Instantly identifiable by its buzzsaw guitars, low, guttural vocals, and speedy, but not blinding tempos, Swedish death metal is now well into its third decade of existence. The genre has produced countless bands of note, achieving mild commercial success with questionable DM acts like In Flames and Soilwork and in the early 90s, Entombed. But rooted at the core of Swedish death metal are the tales of forgotten bands that built the scene like Mefisto, Afflicted, Tribulation, and Sorcery. Here to tell those tales is Insision bassist/scene know-it-all, Daniel Ekeroth.
The first book totally dedicated to Swedish death metal, Swedish Death Metal (Bazillion Points) is stocked with information detailing the early players in the scene along with trends, developments, and every testimonial and anecdote you could ever want to hear. Ekeroth’s vast research and connections produces countless page-turning moments where pivotal musicians such as Nicke Andersson (ex Entombed, Hellacopters), Tomas Lindberg (At the Gates, Disfear), Johan Edlund (Tiamat), Fred Estby (ex Dismember), and a handful of others wax on the scene’s halcyon days, making us all wish we there to witness it all.
Blistering could sit here and rattle off the many cool moments in the book, but that would defeat the whole purpose of actually picking up this 450 page gem. However, we were able to corral Ekeroth into an interview to talk about Swedish Death Metal and more importantly, Swedish death metal. Read on…
Blistering.com: When did you start the get the itch to write a book like this? I could only imagine the research you put in…
Ekeroth: I started my publishing house (Tamara Press) while drunk back in 2001, originally with the idea of releasing books about obscure cinema. Well, after I had written and released two minor releases about horror and sexploitation films, I was wondering what to do next. At the same time I had started to do a list of all the great Swedish death metal bands of the old days, and realized I should try to make a book out of it all. It soon grew from a mere A-Z into a full blown book, and then I went into the crypt of rays for about four and a half years to complete this mission impossible. If I would have known all the work it would take, I would probably just have hit the pub and forgot about the whole thing!
Blistering.com: Do you fashion yourself a true writer? I must say, the book is very cohesive and readable, plus your personal touch gives it a very human feel.
Ekeroth: Actually, I think I am a slightly better writer than musician even though my English of course, is not top-notch. I am pretty shy, so I guess I explain myself far better in script than speak. In fact, the only thing I ever learned in school was to write at least a bit decent – that’s seven years of university for you!
Blistering.com: Were you the type of fan/musician that kept everything (i.e. flyers, demos, etc. etc.)?
Ekeroth: I kept most of it back in the days, but when I moved away from home in 1992 something ghastly happened…. my mother simply threw away all my old stuff, including t-shirts, posters, flyers, demos and the lot! The only thing I brought with me immediately was the records and the fanzines. It still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it. I still love my mother though, and my parents have always been supportive to my musical taste – and very hateful towards religion.
Blistering.com: You were in the thick of the death metal explosion in the early 90’s. Describe what it was like to be witness to all of the great death metal just popping up every second.
Ekeroth: You just didn’t know what was happening. I mean, I started to listen to Kiss when I was four years old. Then it was Sabbath, Priest, Scorpions and everything heavy until Venom. Then it was Mercyful Fate, Bathory, Sodom and all the thrash metal bands for some time. At the same time, I listened to hardcore punk, and I guess the step to death metal only seemed a part of my upbringing. The first time I ever felt that punk and metal had melted together into something completely unique was when I saw Napalm Death in 1988. It was also the first time a band seemed more brutal than I could grasp. Then it was a wonderful time of death metal all the way until 1992, when black metal started to take over.
Blistering.com: How many of you in the scene knew that it really wasn't Johnny Dordevic singing on (Entombed’s) Clandestine?
Ekeroth: Most of the guys. I mean, if you ever saw Entombed live during those days you just knew. Me and our bunch in Avesta thought it was Uffe (Cenderlund, guitars) singing though, but it was apparently Nicke.
Blistering.com: I know you dig the album, but don’t you feel Wolverine Blues signaled the end of pure Swedish death metal?
Ekeroth: It just happened to come out at the same time as the black metal trend kicked off. Personally, I actually think it is more death metal than Clandestine! I just love everything about Wolverine Blues - it is a perfect sounding and totally amazing album. It should have made Entombed kings of the world.
Blistering.com: Similarly, Massive Killing Capacity was a noticeable change in direction for Dismember and is considered their worst album. Do you agree with that? I’m of the opinion it’s an excellent, totally underrated album. “Crime Divine” is heavy as fuck!
Ekeroth: I think it is a misdirected album, and the sound is not very good. It sure has its moments, but overall it is in fact their worst album. Dismember is at their best when they skip all melody, and just go into the kill!
