Backengrillen - Backengrillen
What happens when most of Refused-yes, THAT Refused-lock themselves in a studio for three days with a saxophone player from the Italian noise collective Zu, zero fucks to give, and a mission to create what they themselves call "raw, stupid, gut instinct music"? You get Backengrillen, an album that sounds like John Zorn having a nervous breakdown in a doom metal rehearsal space while the Misfits watch through a two-way mirror.
This is not background music. This is not safe. This self-titled debut from the Swedish experimental death-doom outfit-released January 2026 on Svart Records-is a 42-minute descent into what the band describes as "cacophonous beauty" and critics have labeled everything from visionary art to fossilized excrement. Let's dissect this polarizing beast and determine whether it's genius or just deliberately obnoxious noise.
Album Overview: The Essential Context
Before we descend into this maelstrom, here's what you need to know:
- Band: Backengrillen (featuring Dennis Lyxzén, David Sandström, Kristofer Steen from Refused + saxophonist Mats Gustafsson from Zu)
- Genre: Experimental Death-Doom / Death Jazz / Noise Rock (they defy categorization)
- Release Date: January 2026
- Label: Svart Records
- Recording Time: Three days (intentionally raw)
- Runtime: Five tracks spanning doom, free jazz, and calculated chaos
- Political Stance: Proudly anti-fascist and anti-racist
This is what happens when Swedish hardcore legends stop caring about commercial viability and chase pure sonic experimentation. Backengrillen strips death-doom of its guitars and replaces them with Mats Gustafsson's tortured saxophone, creating what they call "free form death jazz." Influences cited range from The Stooges and Misfits to Albert Ayler and John Zorn-which tells you this isn't your average extreme metal record.
Complete Tracklist Breakdown: Descending Into Madness
The five tracks on this album function less like individual songs and more like movements in a fucked-up symphony. Here's the honest dissection.
Track 1: "A Hate Inferior" - Ten Minutes of Dread
Opening with a ten-minute statement of intent, "A Hate Inferior" is doom metal with a critical omission: no guitar. Instead, you get riff-driven repetition from bass and drums, relentless and claustrophobic, with Gustafsson's saxophone emerging like "a lone dissident in the town square" before the entire band amplifies the fury. The production choice is bone-dry-no reverb safety net, just raw confrontation.
This is The Jesus Lizard beating up Albert Ayler in a garage, as one reviewer perfectly described it. The breakdown shifts from frantic to crushing without losing momentum, demonstrating that despite the chaos, these are seasoned musicians executing a specific vision. This track sets the template: extreme repetition that loses meaning before deconstructing into something stranger.
Track 2: "Dör För Långsamt" (Dies Too Slowly) - Tribal Anguish
Beginning with flute and a man in genuine distress, this track quickly escalates into enormous tribal drumming that sits in a hypnotic groove. The vocals sound like early Can meeting contemporary noise rock-anguished, unpredictable, locked into the rhythm section's malfunctioning jackhammer aesthetic.
The bass throbs with a systolic two-note pattern while the saxophone paces around it like a congested animal in a cage. It's uncomfortable. It's mesmerizing. It refuses to resolve into anything conventionally satisfying, and that's precisely the point.
Track 3: "Repeater II" - The Single (Sort Of)
At six minutes, "Repeater II" is the album's most accessible moment-which isn't saying much. Bass-led and hardcore-adjacent, this track channels The Cramps, The Fall, Lydia Lunch, and Viagra Boys into something vaguely resembling structure. The central lyrical hook? "Hey! Repeat it! Repeat it again!"
And repeat they do. The saxophone adds Stooges-level derangement, which can never be a bad thing. This is the track you play for someone who thinks they can handle Backengrillen before showing them the real abyss. It's still twice as long as it needs to be, stuffed with jarring vocal tics and sudden shifts, but compared to everything else here, it's almost a pop song.
