Totem Skin

Totem Skin

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	2012 in Dalarna, Sweden
Founder	Christoffer Öster
Defunct	January 2017
Headquarters	Dalarna , Sweden
Products	Music albums, EPs
Website	totemskin.bandcamp.com

Totem Skin was a hardcore punk group originating from Dalarna, Sweden, established in 2012 by guitarist Christoffer Öster alongside vocalists Henrik Dahlqvist and Glenn Zettersten. The band produced two full-length albums, Still Waters Run Deep (2013) and Weltschmerz (2015), combining fierce energy with brooding soundscapes. They dissolved in January 2017, with their intended third album eventually transformed into the inaugural release of Öster’s subsequent endeavor, Dödsrit.

History

Christoffer Öster founded Totem Skin in 2012, initially crafting the band's early compositions. Vocal duties were handled by Henrik Dahlqvist and Glenn Zettersten. The name "Totem Skin" was inspired by a line from Pg. 99’s Document No. 12. Starting as a studio-based project, the lineup expanded for live shows by late 2012 and early 2013 with the addition of guitarist Jesper Sundström and drummer Sebastian Engström. By March 2013, bassist Jonas Axelsson joined, rounding out the six-member formation. Before this complete lineup was solidified, the band independently issued two EPs: Totem Skin (August 2012) and These Ghosts Are Haunting Our Halls (March 2013), both mixed and mastered by Alexander Backlund. In 2014, they collaborated on a split EP with Swedish outfit Heart on My Sleeve.

Their first album, Still Waters Run Deep, was recorded at the Ranch Production House near Southampton, England, with Lewis Johns as engineer and Tony James assisting. Released on 29 October 2013 through Dog Knights Productions, Protagonist Music, and Middleman Records, it represented their initial collective songwriting effort designed for live execution. The album’s lyrics and music share a unified theme. Its cover art, created by Adrian B. of Coven Illustracion, features a skogsrå figure that complements the record’s exploration of nature’s force and societal themes. The final track revisits a song from their debut EP and incorporates a sample from the video game Silent Hill 2.

Their sophomore release, Weltschmerz, arrived on 12 October 2015. It was made available on vinyl via Halo of Flies Records and Protagonist Music in the United States, Adagio830 across Europe; CD through Tokyo Jupiter Records; and cassette via Wolves of Hades. The recording sessions took place at the same studio with Lewis Johns engineering once again, assisted by Chris Lyndon. Chris Panatier provided the artwork for this album. In 2016, members Zettersten, Sundström, and Engström initiated a crust punk side project named Vardagshat. On 26 January 2017, Totem Skin announced their disbandment while revealing that their forthcoming third record would be released under a different moniker. Subsequently, on 6 June they disclosed that the new venture was Dödsrit; its debut album was launched on 13 October 2017 through Alerta Antifascista Records.

Style

On their Bandcamp page, Totem Skin described their music primarily as punk infused with atmospheric elements alongside blast beats, d-beat rhythms, hardcore intensity, screamo vocals, metal influences including sludge and tremolo picking; less frequently incorporating grindcore grit, black metal tones, and emo nuances. Reviews of their second album Weltschmerz emphasized the fusion of relentless grindcore brutality with intermittent ambient passages and polished production values, drawing parallels to bands like KEN mode. Rock n Roll Reviews highlighted their innovative blend of extreme metal facets within hardcore frameworks by merging punk principles with black metal atmospheres and slow doom riffs in an original fashion. Metal Trenches characterized their sound as a hybrid of crust punk and hardcore enriched with post-metal textures. Rushonrock aligned them alongside groups such as Nails and Trap Them while underlining their distinctive approach to the American crust scene through a cold, ominous ambiance reminiscent of fellow Swedish band Cult of Luna. Their debut album Still Waters Run Deep also garnered comparisons to Converge; Terrorizer dubbed them "dark hardcore" for integrating complex melancholic melodies amidst aggressive segments.

In an interview from 2013, Totem Skin credited Sweden’s natural surroundings as a key influence behind their brooding atmosphere and powerful vocal delivery. Most lyrics were penned by vocalists Henrik Dahlqvist and Glenn Zettersten whereas initial song ideas came from guitarist Christoffer Öster. When questioned about similarities to contemporary bands merging post-hardcore and post-metal with black metal elements—such as Nails, This Gift Is a Curse, Oathbreaker, and Deafheaven—they acknowledged varied individual tastes within the group but ultimately identified simply as a hardcore band. In a subsequent interview, they described their style succinctly as "Käng-emo."

Members

• Henrik "Henke" Dahlqvist – lead vocals (2012–2017)
• Christoffer "Chris" Öster – guitarist (2012–2017)
• Glenn Zettersten – lead vocals (2012–2017)
• Sebastian "Sebbe" Engström – drummer (2013–2017)
• Jesper Sundström – guitarist (2013–2017)
• Jonas Axelsson – bassist (2013–?)
• Victor – bass player (?–2017)

Discography

Full-length albums

• Still Waters Run Deep (2013)
• Weltschmerz (2015)

Extended plays

• Totem Skin (2012)
• These Ghosts Are Haunting Our Halls (2013)

Split releases

• Totem Skin / Heart on My Sleeve (2014)

External links

• Totem Skin at Bandcamp