The Last Supper

For a band whose name derives from a popular Swedish TV series that aired in the 1980s, Skånska Mord sure try real hard to make believe that decade's music never even happened, choosing instead to use their 2010 debut, The Last Supper, to build their own Bifröst, if you will, to bridge some of the greatest bands of the ‘70s and ‘90s. Stunning opener "Under the Volcano" and, later, other cuts like "In the Dark" and the epic title track take the Soundgarden tactic of slowing down Led Zeppelin to a Black Sabbath creep with devastating consequences; the second cut, "Things Are Quiet Out There," rounds out the holy trinity of ‘70s heavy metal with organs redolent of Deep Purple. But for as much time as they spend reminiscing on the ‘70s (see additional trips down memory lane like the AC/DC-gone-doom of "Dog House" and the naturally funky "111"), Skånska Mord also devote just as much to indulging in the ‘90s alternative rock fetish suggested by that Soundgarden reference above — primarily because of singer Jan Bengtsson's Chris Cornell-ian vocal range, but also via evident flannel-flying nuances drawn from the Screaming Trees ("The Hermit") and Gruntruck ("A Journey"). And a final dimension of their versatility sees the quintet jamming away on heavy blues-rockers featuring unexpected detours into sludgy doom on "Two in the Morning" and "Daybreak" — both of which highlight Bengtsson's wailing harmonica skills, to boot. All of these different ingredients guarantee a musical smorgasbord rich enough to keep The Last Supper compelling from appetizer to dessert, and leave those who partake looking forward to Skånska Mord's next vinyl feast.