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Swedish Death Metal
Sweden is a remote country in the freezing northern Europe, with less than nine million inhabitants and a reputation for Volvos, hockey players, cheap furniture, vodka, and blonde women. Since the late 1980s, however, Sweden has produced over a thousand extreme heavy metal bands, creating one of the most respected regional music scenes in the world. This is the improbable history of how a marginalized teen movement crawled from Sweden's small towns and suburbs, and found a lasting place on the world stage. Daniel Ekeroth captures the epic tale with enlightening detail, beginning with Sweden's violent loss of innocence in the 1980s, through the metal's virtual chokehold on the country during the 1990s into the lasting legacy and influence in the turbulent 2000s of the Sunlight guitar tone, the "Gothenburg Sound," and the countless offshoots of Sweden's most lethal cultural export.
This ultimate blow-by-blow account of Sweden’s legendary death metal underground is based on exclusive interviews with members of Nihilist/ Entombed, In Flames, At the Gates, Dismember, Grave, Hypocrisy, Opeth, Unleashed, Marduk, Morbid, Mob 47, Deranged, Edge of Sanity, Merciless, Therion, Liers in Wait, Carnage, Carcass, Tiamat/Treblinka, Afflicted, Repugnant, and the Haunted.
This ultimate blow-by-blow account of Sweden’s legendary death metal underground is based on exclusive interviews with members of Nihilist/ Entombed, In Flames, At the Gates, Dismember, Grave, Hypocrisy, Opeth, Unleashed, Marduk, Morbid, Mob 47, Deranged, Edge of Sanity, Merciless, Therion, Liers in Wait, Carnage, Carcass, Tiamat/Treblinka, Afflicted, Repugnant, and the Haunted.
450 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
April 7, 2009
Finally, Swedish metal gets its props! Norway usually gets all the credit for metal, while Sweden is dismissed as full of crappy Gothenburg-sound bands like In Flames. But what has Norwegian metal really done since Darkthrone, Mayhem, et al? And how can anyone write off a scene that produced bands like Bathory, Candlemass, Anti Cimex, Entombed, Nihilist, At the Gates, Unleashed, Disfear...?
His own translation from the original Swedish text, Ekeroth's insider perspective is both informative and hilarious, and paints a grim and frosty picture of the Swedish punk/metal scene in the 80s, and of teenage life in the middle of nowhere.
His own translation from the original Swedish text, Ekeroth's insider perspective is both informative and hilarious, and paints a grim and frosty picture of the Swedish punk/metal scene in the 80s, and of teenage life in the middle of nowhere.
August 2, 2011
I havent been a huge fan of the Swedish Death metal scene besides Entombed which I love. But I have to say that the book has gotten me very interested and have since I read the book I have bought the 3 disc collection which accompanies the book.
The book is a good read with a lot of passion and great insights into the scene wich was just miles away from me but I hadnt a clue. However I think the book suffers from all the details, you dont have to name every band that has played ever. It gets in the way from the storytelling and makes the book somewhat boring to read sometimes.
But it is a must read for anyone with an interest in Swedish Death metal and I cant get over the fact how young they all were.
The book is a good read with a lot of passion and great insights into the scene wich was just miles away from me but I hadnt a clue. However I think the book suffers from all the details, you dont have to name every band that has played ever. It gets in the way from the storytelling and makes the book somewhat boring to read sometimes.
But it is a must read for anyone with an interest in Swedish Death metal and I cant get over the fact how young they all were.
December 2, 2019
Da brava svegliona ho scoperto che esisteva la traduzione italiana solo quando ero già arrivata all'ultimo capitolo di quello inglese! Comunque... Mi trovo abbastanza d'accordo con le recensioni che ho letto.
Il primo (sorvolabile) limite di Swedish death metal è rivolgersi a chi conosce già la scena sorvolando su alcune questioni importanti e trattandone altre in maniera nebulosa. Ciononostante l'ho trovato molto interessante. Non avevo grosse pretese; ero partita con la sola speranza di trovare qualche bell'album da aggiungere alla mia playlist, poi invece mi sono ritrovata a respirare gli albori del genere death, vederlo "nascere e crescere" per tre settimane attraverso i resoconti degli ex-teenagers che lo hanno plasmato. È stato emozionante e totalizzante.
Le pagine sono ricche di aneddoti, interviste esclusive, foto storiche e cimeli vari. Per me che ho sempre vissuto la scena metal svedese dall'esterno è stato davvero magico. Mi ha anche aiutata ad inquadrare meglio artisti che adoro, nel senso che pur sapendo abbastanza bene i personaggi attuali ignoravo, o davo per scontato, chi erano/cosa facevano/cosa pensavano da ragazzini quando in realtà a quei tempi non era ancora chiaro cosa fosse il metal, quali fossero i suoi tratti peculiari e quanto fosse prematuro parlare di sottogeneri.
Il secondo (fastidioso) limite invece è la struttura.
