Confession: I signed up to review this album because these Swedes named their band Zombiekrig. That’s it. Any of you who say you wouldn’t do the same are either liars or just too damn uptight about life. Luckily for me–and anyone else lacking an anally-inserted BC Rich headstock–debut Undantagstillstånd (“state of emergency”) is a rifftastic old school platter of blackened thrash that, in spite of the language barrier, lives up to the band’s tongue-in-cheek moniker and shows shitloads of nasty promise.
Zombiekrig’s style combines the speedy riffs of Kill ‘Em All and Show No Mercy with the more aggressive tendencies of The Crown, boatloads of Celtic Frost weight, a heavy-yet-raw production, and just about the most throat-shredded vocals ever pressed to wax. No shit, vocalist Axel Widen could exfoliate a fucking elephant with his voice. Toss in the occasional rawk moment (imagine a lo-fi Bodom), and Undantagstillstånd becomes a fun and venomous 40 minute frolic. Memorable moments are wisely sprinkled throughout, and include the solo in “Den Mörkaste Tiden är Här” (one of many by guitarist El Guapo), the title track’s huge bridge, and the melodic chorus of “Lögn Efter Lögn.” The band also knows which sections are best-suited for a gallop or some mid-tempo thickness, as opposed to sheer velocity.
The only thing that really disappoints about Zombiekrig is their lack of a fittingly over-the-top logo or even more over-the-top album art. But this is about the music, and despite a couple tracks veering slightly off course (the un-thrash of “Fylla Dig Med Svart,” for example), as a whole Undantagstillstånd is an urgent and rip-roaring good time worth its weight in destruction of property charges. Keep a very close eye on these dudes.