Track 4: "Backengrillen" - The Monumental Title Track
A slow-building atmospheric crusher, the self-titled track operates like a hulking bass riff married to Gustafsson's exploratory saxophone, creating a backdrop for Dennis Lyxzén's litany of horror. His vocals shift from boyish Nick Cave crooning to full inarticulate screaming-what one critic beautifully called "inarticulate speech of the heart."
At 5:21, it's the album's longest track and its most dynamic. Think of it as the God Machine gone to church, or sludge-tempo doom that feels like drowning in razor-blade molasses. The clean guitar interlude at 3:00 provides the album's only genuine breathing room, proving the band understands tension and release even when operating in extremis.
Track 5: "Socialism or Barbarism" - Political Death Jazz
Named after Rosa Luxembourg's famous phrase, this track opens with two minutes of post-apocalyptic feedback and rain before a staggered drumbeat kicks in and the saxophone rumbles like "a drunk reaching home." This is free-form death jazz at its most unhinged-improvisation meeting seasoned professionalism in a head-on collision.
The band lists both John Zorn and the Misfits as influences, and both are apparent here. The bass provides a fun groove matched by the saxophone's free-playing chaos, giving the music a cathartic quality. It's the sound of musicians who've been everywhere, seen everything, and are now reporting back the only way they know how.
Musical Analysis & Production: The Sonic Philosophy
Let's address the elephant made of noise in the room: Backengrillen recorded this album in three days, and they wanted it to sound exactly this raw. The band describes their music as "a paean to chaos and destruction" with the goal of taking death-doom riffs and playing them "until they lose meaning and then break them apart like a ravenous cat would a tiny forest mouse."
The No-Guitar Gambit: Replacing traditional metal guitars with saxophone creates a fundamentally different sonic landscape. Gustafsson's playing ranges from mournful to violently atonal, adding layers of dissonance that guitars couldn't replicate. The result sounds like Morphine on a bad acid trip meeting Sunn O))) in a free jazz club.
Vocal Insanity: Dennis Lyxzén's performance is deliberately unhinged. His vocals springboard between clean highs, pubescent yowls, hooting screams, and what one reviewer called "the sort of maddened alingual howling you'd normally get by motorboating Gollum's buttocks." Whether this is genius or torture depends entirely on your tolerance for vocal experimentation.
Influences Decoded: The band cites a schizophrenic range of influences that actually make sense when you hear them:
- The Stooges and Misfits (punk aggression)
- Albert Ayler and John Zorn (free jazz chaos)
- The Jesus Lizard and Sonic Youth (noise rock foundation)
- Can (Krautrock repetition)
- King Crimson (prog weirdness)
- Nails and Full of Hell (modern extremity)
The Repetition Question: This album weaponizes repetition in ways that polarize listeners. Neurosis uses repetition to build tension. Sunn O))) uses it to create meditative drone. Backengrillen uses it to induce a trance-like state before violently disrupting it with jarring shifts and saxophone violence. Some find this hypnotic; others find it torturous.
According to their own statement, the band aimed for "self-hatred endemic to the province of Västerbotten" channeled through music. They succeeded in creating something that sounds simultaneously meticulous and improvised, brutal and intellectual.
Strengths & Weaknesses: The Honest Ledger
| Strengths | Weaknesses (or Intentional Choices) |
|---|---|
| Genuinely experimental without safety nets | Repetition can feel aimless and exhausting |
| Saxophone replaces guitar brilliantly | Vocal experimentation borders on unlistenable for some |
| Pedigree musicians creating fearless art | Three-day recording shows-roughness not always charming |
| Uncompromising political stance | Zero accessibility for casual metal fans |
| Successfully defies genre classification | Some tracks overstay their welcome significantly |
| Creates genuine emotional response (rage or fascination) | Jarring shifts can yank listeners out of immersion |
Here's the uncomfortable truth: this album's biggest strength is also its biggest weakness. Backengrillen set out to make "raw, stupid, gut instinct music" that rejects conventional structure and polish. They succeeded spectacularly. Whether that success translates to a listenable album depends entirely on what you want from extreme music.