Il libro apre così tanti topic che mantenere l'ordine, una linea-guida o un climax sarebbe stato di vitale importanza. Qui invece si salta continuamente di palo in frasca minando l'attenzione del lettore e rendendo molto difficile tenere il passo col filo narrativo. Bisogna leggere ogni capitolo almeno due volte per capire come è possibile che sia finito a parlare di tutt'altro. Problema da novellini, tsè! Scherzi a parte, apprezzo la dedizione e la passione che trasuda dal testo, ma io non sono nella mente dell'autore quindi avrei gradito un passo più omogeneo in grado di essere seguito da chiunque. C'è una falla nella comunicazione, ecco.
Per quest'unico problema non do la quinta stella nonostante mi abbia appassionata molto.
P.S. finalmente qualcuno che parla di AVATAR e REPUGNANT! Hallelujah!
Il primo (sorvolabile) limite di Swedish death metal è rivolgersi a chi conosce già la scena sorvolando su alcune questioni importanti e trattandone altre in maniera nebulosa. Ciononostante l'ho trovato molto interessante. Non avevo grosse pretese; ero partita con la sola speranza di trovare qualche bell'album da aggiungere alla mia playlist, poi invece mi sono ritrovata a respirare gli albori del genere death, vederlo "nascere e crescere" per tre settimane attraverso i resoconti degli ex-teenagers che lo hanno plasmato. È stato emozionante e totalizzante.
Le pagine sono ricche di aneddoti, interviste esclusive, foto storiche e cimeli vari. Per me che ho sempre vissuto la scena metal svedese dall'esterno è stato davvero magico. Mi ha anche aiutata ad inquadrare meglio artisti che adoro, nel senso che pur sapendo abbastanza bene i personaggi attuali ignoravo, o davo per scontato, chi erano/cosa facevano/cosa pensavano da ragazzini quando in realtà a quei tempi non era ancora chiaro cosa fosse il metal, quali fossero i suoi tratti peculiari e quanto fosse prematuro parlare di sottogeneri.
Il secondo (fastidioso) limite invece è la struttura.
Il libro apre così tanti topic che mantenere l'ordine, una linea-guida o un climax sarebbe stato di vitale importanza. Qui invece si salta continuamente di palo in frasca minando l'attenzione del lettore e rendendo molto difficile tenere il passo col filo narrativo. Bisogna leggere ogni capitolo almeno due volte per capire come è possibile che sia finito a parlare di tutt'altro. Problema da novellini, tsè! Scherzi a parte, apprezzo la dedizione e la passione che trasuda dal testo, ma io non sono nella mente dell'autore quindi avrei gradito un passo più omogeneo in grado di essere seguito da chiunque. C'è una falla nella comunicazione, ecco.
Per quest'unico problema non do la quinta stella nonostante mi abbia appassionata molto.
P.S. finalmente qualcuno che parla di AVATAR e REPUGNANT! Hallelujah!
March 17, 2012
I read this book some four or five years ago but of what I can remember the book includes some of the more renowned bands like Entombed, Grave and Dismember but also includes unknown or lesser known bands that only got out one or two demos before disbanding. This makes the book very comprehensive and Ekeroth gives a unique insight into the swedish death metal scene from when it first started in the late eighties to today. You don't need to be a death metal fan (which I barely consider myself to be) to appreciate this book.
July 24, 2024
L'apassionant escena del death metal suec estructurada i explicada com mai. El segon assaig musical que em llegeixo enguany ha resultat ser una obra mestra, un recull històric amè i amb autèntica vocació enciclopèdica. He gaudit moltíssim descobrint demos i àlbums ignots més enllà dels clàssics. Per llegir amb paper i boli al costat. O directament amb YouTube i Spotify al davant!
September 6, 2023
I can't tell how accurate this book/Swedish death metal encyclopaedia is. Neither I live in Sweden, nor I know bands' members in person. Yet it's the best book about my favourite DM subgenre/scene/country, and is extraordinarily catchy. The data there is complete, from 80s up to the year the book was published. The rest would be shameless spoilers. If you know, you know. So go grab and read it.
April 29, 2017
This book succeeded in making me curious about this genre of music. The main problem I have with it is that it is written like a fan would write it. This is a fact that has its own merits -- if you're already into it, it's gonna be a fun read -- but it also ends up being incoherent in the way it presents the topic.
There isn't a logical organization that I could follow clearly. A common one that books of this sort follow is to break it down by bands (one band, one chapter) or by periods (origins, development, ramifications). But this is not how this book is organized.
As far as I can tell it's going by geography (the Stockholm scene, the Gothenburg scene, Norway) AND chronologically. So we start from the main external players, like American bands such as Morbid Angel, Death or Possessed, then we follow the tape trading and fanzine phenomenon in Sweden and particularly Stockholm in the mid 80s (which kinda overlaps to said American bands time-wise), we touch on early Gothenburg stuff (Grotesque) then we move around a bit (Grave, etc) but mostly stay in Stockholm, the main death metal hub especially with Nihilist then Entombed, then we follow its explosion around Sweden, then black metal in Norway, and then back to Gothenburg with At the Gates and In Flames. Finally we walk through later developments such as death'n'roll and "retro trash" (?). In all this moving each band (e.g. Grave) is covered multiple times and it's hard to follow its development when it's scattered all over the place.
