In the summer of 1998, they produced a 7" record named Då hämndens timme slår. There were 200 copies made, sold out in almost one day.
In the next year, the band was put on a hold for almost a year. After some changes in the band settings, Makke quits the band after a car crash and is replaced by Chris. Inge's physical absence lets Fredrik pick up the microphone and Jerker takes his place behind the drums. Another 7" is recorded with this setup and is released 2000 by Communichaos records, entitled Industri, betong och sålda själar. After this 7", the band tours troughout Sweden and Norway. Inge gets at this time more and more involved in his sideproject, but nevertheless he is still a member of the TJM collective and contributes with some lyrics trough mail and sometimes he shows up on stage or for rehearsals.
Another recording is released as a split 7" with the american band They Fear The Reclaim on Arson records and Halvfabrikat records. In the summer of 2001, the band enters The Spiff studio in Skellefteå and records a number of songs. The recording gets some attention on the radio and the band gives more gigs all around Sweden. The hype peaks at Hultsfredsfestivalen 2002, where they played for a large crowd.
The record Det ofrivilliga lidandets maskineri is the result of the recordings during the summer 2001. The record becomes kind of a success and is nominated best rock at P3 Guld awards and wins an award for best Hardrock/Punk at the Manifest awards.
During the summer of 2003 the band plays at some festivals and a lot of new songs are written. Unfortunately, the drummer decides to quit the band due to physical issues, after records the band's new album. Chris takes Jerker's place behind the drums and the stand-in bass Victor S. Brandt replaces Chris as the bass player. The new record is mixed and mastered at tonteknik by Magdog Lindberg (Cult of Luna) and is named Människans Ringa Värde. The album is a notable success, being nominated for several awards.
In the beginning of 2005, the band tours with The Haunted and Insision. The tour takes them through Sweden, Norway and Finland. In April, the band tours through Germany and Austria.
In September 2005 the new songs come alive in the studio, a pre-production of 23 songs is recorded in four days. Together they picked out 15 songs for an upcoming album. Four of the leftover songs were mixed properly and released on the long planned split album with Human Waste[/aritst]. After this recording session the band decided to switch labels and signs to Regain Records for their selftitled release,Totalt Jävla Mörker.
Their name means ''Total Fucking Darkness'' in Swedish.
Människan som försöksdjur
Totalt Jävla Mörker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ur en nyliberal broschyr
Dom tar, hjärtat ur det som finns kvar
Jag skiter i löften
Människan som försöksdjur
Under en borgerlig allians
The lyrics of Totalt Jävla Mörker's song Människan som försöksdjur are reflective of the frustration and anger against the neoliberal agenda that has taken over the capitalist societies. The opening lines of the song, "Sliter ut bladen, Ur en nyliberal broschyr" refers to the act of tearing off the pages from a brochure of neoliberal ideology, indicating how it's being forced on people. The line, "Dom tar, hjärtat ur det som finns kvar" means that the neoliberal policies strip people of their emotional investment in their lives and communities, leaving them hollow and empty.
The song then moves on to talk about politicians who make empty promises to appease the masses for their own gain. The line, "Jag skiter i löften, Från populistiska svin" expresses the artist's disdain towards the populist politicians who use the public's emotions and fears to their own advantage. The title, "Människan som försöksdjur" directly translates to "Human as a Test Animal," metaphorically summing up the way people are being treated as mere experimental subjects to test out the neoliberal agenda, especially under a conservative government.
Overall, the song speaks of the feeling of helplessness and anger of the common people being subjected to the violence of neoliberalism, and how the politicians, instead of serving them, are in the hands of those who benefit from the capitalistic and neoliberal agenda.
Line by Line Meaning
Sliter ut bladen
Tearing apart the false promises of neoliberal propaganda
Ur en nyliberal broschyr
From the pages of a brochure advocating for policies of individualism and free market
Dom tar, hjärtat ur det som finns kvar
They take away what little hope remains and leave people heartbroken
Jag skiter i löften
I couldn't care less about promises that are made
Från populistiska svin
Spewed by populist politicians who only perpetrate lies and deception
Människan som försöksdjur
People are being experimented upon like lab rats
Under en borgerlig allians
All this is happening under the watch of conservative political forces
Contributed by Callie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.