Ultima Thule (Swedish band)
Encyclopedia
Ultima Thule is a Swedish
rock band. Their style is based on what they call Vikingarock ("Viking rock"), a way of bringing old Norse folk
rhythms into rock
, mixed with Oi!, street punk
and Teddy Boy
influences. Some of their lyrics are versions of poems and traditional songs by Evert Taube
, such as "Änglamark". They have also released a version of Sweden's national anthem, "Du gamla, Du fria
'".
För Fäderneslandet is Ultima Thule's most popular album, selling more than 100,000 copies. Vikingabalk, their second best selling album, went gold with more than 80,000 copies sold.
, Södermanland
, Sweden. Band members have cited the Sex Pistols
and late seventies punk rock
as their main inspiration. Their songs were a mixture of Nordic folk music, rock and punk. The group has described this particular style of music as Vikingarock.
After a few years as an underground band, the band entered the mainstream in the early 1990s when they signed a record deal with Mariann Grammofon. Despite their success, they soon received criticism for their patriotic lyrics, which were interpreted as racist by some. Following the media controversies, Mariann Grammofon quickly cancelled their record deal with Ultima Thule. After that, the band created their own record label, named Ultima Thule Records.
Ultima Thule has sold one certified platinum and three gold albums in Sweden, and managed to have three singles on the 20th-best hits list at the same time. Their lyrics are mostly in Swedish, with only a few songs in English, including covers of bands such as Sham 69
and Ronettes.
was sponsored by Bevara Sverige Svenskt
("Keep Sweden Swedish") and was used as a campaign theme by Sverigepartiet. Some of their songs were included on compilation albums with bands like Skrewdriver
and Brutal Attack.
Their first vocalist, from 1984 to 1986, Bruno Hansen, was the leader of the Nyköping
"action group" of the Nordic Reich Party
, and some music critics classify the band as White Power music.
Ultima Thule successfully entered the mainstream when they were signed up by Bert Karlsson
, a record manager with links to the New Democracy
party. The band seems to have had a mail-order distribution deal with the record company Ragnarock
at some stage.
Between 1983 and 1987 the band played at about 30 skinhead
concerts. On 6 June 1987 they played together with Agent Bulldogg, Vit Aggression and Dirlewanger at a white power concert in Södertälje
. On 30 November 1991, the band played at a white power concert with Vit Aggression and Division S.
In 1994 Ultima Thule opened a record store, CD-butiken, where they sold records by Heroes in the Snow, Svastika and Vit Aggression. The band also started a fan club that at one point had as many as 900 members. Through the club they sold records, posters and t-shirts, not only for their own band but also for the record companies Last Resort Records and Ragnarock Records. Ultima Thule's recording studio in Nyköping
was burnt to the ground by arsonists on 10 February 2000.
During a concert in 2001 some members of the audience made Hitler salute
s. The band stopped playing to make clear that they did not want to be seen playing for Nazis.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
rock band. Their style is based on what they call Vikingarock ("Viking rock"), a way of bringing old Norse folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
rhythms into rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, mixed with Oi!, street punk
Street punk
Street punk is a working class-based genre of punk rock which took shape in the early 1980s, partly as a rebellion against the perceived artistic pretensions of the first wave of British punk. Street punk emerged from the Oi! style, performed by bands such as Sham 69, Angelic Upstarts, Cockney...
and Teddy Boy
Teddy Boy
The British Teddy Boy subculture is typified by young men wearing clothes that were partly inspired by the styles worn by dandies in the Edwardian period, styles which Savile Row tailors had attempted to re-introduce in Britain after World War II...
influences. Some of their lyrics are versions of poems and traditional songs by Evert Taube
Evert Taube
Evert Axel Taube was a Swedish author, artist, composer and singer. He is best known for his folk songs, and is widely regarded as one of Sweden's most respected musicians.-Biography:...
, such as "Änglamark". They have also released a version of Sweden's national anthem, "Du gamla, Du fria
Du gamla, Du fria
"Du gamla, Du fria" is the de facto national anthem of Sweden. It was originally named "Sång till Norden" , and the first words of its lyrics have become adopted as the title in the interim....
'".
För Fäderneslandet is Ultima Thule's most popular album, selling more than 100,000 copies. Vikingabalk, their second best selling album, went gold with more than 80,000 copies sold.
History
Ultima Thule was founded in early 1984 in NyköpingNyköping
Nyköping is a locality and the seat of Nyköping Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 32,427 inhabitants in 2005. The city is also the capital of Södermanland County.- History :...
, Södermanland
Södermanland
', sometimes referred to under its Latin form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a historical province or landskap on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanland and Uppland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea.In Swedish, the province name is...
, Sweden. Band members have cited the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
and late seventies punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
as their main inspiration. Their songs were a mixture of Nordic folk music, rock and punk. The group has described this particular style of music as Vikingarock.
