Publication:
MaximumRockNRoll

Author:
Felix Von Havoc

MRR #230
Summer of 2002 will hopefully be remembered as one of the best periods for hardcore since the early 80's. I feel qualified to make such a bold statement after witnessing some truly epic hardcore shows in the past few weeks. As I started to relate last month I've been very busy this spring with tours and setting up Thrash Fest 3. But I am just a small part of a larger operation by a dedicated group of hardcore enthusiasts on a mission to bring international DIY hardcore to the people at any cost. The Hardcore Revival of recent years has created an amazing network of truly dedicated hardcore punk die-hards who are working hard behind the scenes to bring bands on tour, put out records and set up shows. Here is my story, provided for your education and entertainment, but remember, you too are a player in this game. Booking shows, setting up tours, putting out records, is not rocket science. With dedication, vision and passion anyone of average intelligence with sheer will power can pull stuff like this off.

After last years Thrash Fest was pulled off, plans were already in motion for a series of DIY hardcore tours for 2002 based on a series of festivals in Chicago and Minneapolis. After successful DIY tours by Scumbrigade, Total Fury, Vitamin X and DS 13 it seemed that the time was right for more European and Japanese bands to come over and some of the same bands to come over again. Timmy was in touch with Amdi Petersen's Arme and Manifesto Jukebox, Anton of Underestimated was working with Vitamin X and Greg was setting up a tour for Total Fury. Meanwhile I was working on a tour for Nine Shocks Terror and planning Thrash Fest 3. It only took a few emails and phone calls to set it up so that the three international bands tours intersected in Minneapolis May 3d and Chicago May 4th for Thrash Fest 3 and Chicago Fest 2.5. This spring I bought a van for Vitamin X to use on tour, even though I'm not in a band anymore I've managed to acquire a full back line for touring bands to use this van and backline would propel both Vitamin X and Amdi Petersen's Arme. The two bands tours ended and began in Minneapolis and they handed off the van to eachother at these raging shows. Simultaneously Mike, Timmy and Athena were planning a West Coast tour for Nine Shocks Terror to coincide with the MRR 20th anniversary gig. I dropped two grand on a van, which turned out to be a bomb and not worth fixing. I wound up buying another van at the last minute that was nice, but way more than I was expecting to pay, 6,500$ to be exact. While this was happening the engine in my truck (which I used to haul DS13 and Nine Shocks) went out and there went another 6000$ (Diesel engines are not cheap!). With seconds to spare I loaded the Vitamin X cds, and gear into the van and drove it to Chicago for the Vitamin X show there. The next day Vitamin X left for a six week US tour and I rented a truck and drove to Moline to see Nine Shocks Terror. Here I picked up Nine Shocks gear and drove it back to Minneapolis. As soon as Sid from Misery finished putting the engine in my truck I left for the west coast with Nine Shocks Terror's gear, shirts and my distro. Meanwhile, Nine Shocks being the superstars they are flew to the west coast. I picked them up in San Francisco and we did the MRR 20th anniversary show and a total of 17 shows in 16 days up and down the west coast. They flew back to Clevo and I had to drive back to Minneapolis. A few weeks later Amdi Petersen's Arme flew into Chicago and Minneapolis and converged here awaiting Vitamin X and the van. At this very moment Greg and Total Fury were tearing up the East Coast.

It all came together May 4th, 2002 in Minneapolis. What will go down in hardcore history as one of the greatest shows ever, Total Fury, Amdi Petersen's Arme, Vitamin X, Nine Shocks Terror, Tear It Up, Caustic Christ, and Holding On at Babylon on East Lake St. in Minneapolis. OK, I am prejudiced because six of these bands are on my label, but ask anyone who was at this show! There were 400 people packed into a room with a legal capacity of 132. There was so much energy and enthusiasm from start to finish. All of the bands played in top form, there were more stage dives off the speaker towers than you could count, and a circle pit that didn't stop for almost five hours. There were no fights, no trouble with the cops, all the bands showed up and played on time and in order and I think everyone had a great time. Hopefully some pictures of this show will run in the magazine for those who might doubt me. We were scrubbing footprints off the ceiling the next day! Babylon is an all ages, DIY show space in Minneapolis modeled on Gilman and ABC No Rio and this has been our most triumphant feat so far. I'd like to take this time in print to thank the staff of Babylon, the bands who played the fest and all the kids who showed up. In nineteen years of going to hardcore shows, Thrash Fest 3 ranks in the top 5, and certainly was the best since the mid 80's. Nine Shocks Terror picked up their gear at the fest and took it home and all the bands except them and Tear It Up played the next day with Reaccion and Def Choice at Chicago Fest 2.5. This was cool and it was great to see Total Fury, APA and VX all over again, but the energy level was not as high as the day before nor as at Chicago Fest 2, although this year I didn't land in jail. Vitamin X flew home, Amdi Petersen's Arme left for tour with my van and I drove back to Minneapolis. The saga continues, in June Epileptic Terror Attack and Amdi Petersen's Arme will play together in Minneapolis and exchange the van again and later this year Manifesto Jukebox and photographer Kristoffer Pasanen will tour the same route in the same van. I ended this saga still in debt from buying the van and fixing the truck but satisfied that I did my part to pull of a major coup in the history of international DIY hardcore.