This is not music designed to please. It's music designed to challenge, provoke, and potentially repel. The band themselves describe their approach as taking riffs and playing them until meaning dissolves. Some find this liberating; others find it excruciating. Both responses are valid.
Comparative Context: Where Does Backengrillen Fit?
To properly contextualize this Backengrillen album review, we need to place it within existing extreme music frameworks-though it resists easy categorization.
- Versus Refused's "The Shape of Punk to Come": Backengrillen takes the experimental impulses of that landmark album and pushes them into far stranger, jazzier territory with zero commercial consideration
- Versus John Zorn's Naked City: Similar frenetic genre-hopping and saxophone chaos, but Backengrillen is slower, doomier, more oppressively heavy
- Versus The Body: Comparable commitment to making listeners uncomfortable, but Backengrillen replaces electronics with live instrumentation and free jazz elements
- Versus Sunn O))): Both use repetition to induce trance states, but Backengrillen is far more chaotic and less meditative
- Versus High Castle Teleorkestra: Both occupy experimental doom space with unconventional instrumentation, though HCT is more atmospheric
The closest sonic comparisons are bands like Zu, Morphine (if they played doom), Bohren & der Club of Gore (if they were angry), and the improvisational chaos of Albert Ayler filtered through extreme metal sensibilities. But honestly? Backengrillen exists in a genre of its own making.
If this is supposed to extend death-doom's boundaries, it succeeds by operating in spaces the genre has never explored. If it's meant to be something entirely new, the band has created its own disturbing corner of extreme music that will confuse anyone expecting conventional structures.
Final Verdict & Rating: The Unvarnished Truth
Here's where this Backengrillen album review gets complicated, because this is one of the most divisive extreme music releases in recent memory. Critics have called it everything from "one of the most intricate records" they've encountered to "the biggest turd ever produced by mankind." Both perspectives have merit.
Overall Score: 7.4/10 (with massive caveats)
| Category | Rating (1-10) |
|---|---|
| Musicianship | 9.0 |
| Production Quality (for intended rawness) | 7.5 |
| Originality | 9.5 |
| Songwriting/Structure | 5.5 |
| Accessibility | 2.0 |
| Artistic Vision/Execution | 9.0 |
The Nuanced Take: Backengrillen achieved exactly what they set out to do-create confrontational, experimental death jazz that pushes boundaries and makes listeners uncomfortable. As art, this is successful. As entertainment, it's deeply flawed. The album is simultaneously too long and too repetitive, yet also genuinely innovative and fearless.
Tracks like "A Hate Inferior" and the self-titled cut demonstrate that when this approach works, it's mesmerizing. But songs like "Dör För Långsamt" test patience with their monotonous bass throbs and aimless meandering. The saxophone work is brilliant in concept but occasionally borders on self-indulgent noise.
Who This Album Is For:
- Fans of John Zorn, Zu, and extreme free jazz
- Refused completists who want to hear what happens when the band abandons all commercial constraints
- Listeners who value artistic risk over listenability
- Those who appreciate experimental doom, noise rock, and genre-defying chaos
- People who genuinely enjoy being challenged and made uncomfortable by music
Who Should Avoid This:
- Anyone expecting conventional doom metal or anything resembling Refused's accessible moments
- Listeners who value melody, structure, or traditional songwriting
- Those with low tolerance for repetition and dissonance
- Anyone who describes free jazz as "random noise"
The Bottom Line: Backengrillen is a fascinating, frustrating, occasionally brilliant, sometimes torturous experiment that will inspire passionate love or visceral hatred. It's simultaneously one of the most creative extreme music releases of 2026 and one of the most challenging listens you'll endure. The band succeeded in creating something genuinely unique-but uniqueness doesn't automatically equal greatness.
