‘Utan riktning, utan mål, Utan rimlig vett och sans, De lurar oss, de sviker oss, De leder oss till ingenstans’ (De Levanda Döda) / ‘Without direction, without goal, Without reasonable sense and common sense, They deceive us, they betray us, They lead us nowhere’ (The Living Dead)

Den Typ Som Överlever (The Type That Survives) is the debut album from Proteststorm, following on from two EPs.  The Swedish duo have a deep background in both grind and hardcore, having played in a myriad of bands, including Axis Of Despair, Livet Som Insats, Krighsot, and Nasum.  They draw on this rich experience to hone a ferociously stripped back fastcore onslaught.

Urgent Swedish vocals, lacerating guitars, and blast beat fuelled drumming form the basis as the band rip through twenty tracks in just a shade over twenty minutes.  The key as ever, with such an uncompromising emphasis on speed, are the subtle shifts – ephemeral melodic flourishes, briefly flaring solos, fleeting eruptions of groove – that lend the all-important texture.  The relatively clean guitar ensures that this detailing is vividly clear.

The tensely agitated battery is matched by the lyrical dissection of the fractured, distorted, anxiety-inducing priorities of contemporary society.  De Levanda Döda and Oskyldig (Innocent) perfectly capture the band’s blistering essence.