BESVÄRJELSEN premiere video single of AC/DC cover track ‘Back in Black’
- Posted on 18-11-2021
BESVÄRJELSEN premiere video single of AC/DC cover track ‘Back in Black’ taken from "Back in Black [Redux]"
Sweden’s forest rockers BESVÄRJELSEN are releasing a pro-shot video of their twisted take on the title track of AC/DC’s classic recording "Black in Black". This striking cover version is the third single lifted from the forthcoming MER Redux Series installment "Back in Black [Redux]". More information about the album due on December 3 can be found below.
Album pre-sale link http://lnk.spkr.media/acdc-redux
Lea Amling Alazam comments: "A boyfriend gave me a ‘Let There Be Rock’ CD when I was 15 years old and I got immediately hooked", writes the singer. "I longed to see AC/DC live, and in 2009 they were set to play in Stockholm. I sat on my skateboard outside the ticket venue for 12 hours in the shittiest weather just to get a ticket. The show was amazing, one of the best evenings in my life. Front row headbanger! When I found out that we were going to cover ‘Back in Black’, I wanted to cry, both happy and sad tears. Such an iconic, amazing rock song, and I’ve ruined it many times at karaoke. The thought of having to record it and not living up to… well, how do you even do it? I wanted to honour Brian’s bluesy vocal with a rusty stoned vibe and yeah, I don’t know, it turned out freakin’ great!"
Staffan Stensland Vinrot adds: "I listened to the ‘Dirty Deeds’ album around the age of 8 and liked it, even though I had no idea what the lyrics were about", admits the guitarist and vocalist. "Then I got into heavier music and thought AC/DC were for old farts. I remember a local guitar player that I looked up to telling me when I was around 12 years old that AC/DC was some of the heaviest shit around, and I did not understand how he could even think that. He told me, ‘you’ll understand when you’re a little older’. Turns out, he was mostly right. It was a bit unsettling to be given ‘Back in Black’ as this song is one of their most iconic ones. We all kind of agreed that if we were to do this, we had to push the limits and stamp our mark on it. We did not fancy to just sound like the original but worse."
Spellbinding five-piece BESVÄRJELSEN take their name from the Swedish word for "conjuring", which is a fitting description for their haunting approach to Northern heaviness. The Scandinavians carry melodic doom at their hearts, but lace their sound with subtle touches of prog as well as punk, folk, and classic rock.
The Swedes set out to with a clear vision to channel the vast Dalarna forests, a region otherwise famous for its painted wooden horses, instead of following the general trend among European riff-rock bands to try and evoke the American deserts.
The band was co-founded by guitarists and vocalists Andreas Baier and Staffan Stensland Vinrot in 2014, inspired by their magical geographic location. The musicians had both grown up on old Norse and Finnish grounds in Dalecarlia, Sweden surrounded by its lore, its mysticism, and its dark, droning musical traditions. The duo saw their new band as a means to create heavy music infused with all those elements.
Andreas, coming from a background in punk and hardcore, had realised that by constantly making his music faster, it finally hit a point where fast started to become slow. The timing of riffs would cut in half, even with blastbeats going underneath, and his instinctive pattern for slowing things down laid the foundation for BESVÄRJELSEN‘s approach.
Initially Andreas and Staffan shared vocal duties, but they concluded that a full-time singer would free them to explore the complexity of their music further. While the duo never made a conscious decision to look for a female vocalist, Lea Amling Alazam arrived with a passion for punk and stoner rock that had started at age 13 at the local skate park. When, to the surprise of the guitarists, her distinctive voiced summoned the intimacy and charisma of singers like NINA SIMONE or AMY WINEHOUSE, Lea became the obvious choice.
BESVÄRJELSEN released their debut EP "Villfarelser" in 2015, which was followed quickly with the "Exil" EP in 2016. At this time, former DOZER and GREENLEAF drummer Erik Bäckwall joined the line-up. Both releases, though self-financed and released with minimal promotion, were well-received and even found airplay on Swedish National Radio.
