‘Ekonomisk integration hotar deras villaförorter, Kostnaden måste upp till varje pris, Tyst överenskommelse bland de välbeställda’ (Tyst Överenskommelse) / ‘Economic integration threatens their residential suburbs, The cost must go up at any price, Silent agreement among the affluent’ (Silent Agreement)

Exploatör’s ranks comprise members of many of the cornerstone names of Swedish hardcore, old and new. To name but a few, they span Dissekerad, No Security, Verdict, and, of course, Totalitär.  With such a heritage packed within the band’s ranks, the absolute precision savagery of the onslaught that ensues comes as little surprise.

Apokollaps (Apocalypse) is the band’s third full-length and follow-up to 2022’s Blind Elit (Blind Elite).  The approach remains uncompromisingly focused – a groundwork of frenzied d-beat rhythms, wave upon wave of viciously catchy riffage, and raspingly intense vocals.  Whiplash solos, fleeting melodic flourishes, and fiercely concise breakdowns ensure the intensity is unrelenting, with the blisteringly fluid title track and the scorching fusillade of Blodet Rinner (The Blood Runs), together with the raucous Exploatör (Exploiter), hitting home with particular venom.

The album weaves together a blisteringly succinct denunciation of the warped economic logic that entrenches existing wealth, while perversely claiming that only endless growth, rather than redistribution, can bridge the growing inequality.  This blind obedience serves only to sow the seeds for growing right-wing extremism and to further accelerate the trajectory toward climate disaster.