Posted in Whathaveyou on January 2nd, 2026 by JJ Koczan
So imagine it’s next August. Summer festival season in Europe is winding down, but bands are still out and there’s still plenty of action to be had. You find yourself getting off an airplane in Sweden. Maybe you fly into Malmö direct, or maybe it’s Stockholm first, then four and a half hours by train. However you manage, you get to Malmö ahead of the start of Doomopolis, which for its first night thus far features Hexjakt, Electric Hydra, Kal-El, Slomatics and High on Fire. Rock and roll is had, minds are blown, and for a small time, all is right in the world.
The next morning you wake up for the train (back?) to Stockholm, where night two of Doomopolis 2026 — Stockholm is so cool it doesn’t even need to be the whole word anymore: Sthlm — will take place. Electric Hydra are swapped out for Caboose and Doomherre, while Kal-El, High on Fire, Slomatics and Hexjakt carry over as everybody heads north and east at the same time, you and the bands (plus whoever’s still TBA). It’s your last night in town — your only night in town — so you blow it out and leave worrying about sitting on the place for when you actually are. Again, the music starts and everything is well. High on Fire, inevitably, are the loudest thing of the night. I’m pretty sure that’s in their contract.
Maybe you pay for it a bit on the morning of Aug. 16 as you drag yourself out of whatever hole you slept in, pack your bags and head somewhere to go back wherever you came from either by train, plane, automobile or, let’s assume, personal watercraft (you rode a jetski to Stockholm in that scenario; you’re a legendary badass), and all around you, life looks a little different as people get up to their normal commute. No one has any idea of the experience you just had. You feel really, really good about that. The ownership of a secret. It’s yours now, that memory.
Posted in Bootleg Theater on September 23rd, 2025 by JJ Koczan
With the premiere of the video below for “Scent of Blood,” Sweden’s Electric Hydra officially begin the process of heralding their upcoming album, From the Fallen, which is set to release early next year through Majestic Mountain Records. And as regards the news here, that’s about the long and short of it, but that hardly accounts for the careening hook and vitality behind the push of “Scent of Blood,” the stage-ready affect of the five-piece, or anything else the right might have to offer. Fair enough since ‘early 2026’ could mean as many as six months from now, and rest assured, there’s enough attitude in “Scent of Blood” to hold you over should it actually go that long.
The band have had some lineup changes since 2023’s standalone single “Eyes of Time”(premiered here), as vocalist Sanne Karlsson, bassist Ellinor Andersson (also of Astroqueen) and drummer Dennis Åhman return and guitarists Adi Selimic and Emil Andersson will mark their first studio appearances with the band. It’s funny too, because in that linked post I said something about the band being a “Per Wiberg guest appearance away from taking over the world.” I’m not going to take credit for it, but I can’t help but notice the PR wire below revealing that Mr. Wiberg will indeed sit in on From the Fallen. Sometimes a thing just makes sense, and when you put on “Scent of Blood” and get an initial feel for the ’70s-derived-but-modern-in-approach craft of Electric Hydra, I think you’ll agree this is one of those cases.
I’d love to tell you all about it and how it all ties together when Karlsson‘s dad takes a guest spot too and such and sundry, but I haven’t heard the full album yet, and honestly I don’t even know if it’s done. We’ll find out in the New Year. It’s been half a decade since their 2020 self-titled debut (review here). You can wait a little longer. I’m interested though to note that “Scent of Blood” — you’ll see in the video Sanne Karlsson and Emil Andersson glamming out like Cyndi in the ’90s, as well as performance footage — was recorded twice.
According to Ellinor Andersson, it was done “two times in different studios with different band members.” I wonder if this is true of Electric Hydra‘s next album as a whole, if maybe they had an LP at some stage of completion and after either a lineup change or some other decision, scrapped it and went back to the start.
I’d be curious to know if that’s the case, and if so, how the two LPs — that is, the one to be released early next year and its hypothetical, maybe-partially-done preceding incarnation referenced in that 2022 post in much the same “new album next year” fashion as it is now three years later — might compare and contrast.
But I’m a nerd, so take that for what it’s worth. At its heart, “Scent of Blood” is a sans-BS, pretense-free heavy rock and roll song that, in terms of ambition, wants nothing more than to bring you along for its sub-five-minute ride. The video is entertaining and professional, and the song build momentum in way that one could easily imagine opening the band’s next record.
PR wire info follows. Please enjoy:
Electric Hydra, “Scent of Blood” video premiere
“Scent of Blood” is taken from the new album “From the Fallen” that will be released on Majestic Mountain Records early 2026. A high voltage hard rock song with a lot of fatal riffs.
