Cover of the month 11/12: “Svarta Tankar” (Skitsystem), Grå Värld / Svarta Tankar, 1999.
This month we find ourselves back on home soil again with our interpretation of an absolute rager by the almighty Skitsystem! Their place as one of the most influential and impactful (and maybe infamous?) bands in Swedish punk history can’t be denied.
For all the Swedish young punks getting into this kind of music the last 30 years or so, Skitsystem are surely one of those bands you’ll likely stumble upon early on, which means that they have some sort of impact on most. It’s rare that they’ll pass anyone by unnoticed one could say. It’s just the ultimate band name (and logo) you’d want to paint on your denim or leather to give society and the world around you the middle finger. Combined with their rather simple yet highly efficient songwriting ability, to craft such memorable tunes and screaming along-friendly choruses, you have the formula that has earned them their place among the greatest ones.
We had a discussion early on and the choice was actually between Skitsystem, Wolfpack or Disfear for one of the months. In hindsight, we probably made the right choice. A circumstance that made the selection of which song to go for a bit tough, to say the least. We tried out and actually recorded ‘Maktens Murar Rasar’ at the beginning of this year, but didn’t feel like the outcome lived up to our expectations, so eventually we ended up going for ‘Svarta Tankar’ instead. Must add, however, still consider the 10″ to be their best release. Hardcore raw punk perfection.
You obviously can’t talk about Skitsystem without mentioning the recent tragic passing of Tompa Lindberg. A passionate and kind soul with a powerful voice, in a double sense. Whom we and countless others unanimously regarded as an endless source of inspiration and an enormous loss. The decision to do this song and the recording was made quite a while before the devastating news broke, so it was really just a coincidence that it’s being released now, so shortly after. It ended up becoming a fitting tribute, we’re happy to be able to show our reverence and salute one of the all-time greats. R.I.P. Tompa!
Recorded by Jocke D-takt at Studio Mangel, May-September 2025. Mixed and mastered by Kenko at Communichaos, September-November 2025.
Note: the songs are only available via our YouTube channel.
Link: https://youtu.be/s53Wbmdkr4E