Man, although Norway & Sweden
was thick with metal, I wasn’t really
prepared for Finland.
Seems like every musician & hir wannabee cous’ are in metal bands here. I’m
heading out to find a squat & maybe throw myself into a pit…a mosh pit of
gnarly punks, that is. While I’m out looking for some aural knock-out punch, I toss
up this gem…
Rutto (Plague) or sometimes
called T.H.E.R. (for T.H.E Rutto [The Plague]) were one of the few
female-fronted hardcore bands in Finland. They play a droning style
of Finnish garage punk. The songs are basic punk tunes, mid-tempo at best. The
most exceptional thing is the female vocalist.
Piäsky & Tilli were in legendary Finnish punk band Terveet
Kädet in the mid 80s. Terveet Kädet was started in 1980 by Läjä Äijälä. He is
the only original member still in that band. Piäsky was the original bass
player. Tilli is Läjä’s younger brother. In fact this EP is dedicated to Walde,
who played drums in TK from 1983–1984. He died in an accident in 1984. Mäkinen
was in the band Kuölema, which also had members of Terveet Kädet. This was part
of a close knit punk scene centered around Tornio, Finland.
This is Rutto’s 2nd EP,
a one-sided affair. Only 300 copies were made. It is almost impossible too find.
T.H.E.R. here are: Kiki – vocals; Mäkinen – guitar; Piäsky –
bass; & Tilli – drums.
Enjoy this great piece of punk history !
Ikbal – IKBALS 007, 1984.
decryption code in comments
Side 1 -
Musta Loppu (Black Out)
Ilmastoitu Painajainen
(The Air-Conditioned Nightmare)
Paha, Kuölema (Evil,
Death)
###########################################
Now I feel much better. Getting away from
the sacrificial lamb has done wonders. Now all I need is to rip a coupla bong
hits. Maybe I’ll play “The Bong Song”. Maybe I’ll let somebody else do the work
for a while. Fuck, I’m supposed to be on vacation…
My partner in blog crime Zer0_II,
originator of this whole journey, posted this over at Digital Meltd0wn in
February 2008. The link is long gone, but I’m puttin’ it back up. Here’s what
he had to say about Velcra at the time:
“Between Force and Fate is a smack in
the face from a fist that entered a time vortex in 1993 & reappeared just
in time to knock the knowing noughties cynicism from our grinning faces. It's
fantastic. Velcra do share a few attributes with their Finnish rock compatriots
- they all have a flair for incredibly infectious musical hooks, they could all
be accused of being more than a little derivative & they all have a sound
that's far more than the sum of their influences. That, however, is where the
comparisons end. Instead of overblown 80s rock, Velcra's heart is in early 90s
rave, rap metal & political rebellion. Think Rage Against the Machine meets
The Prodigy with a female lead-singer thrown in the mix.
Beginning as a two-piece for debut album Consequences of Disobedience, Velcra started life as guitarist/programmer O.D. (a sort-of Finnish Liam Howlett) & uber-versatile vocalist Jessi Frey. Now expanded to a full band that's still mixing programmed beats in with the acoustic drums, they're making music that is guaranteed to set any rock club ballistic, so long as they actually make the playlist.
Opener “War is Peace” sets off in ballistic fashion, a machine-gun riff exploding into a furious tirade from Jessi Frey. The hook lines are simple but effective, ‘The battle has begun, counting 3-2-1 / are you ready?’ she yells, & you can already hear the crowds shouting along. “War is Peace” feels like the tune of the year, at least until you get to “Our Will Against Their Will”, which is even better. Based on a speech Queen Elizabeth I gave to her troops in 1588 it combines a fantastic synth hook, a punishing sledgehammer guitar & a fantastic sense of uplifting fury to amazing effect.
By this point in the album you've tasted Velcra's energy, but only just scratched the surface of their versatility, or rather that of vocalist Jessi Frey. If she's not top of Liam Howlett's wish-list for collaborators, she soon will be after this. Imagine a female Mike Patton, or rather a cross between Mike Patton, Keith Flint, Dido & Bjork… a singer with a multitude of completely different voices & the ability to switch between any of them in an instant. I found Velcra while searching for artists to include in the female rock compilation that I'm throwing together, & they are a great find indeed. You can expect to see at least one song by them on the comp.”
Beginning as a two-piece for debut album Consequences of Disobedience, Velcra started life as guitarist/programmer O.D. (a sort-of Finnish Liam Howlett) & uber-versatile vocalist Jessi Frey. Now expanded to a full band that's still mixing programmed beats in with the acoustic drums, they're making music that is guaranteed to set any rock club ballistic, so long as they actually make the playlist.
Opener “War is Peace” sets off in ballistic fashion, a machine-gun riff exploding into a furious tirade from Jessi Frey. The hook lines are simple but effective, ‘The battle has begun, counting 3-2-1 / are you ready?’ she yells, & you can already hear the crowds shouting along. “War is Peace” feels like the tune of the year, at least until you get to “Our Will Against Their Will”, which is even better. Based on a speech Queen Elizabeth I gave to her troops in 1588 it combines a fantastic synth hook, a punishing sledgehammer guitar & a fantastic sense of uplifting fury to amazing effect.
By this point in the album you've tasted Velcra's energy, but only just scratched the surface of their versatility, or rather that of vocalist Jessi Frey. If she's not top of Liam Howlett's wish-list for collaborators, she soon will be after this. Imagine a female Mike Patton, or rather a cross between Mike Patton, Keith Flint, Dido & Bjork… a singer with a multitude of completely different voices & the ability to switch between any of them in an instant. I found Velcra while searching for artists to include in the female rock compilation that I'm throwing together, & they are a great find indeed. You can expect to see at least one song by them on the comp.”
On Between Force & Fate, Velcra are:
Jessi Frey – vocals; O.D. – guitar & programming; DJ Freak –
keyboards & sampling; Teb Bonnet – bass; Mikko – drums& The Filthy
Fiddlers – strings.
Velcra – Between Force & Fate, Virgin – 07243 560182 2
8, 2005.
decryption code in comments
Track List:
War is Peace
Water s Getting High
Our Will Against Their Will
For My Loneliness I Pay
Memory Loss
I Can't Tell the Sun from The Moon
The Bong Song
Corruption
Hotel Alcatraz
Wonderland Sunrise
War is Peace
Water s Getting High
Our Will Against Their Will
For My Loneliness I Pay
Memory Loss
I Can't Tell the Sun from The Moon
The Bong Song
Corruption
Hotel Alcatraz
Wonderland Sunrise
Enjoy, & do svidanya, hopefully I’ll be crossing over
into Russia
tomorrow.
NØ
Rutto
ReplyDeleteb2Z3_VVHSXyzX2E5iHDIMjfoG5NpB3nHtubUga7eERA
Velcra
Xgvv3lfa4fzbQ9AXNagqMyDGcqRDlT4_8Gs5aWV-RD4
No BEHERIT or Terveet Kädet?
ReplyDeleteI had a feeling most everyone was aware of Terveet Kädet. That's why I posted up T.H.E.Rutto. Their connection to TK but felt they are less known. Beherit are truly satanic black metal, but after Norway & Sweden I was trying for a bit of variety & not just Metal. There are just so many choices, that everyone's favorite doesn't always make the cut. Both the bands you named are top-notch. Thanks for the comment. If you have any suggestions for bands from countries I haven't posted yet, let me know. I'll try to oblige.
DeleteThanks for posting these! I always enjoy post featuring more "obscure" bands. It's hard to believe how many great bands existed that most people never heard of.
ReplyDelete