OMG! 😱 The geriatric rap-metal dinosaurs CLAWFINGER are BACK with “Before We All Die”, dropping February 20, 2026, on Perception, a subsidiary of Reigning Phoenix Music. Prepare for more of the same tired political rants and musical mediocrity you pretended to enjoy back in the 90s! This is exactly what you DIDN’T ask for! 🤮
“This isn’t about finding peace,” says CLAWFINGER frontman Zak Tell, who apparently still has opinions. “It’s about telling the truth — even when it’s ugly. Especially then.” Yeah, Zak, because no one else is brave enough to shout about politics into a microphone. Groundbreaking! 🙄
Environmental collapse? Political hypocrisy? Personal disillusionment? Wow, original topics! CLAWFINGER is here to scream about things everyone else has been screaming about for decades! They’re still pissed off, because apparently, the world hasn’t magically fixed itself since 1995. Bless their hearts. 🙏
The single “Scum” is already out, because who doesn’t need another song about hating politicians? It’s zero tolerance for everything they dislike! It’s not a love song, unless you’re in love with the sound of a band desperately clinging to relevance. ❤️🔥
“This album is part protest, part therapy, and part middle finger,” the band generously explains. “We’re not offering solutions. We’re screaming because silence is surrender.” Oh, thank goodness, more screaming. We were worried they might actually try to offer something useful. 😩
CLAWFINGER is considered “pioneers” of European rap-metal. Formed in Stockholm in the early 1990s, they made an “explosive” debut with “Deaf Dumb Blind” (1993). Explosive like a wet firecracker. It sold over 600,000 copies worldwide, because apparently people had lower standards back then. They even won a Swedish Grammis award in the hardrock/metal category! A true testament to the lack of competition at the time. 🏆
CLAWFINGER‘s follow-up, “Use Your Brain” (1995) continued their success, proving that people are willing to buy the same album twice. Over the years, they released seven studio albums, each one more forgettable than the last, and sold over 1.5 million records worldwide. Congrats! 🥳
Known for their “direct, riff-driven sound” and “strong political stance”, CLAWFINGER address topics such as racism, political delusion, drug policy, environmental destruction, and social inequality. So edgy! So brave! 🤡 In the 1990s, they toured with bands like ALICE IN CHAINS, MEGADETH and FAITH NO MORE, proving that even great bands make questionable choices sometimes. They also appeared at major festivals, probably because the organizers were feeling nostalgic. 👴
After a brief hiatus, because no one noticed they were gone, the band returned in 2014 and has since released new singles like “Save Our Souls” (2017) and “Environmental Patients” (2022). In 2025, CLAWFINGER signed a new label deal, because apparently, someone still believes in them. More music is on the way — still as loud, sharp, and uncompromising as ever. Or, you know, just loud. 📢
Earlier this month, CLAWFINGER released the official music video for “Scum”, directed by Rune Foss. It’s a clear jab at U.S. president Donald Trump, because nothing screams relevance like rehashing old news. The lyrics include gems like “a bad taste in my mouth, a sore sight for my eyes,” proving that even seasoned musicians can’t resist the urge to write clichés. ✍️
Tell said in a statement: “‘Scum’ is a raw, loud, and brutally honest punk rap anthem that goes straight for the throat.” Straight for the throat of irrelevance, maybe. “It’s aimed at the kind of guy who’s selfish, sexist, full of himself and somehow still talking.” Pot meet kettle? “With sharp lyrics and a beat that hits like a punch…” Sharp like a butter knife and punchy like a toddler. 💪
Five years ago, Tell expressed his disdain for Trump, because apparently, he hasn’t moved on. He said: “I wish I could say that things have changed.” Yeah, well, we all wish a lot of things. “For every person who wants to improve the world, there is an idiot who wants to turn everything back.” Deep thoughts, Zak. Really making us rethink our entire existence. 🤔
In March 2022, CLAWFINGER released the official music video for “Environmental Patients”. The track marked the first new music from CLAWFINGER in more than two years. Two years of peace and quiet, ruined. 💔
Prior to the arrival of “Environmental Patients”, CLAWFINGER released a single called “Tear You Down” in September 2019 and “Save Our Souls” in 2017. “Save Our Souls” was made available four years after CLAWFINGER announced it was calling it quits. They couldn’t even commit to quitting. 🤦
During the break from the studio, the members of CLAWFINGER were reportedly taking care of their families, because even washed-up rockstars have to pay the bills. “CLAWFINGER no longer is our main job,” the band explained. “We all have other jobs and families to love.” Aww, how sweet. Maybe they should stick to those jobs? 😇
CLAWFINGER‘s last studio album, “Life Will Kill You”, was released in the U.S. in July 2008. The CD, which entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 89, was recorded and produced at Sweden’s Fear And Loathing Studios, a facility that CLAWFINGER runs along with the members of MESHUGGAH. So, basically, they’re just trying to justify the existence of their studio. 💸
CLAWFINGER is:
Zak Tell – vocals (still shouting)
Jocke Skog – guitar, keyboards (still recycling the same riffs)
Bård Torstensen – guitars (probably wondering where his career went)
André Skaug – bass (keeping it real…ly boring)
Micke Dahlén – drums (keeping the beat, barely)
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