Bass player Johan Rockner (DOZER, GREENLEAF) joined in 2018; just before their debut full-length "Vallmo" came out. The quintet merged crushing riffs and storming drums with increasingly sophisticated melodies and thoughtful themes. The album debut was greeted with great acclaim and even earned BESVÄRJELSEN a festival slot opening for DEEP PURPLE.
With Erik and Johan having played in various bands together and sharing a musical language, the rhythm section started to contribute to the songwriting for the mini-album "Frost", which was released in late 2019. While BESVÄRJELSEN were forced into involuntary live performance hibernation like every other band during 2020, the Swedes kept busy with intensive songwriting during the long months.
Having now joined Magnetic Eye Records, BESVÄRJELSEN has completed the recording of their sophomore full-length, which will be released via the label in 2022.
Line-up
Lea Amling Alazam – vocals
Staffan Stensland Vinrot – guitars, vocals
Andreas Baier – guitars, vocals
Erik Bäckwall – drums
Johan Rockner – bass
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Tracklist
1. Hells Bells – RED FANG
2. Shoot to Thrill – HOWLING GIANT feat. Udo Dirkschneider & Peter Baltes
3. What Do You Do for Money Honey – SUPERSUCKERS
4. Givin the Dog a Bone – SMOKING LIGHTNING
5. Let Me Put My Love into You – HEAVY TEMPLE feat. Valient Himself
6. Back in Black – BESVÄRJELSEN
7. You Shook Me All Night Long – JAKETHEHAWK feat. Patrick Waters
8. Have a Drink on Me – WHORES feat. Bill Kelliher
9. Shake a Leg – EARLY MAN
10. Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution – EARTHRIDE
"Back in Black [Redux]" presents new takes on all ten cuts from AC/DC’s seminal seventh album. This was the first record to feature "new" singer Brian Johnson following the death of original larger-than-life frontman Bon Scott, and music historians agree that there was massive pressure on both the new singer and the band to deliver. Even so, nobody could have anticipated that they’d create one of the most important rock albums ever, and Magnetic Eye cannot wait to present what many favorites from the stoner, doom, and riff-rock scene have done with some of the most iconic rock songs of all time.
Alongside "Back in Black [Redux]", Magnetic Eye Records publishes a by now traditional companion album containing even more amazing cover versions under the title "Best of AC/DC". This 2-LP extravaganza features 13 bands offering their exciting renditions of all-time classics and deep cuts from across the AC/DC catalog. Fielding an array of heavyweights and hungry up-and-comers from the heavy rock underground, there should be no doubt that fans of the riff-heavy will be stoked to experience these massive AC/DC interpretations unlike any that they’ve heard before.
The Magnetic Eye [Redux] Series features hand-picked classic albums from across the history of rock and metal, re-imagined in their entirety from start to finish by bands we love. Choice artists from throughout the rock and metal world are tasked to select a track to make their own, translating a milestone record into the new millennium with crushing heaviness and searing energy. To date, Magnetic Eye Records have published [Redux] versions of PINK FLYOD’s "The Wall", HELMET’s "Meantime", BLACK SABBATH’s "Vol. 4", HENDRIX’s "Electric Ladyland", and ALICE IN CHAINS’ "Dirt", which have included artists like MATT PIKE, PALLBEARER, THE MELVINS, ALL THEM WITCHES, KHEMMIS, ASG, ZAKK WYLDE, MARK LANEGAN, SCOTT REEDER, and many more mind-blowing artists.
Join a host of heavy rocking bands on the sixth foray into Redux territory as they pay due respect to the giant musical legend from Down Under!
Relase date: December 3
Presale link: http://lnk.spkr.media/acdc-redux
Available formats
► Digisleeve CD
► Limited edition black vinyl
► Marbled green vinyl