A SEVEN INCH SPECIAL, VOL. 11: Late era hard & heavy

GUN SMOKE
Midnight Train / Thoghts (Artside, 1975)
English vocals
International relevance: ***

Housed in a very fetching sleeve, this is a bit of a lost gem. Regional label Artside is almost exclusively known for dance orchestras of the most dubious kind, so how Gun Smoke ended up on the label is way beyond me. ”Midnight Train” is hard rock and and psych rock in equal parts with an urgent drive and a very appealing melody. The excellent lead guitar is present all through the track and really fires it up during the solo. ”Midnight Train” is a mini masterpiece that has gone under the radar for far too long. The misspelt ”Thoghts” is a ballad with a nice, drowsy, hazy atmosphere. It's decent I guess but it just can't touch the A side's brilliance. But ”Midnight Train” alone makes this one of the best 45s featured on this blog.

Gun Smoke reunited in the 00's as Gunsmoke and released a CD in 2005. It has a vastly inferior re-recording of ”Midnight Train”, and is more in a southern rock style.

 
HIGHBROW – Rock On (T-Bone, 1978)
English vocals
International relevance: **

Rooted in mid 70s hard rock but moving in the heavy metal direction with dual guitars and some boogie rock moves. The A side ”A Loser” found its way onto the all-Swedish volume of the ”Jobcentre Rejects” compilation series doing a great job documenting rare NWOBHM (and FWOSHM - first wave of Swedish heavy metal) singles otherwise lost to obscurity. The vocals, handled by Norweigan born Dave Nerge, leave bit to be desired but at least they're gratifyingly free of the genre's more annoying mannerisms. B side ”Roumers” (which I guess is supposed to mean ”Rumours”) is perhaps more interesting with an unusual melody with overlapping vocal lines. All in all, it's pretty well executed and not without talent. It's not surprising that all members went on to other bands, some of them quite successful, after releasing a second single in 1979.

 

ROCK SET – Piteå kommun / Up In My Room (Frontalrock, 1979)
Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: *

Rock Set really must have hated their hometown judging by the track ”Piteå Kommun”. They vehemently describe it as a terrible place where time stands still, everything is boring and everyone has alcohol problems. Set to a riff suspiciously similar to Eddie & The Hot Rods' ”Writing On The Wall”, the message gets through loud and clear. Coupled with a blues rocking ”Up In My Room”, this is a great and highly sought-after classic, sometimes going for up to around 200 euros! Thankfully, the guys behind the aforementioned ”Jobcentre Rejects” series reissued it as a deluxe 7" in 2021, making it easier (and cheaper) to obtain. Perhaps too punkish for some, it still remains an excellent example of the rough-hewn DIY ethos that signified punk as well as progg. 

Rock Set released a few more singles (and there's a self-released CD-r compilation of theirs including previously unreleased material), but none of their later outings were as good as this one. 

 

KARL BRUN & HIGHWAY – Ikväll / My Love Is Burning (no label, 1979)
Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: *

Highway were a Gothenburg band augmented with Karl Brun (real name Kenneth Pilo with his nom de plume being a reference to Snoopy character Charlie Brown) and issued this self-financed 1979 single in 200 copies. Brun only appears on ”Ikväll”, an example of idiotic radio friendly boogie stomp. The English spoken B side is credited solely to Highway and is better in a Deep Purple-ish style sans the organ. Obviously rare and seemingly quite expensive when offered for sale, but definitely not worth the price.

TEJP – Tung rock / Sanningen (Tejp, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

”Tung rock” means ”heavy rock” in English, and it's not far from the truth. Or perhaps this one's more speedy than heavy. Both tracks on this very rare and valuable 7” are a revved up mix of harder rock and punk, a bit like Hela Huset Skakar but not quite as good. Tejp won't win any awards for groundbreaking songwriting, but both tracks are soaking with a devil-may-care attitude, and the unpolished execution gives them a very charming underground feel perfectly matched by the primitive cover art. I'm quite fond of the kind of energetic no-nonsense, hit-and-run rock'n'roll Tejp play, but it will definitely not satisfy anyone demanding complexity or sophistication.

 

VANADIS – Heaven Can Wait / Do Me A Favor (CF, 1979)
English vocals
International relevance: *

This year's award for strangest cover art goes to Vanadis from the southern city of Helsingborg. It's not the only quirky thing about their only outing, recorded in 1978 and released the following year. Singer Jan Göransson has a dry, strangely timbreless voice which is very far from what you associate with a hard rock singer. The drum sound is peculiar too, especially on ”Do Me A Favor”, with the flat, thuddy bass drum being too loud and the guitars to low in the mix. Producer Göran Sandquist was responsible a few more records in the years to come, but this was done in of his earliest days on the job and he obviously hadn't gotten the hang of it. It sounds as if he was more accustomed to radio production than music ditto. Not that the songs are too impressive either – they're too standard sounding – but they would certainly have had more oomph had they hired someone who knew what he was doing at the mixing desk.

