IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Plector post album for streaming, announce imminent demise

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:49:21 -0700

Umeå metal act Plector has announced that their forthcoming album "Punishment day", due out October 31 via Discouraged Records and currently streaming in full at SoundCloud, will be their last. The band's final show will be at the Discouraged Festival in their hometown on September 15 alongside Moloken and Khoma.

Discouraged to release new album from Johnny Electric

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:50:52 -0800

Discouraged Records (Moloken, Terrortory) is branching out from their usual genre preference to release a new album from Umeå garage-rockers Johnny Electric. Entitled "Communication radio highway", this will be the 2nd album from the band and it will be released on vinyl only this coming March 15.

Moloken album now streaming

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:02:22 -0700

Moloken's upcoming album "Rural" is now available for streaming in full -- preorder here: http://www.discouragedrecords.com/shop/

Moloken - The titan above us (video)

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:49:09 -0700

Moloken's first-ever official video. The band's new album "Rural" comes out November 25 via Discouraged Records.

Moloken - Thin line

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:58:39 -0700

The first official sample from Moloken's much-anticipated 2nd album "Rural", due out November 25 via Discouraged Records. Look for a video for the song "The titan above us" to be posted online soon.

Moloken album pushed back to November

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:00:20 -0700

The new Moloken album "Rural" is mixed and ready to be mastered, but it will not be out this month like previously announced. Instead, the release is being pushed back to November while artist/animator Kenny Lindström (Bring Me the Horizon, Totalt Jävla Mörker, Logh, Norma Jean, etc.) finishes up hand-drawing the artwork and the band works on a new video Standard Film Team. More details (and hopefully samples) when I get 'em...

Moloken confirm new album release

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:34:20 -0700

Swedish prog/crust/metal champs Moloken report that they have finished recording their new album "Rural" and will be releasing it on August 27 via Discouraged Records with a European tour to follow in support. In other news, the band's excellent full-length debut "Our astral circle" will be getting a South American release in May via Maca Ataka in Ecuador and Detesta in Mexico.

Moloken finish recording

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 12:19:31 -0800

Moloken reports that they are done recording their new album and have sent it off to Sven Engdahl for mixing. No title or release date yet, but they do reveal that it is seven songs long.

MP3: This Gift is a Curse - The big sleep

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 12:24:11 -0700

Ok, here's another band that Moloken is touring with (dates posted here, but check myspace for the latest -- they are playing at Ungdomens Hus in Uppsala tonight). This Gift is a Curse aren't just tourmates though, they're also on Moloken's label Discouraged Records who co-released the group's new self-titled EP in cooperation with TGIAC's own imprint Waratah. The association makes good sense too, as both bands play dark, sludgy metal, though TGIAC forgoes the technical wizardry that makes Moloken stand out. Instead, we get brutal repetitive riffs, far darker melodies and a heavier dismal crust vibe. Problem is, the recording on the EP sounds like they scooped out all the low end and buried the kick. Listen to the part on the intro of "The big sleep" where it's supposed to hit like a ton of bricks and it comes off more like a tap on the shoulder. Even stranger, this was recorded by Tomas Skorsberg at the famed Sunlight Studios which is normally a mark of high quality. I suspect that This Gift is a Curse are more than adequately crushing in-person and the songs themselves are good, but I'm having a really hard time getting past the recording.

MP3: Radar - Where others were honest (I'm a lie)

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:20:20 -0700

Norrland crust/metal/prog act Moloken, a 2009 favorite, are touring Scandinavia later this month and one of the bands they're playing a string of dates with is Finnish act Radar. Generally speaking, I'm not too crazy about their style of post-metal, but the new EP they recently sent me has a pretty cool 3D cover and the included glasses allowed me to properly view Robyn's video for "Don't fucking tell me what to do", so that's gotta be worth something -- hence this post. It's kind of weird, in the space of a month of so I got a whole bunch of new music in a similar vein and, again -- while not being a huge fan of this stuff, was pleasantly surprised to find it all to be of above-average quality. I already covered Kausal who might just be the best of the lot, but Radar are pretty decent too despite one major piccadillo: I don't care if you want to sing cleanly or scream harshly, but please don't try to do both. 99% of the time it sucks and Radar are no exception. Individually, they do fine with each style... when performed together, it's way corny. That's why I'm posting a track with purely melodic vocals for fellow discerning listeners -- you get the heaviness and the glory and none of the distracting bullshit. RIYL Khoma!