It was cool though to read about the tape trading and fanzine phenomenon that essentially originated all of this. That's covered well and the passion comes thru. People living by the day new tapes were delivered by the postman. Bands helping each other creating music no one had heard before. Total outcasts working undisturbed for no reward besides their peer's approval, drinking a lot in the process. It's also clear these kids (often below 18!) didn't take themselves as seriously as one might think. Cool to relive that magic and all its nostalgia if you're old enough, and if you're below 40, I guess you can see how dedication kept these people very connected before the internet. Being so much more difficult to connect ended up being a selection of the fittest: only the most committed players could play. Limitations in a way made things easier.
There isn't a logical organization that I could follow clearly. A common one that books of this sort follow is to break it down by bands (one band, one chapter) or by periods (origins, development, ramifications). But this is not how this book is organized.
As far as I can tell it's going by geography (the Stockholm scene, the Gothenburg scene, Norway) AND chronologically. So we start from the main external players, like American bands such as Morbid Angel, Death or Possessed, then we follow the tape trading and fanzine phenomenon in Sweden and particularly Stockholm in the mid 80s (which kinda overlaps to said American bands time-wise), we touch on early Gothenburg stuff (Grotesque) then we move around a bit (Grave, etc) but mostly stay in Stockholm, the main death metal hub especially with Nihilist then Entombed, then we follow its explosion around Sweden, then black metal in Norway, and then back to Gothenburg with At the Gates and In Flames. Finally we walk through later developments such as death'n'roll and "retro trash" (?). In all this moving each band (e.g. Grave) is covered multiple times and it's hard to follow its development when it's scattered all over the place.
It was cool though to read about the tape trading and fanzine phenomenon that essentially originated all of this. That's covered well and the passion comes thru. People living by the day new tapes were delivered by the postman. Bands helping each other creating music no one had heard before. Total outcasts working undisturbed for no reward besides their peer's approval, drinking a lot in the process. It's also clear these kids (often below 18!) didn't take themselves as seriously as one might think. Cool to relive that magic and all its nostalgia if you're old enough, and if you're below 40, I guess you can see how dedication kept these people very connected before the internet. Being so much more difficult to connect ended up being a selection of the fittest: only the most committed players could play. Limitations in a way made things easier.
February 9, 2011
For a hardcore metal head such as myself this book was a rare savage find. As I read over it I realized that I am not the metal head I thought I was, or atleast as educated in the realms of Death Metal. This book uses alot of hear say information, but also has a ton of information that is researchable; so it is not a total loss in the realms of being a good research book for the Black and Death Metal scene. This book is high point for the culture and movement that is Black and Death Metal. Cultural anthropologists will be looking to a book like this in the future. Tracing the history this book has chronicled for the world to read. This book is recommended for a straight up hardcore good read from uncle roop. Dive off in it and enjoy the hell out of it.
July 23, 2014
Meh, some amusing anecdotes. Maybe something got lost in translation. Not as good as listening to Swedish Death Metal.
December 25, 2021
Everything you'll ever want to know about Swedish Death Metal and and awful lot more besides. Even if your an expert yourself, the demo index is worth adding to your shelf.
May 25, 2025
Interesująca historia i geneza całej szwedzkiej sceny ciężkich brzmień oraz muzyki. Wd. mnie warto zagłębiać się w zespoły i utwory, których się słucha, ponieważ daje to do myślenia i można je analizować, lepiej zrozumieć.
Motywy okultystyczne i antychrześcijańska, czy też mroczna symbolika w death metalu, wbrew przekonaniu większości jest tylko i wyłącznie dla czystego ,,shock value'' i przybierania agresywnej, buntowniczej (typowo nastoletniej, ponieważ zespoły były zazwyczaj złożone z młodzieży od 16 do 20 lat) postawy. (więc warto też destygmatyzować muzykę i jej słuchaczy.)
Ludzie często nie zdają sobie sprawy z tego, jak bardzo metal jako gatunek jest złożony pod względem skomplikowanych struktur, kompozycji i ,,riffów'' oraz ile talentu posiadają niektórzy artyści, ale nie każdemu może to przypadać do gustu i jest to jak najbardziej dla mnie zrozumiałe. W zasadzie argument, że ,,Muzyka klasyczna to po prostu metal przed elektrycznością'' jest jak najbardziej prawdziwy.
Mikael Åkerfeldt był tutaj wspomniany dwa razy, mój ulubiony szwed i absolutna ikona muzyki.
Motywy okultystyczne i antychrześcijańska, czy też mroczna symbolika w death metalu, wbrew przekonaniu większości jest tylko i wyłącznie dla czystego ,,shock value'' i przybierania agresywnej, buntowniczej (typowo nastoletniej, ponieważ zespoły były zazwyczaj złożone z młodzieży od 16 do 20 lat) postawy. (więc warto też destygmatyzować muzykę i jej słuchaczy.)
Ludzie często nie zdają sobie sprawy z tego, jak bardzo metal jako gatunek jest złożony pod względem skomplikowanych struktur, kompozycji i ,,riffów'' oraz ile talentu posiadają niektórzy artyści, ale nie każdemu może to przypadać do gustu i jest to jak najbardziej dla mnie zrozumiałe. W zasadzie argument, że ,,Muzyka klasyczna to po prostu metal przed elektrycznością'' jest jak najbardziej prawdziwy.
