Genre: Anarchopunk
Origin: Sweden
Released: 2006
Website: Protestera
Label: Halvfabrikat Records
Uploaded: 15.09.06

This is the first stuff Protestera have recorded since 2002 (if I’m not mistaken), and I gotta tell ya it’s sounding better than ever! The opening track tells the story of Dawit Isaak, an exile Eritrean journalist with a Swedish citizenship. I’m not gonna go much further into details here ‘cause there are a lot of other sources for information on that matter. But the core of it all is that Dawit returned to Eritrea to start the country’s first independent newspaper. He was arrested and has, without a fair trial, served more than 1800 days in prison, and the Swedish government’s done jack shit about it! To go further into the subject you can visit freedawit.com.
I’ve always seen Operation to have been the top name when it comes to anarchopunk, but with this 7” Protestera comes pretty darn close. They’ve managed to create such energy with the recording that it feels almost like seeing them live. Not that I ever have, but the tunes have such a presence. Just bloody raging vocals, fiercely raving the pissed-off and extremely political lyrics. And even though side A opens up slow and agonized they seem to be quite positive about the future. They sure paint the picture of a bleak and harsh world, but still inciting hope and action in the listener. But after the numbing Historien om en försvunnen svensk journalist it’s on to the pounding strings, hammering guitars and raging screams. Protestera takes the essence of pissed punk, adds the brutality and ferociousness of crust and dips the mix in energetic hardcore – creating a bloody outrageous 7”!

Tracklist:
01. Historien om en försvunnen svensk journalist
02. Drakar
03. Gränslösa land
04. Tre:ett