Summer knocking on the door and most of you have already started your holiday. Well, time to change the warm, happy and positive feeling with cover nr #7. This is probably the most unexpected one yet so far. Obviously though, Paranoid is named after the Black Sabbath's second album, so the connection to doom metal might not really be that remote, but still this mix of one of the fastest and one of the slowest genres might have not been exactly what some had foreseen from us. We once discussed doing a live cover version of the title track of Paranoid, but that idea was abandoned quite fast, because the song generally felt a bit watered down and there is no one in the world that can beat the original. No one! But also too much of a predictable and boring choice.
Still, the thought of doing a cover of an up tempo doom-tune lived on, and once the title track from Pentagram's second album came to mind, it felt right immediately, and in the countless suggestions of which songs to choose for this project, it stood out as an idea interesting enough to make it all the way to the studio. The way that the riffs in this song are arranged, it's almost like it originally was meant to be a raw punk song. When played in d-beat, it could just as well have been written by any hardcore-worshipping band from the early 80's and up to date.
The final result turned out very satisfying, and of the covers we've recorded, it's definitely the most unique interpretation of our covers we've made, compared to the original version. It also feels great to pay homage to this fantastic band, that along with bands like Saint Vitus, Trouble and Pagan Altar have delivered some of the finest works in the history of this genre. For the guitar-solo, August Låsgårdh (Henrik's twin brother) from the local doom-band King Malice gave us some help, when we couldn't really get it right ourselves. As the super untalented musicians we are. Hehe. Noise not music!
For all trve crust-punks out there who only heard about Discharge before but got a taste for some more doom, we can warmly recommend you to broaden your horizons with Pentagram'S/t' (Relentless), Saint Vitus'S/t', Trouble'The Skull' and Pagan Altar'Volume 1'. All classics.
Finallycatching upwith the present! No unansweredemails andall paid orderssent away. I will take the summerofffrom the 1st ofJuly anduntilthe middle of August. Until then, I really hopethat we havereceived ournew releases who's been atthe pressing plantfor a few monthsnow. I will certainly becheckingmymailsometimenow and then during the summer,so it'sobviouslyokey to send your emails andorders, but be preparedthat youmay have to waitfor a response.But it'snothing new.Haha. But it's stilla week left until we're closed, which means there's still timeto makeyour holiday-orders.
We printed an exclusive shirt (Pisschrist rip off) and sent to Yeap as a gift for the help with mixing the "Punk is love" cover song. To cover the screening + postage costs CrashThePoseUk / No Rules made a super short run which they sell via their web shop. Click the links. Other great looking shirts available. Have a look!
This designwill definitelyneverbe printedagainand can onlybe bought through CTPUK. We don't have any for sale. Yellow/orange print on black Gildan heavy t-shirt.
Then we are halfway through this never ending project. It feels like we
literally lived in the studio the past months, and if I'll be honest,
I'm pretty tired of it. Not on the project as such, but the lack of time
to do something else. Like rehearse our own stuff, or to play more live
for that matter. But after all, I still think it is worthwhile to
explore other band's songs and studying their methods and patterns. It
definitely gives more than it costs.
We feel that we need a
well-deserved vacation for the summer. Therefore, we've recorded the
songs for July and August already. Now you don't need to wait longer
than until August to get to know and hear what Totalitär song we picked.
Well, enough about that now and let's get back to the topic, and the
story behind the choice of this month cover.
Already in September
2014, I e-mailed Emil and Henrik and suggested that we should record
"Krossad Dröm" by Acursed. I asked them also to take a closer look to
Martyrdöd's first self titled album. Basically speaking, we could've
recorded a song by Martyrdöd as well since both bands have been
important for us. Although it may not be heard, I try to always have it
with me somewhere in the background. It's mainly the darkness, a
societal disdain and a reality that they write about that I can relate
to that catch my interest. In fact, for both bands. They write about a
dark, political, anguished reality that perhaps not all people can
identify with. There are few bands that manage to capture that living
and real atmosphere on a recording as both Acursed and Martyrdöd does.
Many
punk bands have been influenced by their songs and albums, myself
included, and made unsuccessful attempts to imitate and copy their
style. Perhaps myself included again, I leave it to others to decide.