Mikael Åkerfeldt był tutaj wspomniany dwa razy, mój ulubiony szwed i absolutna ikona muzyki.
July 30, 2009
only read a bit of this and skimmed through the rest, but its safe to say the rating is justified. a very in depth account of swedish death metal from 87 - 92, detailing from the scene's beginnings as a loose network of maniac tape traders, to a full fledged popularity boom in the early 90s, so the black metal movement from norway eventually overshadowing what the swedes were doing. focuses pretty heavily on many of the early players, including tons of narratives and antecdotes from the people involved - the guys in treblinka, nihilist, carnage, grave, etc. the origins of the scene are interesting, as while sweden had a substantial traditional metal scene in the early 80s, for whatever reason it didn't gel together and form a cohesive evolutionary pattern into thrash and speed metal like the united states and germany did. the author downplays the popularity of the early swedish metal bands, but talks about how the death metal maniacs would turn to the swedish hardcore bands (anti-cimex, shitlickers, mob 47, etc) for their fix of raw noisy music before creating their own. its cool to see bands like that discussed, especially in a book about the development of heavy metal, something that mainstream magazines or other genre fans might tend to ignore. though i disagree with his strange assumption that the hardcore scene in sweden wasnt very big (in fact along with finland it was probably the largest for continental europe), but the rest of the book is pretty solid as far as reliable information and opinions go. its nice to see an indepth book like this written by someone who is an actual fan of the music and understands what its about as opposed to some mainstream magazine trying to hype up whatever flavor of the month trend, or by someone with a political agenda trying to write a sensationalist piece (lords of chaos). the second half of the book contains an alphabetical discography of pretty much every swedish death metal band, including the more obscure demo-only ones, which is an invaluable reference source. i have no idea how this would read, or if this would be any interest to anyone who already isn't familiar with the bands discussed here (or death metal as a whole, for that matter), but genre fans really couldn't ask for a better resource on one of the most creative scenes in death metal's history
April 14, 2018
Aggression, brutality…creativity? FVCK JA!
What? You don’t know about Sweden? You don’t know about where death metal comes from? I mean, really, right now, I don’t know of any other more historical Swedish exports, do you? Its not Volvos or IKEA, my friends, not beautiful nordic women, nor overpriced vodka, but this music is
SWEDEN’S MOST LETHAL EXPORT!
Part oral history, part museum exhibit (thanks to the extensive ephemera in the form of fanzines, posters, and candid photos), and part encyclopedia; but not just that: Daniel Ekeroth deftly dispenses the history of a nation’s loss of political innocence in the 80s and 90s
Start with marginalized teens in a remote and isolated country, add the waning of lame and distasteful thrash hair bands, mix with copious amounts of strong Scandinavian beer outside train stations or in the courtyard of village youth centers, shake with adolescent angst and passion, mix with the occasional shot of fresh pig’s blood, and enjoy the lasting effects of SWEDISH DEATH METAL and its rise to international musical and cultural force.
::guttural growl::
What? You don’t know about Sweden? You don’t know about where death metal comes from? I mean, really, right now, I don’t know of any other more historical Swedish exports, do you? Its not Volvos or IKEA, my friends, not beautiful nordic women, nor overpriced vodka, but this music is
SWEDEN’S MOST LETHAL EXPORT!
Part oral history, part museum exhibit (thanks to the extensive ephemera in the form of fanzines, posters, and candid photos), and part encyclopedia; but not just that: Daniel Ekeroth deftly dispenses the history of a nation’s loss of political innocence in the 80s and 90s
Start with marginalized teens in a remote and isolated country, add the waning of lame and distasteful thrash hair bands, mix with copious amounts of strong Scandinavian beer outside train stations or in the courtyard of village youth centers, shake with adolescent angst and passion, mix with the occasional shot of fresh pig’s blood, and enjoy the lasting effects of SWEDISH DEATH METAL and its rise to international musical and cultural force.
::guttural growl::
March 13, 2025
This book was pretty cool, although it's a little too "oral history" for my tastes, and those portions are especially annoying because the attribution of each quote is AFTER each quote! At times, it also read more like a list of releases, like "Band A released Demo #1, which was great, but then they released Demo #2 and Demo #3, which weren't as good. Then Band B released Demo #2, which was awesome," etc.
BUT - as a reference, especially with the insane reviews-type section in the back, this book is awfully handy.
BUT - as a reference, especially with the insane reviews-type section in the back, this book is awfully handy.
December 12, 2011
The info here is great, sometime half way through it gets a bit tired. Essentially listing demo after release, and how good or bad it is to the author's opinion - most of the time he is correct - but like most of the mid-1990s it shows the tedium of unoriginality that was most death metal. Its best up until Entombed's "Left Hand Path" and a few other albums then stagnates until Black Metal give it a run for its money; all hail Dissection and Abruptum.
May 10, 2023
Not only is this an entertaining narrative detailing the history of Sweden’s monumental contribution to metal, but it’s also an index of bands and their discographies. I've spent several rainy days just looking up obscure bands and recordings from the back of this book. But my absolutely favorite part is the story of Nicke Andersson and Entombed. If you don't know much about those guys and are curious, read Swedish Death Metal. In my opinion, that band doesn't get the credit they deserve.
