Anti Cimex were a Swedish

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....

 hardcore punk

Hardcore punk

Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...

 band, based in Skövde

Skövde

Skövde is a locality and the seat of Skövde Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 34 446 inhabitants .Skövde is situated some 150 km northeast of Gothenburg, between Sweden's two largest lakes, Vänern and Vättern. It sits on the eastern slope of a low mountain ridge Billingen ,...

, Göteborg, Linköping

Linköping

Linköping is a city in southern middle Sweden, with 104 232 inhabitants in 2010. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 146 736 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County...

, and Malmö

Malmö

Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...

, at different times, that formed in 1981. They were one of the first bands to define Scandinavia

Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...

n hardcore punk. Their second 7", Raped Ass, is considered to be a subgenre-defining D-beat

D-beat

D-beat is a style of hardcore punk developed in the early 1980s by imitators of Discharge, for whom the genre is named. Discharge may have themselves inherited the beat from Motörhead. The first such group was The Varukers.The vocal content of D-beat tends towards shouted slogans...

 record. Scene historian Peter Jandreus describes the group as the most famous Swedish punk band of the 1977-87 era.

Their name is taken from the Swedish pest control company with the same name, the name of this company, in turn, comes from the Latin name of a particular type of bedbug

Bedbug

Cimicidae are small parasitic insects. The most common type is Cimex lectularius. The term usually refers to species that prefer to feed on human blood...

; Cimex.

The band

Formed in 1981, the original line-up was: Jonsson - Bass, Nillen - Vocals, Charlie - Drums, Jocke - Guitar. After rehearsing for a while, they released their first 7" EP Anarkist Attack. In 1982 they kicked out Nillen. Jonsson took over the vocals part, and Conrad took over the bass playing. The next 7" EP, called Raped Ass, was released in 1983. This work is considered one of the most severe, while the most traditional publishers in the history of hardcore scenes. In 1984 they released another 7" EP, Victims Of A Bomb Raid. In 1986 they released a mini-Lp (12") called Criminal Trap. (This 12" is also included as a bonus on the Absolut Country of Sweden CD). At this time Jocke had got tired of the band and they asked Cliff if he wanted to join the band but he said no, and the rest of the band members got tired of the problems and it resulted in the band splitting up.

In 1990 they decided to start the band again after Cliff had agreed to join, and they say that its thanks to him that they regrouped. They released the comeback album Absolut Country Of Sweden the same year, . In 1993 they released a raw live album Made In Sweden. The show was also shot on video but never released. They later released a new live 7" single Fucked In Finland and later on they released the album Scandinavian Jawbreaker. After the release of this album the band split up and the members started in other bands such as Driller Killer

Driller Killer (band)

Driller Killer is a Swedish D-beat/crust punk band, strongly influenced by the sound of Discharge. They were formed in 1993 in Malmö and are named after the Abel Ferrara movie of the same name...

 (Cliff), and Wolfbrigade

Wolfbrigade

Wolfbrigade are a Swedish D-beat crust punk band, formed in 1995. Their line-up has included members of Asta Kask, To What End?, Today's Overdose, Cosa Nostra, Anti Cimex, Obscure Infinity and Harlequin. Their music was a groundbreaking mix of Swedish hardcore punk and death metal that paved the...

 (Jonsson).

In 2005 Dead City records released the A Tribute To Anti-Cimex LP, featuring a line-up of D-beat

D-beat

D-beat is a style of hardcore punk developed in the early 1980s by imitators of Discharge, for whom the genre is named. Discharge may have themselves inherited the beat from Motörhead. The first such group was The Varukers.The vocal content of D-beat tends towards shouted slogans...

 and Crust

Crust punk

Crust punk is a form of music influenced by anarcho-punk, hardcore punk and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the mid-1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on political and social ills...

 bands from all over the world that were influenced by Anti-Cimex. Notable bands include Disclose

Disclose

Disclose were a Japanese D-beat band from Kōchi City, heavily influenced by Discharge. Their sound heavily replicates Discharge's style, with an increased use of fuzz and distortion guitar effects. The subject matter is also similar to Discharge, in that the songs' themes are primarily about...

 (Japan), Wolfbrigade (Sweden), Ratos de Porão

Ratos de Porão

Ratos de Porão is a Brazilian hardcore punk band from São Paulo. They were formed in 1980, toured South America, North America, and Europe and still continue to play today...

 (Brazil), Doom (UK), and many more.

Band members

• Tomas "Freke" Jonsson - vocals (82-93)
• Cliff Lundberg - guitar (90-93)
• Lefty - bass (91-93) (deceased)
• Charlie Claeson - drums, bass
• Patrik Granath - drums (85)
• Bonni "Bonta" Pontén - Guitar & Vocals (81)
• Sixten Andersson - bass (84-85)
• Jean-Louis Huhta - percussion (84-87)
• Joakim "Joker" Pettersson - guitar (81-86)
• "Cutting" - bass (82-83)(deceased)
• Nils "Nillen" Andersson - vocals (81-82)

Studio albums

• Absolut Country of Sweden (1990, reissued 2000 with bonus tracks)
• Scandinavian Jawbreaker (1993)

EP's

• Anarkist Attack (1982, recorded December 1981)
• Raped Ass (1983)
• Victims of a Bomb Raid (1984)
• Fucked In Finland (1993)
• Demos 81-85 (2007)

Compilation appearances

• Really Fast; Vol. 1 | LP (Really Fast, 1983)
• Vägra För Helvete | LP (Rosa Honung, 1983)
• Birkagarden | LP (Rosa Honung, 1985)
• I Thrash Therefore I Am | (BCT, 1985 [tape])
• Afflicted Cries in the Darkness of War | LP (New Face, 1986)
• What Are You Doing About That Hole in Your Head | LP (Rot, 1986)
• Eat My Brain, Go Insane | LP (Revoltation, 1995)
• Varning För Punk 3 | CD (Distortion, 1997)

External links

• Fansite
• Online archive of ephemera related to Anti-Cimex and Skitlickers