But you can not write about a life they themselves never experienced in a
credible way. It only becomes contrived and embarrassing for those who
actually living it. The lyrics only becomes empty and superficial of
fictional fates and if you can't stand up for what you are writing
about. I mean, practice what you preach. That's usually what most of the
bands they've bred have in common and falls on.
Acursed are a
band that many people like, but very few talk about. In a way, one can
almost say that they are invisible, but still not. It feels like they
often end up in the shadows of other, more predictable (also yet more
active) bands. They make themselves unavailable without actually
themselves might have done it as a conscious choice. If you understand
what I mean? I would not call Acursed an underrated band, but I don't
think that they get, or have gotten, the attention and credit they
really deserve. And that's one of many reasons why we chose Acursed in
the end.
My first contact with Acursed was the Mcd "A Facist
State… In Disguise". I really liked the "professional" sound (compared
to many other things I was listening to at the time), the riffs and
especially the raw vocals. Some years later the split LP with Fallout,
where "Krossad Dröm" is on, was released. I lived in Umeå at that time
and I remember I was listening to the opening track at least a dozen
times before my roommate knocked on the door and asked if I had a
jumping vinyl needle before I continued listened to the rest of the
songs. Haha. I guess that all covers we have done and will do have that
in common. That you can listen to them over and over again without
getting tired of them.
One of Emil's greatest desires was that we
would play a Nasum cover. We had actually decided that we would record
"Corrosion" from "Human 2.0" as our cover in June. We debated back and
forth for a while about potential Nasum songs, but eventually chose
"Corrosion". Henrik did his very best to hear/learn all the riffs, but
it was easier said than done. I emailed Jon (bass player in Nasum) and
asked if he wanted to assist and help us with tablatures or something.
He responded later the very same day: "Sure, I'll show you the riffs but
only IRL. It's NOT like it "sounds" on the record".
There was
only one problem with that, Jon lives in Stockholm while we live in the
northern parts of Sweden. It's +6 hours drive (one way!). Luckily, I had
a gig booked in Stockholm three weeks later, so me and Jon booked a
date. Barely a week later I emailed cancellation.
We had started to
rehearse the song but it was too complicated for us, and it felt
frustrating and hopeless. We even watched live clips on the internet
trying to figure out roughly how the hell they were playing. We knew
almost immediately that there was no way that we would be able to make a
fair version. Might as well realize and admit our musical/instrumental
limits, which we also did. It felt really sad to have to deselect a song
with a band that we really wanted to do a cover on. Total
disappointment, but what could we do? To make a simpler and poorer cover
version was just not an option.
I told Jon (who also happens to
play guitar in Acursed) about our defeat, but also about our backup
plan, and we decided to still meet when I was in Stockholm.
While the
rest of my band started with the sound check, Jon and I were backstage
with an electric guitar and a pen and paper. At the same time some idiot
did burglaries in our tour bus and stole my backpack as you may have
heard or read about. So I where robbed of all my belongings that I had
with me on the tour while I learned how to play this song properly. True
story.
It's the first time I'm nervous about what the band
really think about, and like, our version. It's most probably that
Acursed are good friends to us. I don't think I ever told any of them
how much their songs really meant to me. For it has. The same goes for Martyrdöd. I hope they at
least see this cover as a small proof of my and Paranoid's appreciation
of their music.
The production came out not as raw and noisy than
we normally have. But I think it fits considering that the song is very
melodious. Kenko has done an incredibly great mixing/mastering job
again, and we couldn't be more pleased.
Last but not least, we can
proudly announce that Kristofer (vocalist of Acursed), joins us on the
choruses. He does a brilliant effort, even though it's the first time he
screams in several years. We are very grateful and glad that both Jon
and Kristofer took the time and helped us and because they were so
committed. End of story...and end of ass-licking! Play loud.
Might as well take the opportunity to update the blog with some other new stuff when I have access to a computer with internet, and have the time. I feel sorry that you have to wait weeks for a response to your emails. I'm on to it but last week(s) I have just given up everything.
The longsleeves that we printed last time ran out in a day or two so we decided to make a new edition with the "Satyagraha" LP front cover made by Andy/Viral Age. UPDATE (25/5), IN STOCK NOW. Available sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL. Price: 225sek + postage. Send all orders to the email below.
We have received a couple of questions about the upcoming Paranoid records. First, Yes (if you read the flyer), there will be a regular and a limited version of both vinyls. Both records are 'band releases' but by D&R, that's why it's important that you make all (pre)orders at: pndftw@gmail.com
Our great friend at Konton Crasherwill release th US version of "Satyagraha". Get in touch with either us or K.C. for w/s.