After a few years as an underground band, the band entered the mainstream in the early 1990s when they signed a record deal with Mariann Grammofon. Despite their success, they soon received criticism for their patriotic lyrics, which were interpreted as racist by some. Following the media controversies, Mariann Grammofon quickly cancelled their record deal with Ultima Thule. After that, the band created their own record label, named Ultima Thule Records.
Ultima Thule has sold one certified platinum and three gold albums in Sweden, and managed to have three singles on the 20th-best hits list at the same time. Their lyrics are mostly in Swedish, with only a few songs in English, including covers of bands such as Sham 69
Sham 69
Sham 69 is an English punk band that formed in Hersham in 1976.Although not as commercially successful as many of their contemporaries, albeit with a greater number of chart entries, Sham 69 has been a huge musical and lyrical influence on the Oi! and streetpunk genres. The band allegedly derived...
and Ronettes.
Criticism
The band's first EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
was sponsored by Bevara Sverige Svenskt
Bevara Sverige Svenskt
Bevara Sverige Svenskt was a Swedish racist movement based in Stockholm and is a slogan used by various Swedish nationalist parties. The stated objective of the BSS movement, and the aim of the slogan, was to initiate a debate in order to stop immigration by non-Europeans and repatriate non-ethnic...
("Keep Sweden Swedish") and was used as a campaign theme by Sverigepartiet. Some of their songs were included on compilation albums with bands like Skrewdriver
Skrewdriver
Skrewdriver was an English punk rock band formed by Ian Stuart Donaldson in Poulton-le-Fylde in 1976. They later evolved into one of the first neo-Nazi rock bands, playing a leading role in the Rock Against Communism movement and becoming known as the most prominent white power skinhead...
and Brutal Attack.
Their first vocalist, from 1984 to 1986, Bruno Hansen, was the leader of the Nyköping
Nyköping
Nyköping is a locality and the seat of Nyköping Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 32,427 inhabitants in 2005. The city is also the capital of Södermanland County.- History :...
"action group" of the Nordic Reich Party
Nordic Reich Party
The Nordic National Party was a Neo-Nazi political party in Sweden, founded in 1956 as the National Socialist Combat League of Sweden by Göran Assar Oredsson...
, and some music critics classify the band as White Power music.
Ultima Thule successfully entered the mainstream when they were signed up by Bert Karlsson
Bert Karlsson
Bert Willis Karlsson is a Swedish record company manager, entrepreneur, former politician and front figure of the New Democracy party....
, a record manager with links to the New Democracy
New Democracy (Sweden)
New Democracy was a political party in Sweden, founded in 1991 and elected into the Swedish Parliament in its first election, falling equally fast out again in 1994....
party. The band seems to have had a mail-order distribution deal with the record company Ragnarock
Ragnarock
Ragnarock is a record label run by Erik Blücher in Helsingborg, Sweden. They also sell records from other companies via mail order, for instance Combat 18's company ISD Records and white power magazines such as British Oi....
at some stage.
Between 1983 and 1987 the band played at about 30 skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
concerts. On 6 June 1987 they played together with Agent Bulldogg, Vit Aggression and Dirlewanger at a white power concert in Södertälje
Södertälje
Södertälje is a city and the seat of Södertälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 86,069 inhabitants in 2010.The industrial city, about south of Stockholm, is the home to truck maker Scania AB and a top 10 pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca....
. On 30 November 1991, the band played at a white power concert with Vit Aggression and Division S.
In 1994 Ultima Thule opened a record store, CD-butiken, where they sold records by Heroes in the Snow, Svastika and Vit Aggression. The band also started a fan club that at one point had as many as 900 members. Through the club they sold records, posters and t-shirts, not only for their own band but also for the record companies Last Resort Records and Ragnarock Records. Ultima Thule's recording studio in Nyköping
Nyköping
Nyköping is a locality and the seat of Nyköping Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 32,427 inhabitants in 2005. The city is also the capital of Södermanland County.- History :...
was burnt to the ground by arsonists on 10 February 2000.
Band's reaction
In response to the allegations of racism, the band has issued a statement on their website making clear they do not consider themselves racist, nor are they neo-nazis. In their own words,"This country must ask itself about its mental health, when patriotic songs about Sweden, when texts from our history books, are deemed equivalent to racism. [...] We live in an increasingly shrinking and globalised world and in one way, it is important for people to know their own roots and for people to feel their national pride. If we Swedes are not allowed to show esteem and pride about our own country without being called racists, this makes much more difficult to show others respect for their own particular identity and singular characteristics. [...] We have taken note of our right to be proud of our own country and we do not tolerate some obscure publication linking our music with racism and Nazism."
