrimonia - "Rites Of Separation" CD

Superlative heathen metal

The third album (and first for Southern Lord) from this Gothenburg-based quintet is a scalding, monumental assault of diverse metal stylings. At 60 minutes and 5 tracks, this band pushes the envelope with drawn-out and developing tracks that hint at several heavy sub-genres --melding them into something altogether menacing and seductive.

The opener, "Talion", is 11-minutes of dense psychedelic sludge metal with thick riffs and shrill, demon-like vocals. "Hunted" is another mid-tempo monster, with epic tribal rhythms and spacious guitars building after a melodic piano-led intro. "While Life Lies" is a beast of post-black metal, with huge, thunderous riffs and rhythms. The closer, "Awaiting", is a subtle summation, complete with nearly ambient interludes alongside the voracious and vicious metallic assault.

Most certainly, Agrimonia have a wide and varied sonic palette to draw from, and their brand of heathen black/death/psyche/sludge metal is uniformly superb from any standpoint. Played this one multiple times. Amen Agrimonia.

Southern Lord

Agrimonia site

Pouppee Fabrikk - "The Dirt" CD

Fine classic-style aggro-electro

After an absence of 12 years, this Swedish electro-EBM act has returned, and damned if "The Dirt" isn't a fine retro-styled electro sequencer assault in the vein of classic DAF or early Nitzer Ebb. In fact, a notice inside the packaging (titled "EBM Is Dead") announces that many of these songs were originally conceived back in the late 80s, and have been entirely re-worked in 2012-2013 by the band, eschewing modern electronic trends and club-friendliness in favor of old-school aggression, directness, and ultimate simplicity. I say bravo!

Opening with the harsh "Bring Back The Ways Of Old", these 11 tracks are classic harsh, gutteral, and potent old-school electro -- with no frills and no apologies. My only complaints are with the often-clumsy lyrics, but then again this is a Swedish band, and English may not be their native tongue. "Bright Light" is brutish electro-thrash, harkening back to classics like Front Line Assembly's "Caustic Grip" era, but with more aggression. "Death Is Natural" slows things down a mite, but stays angry, dark, and heavy, as does the churning, pulsating "Promulgation". "Symptom" is another barn-burner of amped-up electro-thrash -- effective and cool. "The Dirt" is a solid release, tailor-made for fans of classic electro-EBM.

Alfa Matrix

Pouppeebook

"Mara" DVD (directors: Kondrup-Hedberg-Gustafsson)

Sexy Swedish horror

In ancient Scandinavian lore, a "mara" was a night-time demon that inspired bad dreams. Hence, we now use the word "nightmare". This Swedish-language film (with English subtitles) is a well-done horror/thriller with something to offer, even though it has nothing to do with the film's story or script. But more on that in a moment.

Starring the voluptuous and busty Swedish supermodel Angelica Jansson, "Mara" follows her character from a troubled childhood to adulthood, where she finds herself staying with some friends in the house where she, as a youth, witnessed her own mother murder her father. Needless to say, there are some ghosts still residing at that residence.

Jansson does a reasonable job here as the lead, but it's her shower scene makes it all worthwhile. Seriously, this is the most memorable part of "Mara"!  The cinematography is solid, but with a pedestrian script and predictable finale, it all falls apart. I give credit to the directors and effects people, as there are some moments of genuine tension and dread here, but it's not enough to save a fairly forgettable "OK" film. 

MVD Visual

Age Of Woe - "Inhumanform" CD

Crusty Swedish metal

Sweden seems to be the home of the best metal these days, with the likes of my own favorites, Watain and Meshuggah hailing from that very destination. Age Of Woe's debut doesn't reach that watermark level of metal brutality nor complexity, but "Inhumanform" is a solid work of downtuned "d-beat" mayhem, nonetheless. And they're from Sweden.

"King Of Thieves" is a rollicking metallic joyride to hell, while "Black Rain" is a sorrowful, doom-laced piece. "At First Light" is a speed-laced, fuzzed-out rocker that channels both classic metal and hardcore. The rest of this 38-minute album follows closely behind. Maybe it's not so unique, but Age Of Woe certainly have the momentum and potential to join their aforementioned brethren.

