For anyone wondering where the new album announcement is, we’re not there yet. At the same time, it’s arguably more crucial for Swedish now-four-piece Electric Hydra to release a new single right now, since the music serves as the response from vocalist Sanne Karlsson, guitarist Peter Söderberg (also of Capricorn), bassist Ellinor Andersson (who recently joined Astroqueen) and drummer Dennis Åhman in the aftermath of former guitarist Jonas Stålhammar being rather convincingly accused of sexual harassment and abuse by a fan. Obviously, he’s out of the band (also At the Gates, for whom he played guitar until a couple weeks ago), and “Eyes of Time,” which follows the band’s 2020 self-titled debut (review here), is a strong signal that they’ll keep moving forward.

The message comes through in the lyrics, as detailed in the narrative — blessings and peace upon it — under the player below, but also in the four-minute track’s instrumental shove. From its initial fade-in, “Eyes of Time” is almost immediately in motion, hinting at the taking of cues from on-stage-at-big-Euro-festival vibes before its hook borders on power metal to highlight the point. Not so much aggressive, but precise and poised, Electric Hydra filter their metallic leanings through heavy rock tones, but Söderberg‘s guitar doesn’t lie, and neither does that shredding solo in the back half of the song. Not that they’d need to hide their metal lineage and influence, mind you, but listening to “Eyes of Time,” if you’re breezing through, the groove and fuzz are in more of a heavy rock style enough that you might miss the fact that all of a sudden you’re pumping your fist in the air along with the band’s triumph. Or at very least, nodding your head in appreciation as they steamroll the adversity before them.

Whichever route you take there, the point is “Eyes of Time” moves, and the direction it moves is forward right at you. And it’s also the band ‘moving forward’ from a challenging situation — guessing by how quickly dude was dropped from his bands, I’m guessing the accusations were less a revelation behind the scenes than they were publicly — toward a new beginning with their second full-length, currently in progress for release next year on Majestic Mountain Records. I don’t know what size stages they’ll be on when they get out to properly support that next long-player, but there’s no question they’re figuring out what kind of band they want to be. They sound like they’re a Per Wiberg guest appearance away from taking over the world, so if “Eyes of Time” is a check-in on that progress in addition to everything else, then yes, heads up on that album coming out. They should press a 7″ here with a live track or some such as a B-side, but if you find yourself dying for retail expression, there are opportunities for such things in the meantime as detailed below.

Enjoy the track:

Electric Hydra, “Eyes of Time” track premiere

The enigmatic Electric Hydra rears its powerful head with new music two years after the release of their sold out, self titled debut in 2020.

The first pressing of Electric Hydra’s self titled debut is sold out, but a repress was made in 2021 and there are just a few copies left through Majestic Mountain Records and directly from the band’s Bandcamp.

https://majesticmountainrecords.bigcartel.com/product/electric-hydra-s-t-re-issue

https://electrichydra.bandcamp.com/album/electric-hydra

Fans might have noticed that the band hasn’t been idle in this time, since the pandemic they’ve played several stellar live gigs and have announced their ‘Under Black Wings’ tour through Sweden, Denmark and Germany this winter with Jesus Chrüsler Supercar.

They’re also writing a second album due out in 2023 from Majestic Mountain Records and forging ahead full force into a new era of power and positivity.

As a precursor to their new album due out next year, Electric Hydra bring us an explosive track entitled ‘Eyes Of Time’ as a strong response to recent events that have shaken the metal scene in Sweden and affected the band itself.

”The lyrics were originally about existential questions referring to our thoughts and how they only exist because we create them and that everything around us including ourselves is in constant transition from one shape to another,” lead singer Sanne Karlsson explains. ”Energy can neither be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another.”

However, given the most recent circumstances, all of a sudden the song seemed to take on other meanings which felt spot on as a protest against sexism and the toxic masculinity in the music scene. The time for releasing it felt exceptionally right for the band. A clear line drawn in the sand and living (listenable) proof that Electric Hydra will not be stopped.

