Köttgrottorna - "Halvdöd" (1987)

Köttgrottorna (The meat caves) have long been among the elite in Sweden's punk scene. The band was formed in 1983, the first two years their act was more towards musical comedy, but then the direction was changed to a more serious one. In 1987, the band consisted of Stefan "Mongo" Enger on bass and song, "Happy" Törnblom på drums, Janne Olsson on guitar and song and Guld-Lars on guitar. The latter had previously played in KSMB, another one of Sweden's more famous punk bands. The band still exists today, however as a trio as Guld-Lars passed away in 2015. Stefan "Mongo" happens to be my cousin, blood is thicker than water, so in today's post everything that is spelled objectivity or criticism has flown through the window. Today, everyone loves Köttgrottorna.

Halvdöd (Half-dead) was the band's second LP, and consists of a live-recorded half (side A), and a studio recorded half (side B). The live recording is from a concert in the ABF house in Jakobsberg, Stockholm. Personally, I like the studio-recorded side best, even though the live concert also has its charm. Not surprisingly, the live recording is a bit rougher and more noisy in its sound, of course it's fast-paced and both the band and the audience seem to have fun. My favorite song from the concert is the closing number Människor Smakar Gott (Humans Taste Good), but all songs have their own beauty.

I prefer the studio recording because it contains a little more variety. It's not just straight on punk rock, bass-drums-guitar-song. It offers some slightly quieter songs, some keyboard / synth sneaks in etc. which gives more variation. The sound in the studio also appeals to me more, a bit more polished and controlled. All songs on the record are the band's own compositions except a cover of the Swedish artist Björn Afzelius' song Svarta Gänget (The Black Gang) on the B-side. Maybe Afzelius was flattered that the band recorded this song, but personally I think the band's own songs are of a higher standard. My own favorite from the studio is Ekonomimarsch I D-Dur (Economy March In D-Major).

So if you like punk, I think you should try to find this album. I've got my record from one of my uncles, since he no longer had a vinyl player, he let me choose freely in his collection. It was like Christmas Eve. The album displays the band in both a live and studio format, which is interesting. And few bands have such a bad ass bassist and singer like Köttgrottorna. Usually I'm not a punk lover, but for Köttgrottorna I make an exception.



Tracklist

Side A
1 Pendeltåg
2 Flyg Iväg
3 Undergångslåten
4 Jag, Idealist
5 I Väntan På Livet
6 Människor Smakar Gott

Side B
1 Hand I Hand
2 Svarta Gänget
3 Ekonomimarsch I D-Dur
4 Gråa Moln
5 Meatcave Army