Mezzrow

• Formed: 1987, Sweden
• Disbanded: 1992, Sweden
• Genres: Rock

Biography

Although it would later evolve into a hotbed of world-class death metal, the country of Sweden enjoyed quite a record of futility when it came to producing quality thrash bands during the genre's 1980s heyday, Mezzrow being a perfect case in point. Already formed sometime after the style's bell curve had begun to decline from its commercial and creative apogee in 1986-1987 (and featuring future Entombed and Hellacopters main man Nicke Andersson in its earliest incarnations), Mezzrow recorded two demos in 1988 and 1989 before securing a deal with local independent Active Records and committing their 1990 debut album, Then Came the Killing, to vinyl. Unfortunately, the biggest compliment paid to bandmembers Uffe Petersson (vocals), Staffe Karlsson (lead guitar), Zebba Karlsson (rhythm guitar), Conny Welén (bass), and Steffe Karlsson (drums) centered on their convincing replication of the Bay Area thrash sound (think: Exodus, Forbidden, Heathen, etc.) as opposed to the rougher, black and death metal-inflected European equivalent of the period (e.g., Sodom, Destruction, Holy Moses), never mind anything remotely original. In light of this tepid response, it wasn't all that surprising when Mezzrow wound up disintegrating not long after the LP's release, and most of the group's musicians quickly faded into ancient history -- except for vocalist Petersson, who went on to front similarly hapless thrashers Rosicrucian, and bassist Welén, who briefly joined top Swedish thrashers Hexenhaus. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide

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