”They say if you cut off one of the hydra’s heads, two more will grow back in its place, and it feels like an important statement for us to make in times like these,” bassist Ellinor Andersson continues.

’Eyes of time’ is a high octane, ass kicking punch in the face, a rousing anthem to taking up space and leading the way fearlessly forward with its powerful delivery and punchy attitude.

Through blazing metallic riffage from guitarist Peter Söderberg, a purely pounding rhythm section emanates from Ellinor Andersson on bass and Dennis Åhman on drums as Sanne Karlsson’s headily confident and breathy sneer rises triumphant and Electric Hydra give the finger to mincing words and say it like it is:

“It’s time to move on,
time to leave.
Shifting shape now,
cease to be.”

If this single is any hint of what’s to come, the wait to 2023 for their second album will be more than worth it and Electric Hydra are poised and ready to play it live and loud for everyone that wants to listen.

Music: Dennis Åhman
Lyrics: Sanne Karlsson
Produced by Electric Hydra
Mix & master Dennis Åhman
Artwork Sanne Karlsson

Recorded at
Studioenheten
Studio Bo

ELECTRIC HYDRA is:
Sanne Karlsson – Vocals
Ellinor Andersson – Bass
Dennis Åhman – Drums
Peter Söderberg – Guitar

Electric Hydra on Facebook

Electric Hydra on Instagram

Electric Hydra on Bandcamp

Electric Hydra website

Majestic Mountain Records webstore

Majestic Mountain Records on Facebook

Majestic Mountain Records on Instagram

Sweden’s Electric Hydra will make their self-titled debut with the backing of Majestic Mountain and Tee Pee Records on Nov. 27. That’s still more than a month away, if you don’t have your calendar handy, and yet “Won’t Go to War (With Myself)” is the third and apparently final single/video being released from the 35-minute 10-tracker. Think maybe the band are eager to get their music out there? Well, take that kind of restless, shoving energy, transpose it onto careening heavy riffs and uptempo grooves, big hooks topped with classic melodic vocals, and Electric Hydra‘s Electric Hydra will probably start making sense.

The opening track of the album, and what was the first single released, is called “It Comes Alive,” and if that’s what the album is doing at that point, it’s born running. The dual guitars now handled by Peter Söderberg and Jonas Stålhammar (the latter also of At the Gates and a noted record collector) have no time to waste between them, and amid the rumble of Ellinor Andersson‘s bass, drummer Dennis Åhman finds a natural-feeling propulsion that continues well into “Won’t Go to War (With Myself)” and the added breadth of “Blackened Eyes,” both of which are early highlights of the proceedings as the record heads into the lumbering stomp — still pretty upbeat, but a definite uptick in heft — of “Grab What’s Yours” and the songs begin to flesh out beyond the opening salvo. If there was any doubt of a metallic underpinning beneath the rocking craft of Electric Hydra — and really, from “It Comes Alive” onward, there wasn’t — “Grab What’s Yours” dismisses it outright, Mellotron and spoken break and all.

To back up a second: What we have so far on Electric Hydra‘s first LP is unflappable songwriting, modern sound, un-winded push and engaging performances. They do not represent an aesthetic revolution, but neither are they called upon to do so, especially on their debut. If you’re listening to Electric Hydra and you find you’re not on board by the end of “Grab What’s Yours,” the only thing to do is rethink your position. Doing so will surely head off feeling like a dope as “Iron Lung” — probably not a tribute to the former Scissorfight frontman, but one never knows — flips the switch, mellows the tempo and adds dual-vocal arrangements to a classically stonerized rollout, only getting more and more massive as it goes on to round out the record’s first half. I’m just trying to save you some trouble.

Side B of the album follows a mirror course but is perhaps even more fierce in its execution as “The Betrayal” and “1,000 Eyes” — watch out for the bass intro to the latter; it is quick, but it is a monster and it will eat you — and though they sound no less full than “It Comes Alive” or “Won’t Go to War (With Myself)” back on side A, the fact that they’re speedier, shorter and even more straight-ahead-all-go-no-stop plays up the direct ’90s-style heavy rock riffing serving as their foundation. Maybe also some Motörhead for good measure. One would hardly call “End of Days” a departure from that method, but it does take a brief detour in its second half for a quiet stretch before surging toward its last chorus, so that’s a differentiating factor, and the penultimate “Rebel” showcases again the arrangement style of “Iron Lung” earlier, but in a harder-driving context.