Vanadis started out in 1975 as Aniara. They split up in 1979 due to military service, but some of the members later joined other bands.

BAKRUS
Kärnkraftsrock / Blåljus (Bakrus, 1979)
Nettan / Lämrock (Blåljus, 1980)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

A band from Åsa, a small town a few miles south of Gothenburg. They left only two self-released singles behind, and the first one at least was recorded in Nacksving's studio. Generally undistinguished semi-hard rock hinting at '77 punk and lyrics with typical post-Nationalteatern sentiments. ”Kärnkraftsrock” is against nuclear power, ”Nettan” against drugs and prostitution. Both singles are rare and sought-after but just not worth it. The best track is clearly ”Lämrock” which can be also found on ”Killed By Death, Vol. 51”. 
 

HAIRLINE BLUE – Snart så kommer jag hem / Månen (Harline Blue, 1980)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Had the mix been better balanced, maybe this would have made a greater impact although not by much. ”Snart så kommer jag hem” is semi-boogie rock with shouty vocals. Not good. The B side is a ballad of sorts with a pseudo Christian vibe (although it isn't religious). ”Månen” has some decent heavy lead guitar with proggish overtones, but it's not enough to save it. 

 

ARMATUR – Rock 'n' roll / Mr. X (Duvan, 1980)
Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

The A side is every bit as daft as its title – if you have to convince people you're rock 'n' roll, you're not.

”Mr. X” is quite good however, although it has a loan or two to repay to Black Sabbath. But Armatur are hardly the only ones in debt to Sabbath, so I let them get away with that. The vocals are only so-so but the track has a nice push to and a very good lead guitarist. Only 500 copies were pressed, and with one of the tracks being so good, it's easy to see why it's in such demand with asking prices in parity with that. Recommended if you can find a copy. But don't play the A side.

 

DAKKS – Änglarna / Tema för säsongen / Metallmani (Dakks, 1981)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Not very wellknown, and not very expensive. Not very good either, and certainly not stringent. During the course of only three songs, they swing from one style to another, and I've no idea if they want to be a hard rock band, a pop band or an experimental ska band. Given the main track, the artwork, and the song title ”Metallmani” (=”metal mania”), I guess that hard rock/heavy metal was what they aimed for. But who am I to say from such an inconsistent effort. Singer David Taylor sounds like he would be in a Christian band – there's something about his tone colour that would fit that. However, one source claims he's the guy later known as Roy Taylor (real name Tony Hellander) in Swedish hair metal band Trash, but I can't decide if that's correct or not. No matter what, Dakks only release is more confusing than appealing.

 

REPULZ – Telling Your Future / God Save Rock 'n' Roll / Problembarn (Stepping Mexicam Produktion, 1981)
English vocals, Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Sometimes classified as punk, Repulz actually think they're hard rock. But whatever idea they might have had in their heads about their own sound, they failed to put it into practice. This 45 is just plain bad with pedestrian songwriting, a clumsy drummer and a singer who obviously skipped English classes in school. ”God Save Rock 'n' Roll” is as clichéd as its dull-witted title. The slightly punkish ”Problembarn” (=”problem child”) is the only song in Swedish and is probably the best track here for that very reason.
 

BOOGIETRYCK 

Röd eller blå / På andra sidan (Try Musikproduktion, 1982

 Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

An insignificant band from northern Sweden that nevertheless released another 45 and a full LP in 1984 in addition to this debut 45. Pretty much in the typical straightforward Northern rock style with a fair amount of boogie rock mixed in. ”Röd eller blå” is the better of the two tracks but none of them is very good. Rekyl and Kylans Rockorkester did this thing better even if the style itself isn't too interesting to begin with.

 

WULCAN – Mysterier / Travellin' (Wulcan, 1982)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

A very obscure, very rare and very expensive 45 from a band originally known as Paradox formed when the drummer was only 8 years old! As Wulcan, they won a local talent contest in 1986 which resulted in a second single. This their debut was paid for by the band, and display a fair amount of talent. ”Travellin'” is a bit on the mediocre side despite some fully functioning harmony vocals, but the Swedish side ”Mysterier” (=”mysteries”) is very good with a mood setting piano intro and a really beautiful melody. The lyrics seem to have Christian overtones but it's hard to say for sure – there's certainly no overt preaching going on here. Although not really in the old school hard rock vein a la November, Midsommar or Great Ad but a couple of steps closer to heavy metal, it's such a wonderful track that I still recommend it. I really hope it will reissued in some way considering the asking prices for an original. Maybe there's even some unreleased stuff of the same calibre hidden away somewhere?

