Every six hours, someone commits suicide in Sweden. Not including accidental deaths and overdoses, this is a startling fact about a place many of us consider to be one of the happier and contented countries in the Western world. This prompted Suicide Records founder Roger Andersson to release the compilation album In The Loving Memory of You.
Various Artists – In The Loving Memory Of You (Suicide Records)
Release Date: 10 September 2024
Words: Jools Green
In The Loving Memory Of You is sixteen tracks from sixteen bands across genres. All proceeds from this album will go to Suicide Zero, a Swedish non-profit organisation that has been working towards a society without suicides since 2013.
Roger Andersson understands the depths of desperation fully as he has a past history of substance abuse, addiction and mental health issues, even attempting to take his own life to escape his demons. Thankfully, he won the battle. It has been twenty-seven years since Roger last consumed any illegal substances. Music became his new addiction, leading to the creation of his label Suicide Records in 2006 and now this release.
A driving force behind this creation, in December 2022, Roger unfortunately experienced a tragic suicide in a family close to him. Then, one of Roger’s own family chose the same path in April 2023. When one of Roger’s close friends died of a drug overdose just a few months later, Roger decided to actively work against mental illness and suicide for the rest of his life.
“After three incredibly tragic deaths among my close ones, there is no other path to take,” Roger told us. “I simply MUST do this. The album touches upon emotions such as anger, grief, frustration, despair, and powerlessness in the face of the fact that someone close to you chooses to end their life as the final and only way out of the darkness.
“Suicide Zero works hard and purposefully so that none of us have to experience this, and therefore I hope that we can raise a substantial amount for their important work.”
In The Loving Memory Of You offers a very broad range of genres in its content, so there is something for everyone here. With music you may not even realise you like until you hear it, it has certainly been a pleasing audio revelation for me.
It opens with Grand Cadaver’s Long Lost Light, the only Death Metal offering of the album, an up-tempo, rousing, driving beast of a track with slick switching, superbly protracted growls and rather excellent drum work.
Maintaining the pace and energy is Änglamakerskan by Hardcore Punks Fredag den 13:E, a powerful up-tempo D-beat offering with screaming vocals and a good dose of Poison Idea style flair.
Post-Metal outfit The Moth Gatherer bring a bleak, reflective and melodic mood, enhanced by the slightly tortuous vocal delivery, that is in equal measures engaging and thought provoking, with their offering Black Lung which winds a complex path as it progresses. A beautiful piece.
The pace ramps up again with a trio of Crustpunk offerings. First up is Knivad with the up-tempo Isen förlamar. Melody is balanced with acidic vocals, and midway, the pace takes a brief, bleak plummet, adding emphasis to the vocals before resuming its mood.
This is followed by Crust/Hardcore Punks M:40 with their twin vocal, D-beat delight Tyngdlös. This also boasts extremes of pace, one minute a galloping D-beat, the next plunging into doomy reflective depths and tortuous vocals. I absolutely love this contrast. It is so powerful.
Crustpunk icons Skitsystem bring the landmark offering Evig Vinter their first new song in a staggering eighteen years. It’s a haunting piece, with savage vocals, an unforgiving drive, blackened riffing and pounding drum work.
The pace drops back to a more reflective one with Concrete Cemeteries, the contribution from Atmospheric Post-Black Metal outfit Downfall Of Gaia. It is a bleak, haunting, yet powerful piece filled with complex rhythms and acidic vocals.
Then, in complete contrast, you get the groovy vibes of stoner psychedelic rockers Demonic Death Judge and their track Poisoner. I love the superb, raw, acidic vocals, which make a great contrast to the groove, and the blues/rock leadwork is superb.
Next up, post-punk/ Britpop-influenced Division Of Laura Lee, a collective of Swedish musicians/skateboarders whose name comes from Laura Lee, the soul singer, and the phrase ‘Division Of’, which was spotted on a cardboard box at their practice space. Their song Vanishing Act has an easy-listening melody which melds with raw, rugged vocals and reflective lyrics. A catchy and engaging piece.
Stoner/Doom Metal outfit Firebreather deliver the very reflective piece, Last Train, melding a haunting repeat melody alongside eerie echoing vocal layers. Maintaining that reflective mood is Americana singer/songwriter Fabian Brusk Jahn with his moving piece Perception Of The Past, a track rich with dark blues tones. Besvärjelsen keeps the mood haunting and reflective with their piece, the slightly psychedelic-rock-orientated Velvet Sky, with its clean vocals and sublime closing leadwork.
The sound turns darker with the arrival of Blackened Sludge Metal outfit Novarupta’s offering Mosaic. I love the contrast between the high, clean vocals, particularly the higher female vocal element and the heavy, sludgy rhythms. It is a very hypnotic piece.
The dark neo-folk solo project by Xavi Forné, Ulmus (Error! Design/Malämmar), maintains that darker mood with his beautifully haunting strings-led instrumental Silenci, while the penultimate piece, from sludgy Post-Metal Guhts, Burn My Body, is another dark, haunting offering with eerie undercurrents.
The final piece by German pop-rockers Rainbird, Going Down, is a haunting and reflective closing piece. I particularly love the raw, rugged vocals, which are hugely expressive.
All of the sixteen included pieces are brand new songs, and in addition to the bands, several partners and sponsors have contributed to funding the project via their services: Audiolord handling the mastering and Error! Design for the artwork, Vinyl Plant in Estonia are handling the physical record pressing, while Republic 66 and German Metal Blade Records are managing all PR work.
Hårt Tryck is producing a limited-edition T-shirt featuring the album cover art, and Danmark Music Group assists with digital distribution, enabling as much money as possible to go directly to Suicide Zero.
Roger also explains that the album cover was incredibly important for the overall concept, as it is intended to respectfully reflect the emotions that arise when someone close chooses to end their life.
In The Loving Memory Of You is a superb collection. A moving and thought-provoking listen end to end, there is something for everyone here.
Saying that, I love every track despite much of it being outside of my usual listening choices. I have definitely discovered some new favourite sounds here.
In The Loving Memory Of You will be available for purchase as a double vinyl and sold exclusively through Bengans.se as well as Suicide Records Bandcamp, where it will also be available as a digital download along with a commemorative t-shirt.
For more details on Suicide Zero in Sweden, visit their website at suicidezero.se.
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie.
In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor.
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14.
Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
