V.A. – A Tribute to Abduktio

I first heard Abduktio in 2006 after buying their Discography 2001-2004 CD from Old Skool Kids (OSK) Records. I immediately liked their sound, which I considered “New School Hardcore” at the time. Formed in 1998 in Ylöjärvi, a town near Tampere, Finland, the band played passionate hardcore music with a wide range of influences (from punk rock classics to progressive rock, from The Blood Brothers to His Hero Is Gone, Zegota, and JR Ewing).

Their lyrics were very political, aligning with the anti-globalization movement that peaked with the Seattle WTO riots in 1999, but they added a unique twist by singing mostly in Finnish. Musically and lyrically, Abduktio were often compared to Refused. However, I wasn’t a big Refused fan at the time, so I always found them more similar to Endstand and other bands on the OSK roster like dEFDUMp, Bora, and When My Authorities Fall.

After getting hooked on their early discography, I continued to follow the band. They released two more albums and an impressive number of EPs, and played around 300 shows all over Europe. Unfortunately, Abduktio came to an end in December 2011 when their guitarist and songwriter Jukka “Zuge” Laajakallio passed away. Abduktio played their last show at a club in Tampere in April 2012 to commemorate their dear friend and bandmate. In 2017, the posthumously released EP Jotain palaa came out, featuring four tracks intended for their third full-length album. In December 2021, ten years after Zuge’s tragic death, a documentary titled Abduktio: Maailmanloppua odotellessa (Abduktio: Waiting for the End of the World) was released to tell the story of their friendship, loss, and the band’s unique place in Finland’s early 2000s hardcore scene.

Thanks to the screamo band Letterbombs, I recently discovered that a tribute album was released in August 2023, featuring nine tracks by present-day Finnish bands influenced by Abduktio’s music and message. As with the documentary a few years ago, the profits from the album are donated to MIELI ry (Finnish Association for Mental Health), an organization dedicated to promoting mental health and preventing suicide.

As with most tribute albums, the nine bands on this compilation put their own unique twist on Abduktio’s songs. Before listening to the record, I only knew three of the bands—Kürøishi, Letterbombs, and Mustasuo—so I’m sure our readers will discover some new Finnish bands through this tribute. The biggest surprise to me was the choice of tracks to cover. As I mentioned, I was introduced to Abduktio through their 2001-2004 discography, yet none of those songs appear here. Instead, the record features five cover songs from their 2005 release Tuli Kulje Kanssani, three from the 2008 album Thermidor, and only one from their 2009 self-titled record (the one with the Bad Brains rip-off artwork). Even “Log Out,” which I think was Abduktio’s introduction to the international audience due to its official video, was left out, which I find a bit strange.

Still, this tribute is a great homage to a band that deserves more recognition long after their untimely end. If you like ’00s hardcore and screamo, I highly recommend checking them out (both Abduktio’s discography and this tribute comp). RIP Zuge, you’ll never be forgotten!