Johan who runs Flyktsoda, plays in Protestera is now a guitarist in Brainwasher as well. An interview should be in order then and here it comes....December 2025.

I know you weren't in the group from the beginning, but when were they formed in the first place and where? When did you come into the group?

-Brainwasher was formed in the autumn of 2015 in Gothenburg and had some different members who came and went in the beginning but from the start it is Victor (drums) and Patrik (bass) who are still with us. I joined the band in 2019 or 2018, I think.

Have there been many member changes over the years?

-Well, it was mostly in the beginning... Victor had to answer this question and wrote; Tried some people in the beginning but since it became a full band we have only changed guitarist and singer, once each.

Who are the members today, tell us a little about each member, name, age, band before and band on the side?

-Victor, drummer, 43, no known bands before (most relevant is that I have played in one thrash and like three power metal bands).

Johan, guitar, 52, played in various bands in Västerås before but since -99 in Protestera and now also in Brainwasher then.

Henrik, 41, yells and screams. Also roars in Walking Corpse (death/grind). Previous orchestras such as Toxic Piss, Hemskt Näringsliv, Shadowbuilder and others.

Patrik, 99/3 + 1 year old, bass and spouts out songs on a conveyor belt, without exaggeration songwriter number one in the band, previously played in the death metal band Gravebomb among others.

To play such fast music, is it so that the drummer gets paid more at a gig? Or rather, shouldn't it be so?

 -The drummer is happy and happy with what he gets (praise and some free beer now and then)

There are many names for your music I can think powerviolence, grinndcore etc etc but I think it's just tough hardcore because your lyrics are heard so well, what do you say yourself? Do you need all these names?

-Also on previous recordings we were told that the vocalist, who was then Imre, articulated well so that the lyrics could be heard clearly-I think it indicates more competence in the singer. Regarding genre divisions, it is probably the case that people like to categorize and simplify their surroundings in general, so it is probably just to chew on yourself. Personally I think grindcore should be kind of like a mix of metal and hardcore/punk-otherwise it will be something else. But absolutely I think it is possible to hear a lot of raw fast hardcore in our songs, we are also currently doing a cover of Bad Brains live and previously we have also done an Asta Kask-song.

Are the lyrics just as important when you play fast and hard music and it is not always heard?

 -Yes, I think the lyrics are very important. My personal opinion is that punk and grindcore should be political to be interesting – I see it as part of a counterculture against commercialism and state-subsidized garbage. In addition, I think that both Henrik and former vocalist Imre articulate well and that the lyrics come through.

Who does the texts in Brainwasher?

 -Previously it was mainly Imre and Patrik who wrote the lyrics, now it is Henrik and Patrik.

You play guitar in Protestera too, is there much difference between playing guitar in Protestera vs Brainwasher?

 -Yes, absolutely. I've been playing punk since I was 16, even if I wouldn't say that I'm a class guitarist, I've been doing it for a very long time. When I started in Brainwasher, it was partly to challenge myself and learn to play something completely different. It really wasn't a given that I would even get a place in the band, I've had to practice more than in a very long time. Then I imagine that Patrik is trying to be nice to me and adapts the songwriting to what he thinks I can handle, hehehe.

You have never thought about Swedish texts with Brainwasher? Or would it feel completely wrong?

-We have done the cover of Asta Kask's "Psykiskt instabil" and we have never had any explicit rule that the lyrics should be in English as far as I know. It has just been like that. I mean, for example, G-ANX had lyrics in both English and Swedish.

Do you play a lot live or how is it?

-I think we have played far too little live. It was a bit sad that we didn't give the last album so much chance-I mean we should have played a lot more live after that record was released... Right now we are working on getting to grips with it and hope to be able to do a lot of gigs next year.

If we go back to you, you play in Protestera/Brainwasher, make a fanzine, have a distro, have a record label (Flyktsoda) are a parent and work nights as a nurse. How do you have time for everything?

-Good question! Many times I have wished that the day had twice as many hours... But I'm probably a pretty restless person. If I'm completely free, I usually say that I just want to sit on the couch, drink coffee and listen to records... But honestly it only takes a little while then I take out a college notebook and sit down and sketch some plan for the next fanzine, record release or plan some gig arrangement....

What's going on in the future at Flyktsoda Records?

-Right now two new LPs are on press; It will be an album with Bödel, which will be released together with Cimex Records and an album with Prescriptiondeath that I will release myself. Both are due to be released at the end of January 2026. This summer, a split LP is also planned with LAUGH TRACK and TRENCH ROT. I will also arrange a two-day gig at the end of April as some kind of anniversary for Flyktsoda Records to turn ten years old.

Releasing music physically, is it important?

-Yes, I think so. It's important to document, I think, and I also hate internet "releases", I almost never listen to music on the internet.

Does it feel like a necessary evil to have the music out on Spotify or similar?

-No, I don't think so. Especially not the spoticrap that sends money to the fascist Trump and invests in the war industry and the ongoing mass murder in Palestine. There are no such platforms to trust because all the servers and shit are owned by the richest people on the planet and we ordinary people have nothing in common with them at all.

