Suicide records fest 15-16 Oct 2021

When Suicide Records invites it´s followers to celebrate ”15 Years of Mayhem”, together with selected parts from the roster, the set is laid out for an emotional rollercoaster for anyone involved.

With just a matter of days since the Covid restrictions were lifted from the concert arranging business there´s no wonder that the spirit among the participants is high right from the beginning and that the feed on social media were flooded with gratitude towards the father of this suicidal birthday child even a few days prior to the actual fest. An advantageous starting point that the two days packed with love and mayhem would prove to live up to.

Text and photos by Hinsides Magazine 2021

Posterimage by Error! Design

Day one

The chosen venue to hold this fest proves to be an old brick house that initially were made for industrial use. Today it´s a kind of "cultural house" with corporate offices as well so it seems like there´s a lot going on between the walls of the old building. The word on the street says that it´s concert venue leaves a lot to offer regarding sound qualities but the only thing that bothers me sound wise during the two days of the fest is the usual decibel restrictions. That´s a part I didn’t miss.

The chosen venue

Fabian Brusk Jahn

The opening act on both days is a sing and songwriter that performs his somewhat mellow tunes on a steel stringed guitar accompanied by another skilled guitarist and singer. Fabians inspiration is said to be Nick Drake and Tom Waits but I think that there also is a strong connection to the recent rise and interest in American folk music here. That´s what it feels like to me anyhow. As a way of breaking the ice and warm up the crowd to what is to come I must admit that Fabian does the job fairly well. The approach is naked and sincere, and the deliverance is flawless. Check him out if you´re into this kind of low-key but still intense expression.

Bottlecap

Next up is a local ensemble that´s doing it´s best to get the audience moving. Their self written songs seems to be occupied with ordinary stuff and the music itself could be described as a mixture of punk and rock. Perhaps the genre is called punk-rock then? Who knows? I associate this kind of hyper active music with ADHD and since I do not necessarily enjoy time spent in such company I guess there´s a sign in favor of Bottlecap that I´m able to watch the whole set without being to annoyed. It´s actually quite entertaining to experience their most up-tempo songs but as soon as the tempo goes down the material transforms into radio music and that´s really not that fun. They´re doing their thing and that´s great, it´s just not for me. 

Electric Hydra

Not all names on the poster is part of the SR family, and Electric Hydra is one of the bands that has another shelter found in Majestic Mountain Records. Another up and coming label with seat in Stockholm who´s label boss could be seen in the audience throughout the whole party. That´s the spirit, right? With Electric Hydra I had some expectations due to the fact that I´ve heard one or two songs before and thought that they might come out a bit heavier live in the flesh? After witnessing the set I´m not sure if that was what happened though. Henry Rollins supposedly once said that ”the best bands are tribes” and this tribe does not seem to be completely align with this quote to be honest. What´s behind this impression is not that easy to put the proverbial finger on but I think it has something to do with the personal chemistry on stage that communicates a somewhat unclear message. I expected more, but at the same time; it takes a lot to make this kind of stoner-rock exciting these days. 

Fabian Brusk Jahn

Besvärjelsen

After being a bit put off by the two previous gigs it´s really refreshing to be in the company of Besvärjelsen for the next hour. A band that´s been on the SR (Swedish Radio) label since 2018 when their tasty debut Lp ”Vallmo” saw the light of day. A piece of plastic that were talked about at the time but really deserves a lot more recognition. Music that reflects some kind of hunger and darkness is always preferable in my book, and especially when you talk about what kinds of aura and effect that rock music is suppose to communicate. A small ounce of decadence and danger is also of importance, and guess what? Besvärjelsen generously offers all that and delivers a smoking hot team effort this evening. A well needed nice surprise that I did not expect to be as moved by as I was. The heavy riffing and mesmerizing melodies (with a lot of folky vibes) makes a well balanced whole that Lea, the lead singer, tops with a voice and charisma that wrap things up in a very natural way. It shows throughout the whole set that the band enjoys what they´re up to and got what it takes to convince the audience about the word of rock. Well done!

Grand Cadaver

There´s two things about this deadly project that needs to be acknowledged right from start: One; It´s members are neither especially tough or very dangerous, and two; they´re actually from Gothenburg (for the most part) and not from Stockholm even though it sounds like it. So, after this deterrent information you´re about to witness the strength of Death-Metal in the vein of Grand Cadaver! Another band found on the Majestic Mountain label. And what is there to say really? It´s a brutal walk down memory lane where we meet the old misfits from high-school that´s totally occupied with tape trading and gore movies. The musical recipe is pretty worn out by now, but still it´s really hard to resist this kind of HM-2 soiled Death-Metal that Grand Cadaver so enthusiastically delivers and masters to perfection. The only thing that I did not foresee about this bloody carnage was how bright Mikael Stannes shrikes sounds in comparison to most other vocalists in the genre. Not a complaint by any means, just a reflection on another thing that makes this band stand out just a little bit from the usual formula. A formula that stinks from playing around with nostalgia and rotten left overs. And for you who weren’t able to witness this first ever show; Yes, necks were hurt just like they should. 

Demonic Death Judge

Last band to enter the stage on this first day of the fest were the finns in Demonic Death Judge. A band that neither looks or sounds typically Finnish if that makes any sense? (The sound smells more of groovy heavy rock from the U.S and A than of Karelian saunas.) Anyhow, the band proves to be a tight unit that knows what they´re doing. The swinging riffs is accompanied by the angry voice of the death judge and the set is as long and heavy as one could wish for. As closure of a spectacular evening filled with great music and meetings with kindred spirits, the demonic sounds of the late night workers fits like butter on a piece of bread and there´s difficult to imagine any better way to end this first part of the fest. 

The stage

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