"What's the deal with that Destroy future... re-issue?". It's very simple, the 7" on Konton Crasher was released over a year ago and was sold out in no time. There are many whostill ask for itwhen we're out playing and nowwe makeit availableagain. When we recorded that 7" we also recorded three other tracks that ended up on the "Distortion Faith #1" compilation cassette. Which is sold out too, so we decided to put the entire 7" in full on Side A and the three comp tracks on Side B. Voila, Mini LP (european press) completed.
Here, at PUNK-RADIO, you have an exclusive pre-listening to a track by 偏執症者 taken from the upcoming split w/ ABSOLUT. For further info get in touch with the labels; Beach Impediment/Brain Solvent Propaganda(US press), Phobia / Crucificados (Eur. press). Release date: Summer 2015.
Great mixing/mastering by Kenko at Communichaos, and brilliant art by Sugi!
"Bloodthirsty System" was the very first song I ever heard with State of Fear, it must have been around 97-98. Like any other teenager at the age of 17 I spent every weekend with my best friends and a couple of six-packs. Listening to punk and out raising hell. My youth is kind of blurred. Haha. But as far as I can remember I was at a party that the guitarist in one of my old bands had. The song struck me like a lightning and we listened to it on repeat the entire night. Directly on the Monday after I called Dolores (Distortion Records) and ordered myself a copy of "Wallow In Squalor EP " and I added the "The tables will turn..." LP on the advice of the one who received my order. Which is also a damn great album, but that's another story.
And yes...you read that right, called, as in dialing a number and place an order to a real person on the other side of the line.
I can still today get that feeling of my first love for the band, and although I've heard "Bloodthirsty System" thousands of times the genuine and the simplicity of the song never fade. The song itself has a pretty thin but very honest and raw production. What I think that I like the most is the wild drum style, and of course the intense dual vocals which usually is the common denominator between most crust bands. Jay is a chapter for itself, and then we have Jon, and voila, we have the perfect combination of pure frustration, integrity and sensible political views.
Even though the lyric of this song was written 20 years ago it's even more relevant today. It's embarrassing. The consumer society of today will become mankind's grave. It's no longer a question of "Buy or die", but instead buy And die.
I have always wanted to play cover on this song with my other/old bands, but it was only now that I really got the chance to fulfill my wishes. I would say that State of Fear is punk at its best! There is something special with their riffs, same thing goes for Consume and Deathraid. I can't put my finger on what it is, they just have IT.
In 2010 Deathraid played at LÓrient in Linköping, Sweden, and I took the courage to me and asked Jay about the secret behind the riffs. "I have stolen everything from the Mob 47", was the only answer I got. End of conversation.
While we're talking about Consume, I could also mention that I suggested that we should record "2nd Class Citizen" as a cover of the month. But it was either State of Fear or Consume, a hard but really not that difficult choice. Brilliant band/song though. If you haven't heard or listened to Consume earlier I can highly recommend the split they did with Born/Dead. Trve quality from beginning to end.
A song that, however, we tried to rehearse was "Just think about it" by Extreme Noise Terror. And E.N.T was really high on our list of bands doing cover on. I mean, who hasn't ripped it up to "Phonophobia"?! Unfortunately we have only 12 bands and 12 songs to do and the list of songs we want to do is a hundred times longer than months that we have left on this project. At least we gave it a try, but it didn't really sound like we wanted.
Again, both State of Fear and Extreme Noise Terror were great inspirations for me when I started my own first käng-bands in the nineties. But they were not the only ones, I think it's important to also mention Doom and Disrupt if we are talking about käng/crust bands. That's why it feels especially exciting that it is Bri Doom who has mixed this cover song. He knows the drill when it comes to this sub-genre of punk and it's always fun and rewarding with new cooperation.
After a very short discussion suggested Bri that we would donate money to the "CHILE DONATION" instead of paying him for the mixing. A really good suggestion that we think more people should do! Read all about the background story and how you can help and contribute on DOOM's website (click the link).
Worth mentioning, redundant information but still, is that Emil (drummer) make his vocal debut in Paranoid on the choruses. He barely made it through all three choruses before his voice was completely fucked. Well, it's tough getting old. I'll tell you that much.
