Sweden’s Speedway Unleash “Passion Play”

Last month, Stockholm’s Speedway announced that their debut album, A Life’s Refrain, is set for release on April 11th through Revelation Records. Recorded in Örebro at Fascination Street Studio, the album was co-produced by the band alongside Title Fight‘s Ned and Ben Russin, with mixing and mastering by Arthur Rizk. The album is a thrilling explosion of untamed energy, having shared the melodic yet fast-paced Permission To Dream that featured Chris Wilson (Ekulu), Speedway have now unleashed Passion Play. The guitar-driven single emerges as one of the album’s standout tracks, seamlessly blending the intensity of hardcore with a touch of ’70s rock and tambourines. Shout along lyrics yearn to be piled along to while shifting bass lines and an electrifying guitar solo bring an exhilarating dynamic.

The tracks on A Life’s Refrain are rooted in the spirit of 80s youth crew, yet refuse to be confined by its boundaries, evolving into a distinctive hybrid that evokes everything from Youth Of Today, Victim In Pain-era Agnostic Front, to Iron Maiden‘s Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son. In addition to Chris Wilson, the album also features Sebastian Murphy (Viagra Boys) and Ned Russin (Title Fight / Glitterer). Following two EPs, a live cassette, tours and gigs across Europe, A Life’s Refrain embodies everything Speedway has accomplished up to this point, only better, more focused, and imbued with a sense of rebirth that resonates from the first riff to the closing lyrics. Bursting with lightning-fast guitar riffs, captivating songwriting, and a stroke of melancholy, this album is poised to become a landmark in Swedish hardcore and beyond.