Riddarna means The Knights in English and we need some White Knights to repair our holes in the ground, sorry roads, in England, which are more like potholes with a little bit of tarmac attached.
Their single, the first for a long time – eight years, I believe – is ‘Hål i marken’ which literally means ‘Hole in the Ground’.
It isn’t a new one either. It was written a decade ago but is well worth the wait.
The explosive vocal intro marking the title sounds like a last minute call to prayer as the gates close and it isn’t long before the band launches into an out of control freight train of a song.
Having said that I appreciate the way they weave their respective instruments around each other. This is no jangly guitar opera; authoritative guitars, bass and drum contributions beings well syncopated and orchestrated into a complex, cohesive whole that reaches anthemic levels by the end.
Oh, and a very fuzzy guitar bridge that is strangely accompanied by a whistle effect that sounds like Clint riding into town for a shootout with Lee Van Cleef at Tombstone.
I expect it to be pretty dynamic live.
As for what it’s about, well I haven’t a clue despite having an English translation at my fingertips. Isn’t this Interweb thing just dandy?
The sparse lyrics introduce only one simple concept –
I was a hole in the ground/you dug deeper/I came out the other side/I saw a light and screamed that information (so others could hear it). Followed by “Can you hear me?” repeated 17 times.
Wiser philosophers than me will no doubt identify it as a modern day take on Dante’s Inferno or something like that.
I’ll leave them to sort that out. I’ll just stick with it being a raw, powerful and impressive piece of rock music, to be played at 11 on the scale.
(Continues after the Spotify link).
‘Hål i marken’ was released on December 5th, via the Novoton label, and is the first single from an album that will be released early this spring.
Riddarna is a trio originally from Gotland, the Swedish island in the Baltic Sea that has become a major NATO base, and where they are regarded as a cult band.
It comprises Erik Dahlström, Patrik Jakubowski and Edward Forslund.
They have several dates arranged for next year, all in Sweden:
21/3 Wisby Court, Visby
10/4 Debaser Nova, Stockholm
11/4 House of Music, Gothenburg
2/5 Plan B, Malmö
Find them on:
Website: https://www.riddarna.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/riddarna
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riddarna/
