One of the things I miss the most about death and black metal of the past is the unmitigated harshness; the relentless barrage of lyrical and musical intensity attempting to take me out with each track. But a lot of that has been replaced by gothic keys, female vocalists, drum triggers, and general art-school charlatanism. Hence, the migration to and fascination with crust and d-beat seems inevitable; bands like TOTALITÄR, TRAGEDY, and SKITSYSTEM substitute the harsh for the hip, the fierce for the fashionable.

"Vi Är Eliten" ("We Are The Elite") is the latest collection of speeding, two-minute blasters from long-running Swedish champs TOTALITÄR. Over the space of fourteen songs, the band differentiates themselves from hordes of imitators, hurling memorable percussive changes and riff-shifts at listeners (not unlike Swedish crust lords ANTI-CIMEX) without letting up on their mowing, hammer-smash assault. The quivering, warp-speed chug in "Dom Hyller Våldet" ("They Cheer The Violence") is enough to make the hairs on one's neck stand on end. Poffen's wooly vocals, sharply attuned to Launchy's spastic picking, is particularly memorable in "Nej vi ska inte ha nå" ("No, We Don't Want Anything"). The apocalyptic artwork is bolstered by both Swedish and English lyrical translations, enabling the listener to connect with the band's protests to exploitation of the young, the sick, and the poor. This band is in it for the long haul, and any fan of intense music is well-served to check 'em out.

- Marchman

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/totalitar

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