Due to incredibly miserable finances this is the first record I have been able to buy in two months. So when I got a bit of cash to spend I was real selective when I went to the store. After sampling the delights of this record my hunch was proven correct. Damn this is good!Totalitaer (i have to spell it ae cuz my computer cant do the umlauts) were one of the best hardcore/d-beat groups to come out of north sweden. They recorded numerous 7''s on Finn Records and had a couple full length releases too. They were mainly a studio band, and decided to call it quits in 2000.This record here is a collection of theyre earliest material; their demo, some 7''s, and some live recordings from their first UK tour. It is on Armageddon Label, which is coincidentally run by Ben from DropDead. I expected the demo to be pretty rough and sloppy, as is usually the case but this was tight! Considering that their first drummer was actually a classicaly trained pianist, the first few tracks are furiously fast and quite well recorded. My favourite tracks on the record have to be from their self-released "Multinationella Moerdare" 7". The opening track really got my attention with a bass that sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a well, which is more typical of later crust bands like Amebix. The live set recorded in Darby is also a delight. I usually shy away from buying live albums unless I have the bands entire back catalogue, because usually the recording quality is so poor I cant tell what the song is meant to sound like. These tracks are really an exception to the rule.So there we have it, if you like fast d-beat in the veign of Mob 47 or Avskum then get yer hands on this record. Unless you have a lot of money and patience, in which case you might wanna try to find the original vinyl. ps have a peep at armageddons other releases, well worth checking outwww.armageddonshop.com
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