Uncurbed – …Keeps The Banner High

Avesta, Sweden’s band Uncurbed formed in 1990 and developed a restless and relentless sound, constructed from the filthiest and heftiest strains of Scandinavian d-beat (aka käng), motörcharged rock’n’roll and incendiary crust punk. Among the band’s earliest releases was a split EP with the mighty Disfear in 1993, followed by a total of 16 records before disbanding in 2011.

In early 1999, Uncurbed were at the peak of their creative output as they entered the studio to record their sixth album …Keeps The Banner High, released by Sound Pollution in 2000. Now, the funny thing is that I’ve never listened to this influential record before getting the 2022’s vinyl reissue from Not Enough Records for reviewing it.

I knew the name Uncurbed for a long time as one of those important Swedish bands from the ‘90s but I’ve never actually paid attention to their records. That was a big mistake, wasn’t it? As you can guess from the cover artwork and its fitting title, …Keeps The Banner High is brimmed with some of the most militant, rebellious and fist-clenching Scandicrust anthems, characterized by their hallmark furious d-beats, a constant barrage of memorable riffing and highly aggressive dual vocal approach.

My freedom road… the flag of peace

Punk is in town… and now… the banner is high!

The lyrics are filled with inspiring rebel-punk lines that will stick in your head for a long time, while the use of two singers, driving rock’n’roll parts and the choice to have songs in both Swedish and English make things more diverse in this 40-minutes album, which is quite a long ride for the relentless style they play. Of course, you can hear serious influences from Avskum, Totalitär, or No Security, but listening to the English songs on this record, they remind me more of the explosive energy and production of contemporary to Uncurbed bands from the States like Severed Head of State, Deathreat, or Stàte of Feär, and judging by these songs alone I could swear I’m rather hearing a US band influenced by the Swedish kängpunk. The whole record is loaded with powerhouse crusty d-beat punk that’s stripped to the bone, but some folks may also appreciate the mid-paced Motörhead parts which I’m not usually the biggest fan of in crust bands. Now I wonder if post-2000 crust’n’roll bands from Sweden like Auktion and Skitkids were actually influenced by Uncurbed’s rocking guitar sound? 

The faster, more punishing and utterly aggressive side of Uncurbed however, has definitely somewhat influenced the next wave of Swedish d-beat bands keeping the protest-punk banner high. I mean, Not Enough’s label owner Oskar’s own bands like Project Hopeless, Ursut, and Crutches. I can clearly see why he has decided to reissue this particular record, so thank you Oskar for sending me this beast. I promise to do my homework and listen to the rest of Uncurbed’s discography.