Gun Smoke
Midnight Train / Thoghts (poor sound) 
Highbrow
A Loser (Bandcamp)
Vanadis
Heaven Can Wait / Do Me A Favor
Bakrus
Kärnkraftsrock / Blåljus 
Nettan / Lämrock 
Hairline Blue
Snart så kommer jag hem / Månen  
Armatur
Rock 'n' Roll / Mr. X 

Tejp full single
Karl Brun & Highway full single playlist
Rock Set full single playlist (Bandcamp) 
Dakks full single 
Repulz full single 
Wulcan full single

FILARFOLKET – Birfilarmusik från Malmö (Amalthea, 1980)

Instrumental, Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Originally named Birfilarna, they released one album as such, ”Än svänger det” in 1978. After reorganizing the group, they adopted their new name Filarfolket, and eventually enjoyed quite some success in the 80s. Maybe they're best known for properly launching the career of multi-instrumentalist Ale Möller who for a long time has been a go-to musician when you've needed any odd stringed instrument. Other notable Filarfolket members include Dan ”Gisen” Malmquist and for a while also first class fiddler Ellika Frisell.

Filarfolket have always been a good-natured lot, rarely digging into the darker side of Swedish traditional music. Instead they've always had a broad musical outlook, gladly interweaving musical elements from the entire world, from the Balkans all the way to Africa and Asia. Their curiousity for how musical traditions are connected and compatible was seemingly endless, and with high level skills to combine them seamlessly, they truly were a creative outfit.

With ”Birfilarmusik från Malmö” being their first album under the Filarfolket moniker, they hadn't yet developed their unprejudiced approach in full, but the typical Filarfolket moods are already set. The music's extremely well played, enthusiastic and warm at heart, but as I refer my folk music darker, it gets a bit too rosy-cheeked and cheerful for me.

Opp å ud å å

PROMILLE – Tonåring (UFS, 12", 1979)

  
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

A small scale release with four tracks pressed onto twelve inches of vinyl. Promille had a melodic sense but also a rather heavy sound – last track ”Drömmen” for instance has a lot of AC/DC in its hereditary material. The 'political by proxy' lyrics deal with social issues of small town youth (”tonåring” means ”teenager”) and are quite well written. All songs are band originals and OK. The performances are convincing and it's clear that Promille had more talent than a lot of other obscure bands lacking the financial back-up from proper record companies. Unfortunately, they wasted it when they changed their name to Midnight releasing two dreadful AOR tracks on the Pang Records compilation ”Göteborgsrock/Ytterrock” in 1982. 

Full 12"  

KYLANS ROCKORKESTER – Complete singles 1979-1982

Rekyl's little brothers Kylans Rockorkester are previously represented here with their debut LP ”Välfärdsblues” from 1980, but they were a pretty active band with a back catalogue featuring one more full length album from 1983, a couple of V/A compilation appearences and several singles in both the 7” and 12” formats. These are the four singles they released during their original lifetime.

 

På din fela gul & blå / Ölrusig rock 'n' roll artist (Manifest, 1979)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Their debut single predated their first album with about a year, but their blues based style were more or less carved out from the beginning, only a little less polished. None of the tracks are spectacular but the Creedence Clearwater Revival quoting ”Ölrusig rock 'n' roll artist” was later re-recorded for the debut album.

 

I Lycksele finns ingen hundpsykolog / Tip Top (Manifest, 1980)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Released the same year as ”Välfärdsblues” but not featured on the album. B side ”Tip Top” is a country flavoured track of little distinction but ”I Lycksele finns ingen hundpsykolog” is a hard driving track that very well might be their best track of all.

 

Frihetsblues / Killarnas fantom (Tonpress, 1981)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Two overtly bluesy tracks of little merit, curiously enough pressed and released in Poland.

 

I väntans tider / Egofil / För evigt fångad / Framtidsman (Manifest, 12". 1982)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

A twelve inch EP with a lot of production sheen pointing towards their final proper album ”Kylans snapshot” in 1983. These four tracks are closer to the more sophisticated last album by Swedish punk legends Ebba Grön than the early Kylans releases, making them even less interesting than their previous work.

