ALARM! – Self-Titled

Sometimes I find myself wondering just how impactful Swedish Victims’ swansong LP turned out to be. The crust punk legends, back in 2019 with The Horse and Sparrow Theory, not only brought their traditional sound to the modern day, but they did it impressively and inspiringly. In 2022, with a modest announcement, they revealed their disbandment, and from their ashes emerged ALARM!, consisting of ¾ of the band.

Specifically, Gareth Smith (guitars), Jon Lindqvist (bass), and Andy Henriksson (drums) joined forces with Outlast singer Henrik Lindqvist, who regrouped with Jon after their common stint in the latter. Thus, their motto, “75% Victims, 50% Outlast, 125% Hardcore!” comes true with crust punk math. It is also worth mentioning that Jon switched to the bass for the needs of the band, a fact that directly benefits ALARM! (the exclamation mark urges me to make associations with Minneapolis’s Destroy!) with a unique artistic identity. Fairly enough, the 21 minutes of the record have, as a point of reference, the Swedish d-beat/crust heritage with Victims in the forefront, but ALARM! is not simply their formal continuation.

The Swedes’ self-titled debut reflects a bold personality. The passionate vocals effectively transmit an aughties feel, while the melodic bass lines explore an underlying melancholy that resonates with the more modern melodic crust aspects of the genre. Just listen to the impressive “Scare Game” and you will get a taste. Earlier in the record, thanks to the anti-fascist anthem “Alerta!”, ALARM! will have already become your new favorite band. The nine compositions on the record are driven by an up-tempo momentum, yet they are not afraid to become vulnerable, thus infusing more of the socio-political themes into the lyrical message in an experiential way.

As dramatic as the gallop of “Bring Books” may be, plucked from the genre’s golden ’90s days, it is on the nearly four-minute “Ancient Cycles” where ALARM! manages to break free. The speed drops, and the plucks on the strings blend superbly with the vocal performance to create an evocative effect. Its succession with “Me And Failure” shifts completely into noise rock paths, a transition that sounds like a perfect fit. In general, the second side of the album unfolds the band’s compositional graces as well as its sonic limits, until the record drops the curtain in an explosive way. Think of a legacy that begins with Anti-Cimex and Wolfpack and reaches From Ashes Rise (and, of course, Victims), and you almost have the complete picture.

ALARM!, with their self-titled first album, sculpts what sounds like modern crust punk perfection. The four musicians who make up the band give their best and manage to transform short listening sessions into rich experiences. With each subsequent spin of the record, the bass in “Into The Dark” never fails to bring smiles of ingenuity while making fists clench in the air. The magic of traditional, yet not ordinary, crust punk—especially when filtered through years of experience and an unquenchable creative flame, while simultaneously surrounded by social and class vigilance that reaches today’s dead-end hearts—will remain timeless, unique, and unadulterated. Sometimes, a simple and unnecessary burst of awareness is enough to make routine meaningful again and break the invisible shackles of resignation. “Alarm!” finds its way as a companion album, contributing to the fight against oblivion.

A Greek version of this review was originally published on Rocking.gr.