TOTAL METAL - REFLECTIONS...
- hecatezhark
- Mar 27
- 5 min read
Rare it is to visit archival exhibitions focused on cultural turning points in a nation´s history without feeling the stifling hands of authority choking the life out of what was once a heaving beast of its own. In striking contrast, the TOTAL METAL exhibition situated in the epicenter of shining Stockholm over six months this year serves to do just the opposite. Housed in the Kulturhuset, a striking multi level architectural enclave built in 1974, this well appointed and designed commemoration of all aspects of Swedish Heavy Metal spanning the late 1970s til the present – goes against the grain just as its subject matter. With more than a heavy nod to the ever present reek of morbidity – the careful consideration and curation in layout and presentation keep the potent archival materials kinetic through use of lighting and interactivity. Sceptical though I was, I came out of my visit with a new appreciation for “official retrospectives” and even more cool stories about what those early days of Swedish Death Metal involved... to take to my grave!
On a fateful evening back in 2005, my path collided with several members from Extreme Metal which would go on to shape the coming decades of my already rather illustrious career. Wrapping up their European tour in Switzerland the bombastic lineup of Incantation, Belphegor, Unleashed, Behemoth and Nile celebrated their last night – where this unforgettable night led to my sixteen years work for Belphegor. Now after twenty years of staying in contact with a founding member of Unleashed, I had the honour of visiting the TOTAL METAL exhibition with their original drummer, Anders Schultz. Through the decades of knowing him I had heard many tales of his coming of age in the early days of Swedish Death Metal. As that was the case, you can imagine how awesome it was to join him on his first viewing of the Museum´s collection. Watching Anders viewing his own personal history alongside of him was not only memorable, but truly unforgettable.
Making our way to the top, up five flights of escalators – the massive Museum´s retro lines brought us to the entrance of the TOTAL METAL collection. Initiation commences by being greeted by an onslaught of double wide cinema screens blasting a five minute loop of some brutally edited choice clips which juxtapose straight laced early 80s Swedish TV with the visceral aesthetic of Early Death and Black Metal videos cut-up by Jonas Äkerlund, of Hollywood fame. Turning left we enter the Great Hall and are immediately confronted by the most bombastic pieces of the exhibition. The martial themes found in Swedish Metal remain concurrent, represented in massive stage props like Amon Amarth´s Viking Ship and Sabaton´s outrageous tank. Strobes flicker against Ghost´s original stage costuming, Watain´s metal work and Unleashed´s original guitar case.
Vis a vis, a detailed recreation of what any late 80´s teenage metal musician´s bedroom resembled causes Anders to be taken by surprise. He almost seems shocked by the one to one massive diarama, pointing out again how surprised he is they actually found the original bed frame “everyone” had in their bedroom before noting,”Well, I gotta say... I actually took better care of my vinyl than that!”
Without ruining the experience by recounting every piece in this extensive and inspiring retrospective, I must commend the care taken to presenting the more personal details which are on display. From the massive stone wall adorned with over three meters of original shirts from the era, to the recreation of the Record Shop “House of Kicks” where the crew met up back in the day to swap tapes and check out new bands, to the well-cared for handwritten letters and correspondence which fuelled the proliferation of this burgeoning scene - comprehensive attention was taken by all those involved in the curation of these acquisitions. Original gig posters and the wall of cassette demos chides Anders once again to recount some stories I had yet to hear, with some raucous laughs we traversed through the rest of the sprawling fifth floor which combined the best of mayhem and chaos in the confines of well appointed glamour.
Taking our time to soak in the last of anthology, we are privy to some gang of youths taking advantage of the rehearsal room which is set up in the middle of the affair – complete with a mixing desk enabled to record your tunes, and all the instruments you might need. Surprisingly, I didn´t take advantage of the vocal booth – but would be sure to hit it if I am lucky enough to swing by again before the closing in mid September. Anders grins and says, “Could you imagine if me and the guys all showed up one day and started shredding in there with no announcement?” That indeed would be glorious and a real surprise to any partakers. Our discourse turns to the lack of physicality and lust for searching out music that speaks to you – with the rise of digital streaming and social media. Hopefully this collection serves to inspire some youths to continue on with these traditions. Closing off our visit standing over the glass case dedicated to one of the most notorious and impactful figures whom acted as a precursor to the first real wave of Swedish Death Metal, we take some time to reflect on Quorthron of Bathory fame. He pauses, looks at me and says, “You know, sometimes it is true... People do all come together at one point for some reason.”
Back in Vienna, recollecting our awesome Sunday afternoon at the museum, I am still hit by some fleeting moments we spent at the Total Metal showcase. It goes without saying that it was inspirational for me to see such incontrovertibly Occult aspects of underground art presented in such a well appointed State approved exhibition. Not necessarily a surprise, as it is a fact that after some decades Norwegian Black Metal did actually become their second largest export next to oil, prompting their Ambassadors to have to take classes about the history of the genre in able to explain it to other Ambassador´s globally. (lmfao) The texts accompanying the collection were also very well written. Recounting the history without any niceties or glossing over any of the arguably “politically incorrect” aspects of the genres – every visitor can gain a real knowledge and insight as to how things unfolded and showing just how things have remained to stay strong – with most of these founding bands still filling massive stadiums and touring the world to this day. It behooves the Swedish Government to pay homage to those warriors, outsiders, headbangers and ultimately dedicated creators which have shaped not only their own cultural landscape, but made an impact globally on countless levels.
Having spent twenty years immersed in Extreme Metal, both onstage and right at the front many nights, I can genuinely give my accolades to the entire crew who organized TOTAL METAL. A shame Unleashed had to move their opening gig in February– at least they will be on stage at the Kulturheset in October to bring their blasting riffs to the center of Stockholm again. If you are not lucky enough to visit this legendary exhibition with a founding member of the genre... not all hope is lost! There are guided tours running until the end of the affair which closes in September of 2025 hosted by the main master mind and curator, Ika Johannesson which you can find by checking on the website below. Enjoy the show ...and Keep Shredding, Sweden!!!
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Rachael "Hecate" Kozak
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