Reviews:
(Warprayer newsletter # 107 - 25/11 - 2003)
MARTYRDÖD painted the prompt, black metal influenced, brutal
hardcore sign with great vocals, which alternate between wild
shrieks and deeper barkings, on their studded leather jackets
and next to this, they also included a few fierce, icecold hooks
that will stick in your soul forever, into their wall of sound!
If you need a comparison, think of a missing link between ASEBIA,
WOLFBRIGADE and TRAGEDY!! I'm spinning this album a lot, so it's
obvious I absolutely pray to MARTYRDÖD!!
(Reason To Believe #10 - Winter 2003/04)
Where can you even begin to describe this record!!!? From the
first node of the first song you are lifted up and taken away
to be swept along in a blur of raging intensity, of screaming
anger, og dark metal tinged seething pessimism, hopelessness,
frustration, that in itself has produced something of such beauty
and ire that not until the final node of the final song are you
allowed to rest. Your body and mind spun into a maelstrom of a
tornado that sees you eaten up, chewed and spat out fortwith.
Total destruction! Political, social and personal thought are
dealt with in the lyrics and "Berövad" sums up
MARTYRDÖDs position. Are you a happy member of modern society?
Or are you living with the feeling that you are being deprived
from a natural life. Dedicated to those who live far beyond their
material needs but still haven´t found any inner peace,
this one is about how the system ruins us all. A portion of the
money from the sales of this record goes to the Anarchist Black
Cross. Dark, brutal, formidable. (SHY)
(Kängnäve newsletter #2 - Summer 2003)
Plague Bearer records is the crusty offshot of the Kick N Punch
imperium so an agenda of flawless releases is to be expected.
Indeed, Stockholm's best kept secret MARTYRDÖD hits you like
a freight train at full speed. They've been described as a black
metal-influenced version of WOLFBRIGADE and I can't think of a
more accurate comparison . It's heavy and D-beat-driven yet retains
a sense of dark/cold melodies. The vocalist stands halfway between
Viking black metal shrieks and recent Portland bands a'la RELIGIOUS
WAR/BLOOD SPIT NIGHTS, spitting out anti-capitalist lyrics in
Swedish: religion, television, competition, the hopeless future
of mankind and more punk-as-fuck topics re dealt with. As it wasn't
enough, this is a benefit for the Anarchist Black Cross.
(Maximum Rock N Roll #245 October 2003)
Pummeling stuff here - huge production for this Swedish wrecking
ball that plows through ten tracks of heavy duty hardcore than
fans of SKITSYSTEM, WOFBRIGADE, ACURSED and VICTIMS would be doing
themselves a favour to look into. Big TRAGEDY influence in evident
too - especially with sweeping melodic lines, which compliment
the driving drum attack quit well. Burly and recommended. (MT)
(Equalizing-X-Distort, Volume 4, Issue 2)
The cover of this record looks rather "Arty" and perhaps
a bit misleading as to what's in store once the needle is dropped
because aurally this is some dark, nasty Swedish Hardcore that's
loaded with heavy, sweeping guitars and string bending which reminds
me of a combination of BOMBSTRIKE and KONTROVERS. (If that's of
any help) The vocals come off sounding like a "screaming
Whisper" which adds to the character of this bands debut
full length. All songs are sung in their native tongue with poignant
English, elucidate translations which accompany the lyric sheet
on the flipside with 10 Swedish Crowns of this record going to
The Swedish Anarchist Black Cross, so you know where this bands
views lie. Like many good bands out of Scandinavia, they stick
with their formula, so this is a consistent, and solid listen
from beginning to end. I don't know much about this bunch, but
will hopefully hear more. On one side of the record label, there
is a picture of four guys donning corpse paint. Wouldn't be the
first marriage of black metal and d-beat hardcore. |