June 17, 2021
what a book
anybody who is remotely intereted in old school extreme metal has to..just has to...read this
what a glorious and exciting history of the swedish (and few others) death metal and black metal heroes
surely an impressive education for me
i am rushing to check out many albums and artists i have not heard so far
anybody who is remotely intereted in old school extreme metal has to..just has to...read this
what a glorious and exciting history of the swedish (and few others) death metal and black metal heroes
surely an impressive education for me
i am rushing to check out many albums and artists i have not heard so far
April 7, 2018
Really torn on this, the book is highly informative and packs in lots of information—the writing, however, feels really clumsy, repetitive and amateurish. Bleh.
Read
August 24, 2020After reading Choosing Death, I wanted to find other books on death metal history. Understandably, there aren’t many, and this seems to be one of only a handful of other comprehensive accounts. In it, Ekeroth documents the Swedish death metal scene from its beginnings up to about 1993. Admittedly I’m more a fan of Swedish stuff from the mid-90’s forward, but I learned a lot about the early players and how the scene got started. It’s a dense but informative read.
Negatives first. Ekeroth is fairly subjective in his assessment of the scene, and his tastes shine through the book for better or worse. You will surely learn that he’s a massive Nihilist/Entombed fan. Ekeroth also tends towards hyperbole (“the sheer rawness and aggression has never been surpassed” etc.), which gets annoying after a while. As well, much of the book features direct quotes, which is fine, but sometimes Ekeroth includes quotes one after another saying basically the same thing. I get that he wants to be as comprehensive as possible, it’s just that some of those quotes could have been edited out.
All that said, this is a highly informative account of early Swedish death metal. In the early chapters I felt like I was there with the bands, the zine writers, the fans. As with Choosing Death, I loved reading about how the scene started, with nerdy teens tape trading, making zines, and wanting to create the most brutal music possible. It’s amazing really. The scene had few central players at the start but it was enough to be a scene, coming from punk and thrash backgrounds and morphing into death metal. The turning point from demo obscurity to notoriety seemed to be when Digby of Earache heard Nihilist open for Napalm Death in 1989. That led to the name change and Left Hand Path - from there the floodgates opened.
A third of this book is an encyclopedia of Swedish death (and other extreme) metal bands, plus a list of zines from the period. Each band entry is given a brief (usually subjective) overview, members list, and discography. Compiling this encyclopedia is a hugely impressive feat by itself. I really enjoyed this section, as there are so many bands I’ve never heard of that faded into obscurity; I guarantee you haven’t heard of 80% of them. It’s also interesting reading Ekeroth’s opinions on some of my favorite groups, like how he can’t stand Opeth or Dark Tranquillity. He’s definitely an old school fan. One more thing: be sure to read the entry for Sado Bastards. An insane story about a short-lived band from Uppsala.
Despite its shortcomings, Swedish Death Metal is an exhaustive history of the genre’s early years. This is surely one the most comprehensive books on extreme metal out there. Oh, and all those covers and flyers are awesome.
Negatives first. Ekeroth is fairly subjective in his assessment of the scene, and his tastes shine through the book for better or worse. You will surely learn that he’s a massive Nihilist/Entombed fan. Ekeroth also tends towards hyperbole (“the sheer rawness and aggression has never been surpassed” etc.), which gets annoying after a while. As well, much of the book features direct quotes, which is fine, but sometimes Ekeroth includes quotes one after another saying basically the same thing. I get that he wants to be as comprehensive as possible, it’s just that some of those quotes could have been edited out.
All that said, this is a highly informative account of early Swedish death metal. In the early chapters I felt like I was there with the bands, the zine writers, the fans. As with Choosing Death, I loved reading about how the scene started, with nerdy teens tape trading, making zines, and wanting to create the most brutal music possible. It’s amazing really. The scene had few central players at the start but it was enough to be a scene, coming from punk and thrash backgrounds and morphing into death metal. The turning point from demo obscurity to notoriety seemed to be when Digby of Earache heard Nihilist open for Napalm Death in 1989. That led to the name change and Left Hand Path - from there the floodgates opened.
A third of this book is an encyclopedia of Swedish death (and other extreme) metal bands, plus a list of zines from the period. Each band entry is given a brief (usually subjective) overview, members list, and discography. Compiling this encyclopedia is a hugely impressive feat by itself. I really enjoyed this section, as there are so many bands I’ve never heard of that faded into obscurity; I guarantee you haven’t heard of 80% of them. It’s also interesting reading Ekeroth’s opinions on some of my favorite groups, like how he can’t stand Opeth or Dark Tranquillity. He’s definitely an old school fan. One more thing: be sure to read the entry for Sado Bastards. An insane story about a short-lived band from Uppsala.
Despite its shortcomings, Swedish Death Metal is an exhaustive history of the genre’s early years. This is surely one the most comprehensive books on extreme metal out there. Oh, and all those covers and flyers are awesome.
