Best of Sweden

Quorthon of Bathory with Swedish flagAccording to Blabbermouth, the editors of Sweden Rock Magazine have named the 100 greatest Swedish Hard rock and Metal bands of all time, with Candlemass, Entombed and Europe topping the list.

Candlemass and Entombed were both highly influential (I actually even liked Clandestine for its goofy humour), but SRM’s list inevitably provokes a (short) DMU list.

In no specific order, I consider the following as a Top 6:

Bathory — The passionate Satanic hardcore punk band, blasting its way through the Heavens with Wagnerian leitmotifs. Totally worthy of its legendary status.

At the Gates — Mix the depressing avenues of Gothenburg with these fellows’ beautiful minds and you get the ultra-melodic, twisted art showcased on Gardens of Grief and The Red in the Sky is Ours.

Dismember — Their first album (and their demos) may have been their only worthy contribution (all right, Pieces is definitely not bad), but it takes them a long way. Like an axe-wielding ballet dancer, its impact is relentless yet sensual.

Therion — At first listen, Beyond Sanctorum may sounds like a random rock album, but pretty soon you’ll realize you’ve stumbled upon one of Metal music’s most magical releases, with riff upon riff flowing like an endless stream of imagination.

Unleashed — Described as “an exercise in the rhythms and textures of the battlefield in musical form” this anti-psychological, windswept creation might very well be the soundtrack of any ancient Norse saga (and, yes, we’re talking about the first two albums).

Carbonized — An almost forgotten side project. Their first two albums and their early demos are excellent. While For the Security paints a nightmarish world of  the Swedish welfare state (or so I assume), Disharmonization flies into space forging its own interesting world. Like some Hamlet, it may seem insane on the surface.

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7 thoughts on “Best of Sweden”

  1. OBLIGATORY OMISSION POINTER OUTER says:

    Sacramentum – Unpredictable and melodic are seldom used in conjunction when describing metal, but not so for these Swedish masters, who go above and Beyond All Horizons with their sweeping compositions. EP and first album only, of course.

    Was going to say Necrophobic too, but The Nocturnal Silence is honestly A-/B+.

  2. Spork says:

    No Sacramentum?

  3. [Extracted] says:

    Where weren’t any of these Swedish bands in the list?

    Afflicted, Anata, Arise, Autopsy Torment, Bloodbath (The demo is pretty nifty), Cardinal Sin, Carnage, Cemetary, Centinex, Ceremonial Oath, Coercion, Comecon, The Crown, Dark Tranquillity, Darkane, Death Breath, Defleshed, Demonoid, Desultory, Dimension Zero, Disfear, Dissection, Draconian, Edge of Sanity, Eternal Oath, Eucharist, Expulsion, Face Down, Fission, God Macabre, Godgory, GRAVE!!!!!!!1111, Grotesque, Hearse, Hypocrisy, Impious, In Battle, In Flames, Inevitable End, Insision, Merciless, Miseration, Morbid, Murder Squad, Necrophobic, Nihilist (Entombed was mentioned, but Nihilist could stand as its own, and VERY WORTHY), Nine, Paganizer, Pan.Thy.Monium, The Project Hate MCMXCIX, Raise Hell, Repugnant, Runemagick, Satanic Slaughter,
    Satariel, Seance, Spawn of Possession, Tiamat, Unanimated, Visceral Bleeding, & Vomitory???????????///

    Good list, however. With the addition of maybe Nihilist, early Hypocrisy, and Bathory listed 3 more times!

  4. IAMSODOMIZED says:

    GRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVEGRAVE!

  5. IAMSODOMIZED says:

    Put Grave on the list!

  6. IAMSODOMIZED says:

    INTO
    THE
    GRAVE
    !

  7. Cynical says:

    You missed Sacramentum!

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