Give Praise Records

Age Of Woe bandcamp

Age Of Woe site

Corrosive Carcass - "Composition Of Flesh" CD

The debut from a Swedish death/gore metal band, "Composition Of Flesh" is a thick and sludgy attack, with the requisite gurgled vocals. Is this some kind of tribute to early Carcass? Not necessarily, as Corrosive Carcass seem more structured and, dare I say, almost tuneful as compared to Steer and Walker's legendary English gore/grind act. There remains some quality, if somewhat derivative, work here, nonetheless.

"Self Mutilation" is a solid slab of fuzzy, downtuned guitars and a breakneck pace. "Born In A Casket" would be perfect for a frenzied mosh pit (if those exist anymore), with multi-tempoed attacks that divebomb into blurry thrash madness. Other cuts are dynamic and well-produced berzerkers, as well. Corrosive Carcass aren't doing anything too unique, but they do a wonderful job creating ugly, sludgy metal monsters that mosh with the best of them. I liked.

(Abyss Records)

Corrosive Carcasspace

Meshuggah - "Koloss" album

Sweden's best-known and most influential metal band returns with their long-awaited 7th studio album, and it's a crushing masterpiece. "I Am Colossus" is a refined assault of surgical metal guitar riffs and complex arrangements. The riffing is immaculate and technical, while lead throat Jens Kidman is positively corrosive. "The Demon's Name Is Surveillance" is speed metal redefined -- absolutely inhuman in its ferocity and speed. "Behind The Sun" is a steamroller of metal madness, while "The Hurt That Finds You First" is a juggernaut of massive math-metal-jazz with a hint of psychedelic ambience. With the impeccable "Koloss", Meshuggah redefine "heavy", shackling machine metal with massive arrangements that lay waste to 90% of modern rock. Damn, this is immense. (Nuclear Blast) Meshuggah official site

Amon Amarth - "Surtur Rising" CD

The most likely template for Dethklok (the fictitious animated band from Adult Swim's "Metalocalypse"), these Swedish warriors unleash their 8th studio album, and it leaps out of the starting gate with the potent and galloping metal of "War Of The Gods". A harbinger of good things? In this case, yes.

Amon Amarth's respected Viking metal is produced magnificently, with every bass, lead, and rhythm guitar riff being clear and intense. The seething, gurgled vocals of Johan Hegg are scalding, and the drumming? Couldn't sound better. Crisp highs, deep lows. It all adds up to a seriously world-class metal album.

The band's Tolkien-inspired song-tales of Norse mythology and epic battles are melodic and proficient, all the while remaining as complex as Meshuggah or as brutal as any death metal. It's like death metal with melody, thrash metal with songwriting, or black metal with muscles. This is the music of Odin, of Thor and the gods of Asgard. "Surtur Rising" is, from start to finish, one of the best metal albums I've heard this year. (Metal Blade)

Amon Amarthspace

Amon Amarth site

Watain - "Lawless Darkness" CD

Sweden's Watain have quickly ascended to a leading position within the insulated and stagnating black metal scene. "Lawless Darkness", their 4th album, further cements the band's malevolent throne. Watain aim exponentially higher (or is it lower?) than their brethren, and "Visible Darkness" is a masterpiece of terror and unrelenting darkness. It's a charred, fiery blast furnace of bleak and impenetrable heaviness that may end up redefining the genre.

Purists have criticized "Lawless Darkness" for sounding like traditional metal ala Motorhead (maybe true somewhat on tracks like "Reaping Death" or "Total Funeral"), therefore bastardizing the sacred "black metal" genre. I say hogwash. On the contrary, Watain have singlehandedly advanced the scene with their melding of classic metal inspirations (just listen to some of the guitar solos here), furious cut-throat aggression, dark mood and melody, and, last but not least, a crisp, punchy, and thunderous production (sorely lacking in a lot of the genre's stalwarts).

