Hardcore
Asocial – Aldrig Som Er
Originally active in the early ’80s, Asocial are among the foremost of the classic Swedish hardcore punk pantheon. The Scandinavians have always done it up when it comes to mangeling raw punk and Asocial weren’t any different. Their 1984’s Asocial Attack tape was absolutely essential in creating the kängpunk canon, along with bands like Anti […]
The post Asocial – Aldrig Som Er first appeared on DIY Conspiracy – International Zine in the Spirit of DIY Hardcore Punk!
Artist: Asocial
Title: Aldrig Som Er
Release: LP / Digital
Year: 2021
Label: Rawmantic Disasters, Burning Anger, Not Enough Records
Originally active in the early ’80s, Asocial are among the foremost of the classic Swedish hardcore punk pantheon. The Scandinavians have always done it up when it comes to mangeling raw punk and Asocial weren’t any different. Their 1984’s Asocial Attack tape was absolutely essential in creating the kängpunk canon, along with bands like Anti Cimex, Shitlickers, Mob 47, Crude SS, and Avskum.
In the beginning of 2017, the band woke up from their decades long slumber and began to play gigs and write new material with a reformed line-up. This wasn’t their first reunion though, as they did a few gigs and released an EP during the ’90s. This time, however, Asocial returned angrier and more furious than ever. Two new albums, Död Åt Kapitalismen (2017) and Föralltid Underground (2019), were released through the finest Italian label F.O.A.D. Records, both fucking excellent by all standards.
The band’s latest Aldrig Som Er LP—released earlier in 2021 by a triumvirate of d-beat raw punk specialized labels—features both new songs (Side A) and re-recorded versions of classic Asocial songs from 1984-1986 (Side B).
There’s nothing particularly new Asocial are doing now than before, except for maybe incorporating some more aggressive crust punk tropes that weren’t available back in the early ’80s as the genre didn’t even exist at the time. I get it that some people are not content with old bands re-recording their classic material now, but there’s nothing stopping you to enjoy their old stuff—widely available online and re-released in various anthologies throughout the years. I love the fact that Asocial are still writing excellent new material, and I firmly believe that, if you want to play your old repertoire in 2021, you should take note of the genre’s massive evolution since the 1980s and try to make it sound as faster, angrier and crustier as it gets.
Whether it’s brand new tracks from these Swedish veterans or re-recordings of their classic material, Aldrig Som Er is comprised of seven great outtakes of old fashioned raw punk, filled to the brim with distorted riffs, vitriolic vocals and punishing d-beats. It’s all louder with better recording quality! Song titles like “Religion Still Fucking Sucks”, “Crossa Nazismen” (Smash Nazism), and “Asocial Attack” speak directly enough about the band’s message. What else could you ask for? This is an essential listening for anyone into Scandinavian hardcore punk.
Source: diyconspiracy.net
