Reviews

De:Nihil

Agoni En Röst För Fred 1984–1986 LP

AGONI of Stockholm was one of the predecessors of modern D-beat and Scandinavian hardcore, playing in the heavier register such as SVART PARAD, BOMBANFALL, CRUDITY, DNA, HEADCLEANERS, ANTIBOFORS, DISARM, or DISCARD…but in some cases, several years prior to those bands. So, if any of that is of interest, this review is for you, and you already want or have this LP. AGONI was fucking heavy and fast, and pre-any of those categorizations. Just hardcore käng (känga “boot” crust) punk. Grumbling, furious bass and a calamity of drumming and distortion. An intonating furnace of vocals. Classic tumbling intros and tempo changes you hear all the time in a D-beat “Dis” band today. Not just today, ever since the mid-’80s, and all over the world! But AGONI, and their Swedish contemporaries, wrote that skit. The freshness is almost palpable; it sounds so sincerely constructed and musically destructed. The remastering of these three demos(!) and a live 1985 gig is outstanding. Not to get too far off track here, but if you watch ’80s skate videos and you see the look on the skater’s face when they are like, “What the fuck did I just do and land?,” you realize they were inventing something raw and powerful and always went as hard as possible —it was their scene to do so. That is what it’s like to listen to this compilation. Beautiful hardcore in its the purest and earliest form. No carbon copies here, actually writing the often-imitated fill stylings and riffs you hear today, seemingly happening on the exact take you are listening to. Those subtle imperfections in timing and dropping tone that make it so fucking punk. Side B (demo three) moves into their more thrash-crossover material, as bands of this style were doing then, but even their take retains hardcore roots in its hooks. This collection is essential! Alas, all the liner notes are in Swedish. Use your translation app or something, it’s not 1984—and don’t forget your band is not AGONI when you rehearse that two-second raw moment they did, but you’re still pretty good.

D.T.A.L. Dark Dimensions of War LP

Cult punks D.T.A.L. recorded this LP in 1990, moving away from the classic ripping hardcore roots of their Time to Die debut EP, but it was shelved for 33 years! Now remastered, here is a very synth-heavy Swedish stench album that is leagues more metal. While their earlier material is fantastic, blisteringly fast mangel, Dark Dimensions of War offers a practically symphonic long-composition crust record. D.T.A.L. does no wrong in either lane. Many might find this a bit more contrived in its execution, but that kind of reminds of criticism of RUDIMENTARY PENI—“I don’t like anything after Death Church.” It’s just different. Musicians want to explore different sounds. If the D.T.A.L. EP and this LP were by two separate bands, no one would argue it’s “not as good” as the other. Significantly different. Anyway, think of the rhythmic delivery of ONSLAUGHT or VENOM (except tighter, but who isn’t?), with a lot of interesting synth like AMEBIX, AXEGRINDER, or DEVIATED INSTINCT (flute-like arias at times, and I thought it was on the wrong sped at first), but not lacking the punch of ANTI CIMEX and their own early ’80s impact. Riffs galore within seven songs of long passages and advanced changes. This came out at a good time, with a sound from the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, but holds up against modern war/stench/crust metal bands. Pretty sure we’re getting some sax on Side B here too, but that may be a keyboard. A bleak catastrophic scene of the bombing of Cologne addresses the album’s themes on the cover. Overall, this is just a bigger, badder, more advanced sound from D.T.A.L., and I like both their razor-sharp narrow path and this tank-crushing direction as well. Get this, a dream album that sounds like a dystopian nightmare, for your next DJ night. It provides plenty of time to step away and enjoy your own playlist!