Oh, and those Moloken tourdates:

09/15 - L'Orient, Linköping (SWE) w/This Gift is a Curse
09/16 - Sugar Bar, Stockholm (SWE) w/This Gift is a Curse
09/17 - Ungdomens Hus, Uppsala (SWE) w/This Gift is a Curse
09/18 - Ungdomens Hus, Oskarshamn (SWE) w/This Gift is a Curse
09/19 - tba, Karlskrona (SWE) w/This Gift is a Curse
09/23 - Nuclear Nightclub, Oulu (FIN) w/Radar
09/24 - Lutakko, Jyväskylä (FIN) w/Radar
09/25 - S-Osis, Turku (FIN) w/Radar
09/26 - Kuudes Linja, Helsinki (FIN) w/Radar
09/29 - tba (NOR) w/Manhattan Skyline
09/30 - tba (NOR) w/Manhattan Skyline
10/01 - Garage, Oslo (NOR) w/Manhattan Skyline
10/02 - Fru Lundgreen, Trondheim (NOR) w/Manhattan Skyline

Rising gets a new drummer, more

Tue, 11 May 2010 12:01:09 -0700

Drummer Martin Niemann (ex-Marvins Revolt) has decided to take a break from music and has resigned from his place on the throne for Danish heavy rockers Rising. Jacob Johansen (Anchorless, The Fashion, ex-Lack), who has already previously sat in with the band back in late 2009, will be taking his place. As for the future, the band has cancelled their show with Moloken on May 21 and will instead debut the new lineup on May 28-29, in Göteborg and Malmö respectively, their very first Swedish dates. Otherwise, the band plans to work on their debut full-length for next six months or so and will be touring Europe in September.

"Our astral circle" LP preorder now available

Wed, 05 May 2010 12:15:12 -0700

The vinyl edition of Moloken's excellent "Our astral circle" album is now available for preorder from Discouraged Records: http://www.discouragedrecords.com/shop

Moloken interview at Vile Noise

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:28:33 -0700

The Vile Noise webzine has a new interview up with Swedish act Moloken: http://www.vilenoise.com/interview-with-moloken-progressive-sludge-metal-from-sweden/

Discouraged reveals 2010 plans

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:21:42 -0700

Discouraged Records (Moloken) has announced the signing of three new bands and here is what they have to say about them:

Ghamorean - Terra ruina
Umeå blackened death metal unit Ghamorean's new record "Terra ruina" is currently beeing mixed and planned to be released this fall.

Plector - Dark & spiteful
Death metal trashers Plector from Umeå's debut album "Dark & spiteful" will get a proper release late summer with digipak cover.

Bingo - Ett grindslagsmål i två delar
Grindheads Bingo's (Umeå) debut album "Ett grindslagsmål i två delar" is finally re-mastered and ready to hit the pressing plant. Expect a release during the late summer.

Sirius playlist week #13

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:42:13 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Brothers of End - Beats for you (Rasmus Hägg remix)
02. TALK 1
03. Haust - A final effort
04. Rasmus Kellerman - Five years from now
05. Echo Is Your Love - Playlist song
06. EL-SD - Walking sideways
07. TALK 2
08. Axe - Harm
09. Khoma - From the hands of sinners
10. Zeigeist - Bunny
11. C.Aarmé - Assuan
12. TALK 3
13. The Fine Arts Showcase - This is the day
14. Sonic Ritual - Early graves
15. Death By Kite - Pills
16. Susanne Sundfør - O master
17. TALK 4
18. Simian Ghost - Star receiver
19. Moloken - Untitled III
20. Darkthrone - I am the graves of the 80s
21. TALK 5

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

"Our astral circle" coming out on vinyl

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:54:18 -0700

Moloken's excellent album "Out astral circle" will receive a much-needed vinyl release in May via the band's own Discouraged Records in cooperation with Do You Dream of Noise!. 300 copies, 100 color + 200 black. If you've seen the stellar job they did with the CD layout, I bet this will look killer.