The intensity never wanes, from the opener, "Death's Cold Dark", through the bold instrumental title cut, and all the way to the stunning end. The surprise guest vocal cameo on the closer, "Waters Of Ain", by Carl McCoy of occult-rock act Fields Of The Nephilim is mostly token, but it does emblazon Watain's sincerity and genre-crossing fearlessness. Vocalist Erik Danielsson has stated that this contemplative 14+ minute finale is the soundtrack to his own demise. And true to black metal tradition, this rollercoaster of emotive texture, quiet contemplation, and enraged bombast is wholly appropriate. There are elements of intense sorrow, poetic depth, and fiery resolution. It's a powerful and truly magnificent tour-de-force.

Limited editions of the album include a bonus track, a furious cover of the Death SS song, "Chains Of Death". It's a worthy addition to the album, and brings it all to a brilliantly epic 80 minutes. "Lawless Darkness" is essential to any fan of modern metal, and may well bring the essence of black metal to a whole new audience. (Season Of Mist)

Temple Of Watain site

Die Hard - "Nihilistic Vision" CD

Sweden's Die Hard 's debut openly recognizes it's inspirations -- classic thrash metal like Venom (who wrote the song "Die Hard", for which the band's name is appropriated), Celtic Frost, Slayer, and Sodom. Which is good, because that leaves comparisons and accusations far behind. As it is, "Nihilistic Vision" is full of solid, fast, and fist-pumping old-school thrash, with little time for any death or black metal accents, no sir. This is bold and strident thrash that harkens back to the days when this was the most dangerous music around. "Bloody War" is a gutteral assault of war-metal with multiple tempo changes that reminds me of viking days somehow. "Fed To The Lions" boasts some scalding guitar chug that could rival Slayer, even, and indeed sounds a lot like them. "Attack From The Back" is almost punk, though heavier than that implies. And on a trivial level, it seems these guys share a drummer with one of my favorite black metal acts, Watain, so consider that a recommendation. Good, strong, and faster-than-you classic thrash, Die Hard's "Nihilistic Vision" is a good, fearsome kick to the nads. Hail! (Agonia Records)

Die Hardspace

Die Hard site

Mr. Death - "Detached From Life" CD

Hailing from Sweden, this new outfit features a former member of Tiamat, and the focus here is on classic, gut-churning gore/death metal. Production by Tomas Skogsberg (Entombed, Amorphis) is thick, clean, and alive, giving the band's crunchy and gutteral attack a powerful wall of sound, with a perfect high/low balance. "Misery's Womb" is among my favorites, with a ripping dual-guitar power-symphony. It's all strong work, certainly some of the finest death metal I've heard in some time. These lads know what they're doing, and they are at the top of their game here. (Agonia Records)

Mr. Death's site

Mr.Deathspace

Sanctification - "Black Reign" CD

Formed from members of Swedish death metallers Dark Funeral and Hypocrisy, this group spews forth 9 crushing blurs of American-style death metal over the course of a scant 30 minutes. All the trademarks are in place, from the chest-rattling blastbeats, to the throat-gargled vocals, to torrential guitar riffs. In a genre like this, production is uber-important, too, and the work of the Tagtgren brothers (Tommy and Peter) is clear and precise, with just the right amount of crunchy lows and bass response. Very effective! It's difficult to single out any certain tracks here, as it all goes by so quickly, with little time to regroup before the next swell of gargantuan bombast. Lyrics? Are you kidding? They could be singing about Sesame Street for all I care. This crunches, and if classic death metal is your bag, these guys are already better than any Cannibal Corpse I've ever heard.
(Pulverised Records)

Sanctificationspace

My Own Grave - "Necrology" CD

I had to scour the label's website in order to figure out WHO the hell this CD was by! Seriously, these awful, stereotypical death metal fonts are well overdone, aren't they? Anyhow, that aside, this is a Swedish death metal horde that manages to kick some serious ass. Innovators they aren't, but the band's Swedish-meets-American death metal is everything you could hope for -- the vomited vocals, hyperspeed riffage and drummage, and a pinpoint-perfect production that leaves space for each instrument, and gives "Necrology" a crisp, clean, and deliciously thunderous whomp. "Exhumed To Be Buried", for example, is wicked, intense, and dense, but clear. Well-done, guys! (Pulverised Records)

My Own Gravesite