That leaves “Rise From Below” to close out with its own mellower-start-into-increasing-largesse progression, and there’s even some key work to accompany, though it’s organ and not Mellotron as on “Grab What’s Yours.” The mirrored structure of the LP speaks to intent on the part of Electric Hydra, but to be perfectly honest, it doesn’t even need to because the songs themselves do that so clearly. They may be a new-ish band putting out their first record, but they’re by no means fumbling in terms of their style or the substance of their material. Or the production, for that matter. Particularly as a record made during firelung quarantine, Electric Hydra reaches out to its audience with passion and force and only proves more inviting as it moves through, grabbing, going, coming alive and rising all the while.

Still a month-plus before the release, but you can stream the premiere of the video for “Won’t Go to War (With Myself)” below. I’ll spare you the pontificating on the novelty of seeing a band sharing a space with each other, and just note that quotes from Andersson and Karlsson follow, as well as more info from the PR wire.

Please enjoy:

Electric Hydra, “Won’t Go to War (With Myself)” official video premiere

Ellinor Andersson on “Won’t Go to War (With Myself)”:

“‘Won’t Go to War (With Myself)’ was the very last to be written for the album and came to life quickly, just as we were about to start recording the album. Dennis was doing his final drum recordings for pre-production on some of the other songs and inspiration struck. The song almost wrote itself. Sanne wrote her parts during the actual recording and the lyrics are about how you should not compromise yourself just to fit in with how other people expect you to act.”

Sanne Karlsson on “Won’t Go to War (With Myself)”:

“The video is once again recorded by Max Ljungberg, who also did the video for our first single, ‘It Comes Alive’. We did the recording in a really cool skatepark called ‘Bunkeberget’, which is actually located inside a mountain in Gothenburg. Working with him is always super smooth and easy, and we’re all really satisfied with the end result. This is also our last single before the album is released too so… time for champagne!”

Electric Hydra’s self-titled debut album is released 27th November on Majestic Mountain Records (EU, Scandinavia) and Tee Pee Records (USA, Rest of the World)

Pre-order here – https://linktr.ee/majesticmountain

Following the announcement of Electric Hydra’s conscription to Majestic Mountain Records, the band is thrilled to announce that they band will also be backed stateside by legendary US independent rock label, Tee Pee Records.

Formed on the windswept West Coast of Sweden, amid the dark forests of Småland, Electric Hydra – formed by Sanne Karlsson, Ellinor Andersson, Jonathan Möller and Jonny Petterson – first met on an impromptu night in late 2017. In doing so they discovered a connection; a newfound friendship through a shared of Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Entombed and Black Sabbath, and decided to book a rehearsal room the very next morning.

Known for delivering high energy shows, the band has played live at Sweden Rock Festival and Malmöfestivalen; toured Europe and shared stages with Lucifer, Monolord, Truckfighters and Greenleaf, among many others.

With Dennis Åhman being brought in to replace Petterson on drums, work on their debut began in early 2020 and continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic at Shimmer Studios, Studio BO and Welfare Studios. Further reinforced with new recruits in Peter Söderberg and At the Gates/Bombs of Hades’ Jonas Stålhammar (following the departure of Jonathan Möller) the quintet is keen to prove exactly why they are considered one of the most exciting new acts on the Swedish rock scene.

