NASUM (NAW-ZUM) was formed in 1992 by Anders Jakobson (guitar) and Rickard Alriksson (drums/vocals) with the intention of creating true, straight-forward grindcore in the old NAPALM DEATH tradition. By the Spring of 1993, guitarist Mieszko Talarczyk would join NASUM and soon become an essential member of the band
After two and a half years of sharing records with others on split releases, Poserslaughter Records offered the band a mini-CD release. In February of 1995, NASUM entered Unisound Studios, recording 12 new tracks and six re-recordings of tracks from their November 1994 'Domedagen' demo. This session featured the first NASUM tracks with lyrics in the band's native Swedish. In conjunction with the release of the MCD, titled 'Industrislaven,' NASUM made their live debut playing gigs in Astorp, Sweden and Berlin, Germany.
By June of 1997, Mieszko had purchased the equipment that formerly comprised Unisound and opened his own studio, named Soundlab. 16 tracks for an international grindcore/power violence compilation released by the Finnish label Tylyt Levyt and a cover of the DISCHARGE classic "Vision of War" were recorded and featured NASUM's most devastating sound yet. A tape of these sessions made its way to Relapse Records who, upon hearing the material, immediately offered the band a full album deal. NASUM accepted and began composing more material. During December, 1997 the two grindcore visionaries holed up in Soundlab and recorded 42 new songs in a mere two month's time. 38 of these tracks became 'Inhale/Exhale,' an album that took the extreme music world by storm.
'Inhale/Exhale' became an immediate grindcore classic and one that is still referenced amongst the best of the genre! Social concern and political frustration formed the basis of the band's lyrical attack, and harkened back to such classic Swedish hardcore bands as MOB 47, CRUDE SS and ANTI-CIMEX, but with the added extremity of the late 80's/early 90's Swedish death metal bands like NIHILIST/ENTOMBED. Press reactions were amazing, to say the least, as the sheer extremity of the band's delivery impressed varied music publications. Hot on the heels of 'Inhale/Exhale's' release, NASUM made their way to the U.S. to join labelmates SOILENT GREEN, TODAY IS THE DAY, EXHUMED and MORGION on the 1999 Relapse Contamination Tour. Kicking off the tour with an absolutely crushing set at the 1999 Milwaukee Metalfest, NASUM, playing only the first half of the tour, took audiences by storm with their insane live show. A mammoth set at the legendary CBGB's concluded the band's 1999 U.S. dates, leaving grindcore fans drooling with anticipation for NASUM's next U.S. jaunt.
NASUM returned with a furios vengeance on their second full-length, 'Human 2.0.' Playing no-nonsense, blistering grindcore, NASUM blasted their way through 25 ferocious tracks of intense, angst-ridden metal. The band infused a whiplash-inducing groove into their punishing grind, producing absolutely relentless songs that detonated with an energetic attack. With a lyrical base that touches on the political, the analytical and the sarcastic delivered with a frightening conviction, NASUM ensured that their bark was equally as venomous as their bite, destroying anyone and anything in their path. Summer 1999 saw NASUM being invited to play several prestigious festivals, including headlining the Fuck the Commerce III Festival in Germany and performing at the classic Hultsfred Festival in Sweden. NASUM also played with NAPALM DEATH at the Dist 2000 Festival in Forshaga, Sweden.
Fall 2000: NASUM crushed audiences on a seven-week European tour supporting NAPALM DEATH that took the band to eight countries (France, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Czech Republic, Germany, Holland and Belgium) and saw them perform over 40 shows. In the Spring of 2001, NASUM embarked on a 14-date tour with fellow countrymen THE HAUNTED and NINE. The tour was called "Close-Up Made Us Do It" - a special 10 year Anniversary tour for legendary Swedish metal magazine Close-Up. The tour was an astounding success, garnering NASUM loads of media attention - features in the daily newspapers, live recordings played on national radio and a 30-minute feature on Swedish national television!
Summer 2001 saw NASUM invited to play the prestigious Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany, where the band played in front of several thousands of people. The summer festival tour then concluded with a return to the Milwaukee Metalfest in July, 2001. NASUM took part in the Extreme the Dojo Tour in Japan together with CANDIRIA and CRYPTOPSY. During these dates in Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo, NASUM devastated Japanese fans for the first time and the tour was deemed a great success.
In the Spring of 2002, NASUM flew to England and shared the stage with labelmates THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, playing six shows together in England, Ireland and Scotland. Immediately following the DILLINGER dates, NASUM started to write and rehearse songs for their third album, 'Helvete.'
In the Spring of 2003, NASUM blasted back with a furious vengeance, unveiling 'Helvete.' A relentless auditory attack, 'Helvete' dispatched 22 torrid tracks of NASUM's breakneck grind and crunching hooks. Swedish for "Hell," 'Helvete' displayed an incinerating mix of audio devastation, cold calculation and high-speed destruction.
NASUM's 'Helvete' met to a rousing press response, with long-time fans of the band being equally as excited with the album's delivery. NASUM gigged around Sweden and the rest of Europe in support of the album and, after welcoming new members Urban Skytt (REGURGITATE) on second guitar, and Jon "Elle" Lindqvist (SAYYADINA) on bass. embarked on a sold out co-headlining tour of Japan with NAPALM DEATH in early 2004.
Upon returning home to Sweden, NASUM won two Swedish National awards for 'Helvete' taking home the P3 Guld Award for "Best Rock/Metal" album and the Manifest Award for "Best Metal/Punk album."
2004: Universally regarded as one of the premier grindcore bands on the planet, NASUM delivered Shift, the devastating follow up to 2003's acclaimed Helvete. With Shift, NASUM exploded, detonating 24 relentless tracks of extreme metal that blend blazing speed with grooves a thousand years wide.
While on a well deserved vaction in Thailand, to spend his 30th birthday with his girlfriend, Mieszko Talarczyk died in the Tsunami on the 26th of December 2004. His body was identified almost two months after the incident, during which time the remaining Nasum members already had faced the facts and decided to end the band. Nasum attended the P3 Guld awards only as nominees again for best metal album, and the hostess read a statement from the band ending in a wish to celebrate all victims, survivors and heroes from the Tsunami with a big applause.
Nasum's final release, Grind Finale, is avilable from Relapse Records.
myspace.com/nasumband is maintained exclusively by Relapse Records. The members of Nasum are not responsible for the content of this site.