På din fela gul & blå full single playlist
I Lycksele finns ingen hundpsykolog full single playlist 
I väntans tider full 12" playlist
Frihetsblues / Killarnas fantom

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Tvärsnitt (Caprice, 1978)

Featured artists: Hayena Band / Kattegatt / Claes Wettebrandts Trio / Vågspel / Puls / Boojwah Kids / Krubbits / Alter Ego / Marulk / Änglaspel
Instrumental, Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

The still active Caprice Records were very active pushing unknown bands to public attention, releasing a fair number of various artists compilations in the 70s apart from their regular output of folk music, jazz and contemporary composers. Albums such as ”Det nyjazzte från Göteborg”, ”Jazz och rockstipendiater 1976”, ”Jazz och rock”, and even ”Gatumusik från Stockholm sommaren 76” reveal their consideration of yet unsigned acts. Some remained unsigned, or were forced to release music on their own to make a mark outside of Caprice's release schedule, while others got a more or less prolific career such as Änglaspel, Boojwah Kids and Claes Wetterbrandts Trio. Kattegatt had an interesting album out on their private label, while the exceptional Hayena Band and symph rockers Alter Ego (later Alter Echo) had to wait decades before finally reaching out to the public with archival releases. Vågspel, Puls, Krubbits and Marulk were less fortunate and soon disappeared in obscurity.

”Tvärsnitt” is appropriately subtitled ”13 unga svenska jazz- och rockgrupper 1978” (=”13 young Swedish jazz and rock groups 1978”), so expect some diversity in style here, ranging from prog rock to average piano jazz. But the general competence level is high – some too competent for their own good, emphasizing skill over emotional content, but some of it is in fact quite good. I've already singled out Hayena Band as way above average, and Kattegatt were indeed interesting. The track from Puls starts out as pedestrian jazz fusion but suddenly bursts with heavy Miles Davis energy circa '71-'72. Boojwah Kids are what they are, but if you're into them, their ”Gul sak som känns” is a welcome addition to their small output.

If you don't expect absolute consistency, then ”Tvärsnitt” is a fairly worthwhile compilation with the odd surprise hidden away in the tracklist. 

Hayena Band - Puerto Tune  
Alter Ego - Innan strax före  

HOROSCOPE – Det är inte vårat fel att brännvin är populärt (TPL, 2025; rec. 1979-1980)

 

Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: **

The album title means ”it's not our fault that licquor is popular”, but having heard their only original release ”Come To Me” b/w ”Gryning” (recorded in '79, released in '80), I objected emphatically to that assertion as the only way to get through that dreck is to be properly pissed. The A side is particularly bad, with a conspicuous lack of understanding of what makes a good song good. ”Gryningen” at least has a decent riff that reminds me of Midsommar's first album, but the song is spoilt by the vocals. So when I learnt that a full album compiling the self-financed single plus two previously unreleased 1980 studio sessions... well, let's say I was skeptical.

But I'm happy to admit that while the songwriting is still a bit shaky here and there, Horoscope made some progress in only a year. Singer, guitarist and songwriter Andrija Veljaca occasionally came up with a few tight riffs and got a better grasp of his songwriting in general. His vocals are still a bit of a stumbling block, but at least they're mostly OK on the 1980 tracks. Far from being an 'A' grade hard rock band (with a couple of nods to punk), Horoscope still had their moments as proven by this album.

The sound quality is mostly good, but as the liner notes warn you of, there's some tape drag on especially ”Nytt land” that will make you nauseous if you suffer from motion sickness. The final tracks also have a more muffled sound than the previous ones. Also note that at least some copies have a manufacturing error with all 11 tracks playing as one long.

Horoscope fell apart in 1981 when Veljaca left for Karlshamn band Turbo (who morphed into long running hard rock band Mercy). He died before his time from a brain hemorrhage in 2005. Second guitarist Tommy Wirén joined Ocean after Horoscope's ultimate demise. 

Full album playlist 

ISTID – Istid (Urspår, 1980)

 
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

I don't know what put the misconception in my head that this was an album on the heavier side of things as it's clearly not. Istid's only album, released on the electic Urspår label (home to Kräldjursanstalten, Lars Hollmer, Von Zamla, Rena Rama, Lokomotiv Konkret and several others), is a rather spacious sounding effort in a folk influenced singer/songwriter vein. Two of the members were in other bands: singer/guitarist Lennart Lundgren used to be in Mendoza who cut one memorable CBS album in 1972, while bassist Christer Höglund made his presence known in two other low profile bands, Musikgruppen ACP that released one rare privately pressed single-sided LP, and the blues inflected Frontalrock and their self-released 7” ”Nattens Barn”.

Istid's capacious sound pretty much comes from them substituting regular drums with hand drums including tablas on a couple of tracks. Acoustic instruments are predominant, although best track ”Havet” adds a fuzz guitar solo to good effect. The rest of the material here is quite mediocre. 

Also, I don't like the vocals that often sound like a testosteronic Lasse Tennander. The songs are what they are, but ”Istid” would be more appealing had they skipped the vocal mannerisms. The album does have some nice characteristics but they are overshadowed by less attractive features. 

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