It’s a bird, a plane. Wait — the band Refused. No… it’s Backengrillen.
This familiar quartet from Umeå, the largest city in northern Sweden, makes it their mission to know no bounds as they blend jazz with heavy metal traditions and a punk-rock mentality.
They call it “death jazz.”
Formed by members of the popular rock band Refused, this self-titled debut was unleashed upon the public on Jan. 23 through Svart Records, a Finnish label recognized for pressing unique metal releases on vinyl.
From the outset, this debut makes clear that Backengrillen has no intention of following convention. The group — comprised of vocalist Dennis Lyxzén, woodwinds and electronics specialist Mats Gustafsson, bassist Magnus Flagge, and percussionist David Sandström — offers a sonic texture that asks, “What if Black Sabbath had a saxophone and a passion for the local D.I.Y. community?”
The album’s creation was no lengthy process. It was written on a Thursday, performed that Friday, and recorded on Saturday.
The record opens with “A Hate Inferior,” which serves as the band’s own answer to John Coltrane’s classic album A Love Supreme. While Coltrane’s record stands as a profoundly spiritual, through-composed suite, Backengrillen’s version marches forward at a slow, meditative pace.
The album then fully takes shape with “Dör för långsamt,” translated directly as “Dying Too Slowly.” This unhurried piece meanders through a forest of heavy drums and woodwinds that eventually seem to take on a mind of their own.
It’s a glorious depravity of musical convention, perfect for those looking for something that feels like a group of friends playing with whatever tools they find in a lab.
But let’s be clear: this project is certainly not for everyone. However, for those interested in what lies beyond the farthest reaches left of the dial, this is it.
“Repeater II” offers a hint of the band’s rock ties with a repetitive cycle of drums and smoky saxophone topped with Lyxzén’s vocals.
The next track, “Backengrillen,” is a slow-burning exploration complete with flute, saxophone, and vocals that verge on chanting. It creates just enough space to get lost before the band pulls you back to reality with building intensity, unraveling the threads it introduced as the piece marches on and on.
The album concludes with “Socialism and Barbarism.” Drenched in distortion, this high-energy closer injects fresh verve into every element of the performance. It’s a punk song carried not by guitars, but by saxophones and electric organs.
As this strange musical document comes to an end, it becomes clear that its creation reflects the current socio-political climate. Tensions feel at a breaking point, and we wait with bated breath, bracing for what the next day may hold.
This record is not escapism — it is a mirror held to the moment.
Backengrillen was released on the same day U.S. President Donald J. Trump signed executive orders rolling back Affordable Care Act subsidies and reversing drug cost measures installed by his predecessor, while a federal judge blocked his attempt to end birthright citizenship. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also arrested nearly 500 migrants in sanctuary cities across the country. In the following days one of the agency’s agents opened fire on a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, killing her and sparking demonstrations nationwide.
The violence has since continued.
There is no other way to put it, this musical undertaking reflects the tension, unease and insecurity that continues to weigh over the world in the first weeks of this new year. And its existence offers an artistic release to these overwhelming tensions.
Allegedly, the name Backengrillen is a nickname for a crematorium in Umeå. Translated from Swedish, it means “back grill” or “cheek grill,” adding another layer of meaning to the band’s chosen morbidly named genre.
“Music and art without definite labels is a necessity for a better living,” writes Mats Gustafsson in the album’s liner notes. “Create your own individual genres and open up for more death-jazz-core-noise-metal-poetry to enter your world of destroying the local and global stupidities around us.”
Backengrillen promises to return for another release; they claim it will be “less stupid, more ugly.”