Moloken to tour Europe in May

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:52:45 -0800

Moloken have started to line up dates for a European tour in May: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=173762508&blogId=529242787

Moloken Euro tour diary

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:45:07 -0800

Moloken's full European tour diary is now online: http://www.moloken.net/

Sirius playlist week #46

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:17:24 -0800

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Champagne Riot - THe champagne anthem
02. TALK 1
03. C.Aarmé - Bodybuilding
04. Mattias Alkberg - Andra känner
05. Asha Ali - The time is now
06. Karin Ström - Hon som älskade dig
07. TALK 2
08. Masquer - Bang bang
09. Mikkel Meyer - Tartar
10. Rising - Grail of bone
11. TALK 3
12. Sambassadeur - Days
13. Tortyr - Joag
14. Franke - Exil riktas inåt
15. Madamm - Lately I've been so blue
16. TALK 4
17. Taggarna Ut - The secretary
18. José González - In our nature
19. Moloken - Followers
20. Kitty & the K - Iamamf
21. Joel Alme - You will only get it once
22. TALK 5
23. The Movements - Going to your house

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Moloken Our astral circle Discouraged Records

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

While Moloken's wonderful debut release "We all face the dark alone" showcased a band with the potential to deliver high-quality, sludgy metal, it only hinted at the abundant genius held within the ranks of this Swedish quartet. Only a year later this ingenuity has been fully realized in "Our astral circle" as we find an outfit that has honed their songwriting skills to as damn near perfect as is humanly possible. Moloken have demonstrated that post-metal doesn't have to be a one-dimensional entity, and they've done it with such style that they have created a versatile body of work that defies genre convention. There's everything on offer here, from the ethereal uneasiness of "Untitled II" to the metal savagery of "My enemy" to the doomed despair of closer "11"12". There's also a certain looseness about this album, as if the band have felt their way in the studio rather than laboring over every minor detail, but that's not to say that this is a sloppy recording. Far from it, in fact. To have this music any tighter or, indeed, cleaner would render it simply good rather than great. Integral to this characteristic is a superior production, which allows the nuances of each instrument to shine through and affords "Our astral circle" a genuine, warts-and-all, quality. In the realm of Moloken diversity is king; delicate passages punctuate abrasive walls of sound and everything comes together to produce an album that is central to this band's ethos: semper heavius maximus!

Sirius playlist week #41

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:12:30 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Bröderna Lindgren - Annan sort (feat. Britta Persson)
02. TALK 1
03. Rigas - Tonite
04. Sienna Root - The road to Agatha (Ahir Bhairav)
05. The Gentle Act Incident - The city doesn't know me
06. Asha Ali - Hurricane
07. TALK 2
08. Agent Side Grinder - Die to live
09. Moloken - My enemy
10. Boys of Scandinavia - Good looking
11. TALK 3
12. Sivert Høyem - Moon landing
13. Moonbabies - Take me to the ballroom
14. The Movements - Save me
15. TALK 4
16. Mikkel Meyer - Tunge (feat. Non)
17. Sahara Hotnights - Impressed by me
18. Samuraj Cities - The weekend is almost over
19. TALK 5
20. Adjagas - Mánu rávdnji

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Art is Fucking Dead interviews Moloken

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:20:04 -0700

Portuguese blog Art is Fucking Dead interviews Norrland dark hardcore act Moloken: http://artisfuckingdead.blogspot.com/2009/09/entrevista-moloken.html

Sirius playlist week #39

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:22:39 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Joensuu 1685 - I'm on fire
02. TALK 1
03. Boy Omega - Dinosaur drugs
04. Katatonia - Forsaker
05. Moloken - Die fear will
06. TALK 2
07. Rising - Dead kings
08. The Cardigans - Erase/rewind
09. The Amazing - Dragon
10. TALK 3
11. The First Miles - Black heart
12. [ingenting] - Medan vi sov
13. Skriet - Kärlekens land
14. TALK 4
15. Abandon - It's all gone

