Skambankt is a Norwegian hard rock band. Initially, the band's image and so… Read Full Bio ↴Skambankt is a Norwegian hard rock band. Initially, the band's image and sound was inclined towards politically charged punk rock, but after their revival, they gradually transitioned into hard rock similar to that of Motörhead, albeit with noticeable influence from punk rock bands such as the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, The Stooges and other punk rock bands from the 70s and 80s. All the lyrics are written in the band's native Norwegian Klepp dialect; frequent lyrical subject matter includes betrayal, violence and corruption. In English, the band's name translates roughly to "beaten up badly."

Skambankt was founded in Klepp, Rogaland, Norway in the year 1994. The line-up consisted of Ted Winters (Terje Vinterstø) on guitar and vocals, Don Fist (Tollak Friestad) on bass, and Hanz Panzer (Hans Egil Løe) on drums. In this configuration, the group played sporadic shows in Klepp and local areas, and some demos were recorded. Interest quickly waned and the band dissolved in 1996. Some of the songs written during this period, such as "Demoattakk" would be recorded upon the band's re-formation.

Ten years after its formation, in 2004, the original Skambankt line-up met at a stag party where there was a stage with full backline. Some time after midnight, a decision was made that the band was to be revived. They recorded some basic demos and gained some exposure through Urørt, a Norwegian radio showcase for unsigned talent. Some changes were made to the line-up; Hanz Panzer switched to the guitar and his brother, Tom Skalle (Tom Egil Løe) became the new drummer. They eventually signed a record deal with Dog Job, and recorded their first album, the self-titled Skambankt, which came out in 2004. As Winters was also a member of Kaizers Orchestra, a small number of that group's fan base embraced Skambankt as well, fueling their rising underground popularity.

Subsequently, Skambankt earned a reputation of being a live band to watch after playing at many prestigious festival shows in Norway, Denmark and Germany. Their first notable rise to fame was their concert at the 2005 Roskilde Festival, where they played for 20,000 people. In 2005, they recorded and released Skamania, an EP containing six new songs and two videos, for "KKK!" and "Me sa nei!", respectively. The style of the EP's music and lyrics is considered a transition between the band's original style and the hard rock style they would later adapt. Shortly after the release of Skamania, Tom Skalle quit the band, and was replaced by Bones Wolsman (Børge Henriksen).

On 29 January 2007, the band released their second studio album, Eliksir. The album received positive reviews and even made it as far as the 8th place on the Norwegian album charts in its first week. The band toured throughout 2007 and played a small number of shows in 2008, despite the fact that Winters performed as an active member of Kaizers Orchestra for most of the year.

That fall, the band booked a studio from September through October, where they went on to record what would become the band's next album, Hardt Regn. The album was released on 26 January 2009, with a subsequent release party and tour following shortly thereafter. The album received many positive reviews and stayed on the Norwegian album charts for six weeks, peaking at the #5 spot. Three singles were released; "Malin", "O Dessverre" and "Kom hell", the latter two of which had music videos shot for them which were played in heavy rotation on music video shows on Norwegian television.

The first single from their then-untitled fourth studio album, "Mantra", was released digitally on 17 May 2010 - the Norwegian Independence Day. The album, Søvnløs was released on 6 September 2010. A limited edition remastered LP box set (whose version of Skamania contained three bonus tracks) comprised of all their releases up until Søvnløs, was released on 8 November 2010.

In 2014, all of three years after their last album, Skambankt released Sirene in late January. So far, it is the most critically acclaimed album of theirs, having amassed glowing reviews from more than ten reputable Norwegian publications, including Dagbladet, one of the "Big Three" of Norwegian newspapers. The first single from the album was "Voodoo", released earlier that month.

Trygge rammer
Skambankt Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Når ringen nå e slutta
E det dags for så å kutta
De båndå her som morkna
Ta fatt på neste steg å
Finna grunnen te å leva
Nytt blod så eg kan sveva
Nye kick, inspirasjon
Eg spør deg, kan du gje meg

Et svar

Liv blir så lett en vane
Trygge rammer med de samme
Det føles som et fengsel
Ei tvangstrøya som holde igjen
Viljen sko vær fri
Mi tid sko ver mi tid
Så kom diplomatiet
Eg spør deg, kan du gje meg
Et svar

Kan eg snu meg rundt og sleppa det
Du kan snu deg rundt og sleppa det
Kan eg snu meg rundt og sletta det
Du må bare snu deg rundt,
Du har gjort det du kan
Det e avgjort - og sånn det må bli

Når ringen nå blir slutta
E det dags for så å kutta
De båndå her som morkna
Ta fatt på neste steg
E lei av kompromiss
Og ting som bare glir
Eg hate den eg blir av det
Eg spør deg, kan du gje meg
Et svar

Kan eg snu meg rundt og sleppa det
Du kan snu deg rundt og sleppa det
Kan eg snu meg rundt og sletta det
Du må bare snu deg rundt,

Du har gjort det du kan
Det e avgjort - og sånn det må bli

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Skambankt's song Trygge rammer talk about being trapped in a routine, feeling like life has become a prison. The singer wants to cut ties with everything that is holding them back and move onto the next step of their life. They long for new experiences, inspiration, and a reason to live. The song addresses the feeling of being stuck in a situation that you no longer want to be in, and the need to break free from it.

The lyrics also touch on the idea of compromising oneself in order to fit into societal norms or expectations. The singer is tired of living their life based on what others expect of them, and they want to be true to themselves. They reject the idea of conformity and the feeling of being forced to do things that do not align with their own dreams and aspirations.

Line by Line Meaning

Når ringen nå e slutta
Now that the circle is closing

E det dags for så å kutta
It's time to cut

De båndå her som morkna
These decaying bonds

Ta fatt på neste steg å
Take on the next step and

Finna grunnen te å leva
Find a reason to live

Nytt blod så eg kan sveva
New blood so I can soar

Nye kick, inspirasjon
New kicks, inspiration

Eg spør deg, kan du gje meg
I ask you, can you give me

Et svar
An answer

Liv blir så lett en vane
Life becomes such a habit

Trygge rammer med de samme
Safe frames with the same