March 29, 2018
A good overview of Sweden's death metal scene. I'm not much of a death metal fan although I support and am interested in all things metal, and the book kept me interested. There were a couple of parts where I thought Ekeroth could have included more information - one concert where the attendee talks all the concert-goers getting beaten up afterwards because there were about "200 kickers" outside the venue. I wondered what's a kicker? Was there a big backlash against death metal fans? But Ekeroth never expanded on this.
He's also a little chauvinistic. He talks about how thrash was basically dead and dated when death really took over, but then later when he talks about new death metal bands basically aping the old school ones, he describes them as seeming fresh and carrying on the torch. I can't imagine that thrash dates more than death metal does. He also talks about black metal taking over from death metal but becoming weak, much weaker than death metal ever could be. We know you like death metal, but a little objectivity would be nice.
When he talks about the retro death movement, I thought there was an opportunity to turn that into a broader discussion of how all old metal seems to find a retro movement - the stoner rock scene was basically bands revisiting the hard rock '70s, there are a lot of bands carrying on the power metal of the '80s, doom bands talk a lot about using the old recording equipment that classic bands used in the '70s, and the big four thrash bands still sell out arenas and larger venues - it seems a trend throughout metal that everything old is new again. But Ekeroth's scope is narrower than that, and so an opportunity is missed.
Along those lines, he talks about Swedish-style death metal compared to American death metal, but doesn't really make those differences explicit. I understand that most of the people reading this book will be death metal fans, but a few notes to those who aren't would be nice.
It's a great book for what it is. If you don't expect much else beyond an oral overview of the early years of the Swedish death metal scene, then you won't be disappointed.
He's also a little chauvinistic. He talks about how thrash was basically dead and dated when death really took over, but then later when he talks about new death metal bands basically aping the old school ones, he describes them as seeming fresh and carrying on the torch. I can't imagine that thrash dates more than death metal does. He also talks about black metal taking over from death metal but becoming weak, much weaker than death metal ever could be. We know you like death metal, but a little objectivity would be nice.
When he talks about the retro death movement, I thought there was an opportunity to turn that into a broader discussion of how all old metal seems to find a retro movement - the stoner rock scene was basically bands revisiting the hard rock '70s, there are a lot of bands carrying on the power metal of the '80s, doom bands talk a lot about using the old recording equipment that classic bands used in the '70s, and the big four thrash bands still sell out arenas and larger venues - it seems a trend throughout metal that everything old is new again. But Ekeroth's scope is narrower than that, and so an opportunity is missed.
Along those lines, he talks about Swedish-style death metal compared to American death metal, but doesn't really make those differences explicit. I understand that most of the people reading this book will be death metal fans, but a few notes to those who aren't would be nice.
It's a great book for what it is. If you don't expect much else beyond an oral overview of the early years of the Swedish death metal scene, then you won't be disappointed.
March 19, 2025
One of the better nonfiction books I've read related to alternative music. Although I'm not an avid death metal listener, specifically, I am always looking for more books on alternative scenes. Books like Where Are Your Boys Tonight? and Top Eight have left me disappointed with their laziness—throwing in blocks of quotes with no continuity. Swedish Death Metal is a perfect example of how to structure a book. While there are many quotes littered throughout, they are relevant to each subheading, and they are bolstered by the author's writing. Ekeroth doesn’t rely on the quotes to do all the heavy lifting. His take also remains relatively neutral with glimmers of personal opinion, unlike Top Eight, which concluded with slinging insults.
The book is structured chronologically, with clear subsections within each chapter, making it easy to follow. There's a solid balance between historical detail and personal insight, and while it covers a niche topic, I found it to be accessible. That said, I do have a strong knowledge base in alternative music, so I can't say for certain how it would read for a normie.
I'll admit, towards the middle, when the author delves into brief histories of individual bands, I skimmed a bit as I was more interested in the overarching history of Swedish death metal. This section is incredibly dense—Ekeroth discusses (or at least mentions) nearly every release, demo, and lineup change of each band. While impressive, it can be overwhelming for readers who aren’t looking for that level of detail.
Despite this, I greatly enjoyed the book. Ekeroth’s love for the extreme metal scene shines through, making Swedish Death Metal a must-read for anyone interested in underground music history. You can tell this was a passion project. Whether you're deeply into death metal or just exploring alternative scenes, this book sets the standard for how music history should be written.
The book is structured chronologically, with clear subsections within each chapter, making it easy to follow. There's a solid balance between historical detail and personal insight, and while it covers a niche topic, I found it to be accessible. That said, I do have a strong knowledge base in alternative music, so I can't say for certain how it would read for a normie.
I'll admit, towards the middle, when the author delves into brief histories of individual bands, I skimmed a bit as I was more interested in the overarching history of Swedish death metal. This section is incredibly dense—Ekeroth discusses (or at least mentions) nearly every release, demo, and lineup change of each band. While impressive, it can be overwhelming for readers who aren’t looking for that level of detail.
Despite this, I greatly enjoyed the book. Ekeroth’s love for the extreme metal scene shines through, making Swedish Death Metal a must-read for anyone interested in underground music history. You can tell this was a passion project. Whether you're deeply into death metal or just exploring alternative scenes, this book sets the standard for how music history should be written.
