The Skull Defekts

The Skull Defekts

The Skull Defekts are a Swedish group associated with noise rock, experimental music, drone, noise and post-punk. They form in 2005, when Henrik Rylander and Joachim Nordwall start the project after Nordwall’s band Kid Commando ends its eight-year run. Rylander has already spent several years working with feedback after the end of Union Carbide Productions, where he plays pulse and rhythm and is a founding member.

The line-up expands quickly with the addition of Jean-Louis Huhta, a long-standing figure in the Swedish underground music scene, and later Daniel Fagerström. The group also includes Daniel Higgs and retains a connection to Eric Olofsson, who leaves after the recording of Blood Spirits & Drums Are Singing. Their sound combines hypnotic rock and experimental electronics.

The Skull Defekts are linked to a wide range of influences, including Section 25, Lungfish, Public Image Ltd., 23 Skidoo, Arthur Russell, Cabaret Voltaire, A Certain Ratio, Brain Bomb, dub, noise, funk and tribal ritual drumming. They are also compared with Can, Wolf Eyes, Wire and Shellac, and are described as drawing together no wave, krautrock and blues-derived noise elements into a harsh and repetitive style.