ELECTRIC HYDRA is:
Sanne Karlsson – Vocals
Ellinor Andersson – Bass
Dennis Åhman – Drums
Jonas Stålhammar – Guitar
Peter Söderberg – Guitar

Electric Hydra on Facebook

Electric Hydra on Instagram

Electric Hydra on Bandcamp

Electric Hydra website

Majestic Mountain Records webstore

Majestic Mountain Records on Facebook

Majestic Mountain Records on Instagram

Tee Pee Records website

Tee Pee Records on Facebook

Stop me if you’ve noticed, as I’m sure you have, but Majestic Mountain Records is putting together a pretty righteous roster of acts. Pickups like Kal-El, Saint Karloff, The Hypnagogics, Eye of Doom and indeed Electric Hydra have seen the imprint begin to take shape as one with its head deep into quality riffage as well as a subtle diversity of sound that, I expect and hope, will keep expanding as time goes on. Uddevalla’s Electric Hydra played the Truckfighters Fuzz Festival last year, and their 2019 two-songer, The Last of Us can be streamed below as taken from the five-piece’s Bandcamp. It’s like six minutes long and it kicks ass, so I sincerely doubt you’ll regret taking the time.

Cheers to Marco Berg of Majestic Mountain on snagging a good band, and here’s looking forward to their self-titled debut full-length out this Fall.

Label’s announcement came down the PR wire thusly:

ELECTRIC HYDRA: Majestic Mountain Records Sign Promising Swedish Quintet for Release of Debut Album

Electric Hydra’s self-titled debut will be released this Autumn on Majestic Mountain Records

Formed on the windswept West Coast of Sweden, amid the dark forests of Småland, Electric Hydra’s founding members – Sanne Karlsson, Ellinor Andersson, Jonathan Möller and Jonny Petterson – first met on an impromptu night in late 2017. In doing so they collectively hit upon a newfound friendship and shared love of Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Entombed and Black Sabbath; and decided there and then to book a rehearsal room the very next day.

Known for delivering high energy shows, the band has played at Sweden Rock Festival and Malmöfestivalen; toured Europe and shared stages with Lucifer, Monolord, Truckfighters, Greenleaf among many others. Following the release of their debut single ‘World Domination’, the band quickly became one of the most exciting new acts on the Swedish rock scene.

“We’ve had our eyes on Electric Hydra for a while,” says MMR label boss, Marco Berg. “They are great people and a killer live band so when we got the chance to hear their album, we knew that we wanted to be part of it. It’s going to blow people’s mind when it’s released later this year! “

With Dennis Åhman replacing Petterson on drums, work on their self-titled album begun in early 2020 and continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic at Shimmer Studios, Studio BO and Welfare Studios. Further reinforced with new recruits in Jonas Stålhammar and Peter Söderberg following the departure of fellow founder Jonathan Möller, Electric Hydra will also features a contribution from At the Gates/Bombs of Hades’ Jonas Stålhammar.

As vocalist Sanne Karlsson explains: “We are so psyched to finally release our debut album! The album is expansive and heavy but still raw with a lot of energy. It feels like a step in the right direction to where we want to go with the music.”

Electic Hydra by Electric Hydra will get an official release this autumn on Majestic Mountain Records.

ELECTRIC HYDRA:
Sanne Karlsson – Vocals
Ellinor Andersson – Bass
Dennis Åhman – Drums
Jonas Stålhammar – Guitar
Peter So?derberg – Guitar

https://www.facebook.com/electrichydra666
https://www.instagram.com/electric_hydra/
https://electrichydra.bandcamp.com/
https://www.electrichydra.se/
http://majesticmountainrecords.bigcartel.com
http://facebook.com/majesticmountainrecords
http://instagram.com/majesticmountainrecords

Electric Hydra, The Last of Us (2019)

[Click play above to stream Cataclysmic Events’ Cataclysmic Events (AKA Demo 1) in full. Album is out Feb. 9 on Caligari Records.]

Can it really be a coincidence that willfully anonymous Swedish newcomers Cataclysmic Events refer to themselves in terms of their lineup only as The Nameless Fools? Well yes, of course it can — universe of infinite possibilities and all that — but thinking in terms of Swedish countrymen Ghost and their lineup of Nameless Ghouls, the rhyme would seem to be a happenstance choice. The question then becomes whether it’s a relation, a nod to that outfit or pure mockery. I’ll admit that of those three, the latter or some combination of the first and the third seem the most likely, and I say that in no small part because Cataclysmic Events‘ Cataclysmic Events (AKA Demo 1) is so rife with pervasive, down-to-the-bones fuckall that reverence of any kind seems out of character.