December 26, 2021
Passade på att läsa om den här tegelstenen om den svenska dödsmetalscenen och dess framväxt. Och historien om hur Sverige för första gången får en metalscen som står sig starkt internationellt berättas genom en tillbakablick på hur metalscenen utvecklades i landet under 80-talet och framåt. Stort utrymme ägnas åt den lilla, men betydelsefulla, framväxande Stockholmsscenen under 80-talens sista år fram tills allt exploderar i och med Morbid Angels Fagerstabesök och ”Left Hand Path” 1990.
Den främsta förtjänsten med den här boken är den omfattande faktapresentationen som i stort sett baserar sig på det som går att läsa i fanzines och demoutgåvor från förr. Naturligtvis kompletterat med intervjuer som gjordes i samband med författandet av boken.
Författaren skriver att han i en del fall låter sina personliga åsikter lysa igenom om band/företeelser i boken. Det är en rätt rejäl underdrift: om och om hamras det in hur bra och brutala Entombed är, hur kommersiella Göteborgsbanden är, hur fånigt Black Metal är etc. Det gör läsningen enahanda efter hundratalet sidor. Alla superlativ och sågningar som förekommer hade funkat bättre i ett 50-sidors A5 fanzine, men blir något tröttsamma i en bok på 450 sidor. Många formuleringar/åsikter återkommer flertalet gånger – lite redigering och strykning hade knappast skadat.
Sedan är det naturligtvis behjärtansvärt att koncentrera sig på musiken till skillnad från festande, kriminalitet och annat som en del spekulativa rockbiografier marknadsförts med. Men var det bara musiken som lockade och orsakade att det fanns minst ett tiotal dödsmetallband per län när det begav sig? Trots allt, det fanns ju andra musikformer som konkurrerade om det unga 90-talets musikintresserade.
Helt klart en läsvärd bok, men komplettera gärna med ”Blod Eld Död” för fördjupning!
Den främsta förtjänsten med den här boken är den omfattande faktapresentationen som i stort sett baserar sig på det som går att läsa i fanzines och demoutgåvor från förr. Naturligtvis kompletterat med intervjuer som gjordes i samband med författandet av boken.
Författaren skriver att han i en del fall låter sina personliga åsikter lysa igenom om band/företeelser i boken. Det är en rätt rejäl underdrift: om och om hamras det in hur bra och brutala Entombed är, hur kommersiella Göteborgsbanden är, hur fånigt Black Metal är etc. Det gör läsningen enahanda efter hundratalet sidor. Alla superlativ och sågningar som förekommer hade funkat bättre i ett 50-sidors A5 fanzine, men blir något tröttsamma i en bok på 450 sidor. Många formuleringar/åsikter återkommer flertalet gånger – lite redigering och strykning hade knappast skadat.
Sedan är det naturligtvis behjärtansvärt att koncentrera sig på musiken till skillnad från festande, kriminalitet och annat som en del spekulativa rockbiografier marknadsförts med. Men var det bara musiken som lockade och orsakade att det fanns minst ett tiotal dödsmetallband per län när det begav sig? Trots allt, det fanns ju andra musikformer som konkurrerade om det unga 90-talets musikintresserade.
Helt klart en läsvärd bok, men komplettera gärna med ”Blod Eld Död” för fördjupning!
January 6, 2018
I'm not a true fan of extreme metal. I listen to punk, hardcore, electronica, American jazz and Pow Wow drum music.
I started listening to this sub genre of metal, interestingly enough, as a way to understand the dark times during which my father was dying. I began with a deep exploration of black metal by reading Dayal Patterson's Black Metal with an accompanying soundtrack of YouTube albums. After a month of reading and listening and trying to figure out how these musicians process the pain of death I expanded my research to Swedish Death Metal.
This book is fantastic. It is written with love and passion for the subject. What I appreciated most was the exhaustive A-Z band and fanzine history. If you were a band in the 1990s that released a demo you are in this book and there are hundreds of obscure little known bands that are given write ups. As for the body of the book, it is filled with a comprehensive insiders look at the Swedish scene during the formative years. There are tons of quotes and photos and I eagerly read all 447 pages with a YouTube soundtrack of the bands featured in the book.
As with Dayal Patterson's book, Swedish Death Metal is the work of an amateur musicologist and cultural anthropologist. The research is exhaustive and painstaking and worth the readers commitment to reading it.
I started listening to this sub genre of metal, interestingly enough, as a way to understand the dark times during which my father was dying. I began with a deep exploration of black metal by reading Dayal Patterson's Black Metal with an accompanying soundtrack of YouTube albums. After a month of reading and listening and trying to figure out how these musicians process the pain of death I expanded my research to Swedish Death Metal.
This book is fantastic. It is written with love and passion for the subject. What I appreciated most was the exhaustive A-Z band and fanzine history. If you were a band in the 1990s that released a demo you are in this book and there are hundreds of obscure little known bands that are given write ups. As for the body of the book, it is filled with a comprehensive insiders look at the Swedish scene during the formative years. There are tons of quotes and photos and I eagerly read all 447 pages with a YouTube soundtrack of the bands featured in the book.
As with Dayal Patterson's book, Swedish Death Metal is the work of an amateur musicologist and cultural anthropologist. The research is exhaustive and painstaking and worth the readers commitment to reading it.
