Flotzilla was a Swedish fanzine written in Swedish. The is from the first of at least 8 issues from this cozy Swedish DIY-zine, which at least in their beginnings mainly concerned themselves with Metal.
This is probably without a doubt the best of the new speed and thrash bands in Sweden, at the moment. With their insanely good thrash it's hard to say anything other than: AWESOME! Their first demo "FROZEN SOUL" is a little demonstration of how real speed should be played, very much in the style of the bay-area bands but sometimes even better! They have also released a second demo that I haven't heard yet but I think I'll have time to hear it before the zine is ready so look at the tape reviews and there should be a review there. I don't know anything about their history, but it's actually quite uninteresting. All I can say is that they're from Nyköping and the current lineup is:
Uffe PETTERSSON — Vocals 21 years old
Zebba KARLSSON — Drums 21 years old
Steffe KARLSSON — Drums 18 years old
Nicke ANDERSSON — Bass 21 years old
Staffe KARLSSON — Solo 18 years old
That's all I had to offer as a small introduction, let's now dive into the very exciting interview with Uffe!
I have to say that you seem quite inspired by bands like: EXODUS, METALLICA, TESTAMENT, do you have any comments?
— That's probably pretty true, we're really inspired by bay-area thrash, bands like TESTAMENT, EXODUS, VIOLENCE, FORBIDDEN. But we still try not to copy any of the bay-area bands, but instead be like a mixture of them all.
Where do you get inspiration from when you write lyrics, and what are they about? For example, what is the hit song “Frozen Soul” about (the title track on Demon /ed)?
— I often base the lyrics on short stories by HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe and Robert W Senice. But the world around me also inspires, e.g. the nuclear weapons issue and a possible 3rd world war, the so-called “TERROR BALANCE” etc.
Frozen Soul is actually based on a video film! It’s called “Chiller” (Oops! sneaky commercial, ugh /ed) in English and is about a guy who has an incurable disease and is frozen by his rich parents in the hope of finding a cure. But the freezer breaks and he wakes up but his soul has remained on the “other side” and then he lets loose a little. The lyrics are written in the first person, i.e. from the guy’s point of view.
Have you picked up any new songs for a possible command demo + if you have heard anything from any record company about a contact?
— We have just been in the studio and recorded a new demo, it contains 4 songs: THE CROSS OF TORMENTION, FINAL HOLOCAUST, ANCIENT TERROR & INNER DEVASTATION.
We were working for 13 hours incl. mix. Personal comment on the new demo: Better sound, better songs (Must be wonderful /ED). The master tape is currently in Stockholm for copying we will release the demo as soon as it is finished. (It should be ready now /ed). However, we have not heard anything from any record companies, hope it will come! NOTE the demo will be called THE CROSS OF TORMENTION, we will also sell T-shirts with back & stomach print, Price 50-60:-
Have you had many gigs + do you have any coming up?
— We have done 4-5 gigs, there have been 100-150 people on average, a hell of a lot — crazy fun.
Have you received any letters from abroad and what has the general reaction been like?
— We have actually received quite a few letters from abroad. Among others from the USA, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Italy, Chile and all of Scandinavia etc. The reactions have been beyond expectations. All the underground zines we have sent to have thought the demo is damn good and we think it is damn cool of course. These are zines like: Blackthorne, Morbid mag, Wild Rag, Gray Matter etc.
Looking back on 1988, is there anything you would like to change?
— No, nothing concrete at the moment. But if you think about it there is probably something to mention, but it's just crap so 88 was actually a good year I think!
What would you do if you had 5 free minutes on TV?
— A 5 minute documentary about thrash in Sweden, it needs some attention considering that there are a lot of good bands here like ICE AGE, CANDLEMASS (thrash? /RED)
Anything to add?
— Yes, it's fun to be in FLOTZILLA. Underground magazines are really needed!! Then we would like to thank Robban Becirovic at Radio Power Hour in Norrköping for everything he has arranged for us!Thank you Uffe for the interview, everyone who reads this should of course buy the demo (new and old) 30:- each, expensive but well worth it!!!MEZZROW
c/o Uffe Pettersson
Linnévägen 15 F
611 56 Nyköping
SWEDEN