Certainly the aesthetic between the two acts is disparate enough, and rather than the pseudo-evil melodic pop heavy of their countrymen, on their Caligari Records-released seven-song/25-minute debut, the Uddevalla-based three-piece — we know there are three of them, even if they don’t have names — pull more influence from rawest Entombed, Samhain and Celtic Frost much more than Blue Öyster Cult, though both “Anti-Masonic Girl” and “So Sick, So Sick of Them All” (about a muscle car, suitably enough) seem to pull a surprising flash of melody from the likes of Queens of the Stone Age and both the marching “Apocalyptic Rebels” and the penultimate “Shake the Doom” show some militaristic punk-metal flourish à la Germany’s Mantar, though even this aggressive underpinning is met head-on by Cataclysmic Events‘ very active lack of shit-giving.

Giving that impression is no less an aesthetic choice, of course, than the trio’s buzzsaw bass and guitar tones, garage-punkish buried drums, or the inclusion of the apparent surf-punk what-the-fuckery that is closer “Fu-Fu-Fu-Fu Blues (AKA Bonus Crap),” or the advertised fact that Cataclysmic Events (AKA Demo 1) was recorded in a matter of hours, all live, over the course of a single evening. “Recorded and mixed in 2-3 hours so don’t expect anything fancy or well-polished,” is how they put it, and fair enough. From the eponymous opener and longest track (immediate points) — which ranges as far as a sprawling 4:32 — harsh tones, grim and gritty rock impulses and a proto-goth The Birthday Party-esque declarative vocal delivery permeate the raw-structured cuts, and while Sweden has a long history of garage rock, Cataclysmic Events effectively turn this on its head in the name of crafting something darker and more punishing from it.

Because they call their self-titled, even parenthetically, a demo, one wonders how the motor-rocking impulses of “So Sick, So Sick of Them All” or the New Wave/proto-industrial boogie charge of centerpiece “Apocalyptic Rebels” — a title which seems tailor-made for a t-shirt if ever there was one, and either to be or not to be confused with Hellhammer‘s “Apocalyptic Raids” — will pan out or gel in terms of the band’s sound overall, or if they will, or if in making an actual EP or full-length album they might take a more developed approach, but too crisp a delivery would detract from the sense of onslaught in this material and The Nameless Fools seem to know it. As regards this being their first release, even that basic realization bodes ridiculously well and speaks to prior experience crafting stylized material.

The only thing missing from Cataclysmic Events (AKA Demo 1), near as I can tell, is a good “blegh!” — though there is a Tom G. Warrior-style “ough!” in “Cataclysmic Events” — but maybe that’s a stone the band are purposefully leaving unturned for next time or it seemed too obvious. Either way, the meld they conjure here between black and roll, death and roll, heavy rock and roll, and assault and roll should find any number of niche-within-niche appeals among genre heads, and while one hesitates to predict the future, particularly for an outfit so clearly given to an outward showing of a distinctive sonic nihilism, there is an undercurrent of songwriting even in “So Sick, So Sick of Them All” that speaks to a notion of control at work somewhere along the line.

As it stands in terms of presentation, however, from the tonal filth proffered in the low end of “Hand Heart Death” to the almost mocking chugger-nod that starts out “Shake the Doom” before it makes its way into its more careening hook, the most prevalent impression made by Cataclysmic Events is one of grinding rawness, and one can only hope that whatever they do next they continue to carry that forward. I’m not sure this band — whatever The Nameless Fools end up calling themselves or whoever turns out to be involved in the project — would ever need more than a full day to track a record, and clearly the several hours they took to conjure this demo/album/collection/whatever-it-is was time well and destructively spent.

Cataclysmic Events website

Cataclysmic Events on Bandcamp

Cataclysmic Events on Thee Facebooks

Cataclysmic Events on Instagram

Caligari Records on Bandcamp

Caligari Records on Thee Facebooks