Driver Fuck You EP

A labor of love started in 1994 by TOTALITÄR and BRAINBOMBS’ own Lanchy, DRIVER recorded ten tracks in 2000, five of which are featured here on Fuck You. A stripped-down, no-frills affair with a dirty, lo-fi quality, per the sleeve this was inspired by heavy-hitters like the FIX, DISCHARGE, MC5, POISON IDEA, RADIO BIRDMAN, and “distorted rock’n’roll guitars in general.” The final product is just that, a fuzzy slurry of dis-beat-influenced proto-punk. If that sounds weird, trust me, it works. “Junkie Corpse” is a favorite and definitely delivers on the POISON IDEA influence, while “Deform Reform” has some tasty blues licks that are unexpected but certainly welcome. Overall, I hear more IGGY AND THE STOOGES than anything else, and for that I am thankful. A gnarly little record that I can’t recommend enough.

Flegma Dead Angels Abyss LP

Crossover/D-beat with squeaky-clean production. This seems to be a maiden voyage for FLEGMA, who bill themselves more in a D-beat vein while covering all the metal bases you really can on this projectile. FROM ASHES RISE meets NILE? You could name the usual lineups of both genres. At times, it even comes off a bit proggy. Not sure where to start or end with this without conjuring some real bro/AMA-type shit in my head. I’m going to leave this here.

Hard Pass Distorted Eyes LP

New-ish band, veteran players that have paid their dues in such diverse bands as PYRAMIDO, SATANIC SURFERS, BURST, and ANCHOR. Since their debut Hardcore 2024, the Malmö band has been in constant forward movement. Distorted Eyes is their first full statement, or as the official line puts it, “ten tracks of unrelenting hardcore punk.” No exaggeration there. The opener “Lies” sets the picture of systems failing, truth being commodified, and everyone’s complicity in it. Lyrics read like headlines chewed up and spit back out through a punk filter. The message is consistent: distrust power, reject passivity, and call out the machinery. Sonically, it’s classic hardcore chassis, but not stuck in time. What makes Distorted Eyes stick is conviction. This is hardcore as a delivery system for change.

Oral Slagen I Blod LP

ORAL. What a weird name for a band. Not really a shirt you would wear comfortably in 2026. To my great shame, I only discovered the band a couple of years ago when FOAD Records reissued an early discography of this Swedish band, Dystopisk Framtid. To be fair, I was a little upset that I didn’t know this mid/late ’80s band before, as they played a cracking style of raw and absolutely furious abrasive käng reminiscent of CRUDE SS or AVSKUM, but a with a more pronounced metallic thrash influence at times. The dog’s bollocks. ORAL’s only proper recording came out in 1994 and included nine songs originally written during their first run between 1984 and 1989 (I assume they were no longer active by then) and recorded with a heavier, not to mention more metal-oriented, production. Seeing the prices of the CD-only release, Slagen I Blod must have been considered as something of an obscure classic that was difficult to acquire, so the reissue on De:Nihil Records (a label that was kind enough to reissue CRUDITY last year) is welcome indeed. The basis of the songs are still to be found in the second part of the ’80s, back when primitive brands of hardcore and metal started dating for real. Slagen I Blod sounds like a bridge between the aggression of Swedish extreme metal of the ’90s and the brutality of the D-beat hardcore of Distortion Records from the same time, and it is quite excellent. Many current bands try hard to pull this “metal käng” style, and very few succeed like ORAL did. But then, guitar player Alf also played in AT THE GATES, so clearly he knew what he was doing. An essential reissue in my opinion.

Axe Rash / Therapy split EP

Stockholm’s AXE RASH have, and always will, it seems, provide straight, simple, raw, and heavy metallic D-beat to the masses. This, however, is a similar merge with American hardcore as we’ve seen with bands à la WARTHOG, and the lyrics to each of their two songs are humorous, particularly on the opener “Ostrich Man.” Great stuff. THERAPY from San Diego, while providing some great music as well, doesn’t have quite the force that AXE RASH has in their songs, but nonetheless is a promising band. The first couple of their songs lack a bit, but “Power” is mental. I really felt I was being transported to seeing the band in person via this song, which few records can accomplish. Ultimately, the truly exciting aspect lies in the A-side, but it’s still worth taking the time aside for a full listen.