Krater - a different kind of soundtrack
Among a lot of other reviews that are to be found in the first issue of Hinsides Magazine - the one about fanzines and dungeon synth - there is a special feature about the re-issue of ”Ånden som gjorde Opprör” by Mortiis. This particularly initiated and well written text was executed by no one less than Mr Håkan Lindell. A man of many interests that once again has been kind enough to concentrate his fathomless wisdom into yet another contribution to the Hinsides universe. This time with a depiction of the story behind the very special riddle that goes by the name of KRATER
Cover of the Cd-Box set.
One of the most influential and long- lived roleplaying games to emerge from Sweden is called Mutant. The game was first created in the early 80´s and drew heavy inspiration from a American role playing game called Gamma World, published in -78. Both games had a post-apocalyptic setting but Mutant made the unusual and somewhat bold decision to make the game take place in Sweden. In this post-apocalyptic setting you and your friends adventure around and try to survive in this very hostile environment filled with mutated creatures, insidious plant life and relics from the past.
Fun for the whole family!
Mutant has seen a couple of different interpretations during its soon-to-be forty years lifespan. From its post-apocalyptic beginnings to the cyber-punk drenched version from the late 80´s, to a dark space-opera in the 90´s titled Mutant Chronicles and then back to its roots with Mutant: UA in the early 2000 and lastly (for now anyway) Mutant: Year Zero.
When me and my roleplaying group first lay hands om Mutant: Year Zero back in 2012, the company behind it , Free League, recommended a unofficial soundtrack of sorts to their setting. And thus I discovered Krater, by composer Christian Gabel. But before we delve into his compositions, we must talk about the album itself. Because just like Mutant, this album has a setting of its own…
Mutant! (The ever-green nostalgia card)
Sometime during the 90´s, composer Christian Gabel went to a flea market in Wåxnäs, a industrial area outside the town of Karlstad, Sweden. There he found 13 illustrations and paintings depicting scenes from a futuristic, war-torn Karlstad in the aftermath of a unknown disaster. He concluded from the sparse annotations on the illustrations that they were made in -82 and were probably art for a planned post-apocalyptic sci-fi- movie that never saw the light of day. He brought the art home, but despite heavy research he never found any additional information about the illustrations or about the movie in question.
But the illustrations stayed with Gabel through the years. The images of Swedish mecha-robots amongst crumbling landmarks, combined with his love for sci-fi and the prospect of a epic, post-apocalyptic movie taking place in his home town of Karlstad was simply to endearing of a concept for him to ignore. So he decided to make a soundtrack for the movie that never was; and named it Krater.
Sandgrund: The discotheque of the deformed.
This whole story might just be a lie. A backstory woven by Gabel himself to make his music more interesting. But if so, what a wonderful lie it is! I simply adore the premise of finding something long forgotten, hidden and unique and enriching it for the world to see. The very prospect of a forgotten and unknown illustrator getting a musical celebration of his work all this years later, nearly brings tears to my eyes. So the background and concept for Krater is amazing.
Klara: Still stands after the apocalypse it seems…and the famous boat busses are there as well.
What about the music then, you ask? It. Is. On. Point. Gabel has made a instrumental album with a decidedly 80´s synth vibe, a la the compositions of John Carpenter or early Vangelis. I love almost every song but it is the first one ”Krater Prolog” that really sums up my feelings for Gabels music. This is the notes I wrote for the song, when I first listened to it in preparation for this text:
MUSIC: Its subdued, sweeping, naive and and hopeful att the same time. It is both a retro-synth covered past, but also a hope for att better future, from the ashes of the old.
A little hammy maybe. But that´s what Krater does to you. Try it yourself.
-Håkan Lindell
Check out Christian gabel on the musical platform of your choice, especially his other project: 1900. Oh, and he also plays the drums in the Swedish cult band Bob Hund. So there´s that.
Order your copy of Hinsides Magazine, where you can read equally intriguing texts and receive a lot of interesting food for thought, here: