Rödtjut Share New Video for ‘Framtiden var bättre förr’ and ‘VMA’ from Newly Released Album
Gothenburg hard-progg band Rödtjut have shared a new video for ‘Framtiden var bättre förr’, the title track of their second album, released through Sound Effect Records.
The title translates as ‘The Future Was Better Before’, while the band’s name is a colloquial Swedish term for red wine. Across eight tracks, Rödtjut combine heavy 1970s hard rock, progressive structures and Swedish folk influences with political and poetic lyrics concerned with collective responsibility, social unease and the condition of the present world.
The current lineup features Fredde Johansson on lead vocals and guitar, Hannes Hansson on guitar, Per Svensson on bass and backing vocals, and Per Helm on drums. Johansson and Hansson remain from the band’s earlier incarnation, while the arrival of Svensson and Helm has brought a new rhythm section and a more collective approach to the writing.
Hannes Hansson comments:
“I think the album turned out very well, even though it was made from two different recording sessions and by two different lineups. The new lineup has given us a greater feeling of being a band, a collective instead of just Fredde and me doing the songwriting.
“It is a group of good old friends doing what we love, keeping the heavy, folky sound but also wandering into softer psychedelic territory.”
The album was assembled from two separate periods in Rödtjut’s development. One set of recordings was made at Welfare Sounds with Kalle Lilja, while the newer material was recorded by Pontus Torstensson at Studio Katakomb in Gothenburg. The complete album was mastered by Hans Olsson at Svenska Grammofonstudion.
Although created across different sessions, the record maintains a consistent foundation of heavy guitar riffs, forceful rhythms and Swedish-language lyrics. Its musical reference points include the early weight of Black Sabbath and the distinctly Swedish progressive tradition associated with bands such as November and Kvartetten som Sprängde.
According to the band, the music is developed collectively and recorded live in the studio, preserving the interaction between the musicians rather than constructing the performances piece by piece.
Drummer Per Helm says:
“My drumming is an immersion in the moment, a pulse from the heart connecting to other hearts. It is a collective power and the sound of Rödtjut. That is where the energy of the band comes alive.
“‘VMA’ is a track that moves more towards early Black Sabbath.”
‘VMA’ takes its name from ‘Viktigt meddelande till allmänheten’, Sweden’s public warning system. Johansson explains that the system provided the starting point for the song’s lyrics:
“The lyrics almost wrote themselves. Inspired by Sweden’s public warning system, VMA, we wanted to send a simple message:
“‘If we work together, we can make this right.’
“The words came first. The syllables found a rhythm, the rhythm became a melody, and the lines turned into riffs, ultimately leading to a strong song that felt as inevitable as the message itself.”
For bassist Per Svensson, the album’s identity comes from the contrasting personalities within the group and the way those differences combine in performance.
“Our music is the essence of a collective sound created from our different personalities and temperaments. That energy makes up this record and this group.
“The rhythm section is the two-component superglue of heavy bass and playful drums, joined by hard riffs from the two guitars and strong vocals carrying poetic and political lyrics. At times, it is coloured by Hammond organ and flute.
“It is a musical adventure with roots in progressive 1970s rock, early Black Sabbath and Swedish hard folk-progg. This is a hard sound with poetry coming from hard-working people. Hard work makes hard music, describing our present world. The future was better before.”
Several musicians from Gothenburg’s wider rock community appear across the record, adding organ, flute, guitar and backing vocals to Rödtjut’s heavy progressive sound.
‘Framtiden var bättre förr’ was released by Sound Effect Records on June 26, 2026. It is available digitally, on CD and in black, deep-purple and torrent-stardust vinyl editions.
Headline photo: Hanna Eliasson
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