Sweden’s Larma might be a new band but just knowing their pedigree is a clear indication of the spicy Swedish meatball of hardcore fury they are bringing to the party. Featuring former members of such powerhouses as Skitkids, Stress SS, Infernöh, Arsle, and Herätys they tear through 11 tracks of high octane and absolutely blistering Swedish hardcore.
But this isn’t all-go-no-slow paddle thrash—instead they’ve taken the lessons that Totalitär set out before us to heart. While this does rip and rage it never goes full bore into a mindless whirlwind of hammer to face battering territory but injects a constant feel of catchiness and hooks. Occasionally, they downshift into these absolutely brutal, skull stomping, Oi!-styled breakdowns—for example the song “Avståndets Psykologi.”
It’s just so heavy and driving that here I am in the coffee shop beating the shit out of my pastry.
D-beat is such weird thing—so often it falls quickly into this sort of plodding and inept take on Discharge or more often into this metallic crustlord territory played by extras from the Lord of the Rings. This is not to say that I have anything against the Uruk-hai or inept music in general, lets be clear on that point. However, its just when something that is infused with Minor Threat levels of energy and musicianship comes along it just makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I take notice. In a world of orcs and goblins, Larma rises above the fray appearing at the dawn like Éomer at the Battle of Helms Deep to smash the pretenders and save the day.
They are just a magnificent display of what is possible with the Buzzcocks' glorious invention—that simple pulsating beat. While it is early, for me this is a serious contender for Album of the Year.
Check it out now online while you wait for the vinyl to drop on Copenhagen’s Adult Crash Records.
***
If you're shopping for vinyl, CD, and cassette hardcore titles, head to No Echo's partner store, Reverb LP, to see what they have available. Every purchase you make helps No Echo with site costs.
Tagged: international hardcore bands, larma
