Long before Gothenburg settled into the Melodic Death Metal sound it would become known for, Decollation released one of the Swedish underground’s true oddities. Recorded at Sunlight Studios with Tomas Skogsberg, ‘Cursed Lands’ sidesteps both the Stockholm buzzsaw guitar tone and the melody driven approach that soon defined Gothenburg. Instead, it throws together frantic Death and Thrash Metal with progressive ideas, abrupt tempo changes, eerie keyboards and unsettling samples. Even today, it doesn’t really sound like anything else that came out of Sweden during that period.
The band added to the mystery by recording under aliases. Johan Österberg appeared as John Lesley, handling vocals and guitar alongside guitarist Jon Jeremiah. Bass was played by Thomas Johansson of Ceremonial Oath under the name Tom Johnson, while Niclas Sköld, credited as Nick Shields, was responsible for the keyboards and electronic effects that give the EP its unsettling atmosphere.
The biggest surprise is behind the drum kit. Chris Steele was actually Kristian Wåhlin, who not only wrote the material and played the drums, but also painted the EP’s haunting blue cover years before becoming one of metal’s most recognisable artists through his artwork for countless classic albums.
I’ve had the coloured vinyl reissue sitting in my collection for a while now, released by The Crypt in cooperation with Listenable Records. Seeing this forgotten gem finally receive the vinyl treatment felt long overdue. The restored artwork, gatefold sleeve and quality pressing give the EP the presentation it always deserved.
‘Cursed Lands’ isn’t an easy listen, and that’s exactly why it stands out. It’s restless, unpredictable and constantly shifts direction without losing its identity. More than three decades later, it still feels like an overlooked experiment that never had a real successor. For anyone digging beyond the usual Swedish Death Metal classics, this is one EP that’s well worth tracking down.