During a concert in 2001 some members of the audience made Hitler salute
Hitler salute
The Nazi salute, or Hitler salute , was a gesture of greeting in Nazi Germany usually accompanied by saying, Heil Hitler! ["Hail Hitler!"], Heil, mein Führer ["Hail, my leader!"], or Sieg Heil! ["Hail victory!"]...
s. The band stopped playing to make clear that they did not want to be seen playing for Nazis.
Discography
- 1985 – Sverige, Sverige fosterland - EP
- 1990 – Hurra för Nordens länder - EP
- 1991 – Svea hjältar - EP
- 1991 – Havets vargar - EP
- 1992 – Sverige, Sverige fosterland - EP
- 1992 – SchottisSchottischeThe schottische is a partnered country dance, that apparently originated in Bohemia. It was popular in Victorian era ballrooms as a part of the Bohemian folk-dance craze and left its traces in folk music of countries such as Argentina , Finland , France, Italy, Norway , Portugal and Brazil , Spain ...
på ValhallValhallaIn Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those that die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr...
- EP - 1992 – Mitt land - EP
- 1992 – Svea hjältar (RE Rec.) - CD
- 1992 – Svea hjältar (UT Rec.) - CD
- 1992 – För fäderneslandet - EP
- 1992 – För fäderneslandet - CD
- 1992 – The early years 1984-1987 - CD
- 1993 – Vikingablod - CD
- 1993 – Vikingabalk - CD
- 1994 – Öppna landskap - CD
- 1994 – Nu grönskar det - CD
- 1994 – För fäderneslandet - EP
- 1994 – Svea hjältar - MC
- 1994 – För fäderneslandet - MC
- 1994 – The early years 1984-1987 - MC
- 1994 – Vikingabalk - MC
- 1994 – Studio outtakes - EP
- 1994 – Tack för hjälpen! - CD
- 1995 – Studio outtakes - EP
- 1995 – Once upon a time… - CD
- 1995 – Once upon a time… - MC
- 1995 – Blonda, svenska vikingar - CD
- 1995 – Lejonet från Norden - CD
- 1996 – Skinhead - CD
- 1996 – Skinhead - EP
- 1996 – KarolinerCaroleansCaroleans were the soldiers of the Swedish kings Charles XI and Charles XII.-The Carolean army:To compensate for the lack of manpower and resources Sweden strived for innovative ways to make an effective army...
- CD - 1997 – Nu grönskar det igen… - CD
- 1997 – Live in DresdenDresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
- CD - 1997 – The early years 1984-1987 - EP
- 1997 – För fäderneslandet - EP
- 1997 – Svea hjältar - EP
- 1997 – Vikingabalk - EP
- 1997 – Nu grönskar det - EP
- 1997 – Lejonet från Norden - EP
- 1997 – KarolinerCaroleansCaroleans were the soldiers of the Swedish kings Charles XI and Charles XII.-The Carolean army:To compensate for the lack of manpower and resources Sweden strived for innovative ways to make an effective army...
- EP - 1999 – Sörjd och saknad - CD
- 1999 – Sörjd och saknad - EP
- 1999 – Sverige - CD
- 2000 – Once upon a time… - CD
- 2000 – Once upon a time… - EP
- 2000 – Sverige - Vinyl
- 2000 – Folkets röst - CD
- 2000 – Herrlich Hermannsland - CD
- 2000 – Herrlich Hermannsland - EP
- 2001 – Sverige - EP
- 2001 – Resa utan slut - CD
- 2001 – RagnarökRagnarökIn Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
- EP - 2001 – RagnarökRagnarökIn Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
- CD - 2001 – Once upon a time… - EP
- 2001 – The early years - EP
- 2002 – Live in DresdenDresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
- CD - 2002 – Live in DresdenDresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
- EP - 2002 – Blonda, svenska vikingar - EP
- 2002 – Carlie - EP
- 2002 – Öppna landskap - EP
- 2002 – Resa utan slut - EP
- 2003 – Sverige - Picture-EP
- 2003 – Lejonet från Norden - Picture-EP
- 2003 – För fäderneslandet - Picture-EP
- 2004 – LokeLokiIn Norse mythology, Loki or Loke is a god or jötunn . Loki is the son of Fárbauti and Laufey, and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. By his wife Sigyn, Loki is the father of Nari or Narfi...
s träta - EP - 2004 – Vikingablod - EP
- 2004 – Rötter - CD
- 2005 – Rötter - EP
- 2005 – Skaldermjöde - EP
- 2005 – YggdrasilYggdrasilIn Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is an immense tree that is central in Norse cosmology. It was said to be the world tree around which the nine worlds existed...
- CD - 2007 – Folkets röst vol. 2 - CD
- 2007 – 25 year anniversary - CD
- 2009 – Korpkvädet - CD
External links
- Ultima Thule Official Website (Swedish)