Assistert Sjølmord (translation - Assisted Suicide) release their debut 7 track 7” EP, after an outstanding demo in 2021. Thirty seconds in to 'Klimabombe' and we reach maximum velocity and there's no let up. The intensity and feral nature of their sound is laid bare with a sharp production and guitar tone that is both clean and harsh at the same time. The vocals rage and are totally ferocious and are in a smilar vein to Chitose from The Comes. It looks, sounds and feels like a classic Norwegian hardcore single from the 80’s and released on X-Port Plater (home of Svart Framtid, Stengte Dører, Bannlyst etc) mixed with the classic UK82 push and shove proto hardcore sound of The Mau Mau’s. These four Oslo punks take you by the throat and make Norwegian hardcore essential all over again.
Our take: Seven-song debut EP from this Norwegian hardcore punk band featuring members of Draümar and Indre Krig (among many others, I’m sure). Assistert Sjølmord’s style is the kind of 80s hardcore throwback we love at Sorry State, and while there’s some of the combination of hooks and speed that makes 80s Norwegian hardcore so special, I have to think there’s a strong 2000s Danish / Swedish influence at work here too. Maybe it’s that scratchy guitar sound, but these songs make me think of Regulations, Amde Petersen’s Armé, UX Vileheads, and the like, taking the big hooks of early west coast punk and melding them to DC-style rippage. “Toxicity,” on the other hand, is all UK-82 with its pounding 1-2 beat and cheeky police siren guitar intro. Fans of everything from Government Warning to Chain Whip should definitely check this out.