If you cut off one of the eight heads of the mythological hydra monster, two new heads will grow back. Swedish Electric Hydra is no exception. After some years being (almost) quiet the heavy rock quintet are now returning with a new album consisting of 11 tracks. The symbolical title is “From the Fallen”.
“‘Scent of Blood’ is a song that has been with us for many years now. It has been recorded two times in different studios with different band members. And it has had no less than three titles… So, you can definitely say that it’s one of the first songs written on the album,” says bassist Ellinor Andersson.
“Dennis wrote it right after “Electric Hydra” was released in 2020. Maybe it’s a good thing to let a song live a life of it´s own before you release it, I don’t know, but anyhow we are really pleased with the way it turned out,” vocalist Sanne Karlsson adds.
“The video was recorded by Jacob Hellenrud (Children of the Sun, Nephilia + more) a friend of ours and it was fun to do,” Sanne Karlsson continues. “We wanted to give the viewers flames, fury and fashion! The main character is Carita, a fierce woman who doesn’t hesitate to shine. With Jacobs’ skills behind the camera the result turned out both great and hot in two senses. The lyrics are about the feeling you get when you take what you want in life – and take it with full force.”
As guitarist Emil Andersson explains: “I played with these guys for some years now and I am happy to have contributed to this new album! It is heavy but still has a lot of catchy hooks and raw energy.”
—
They are known to be an energetic live act delivering high voltage rock with a lot of chunky guitar riffs, catchy vocal hooks and some retro vibes. Earlier years they played both smaller venues and festivals in Europe such as Sweden Rock Festival (SE), Fuzzfestival (SE), Malmöfestivalen (SE) and SWR Barroselas Metalfest (PT).
Their self-titled debut album “Electric Hydra” was released in 2020 on Majestic Mountain Records/Tee Pee Records and was well received by both critics and fans. Since then, the band has released yet another single “Eyes of Time” and has had some member shakeups and has also been writing songs and playing live. Two new guitarists have now been welcomed; Emil Andersson and Adi Selimic.
On the new album you can hear contributions from Per Wiberg (Spiritual Beggars, Opeth), Mateo von Bewitcher (Bewitcher) and last but not least Bo Karlsson, father of Sanne Karlsson.
Electric Hydra is: Sanne Karlsson – Vocals Emil Andersson – Guitar Adi Selimic – Guitar Ellinor Andersson – Bass Dennis Åhman – Drums
Posted in audiObelisk on August 17th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
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.
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
Posted in Bootleg Theater on October 22nd, 2020 by JJ Koczan
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)
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
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 6th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
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
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 12th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
As the initial promise was eight bands and there are now eight bands confirmed, I’m going to hazard the guess that the lineup for Truckfighters‘ Fuzz Festival #1 this December in Stockholm is complete. The second round of adds includes Skraeckoedlan, Witchrider, Parasol Caravan and Electric Hydra, following up on the initiaL announcement, which included Truckfighters — obviously — Greenleaf, Deville and Motorowl. I think I noted last time around that I had been kicking around the idea of doing an Obelisk All-Dayer in Sweden, and indeed, Debaser Strand was a venue I had been looking at. This pretty much kills that idea. I was thinking June, not December, but how many festivals does one venue in Stockholm hold when there haven’t really been any there before? You see my point.
I’ll go back to the drawing board and figure something out, and maybe do something somewhere else. We’ll see.
And in the meantime, good for Truckfighters, not only doing the reunion thing after a shortlived hiatus, but coming back with something new on offer as well.
Dig it:
New bands announced for Truckfighters Fuzz Festival in Stockholm
We are happy to announce:
SKRAECKOEDLAN – Sweden. Norrköpings, finest stoner rock band. Recently released the stunning album ‘Eorþe’ they will deliver an experience out of the ordinary. https://www.facebook.com/SKRAECKOEDLAN/
WITCHRIDER – Austria. The occult stoner sound from Graz will sound in Stockholm. Can not be anything but good music since these guys are born in the same town as Arnold Schwarzenegger. https://www.facebook.com/witchriderband/
PARASOL CARAVAN – Austria. Classic stoner sound with a magic groove all the way from Linz. Yeah not just one but two bands from the country famous for the mountains and the stoner rock ;) https://www.facebook.com/parasolcaravan/
With previously announced acts TRUCKFIGHTERS, GREENLEAF, DEVILLE and MOTOROWL the line up is now complete. Not time enough for more bands in one night. It’s gonna be a super rad evening as we guarantee every band on the bill is stellar. We intend to make this an annual event so grab your ticket and support the fuzzy scene. The sooner we sell out the bigger the plans for 2020 editions will become.