This is essential listening if you're invested in experimental extreme music, but it's also perfectly reasonable to find it unlistenable. The band themselves called it "stupid" music, and they're planning a follow-up that's supposedly "less stupid." Maybe that one will balance artistic ambition with actual listenability. This debut, however, leans so heavily into confrontation that it sacrifices accessibility entirely.
Recommended if you believe music should challenge you. Skip if you want music you can actually enjoy.
Collector's corner
Frequently Asked Questions About Backengrillen Album Review
What genre is Backengrillen exactly?
Backengrillen defies easy categorization, blending experimental death-doom, free jazz, noise rock, and improvisational chaos. The band describes it as death jazz-doom metal riffs without guitars, replaced by saxophone from Zu's Mats Gustafsson. Think John Zorn meets Sunn O))) in a Swedish basement.
Is this the same lineup as Refused?
Almost. Backengrillen features Dennis Lyxzén, David Sandström, and Kristofer Steen from Refused, plus saxophonist Mats Gustafsson. They recorded the album in three days as a raw, experimental side project with zero commercial considerations.
Why is this album so polarizing?
Because it's intentionally challenging. The band aimed for raw, repetitive, confrontational music that pushes boundaries. Some critics praise its artistic vision and innovation; others find it monotonous, aimless, and deliberately annoying. Both perspectives are valid depending on what you value in music.
Should I listen to this if I like Refused?
Only if you loved Refused's most experimental moments and want to hear them taken to an extreme with no accessibility constraints. This sounds nothing like "New Noise" or their accessible material. If you prefer their hardcore punk side, skip Backengrillen entirely.
What are the standout tracks for someone new to the album?
Start with "Repeater II" (the most accessible track), then try "A Hate Inferior" (the ten-minute opener that establishes the template), and "Socialism or Barbarism" (showcases the death jazz approach). If you hate all three, the album isn't for you.
Is the political messaging important to understanding the album?
Backengrillen is explicitly anti-fascist and anti-racist, with tracks like "Socialism or Barbarism" making clear political statements. The music reflects anger at current political reality, channeling what the band calls the self-hatred of their Swedish region into confrontational art. The politics are integral, not decorative.
Conclusion: Art, Torture, or Both?
Backengrillen's self-titled debut is a monument to artistic fearlessness and a test of listener endurance in equal measure. Recorded in three days by musicians with nothing left to prove, it operates as pure experimentation without commercial compromise. Whether that makes it brilliant or insufferable depends entirely on your relationship with challenging music.
The band achieved their stated goal: creating music that deconstructs death-doom riffs until meaning dissolves, replacing guitars with tortured saxophone, and embracing chaos over structure. In that sense, Backengrillen is a complete artistic success. They made exactly what they intended-confrontational death jazz that exists in its own bizarre category.
But artistic success doesn't always translate to listenability. This album demands patience, tolerance for repetition, and genuine interest in experimental extremity. It will frustrate as often as it fascinates. Tracks overstay their welcome. Vocal experimentation borders on parody. The rawness occasionally feels lazy rather than liberating.
Yet there's undeniable power in moments like "A Hate Inferior's" crushing doom-without-guitars approach, or the cathartic chaos of "Socialism or Barbarism." When Backengrillen connects, it's genuinely unlike anything else in extreme music. When it doesn't, it's monotonous noise with delusions of profundity.
This Backengrillen album review concludes with a simple reality: you'll either find this fascinating or unbearable, with very little middle ground. If you value artistic risk, unconventional instrumentation, and genuinely experimental extreme music, this deserves your attention despite its flaws. If you want music that's actually enjoyable to listen to, this ain't it.
The band is reportedly working on a follow-up that's "less stupid"-their words. Perhaps that will balance innovation with accessibility. This debut, however, is uncompromising to the point of self-sabotage, creating brilliance and tedium in frustratingly equal measure.
Final Rating: 7.4/10 - Recommended for the adventurous; avoid if you value listenability
Available now on Svart Records. Approach with caution and lowered expectations for conventional enjoyment.
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