My point in all this is that DIY hardcore is running very strong right now. We have a good thing going and I hope no one decides to fuck it up. All I did was buy a van and some gear and make a few emails and phone calls. Timmy and Greg spent a lot of time booking but it's like this, a Network of Friends keeps this scene going. We all put in what we can, be it gear, booking or just showing up at the gigs. American bands have been touring Europe and Japan for years with very few Japanese and European (non English at least) bands coming over in return. Some of us who were fans of international hardcore set out to rectify this situation and so far it's working out OK. I think the next step is to integrate South America more into this network. There are some really amazing hardcore bands and a good scene in Brazil for instance. With the right combination of good bands, a little cash and a little work anyone can set up a tour for a foreign band and I hope more people do. I hope more people strive to make DIY better and more meaningful than the mainstream instead of settling for half assed and too late again and again.

Now lets talk about music. One of my favorite Swedish hardcore bands is Totalitar I've been a huge fan since the first 7" came out. Totalitar I think bridges perfectly the gap between early 80's Swedish HC like Anti Cimex and Crude SS and today's crust core like Skitsystem and Wolfbrigade. They have consistently cranked out aggressive, gritty and raw hardcore which retains a punk rock edge in an era where many bands draw on metal influences. Especially on the later releases Totalitar's lyrics are some of the best/most well thought out political punk lyrics. Short of offering complex utopian solutions they manage to tackle complex issues with devastating clarity in the constraints of a minute and half long punk song. Class Inte Rass is a perfect example. Bruce Rohers has stated "if you don't like Totalitar, you don't have a punk bone in your body" far be it from me to disagree with the king of Oi. I 'd have to say that if you don't like Totalitar you are either dead or a poser. This band has a cult following but I feel that due to the fact they sing mostly in Swedish, rarely play out, and have only a few releases on US labels they have gone largely overlooked in their long career. Here to shed some light onto this dark corner of Swedish hardcore is professor Havoc.

Releases

Multinationella Mordare 7", 1987 self released
Still some of the best stuff I think, a great 7"

Luftslott 7" 1987, Loony Tunes Records
Recorded at the same time as Multinationella Mordare but not nearly as good.

Van Dig Inte Om 7" 1989, Finn Records
Good d beat HC with a strange rock influence on some songs, a wicked Missbrukarna cover.

Snabb Livsgladje 7" (86 demo) 1991, self released
Can't tell you about this record because I don't have it. Anyone with a spare copy, get in touch, it's the 86 demo on vinyl so it must be good.

Sin Egen Mostandarte CD/LP 1994 Finn/Prank Records
Amazing! second only to Ni Maste Bort! This is raw, angry d-beat at it's best.

Totalitar/Dismachine split LP 1995 Your Own Jailer Records
Also amazing, scorching raw punk HC attack.

Ni Maste Bort CD/LP 1997 Finn/Prank Records
This is the greatest Totalitar and one of the top 5 d beat rawpunk records of all time, so raw sick and brutal, a total desert island top five record.

Klass Inte Rass, 7" 1997 Prank Records
More amazing stuff, up there with the two LPs. Really dead on lyrics too. Recorded at the same time as the Crust 7" but is way more loud and powerful on wax. Some of these are on red vinyl.

Totalitar/Autoritar split 7", 1999 Yellow Dog Records
Perhaps feeling the pressure from Berlin violent thrashers Autoritar they play really fast on this release.

Vansinnets Historia 7" 1998 Crust Records
Another winner, I think the gravely raspy vocals on this are perfect. Recorded at the same time as Klasse Inte Rass, but doesn't sound quite as powerful.

Dom Lurar Oss 7" 2000, 1000 DB Records
Some feel that this 7" is less inspired and pissed off than the earlier stuff. I think this one still rages, and the slower punkier numbers are among the best they've done in that style.

Totalitar/Disclose split LP, 2001 Your Own Jailer/Havoc Records
When I found out this was limited to 500 copies I got in touch with Janne Jutila and had him press up another 500 for me to sell in the US. All told I imported about 600 copies for distribution in the US, two of the best d-beat bands of any era. I wish there had been a way to make this available in the US at a better price, but the people who were most into the bands probably got it by now. I think this is pretty powerful stuff, though maybe not as on fire as the first two LPs, the intro and first track are really raging.

Spela Bort Allt Du Har 7"
the most recent on Dod and Uppsvald Records recorded at the same time as Allting Ar Pa Latsas 7" on Really Fast Records. These two newest additions to the Totalitar Repetoire are both raging, with more of the raw punk sound going than some of the earlier more Discharge influenced stuff. These should be readily available as are all the Prank Releases and you will not be sorry for seeking them out right.

Comp Tracks

Hardcore for the masses comp.
These two tracks are super heavy and brutal especially for the late 80's.

In Defence of our Future comp.
Every body loves Discharge....even the guys in Totalitar

Publication Date:
January 1, 1988

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