V/A - The Vikings are coming ... LP

Sweden rules!
...as far as punk rock is concerned.
Swedish punk began in the late '70s, and by the mid-'80s there were seven bands in the small steel mill town of Fagersta, immortalized on the rare compilation The Vikings Are Coming, which features amazing diversity: Bizarr's old-school punk is influenced by Clash and SLF; Cruel Maniacs practice social criticism, and Crude SS's hardcore takes its cues from Discharge; Rescues In Future's speedcore is super melodic and influenced by Hüsker Dü; The thrash of Fear of War is anti-religious and there's more thrash from Bedrovlerz (or 'Miserablerz'), while Ugly Squaw offers unique power-punk humor (and also makes a faux-reggae appearance incognito as Rasta Boys). This edition revives the original Swedish version released in 1985 on Uproar Records, giving us the full program of this indispensable anthology.