Swedish Rockers Ström Show 70s Influences on Debut Album
The hard rockers channel influences such as KISS and AC/DC but with a decidedly Swedish twist.
Hello and thanks for spending part of your day with Michael’s Record Collection. This week’s newsletter might be a bit shorter than some, as it was a busy week that included my birthday. I had toyed with taking a week off for my birthday, but a chance to talk to musicians from halfway around the world — and who are set to release an outstanding debut album — gave me second thoughts.
So here’s that story.
Rock and Roll is a universal language. Bands around the world rock out in many languages, and some even make up their own. While listening to music in a foreign language isn’t for everyone, it can be an enjoyable experience. Many people who don’t know the words to “La Bamba” enjoy the song, for example. A lot of operatic music fans might not know Italian but they can still enjoy the three tenors.
As a fan of progressive rock, I’ve been exposed to some masterful works by bands like Italy’s Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Sweden’s Änglagård, both of which sing in their native tongue. Avant garde prog rockers Magma may hail from France, but they use a completely made-up language called Kobaïan in their songs.
I admit that I rather enjoy lyrics that I can both understand and sing along with, but sometimes I make an exception. That’s the case with new Swedish rockers Ström, who have a self-titled debut album coming out Sept. 23. The band has a couple of singles out already and the five musicians from Växjö wear their influences proudly on their sleeves. Their music is heavily influenced by 1970s classic hard rock bands like AC/DC and KISS, with the musicians each bringing their unique musical perspectives — backgrounds in musical theater and a love of bands like Black Sabbath, Slayer, the Rolling Stones, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pearl Jam, etc. — together to create songs that sound simultaneously fresh and familiar.
Oh, and they sing them in Swedish.
Many of the country’s rock bands write lyrics and sing in English in order to try to appeal more universally outside of their own country, should they ever break out of the pack. But Ström has taken the opposite approach.
“I feel more comfortable when I sing in Swedish, and I write most of the lyrics and it becomes closer to my heart,” said lead vocalist Zdravko Zizmond. “When I write the lyrics, I know what I want to say, and I know how to say it. I have no problems in singing in English or writing lyrics in English, and we when we started the band, one of our main ideas was to stay to the Swedish language just because we want it to be as true as possible to our music.
“I think that we are more unique doing this in Swedish and (we want) to prove to people and to ourselves that we are not limited by doing this in Swedish. I mean, if (German rockers) Rammstein can do it…there are lots of bands doing it in their native language, and still doing shows in other countries than their own.”
Zizmond’s vocals may not be in our tongue, but you feel every word, every syllable. His voice is, to my ears, a powerful blend of an early Brian Johnson (AC/DC) and Cinderella’s Tom Keifer. Musically, the band channels AC/DC and KISS most prominently, with guitarist Johan Siljedahl providing licks and solos that seem to have leapt from Ace Frehley’s vintage 1970s Fender guitars.
The duo of Zizmond and Siljedahl became friends while working on a Swedish production of Jesus Christ, Superstar, in which Zizmond played the role of Jesus and Siljedahl was Judas. They enlisted the help of musicians they knew from the scene in the Växjö area — Calle Sjöquist (guitars), Joel Carnstam (bass), and Tomas Salonen (drums) — and formed Ström. All five members shared an interest in classic, American hard rock.
Salonen’s presence in the band was Siljedahl’s idea. Zizmond originally expected Siljedahl to be the band’s drummer — he is both a drummer and a drum teacher — but Siljedahl wanted to play guitar in the band and Salonen was added to become the man behind the kit.
Neither Zizmond nor Siljedahl had been in bands that sang in Swedish before, but the Jesus Christ, Superstar production was in Swedish, which they found intriguing enough to carry it forward in Ström.
While most native English speakers won’t have much insight into the Swedish lyrics, they’ll be able to feel the power and the passion with which Zizmond sings the lead and they’ll be able to groove to the excellent backing harmony vocals.
The standouts for me include two of the singles released ahead of the album. Perhaps the best is “Gul & Blå” (which translates to “Yellow and Blue”), a song about the Croatian-born Zizmond’s thankfulness at being made to feel welcome by his new country after he moved there as a young boy and “grew up Swedish” from that point.
“I just want to say thank you for all the good that Sweden's done to me and my family,” Zizmond said. “You know, so that's (what) the song is about, actually. ‘I became yellow, I became blue, you made me run and you made me feel good,’ If I translate the lyrics.”
The lead-off track, “Tiden sjunger,” which translates to “Time Sings,” is another highlight.
“The message in the song is time flies by, be sure to take it all in,” Siljedahl said.
There are a number of different topics among the album’s 10 tracks. “Hatet” (“The Hate”) is about how children are born perfect, honest, and trusting and become corrupted over time and learn to be hateful.
“Kids are great,” Zizmond said. “The older they get, the bigger is the risk that they are not that great and we want to fight that. That lyric is about the innocent kid and stay like that as long as possible. That's the message, you know, to just stay true to life and be be nice to everybody. And to yourself.”
“Blodsband” (“Blood Ties”) is a tribute to Zizmond’s father and is a bit different and more anthemic than the rest of the album. “Ensam är stark” (“Alone is Strong”) is about being left alone as a single parent after a breakup.
“In Sweden, we have like 50% divorces here, and a lot of kids get stuck in the middle of a divorce,” Zizmond said. “And a lot of the parents struggle every day to pay the bills and to get to work and to be the best parent you can every other week, when you have the kids at home. I separated from my first wife and we have a daughter together and I have experienced that. Every other week I want to be the best dad ever and make the best day possible for my daughter.”
The lyrical themes show the band’s maturity, even if we as Americans generally don’t have a good grasp (or any kind of grasp) of Swedish. While it helps to know what a song is about or what the words are, you don’t have to have that level of understanding to enjoy these catchy, well-crafted songs.
Ström has made a strong opening statement with its self-titled debut and the band has done so on its own terms. I encourage fans of the vintage 70s rock bands to seek out and sample Ström’s work and judge it for its sound. Knowing the lyrical content is just the cherry on top of the sundae.
You can learn more about Ström on the band’s Facebook page (they have no dedicated website) and the album is available for pre-order through the Sound Pollution web shop and it is expected to be available on Amazon, as well as the usual digital channels.
Tracklist (title translations via Google):
Tiden sjunger (Time Sings)
Katapult (Catapult)
Ta mig tillbacks (Take Me Back)
Vass tunga (Sharp Tongue)
Ensam är stark (Alone is Strong)
Ungt blod (Young Blood)
Gul & Blå (Yellow and Blue)
Hatet (The Hate)
Sadan son sadan far (Like father Like Son)
Blodsband (Blood Ties)
For my complete interview with Zdravko Zizmond and Johan Siljedahl from Ström, check out the video below or download Episode 78 of the Michael’s Record Collection podcast. The two musicians talked about their first favorite records, their influences, the forming of the band, and much more. The podcast also has some audio clips so you can check out a little of the music.
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