August 10, 2021
I've been a metalhead since I was 8, and have always looked to further build upon what knowledge I have built up over the years. So, I went into this expecting bands like Entombed, Dismember, Hypocrisy and others to be discussed. The book talks about those bands and the initial bands that helped to get the scene really going strong. I really liked that you got an idea of just how much work went into getting the scene on its feet and just how involved some of these guys got.
The only thing that really holds this book back is the fact that it's back loaded. When you take out the encyclopedia at the end, the book is 276 pages. A lot of the major releases in Swedish Death Metal, like Left Hand Path, Slaughter of the Soul, Forever Laid to Rest, Like and Everflowing Stream, and others aren't really talked about until you're like more than half way in. And once you get to Left Hand Path, everything feels so jammed together.
All in all, it's a worthwhile read. I got to discover bands that I knew nothing about and got a better understanding of how the bands I did know about got to be what I know them as today. If you like death metal, you'd enjoy this.
The only thing that really holds this book back is the fact that it's back loaded. When you take out the encyclopedia at the end, the book is 276 pages. A lot of the major releases in Swedish Death Metal, like Left Hand Path, Slaughter of the Soul, Forever Laid to Rest, Like and Everflowing Stream, and others aren't really talked about until you're like more than half way in. And once you get to Left Hand Path, everything feels so jammed together.
All in all, it's a worthwhile read. I got to discover bands that I knew nothing about and got a better understanding of how the bands I did know about got to be what I know them as today. If you like death metal, you'd enjoy this.
February 25, 2018
Overall, I liked the book. Learning more about the scene was enjoyable, but I have to agree with several other reviewers: this book was written like a fan would write it. It's not quite organized as much as it could/should be, and the constant opinion of the writer gets old - I care more about how it influenced the actual scene as a whole rather than the author of the book.
Additionally, the book is like 450 pages, but literally half of them are a huge list of the Swedish bands. Looking at the physical size led me to believe it's got tons of content, like the history of black metal book by Dayal Patterson. But half of the book is a big list. On top of that, he speaks about people like Mikael Åkerfeldt like he's a legend, but Opeth is not contained in the history of the scene... a bit disappointing.
Again, overall I enjoyed it, but I was hoping for a more professional take and thorough history of the scene.
Additionally, the book is like 450 pages, but literally half of them are a huge list of the Swedish bands. Looking at the physical size led me to believe it's got tons of content, like the history of black metal book by Dayal Patterson. But half of the book is a big list. On top of that, he speaks about people like Mikael Åkerfeldt like he's a legend, but Opeth is not contained in the history of the scene... a bit disappointing.
Again, overall I enjoyed it, but I was hoping for a more professional take and thorough history of the scene.
July 31, 2019
Though not particularly well-written, Daniel Ekeroth’s review of Swedeath as an entity (both as a distinct musical style and a certain time period) shines in its utter comprehensiveness. Every band from heavy hitters like Grave or Entombed to absolute unknowns is given their due, and yet what Ekeroth offers is hardly an encyclopedia. And that’s to his credit! Ekeroth is a self-assured (if not quite superbly capable) writer and unafraid to give his (often quite pithy and entertaining) thoughts on every band in the scene. While he could certainly use an editor to go over his prose, Swedish Death Metal is masterfully able to bring life and warmth to the titular genre and its participants.
May 3, 2020
I'm tempted to complain about the lack of time dedicated to the Gothenburg sound, but I can't find fault with Daniel Eleroth's exhaustively detailed (partial) oral history of Sweden's early extreme music scene. The book manages to contain an overwhelming amount of material (including pictures, album art, show flyers, etc) on the birth, rise, and "fall" of death metal in Sweden, and contains a 150+ dictionary/discography of bands minor and major involved in the scene. An impressive labor of love that belongs on every extreme metal fan's bookshelf!
January 21, 2025
First, let me clarify that this book is actually about half as long as it looks, as the latter half is an index of Swedish death metal bands and zines.
That being said, this book is a good reference for anyone interested in the history of underground metal. There were a few bands that even I was unaware of that I immediately made note to listen to after reading this. But even for metal scholars, this one kind of drones on. But it's still a good read for anyone who wants to learn the deeper history of death metal.
That being said, this book is a good reference for anyone interested in the history of underground metal. There were a few bands that even I was unaware of that I immediately made note to listen to after reading this. But even for metal scholars, this one kind of drones on. But it's still a good read for anyone who wants to learn the deeper history of death metal.
May 2, 2025
This book is great in terms of material and the bands covered. It seems like every band that involved in the scene gets a mention. There’s not really a lot of exciting stories been told however. Punk, hardcore and black metal all have crazy stories to tell in terms of fighting cops and in the black metal scene murder and church burning… but Death Metal didn’t have many big watershed moments that make for an interesting tale. Super informative, well written and researched but not very entertaining as far as storytelling goes.
February 12, 2022
This book is unreal. The account given, by someone who lived through it, is just incredible. Pretty damn in depth, highlighting some really awesome forgotten bands, featuring great quotes and accounts from the biggest names in the genre. And the A-Z dictionary of all the bands is hundreds of pages alone. Truly an awesome book for any metal heads collection. Add to your knowledge.
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