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

MP3: Moloken - Die fear will

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:27:02 -0700

Along with The Amazing's self-titled debut (discussed briefly here), my pick for September's album(s) of the month would have to go to Moloken's "Our astral circle". Yes, [ingenting]'s new record is also brilliant and well-deserving of praise and Abandon's "The dead end" is likewise incredibly powerful, but I've listened to Moloken a heckuva lot more often that anything else. Now if you remember, I wasn't that impressed with the band's epic debut EP, but it did show promise and on this new effort they have delivered in full. Once again, the band sound is rooted in heavy, dark hardcore ala "Souls at zero"-era Neurosis, especially considering the prominent bass presence, but they're also not afraid to go full-on metal when necessary. They're also unafraid to show off their chops either, as you'll hear on the song I've posted today. Some of their flair is subtle, but any musician should recognize that this rhythm section is a monster and that those long instrumental passages kick serious ass. Kinda like Tool minus the pretentious restraint, I'd say. And with better songs too, though that's not saying much considering Tool has always been way more about craft and mood than catchy riffs. Anyhow, this is a great release with broad appeal to all fans of heavy music, whether it be crust, doom or whatever. I hope other metal fans take note.

Moloken debut out and available for streaming

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:28:49 -0700

Norrland doomcore act Moloken have finally released their debut full-length album "Our astral circle" and are streaming it at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/moloken
RIYL early Neurosis (I do). Also check their page for European tourdates starting in mid-October.

Sirius playlist week #28

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:18:48 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Samtidigt Som - Vid min sida
02. TALK 1
03. Tortyr - Ingen anger
04. Tribulation - Beyond the horror
05. The Fine Arts Showcase - Lovesick
06. TALK 2 (Umeå Punk City set)
07. The Bombettes - Oh boy
08. Industri Royal - Location location location
09. Regulations - Different needs
10. Moloken - Followers
11. Inständg - Kött är mord
12. Knugen Faller - Jag vill inte vara med
13. The Rats - Everything is a trap
14. TALK 3
15. Elmo - Blind heart
16. Logh - Forest eyes (RBG version)
17. Shining - Plågoande O'Helga plågoande
18. TALK 4
19. NEI - City of gold
20. Svart - Honey, honey
21. Fare You Well - It's almost over
22. TALK 5
23. Samuraj Cities - 2 close 2 yr hrt

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Discouraged Records confirms three new releases

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:28:50 -0700

Umeå-based label Discouraged Records reports that the new Moloken album "Our astral circle" is done and sent off for mastering. No release date yet, but samples should be online soon. Also in the works, new 7"s from both The Pookie Syndrome (due out June 6, samples here) and grind/spazz-metal act Soldier One. More details: http://www.discouragedrecords.com/index2.html

Moloken has a studio blog

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:05:07 -0800

Norrland hardcore/doom act Moloken is keeping a studio blog at myspace while they record their debut full-length "Our astral circle": http://www.myspace.com/moloken

Moloken We all face the dark alone Discouraged Records

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Glad to hear someone emulating "Souls at zero"-era Neurosis rather than that band's monolithic, latter-day sound. Do that and you're only setting yourself up to fail. Instead, we're treated to crusty metal that's totally bass-driven with a similarly progressive, apocalyptic bent and a strong hardcore rooting. But no, not the usual mid-tempo sludge, thank goodness. They've got a healthy dose of northern darkness too, though I wouldn't put them up against the mighty Breach yet. Anyhow, this EP consists of one epic 15-minute track broken into three sections and while the rhythm section is exceptionally strong, the guitars and vocals don't add much more than texture. At least they're buried in the mix behind the bass because that's where Moloken shines. Gnarly tone, too -- like a cross between Man is the Bastard and Rush. I'm looking forward to hearing more from these guys in the future.

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:33:42 -0700

Moloken's new EP "We all face the dark alone" will be released on June 27 via Discoraged Records.

Mon, 19 May 2008 15:13:50 -0700

Umeå-based crust/hardcore/metal label Discouraged Records is back after a long break and will be putting out four new releases this year:

Moloken - we all face the dark alone CDEP
Angel With No Arms - s/t 7" EP
Bingo - Mer grind än din morsa CD
The Pookie Syndrome - s/t 7" EP

Check out the hyperlinked bandnames for samples.