Trepaneringsritualen

At the helm of this transformative mix is Thomas Martin Ekelund (b. 1977), a Swedish industrial music artist and graphic designer based in Gothenburg. Over the past decade, Ekelund primarily operated under the moniker Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words. However, since concluding that project in late 2011, he has redirected his creative energies toward other ventures such as Soma Sema and, most notably, his ritualistic solo endeavor Trepaneringsritualen. Ekelund’s prolific output—including cassettes, vinyls, and CDrs—has been released on conceptual labels like Release The Bats, Hanson, Small Doses, Fang Bomb, iDEAL, and Malignant Records. His work delves deep into themes of religion, magick, and the occult realms of consciousness. By interweaving motifs from the old school of ritual ambient and death industrial, Trepaneringsritualen crafts rhythmic and, at times, seething musical formations imbued with a characteristic creeping sense of desolation. The project conjures bleak yet mesmerizing visions of the end-times. Influenced by avant-garde artists such as Michael DeWitt, Current 93, Roger Karmanik, Anenzephalia, and Psychic TV, Ekelund has cultivated his own esoteric and abrasive sonic underworld that captivates and penetrates the psyche. It is also noteworthy that Ekelund runs the Beläten imprint, which releases an eclectic spectrum of synthetic and acoustic music.

STM 092 is a dark and dynamic auditory odyssey comprising 15 transcendental records released between 1978 and 2013. While the mix is fundamentally rooted in industrial music, it seamlessly incorporates elements of noise, neofolk, gothic rock, and experimental soundscapes. Timeless works by enigmatic and dark-hearted musicians such as November Növelet, Death In June, S.P.K., Throbbing Gristle, Con-Dom, and Pharmakon awaken the subconscious and illuminate the more shadowy facets of society. The backbone of this mix is constructed from melodic agony extracted from distorted and razor-sharp electric guitars, forceful vocals, dramatic improvisations with various percussion instruments, and the emergence of obscure rhythms. The vocals are raw and evocative, exploring themes of death, destruction, religion, nihilism, rebellion, and the absurd. Despite the swift and uncompromising mixing, Ekelund skillfully sustains the mix’s tension through a meticulously curated sequence of records. It stands as a timeless assemblage of tracks that have profoundly influenced the evolution of industrial and alternative music.

Records and connections

STM 092 mirrors Pablo Picasso’s macabre lithograph “Black Jug and Skull,” where the masterful use of lithographic crayon and ink engenders oppressive highlights and sharp definitions. The angular rhythms, expressive edges, and stark contrasts of black and white in the artwork evoke the suffering and death associated with the Second World War. The scene depicted in the lithograph is somber and restrained, paralleling Ekelund’s mix, which embodies a vanitas theme. Trepaneringsritualen’s mix serves as a memento mori—a poignant reminder of the inevitable approach of death—that envelops the listener in an aura of empyreal wisdom.