You like vinyl, what's the best thing about it if you compare it to other media?

-Yes, as already before maybe it's obvious I hate music on the internet and I hated CDs already when that came... I remember advertisements for CDs; a picture on a CD with a pair of scissors that scraped it and that it would be kind of indestructible... Yes, of course! Drop a CD on the floor so it gets dust on it and it can't be played again. Then it would be so "good sound"-that wasn't true either, it just sounds completely flat and sterile. Besides the fact that vinyl is by far the best when it comes to sound quality, it's fun to sit and look at the cover and read the lyrics (if it is included), a record is more of a whole and something people have put work into.

What kind of people do you attract to your concerts, what does the average fan look like? Is there any type of people that you miss?

-I would say that it is very mixed, we have played several times at Fängelset here in Gothenburg and there has been a little younger audience, so we can probably say that we have played for most generations between 13 and 70 years. And then it's probably mixed with punks and metalheads.

Name some really good Swedish bands which you really like and think we should check out?

 -Since we are talking faster music here I would like to mention a few that more or less fall under the same genre; THIEVING, PRESCRIPTIONDEATH, AXIS OF DESPAIR, MASSGRAV, SICKRECY and GADGET.

What is the craziest thing that happened during a gig with Brainwasher?

-Hmm... We are quite controlled, I would say, so we probably don't have any direct scandals to offer. I asked Patrik to stop playing when we were going to soundcheck at Fragile Mountain because I wanted to hear Prescriptiondeath playing at the same time on the main stage. Then it was hard when we played at Hygget; We arrived at the festival and the organizer said that it was a long time until we were going to play so we ate properly and ended up in a food coma, then the same organizer came running and said that we had to get up on stage quickly...

The new album Empathy Lost, are you satisfied?

-Yes, I think it was a big step in the right direction for us. We had worked for a long time on the songs (with one exception) and Patrik, who mixed the album, had learned a lot from the last recording so the mix became better and Oskar (Tjuvkoppla/Element Studio) did as usual a superb job with the mastering. Overall, I think the album is more even and has more elaborate songs.

You released a split single with Sickrecy at the same time, are you very productive or did it just turn out that way?

-It's been four years since the last LP, we've only released a split-7" with Axis of Despair in between so we've had quite a long time to work on new songs. We also reused a song ("Manipulated") on the recording from the first demo, we also re-recorded another old song from the demo that has not been released. The split with Sickrecy was planned when we recorded so we had already decided which songs would be on it. We still have three songs from the recording we did for the split and the LP that have not been released. Patrik is very productive with writing new material I would say, it's hard to keep up with the changes there hehe

Who did the cover of the two records?

-Patrik did the cover for both the split with Sickrecy and the LP "Empathy lost". He also did the cover of the previous LP ("Vicious circles")

Is it important to have a cover that describes how the music sounds?

-Yes, I think so. In any case, I like to get an idea of what the album is about.

Do you buy records yourself after the cover? Which record has had a fucking cool cover but you were so disappointed when you heard the record?

-Well, I can't say that I bought a record because of the cover as far as I can remember. I was disappointed with "No prayer for the dying" by Iron Maiden, because even though the cover gave a hint that it would be a little more back to basic, it is perhaps their worst record.

The first record you bought or got?

-The first record I bought with my own money was "Piece of mind" by Iron Maiden when it came out and I was ten years old.

The album that changed your life?

-My cousin recorded Ebba Grön's first two albums on a cassette for me when I was nine, I remember wondering how something could be so good and listened to that cassette all the time for years. (I still think they're great).

Last album you bought?

 -Endless Swarm "The Body Hammer"

 The album you're ashamed of?

-That I have been involved in making or that I bought? I don't think I'm so ashamed of anything I've done... but I have some records with Ulf Lundell that I don't think hold up-think he's a scam and a person with a severe Dylan complex (Dylan is good but all men with Dylan complexes I have a hard time with)

The album that makes Brainwasher sound like they do?

-Hmm... Napalm Death "Harmony corruption" or even better the EP "Mentally murdered". Repulsion "Horrified" as well.

The album that always has to be on the tour bus or before you go on stage?

-Death "Scream bloody gore" because it is probably the record we all in the band like.

The album that you would have liked to have played on?

-But Peter! It was really hard! It would have been nice to be on an album with Kjell Höglund but what would we add there?!

Future plans for the group?

-Try to get out and play a lot in 2026. Then I know that Patrik has already written a lot of new material so we will have to work on that as well.

For yourself?

-I'm going to release two new LPs in January and then finish a fanzine for Flyktsoda Records 10 years anniversary and prepare a two-day gig in connection with this. Then there are further releases planned during the year.

Words of wisdom?

-I'm not so wise... But do it yourself – together with others, otherwise nothing will happen! We all create the punk scene together

Something to add?

 -Cheers to Gnaget, GAIS, West Ham and Lundby IF!