Fuck yes. This is a US pressing of Skitsystem's crushing debut full-length, released in Europe several years ago on Distortion Records. Now, I love Skitsystem, but I have to say that in my opinion this record shits all over everything else they've ever done. It's just a relentless attack of massive Swedish crust/hardcore with more than a little bit of metal tossed into the mix - but tastefully so... and more so in regards to the devastating recording than anything else. The guitar tone is fucking huge, the drums are resonant, the bass thuds away in the center, and the vocals sound great as well. It's just a thick, fucking destructive recording... one of the best this style of hardcore/punk has ever received in my book. As for the songs, it's nonstop. Every track runs less than two or three minutes, the tempos are driving and forceful... it's just a hard-hitting masterpiece that's pretty damn hard to top. A number of the songs do sound fairly similar to one another, which can act as the only slight hitch from time to time, but I still remember how totally floored I was the first time I heard this record. The layout is all in black and white and there's not much to it. A band photo on the back, a strip of bleak photos on the front cover, etc. No lyrics or anything are included (the original press has the lyrics inside, though only a handful of songs are in English anyway), which is sort of a shame as translations would've been nice, but it's no big deal as just having this record be readily available from a good label is the key. I don't know what else to say. You should damn sure know about this band by now, and if you're a Skitsystem fan without some form of this album in your collection you're absolutely insane. Mandatory.
[Havoc]
Running time - 30:31, Tracks: 15
[Notable tracks: I Skuggan av Erat Sverige, Det Sociala Arvet, Pain, Death, Hate, Svarta Tankar, Stars & Stripes = Scares & Strife]
Havoc Records - http://www.havocrex.com
