FORMED IN 1988. THE DEMOS SURVIVED.
Desecrate grew out of Uppsala's late-eighties underground. Three demos, a lost recording, roughly ten early shows and a band that disappeared in 1990 — until the songs were rebuilt more than three decades later.
Thirteen songs from Desecrate's past, recorded again more than three decades later.
FULL TRACKLIST
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The history of the band, reconstructed from the surviving demos, contemporary fanzines and the memories of the people who were there.
John Swahn, Rickard Ceder and Jakob Bergström played together in Twilight during 1987–88 and reached the final of an Uppsala talent competition in 1987. John and Jakob also had the thrash project Equinox, which recorded the demo Kidkkus!.
Rickard Ceder wanted to make harder music and started working with Jakob “Kobben” Bergström on what became Desecrate's first demo. The earliest songs were put together on a Portastudio at Nyby Fritidsgård. Neither Ceder nor Kobben felt comfortable singing, so John Swahn was asked to handle the vocals.
The first three-piece was Ceder on guitar and bass, Kobben on drums and John on vocals. Their self-produced tape, We Only Make Jokes...We Made You, was initially made largely for fun but became the starting point for the band.
For live shows the trio expanded with Måns Magnusson on guitar and Mårten Korkman on bass. The first Desecrate concert took place at Storvreta Fritidsgård on 25 November 1988.
The show nearly got cancelled after one of the organisers saw a band member drinking a folköl (low-alcohol beer) at lunchtime. After major protests from the audience, the concert was allowed to go ahead.
A second demo was started with the songs Second Death and Possessor of Life, but the recording was accidentally erased during the final mix. The songs survived through live recordings. Desecrate also played support to Strebers at Ungdomens Hus in Uppsala.
Mårten Korkman had other bands and left. Dave Janney, previously in R.I.P. — a band that had supported Desecrate — replaced him on bass. Arranger of Disorder was recorded at Musikhuset in Enköping on 27–28 May 1989, with Måns Magnusson on lead guitar.
A contemporary fanzine interview says the band had played around ten shows in the Uppsala area and sold approximately 70 copies of the demo. At the time they described their newer material as somewhat more technical, with a slight crossover influence.
By the third demo Dave had moved from bass to guitar, replacing Måns, while Jens “Jenka” Åberg — also previously in R.I.P. — came in on bass. Lonely Disgrace was recorded at Musikhuset in Enköping on 3 and 6 December 1989.
Desecrate played several shows supporting Fallen Angel from Örebro. Differences over how seriously to pursue the band and over musical direction eventually led to the split. The final concert of the original era took place at the old fire station in Knivsta.
In 2024 John Swahn made a new version of Disorder with his band Aphophis for the demo Exit Space Left. That experiment led to the idea of rebuilding the old Desecrate material.
The original recordings were separated into individual instruments, with AI-assisted restoration used to improve the source audio and help give the material a modern treatment. The result became Desecrate's 2026 full-length album Second Death — old songs given a second life decades after the band disappeared.
The surviving recordings from Desecrate's first life, presented chronologically.
The first Desecrate demo, recorded on a Portastudio at Nyby Fritidsgård. The original three-piece was Rickard Ceder, Jakob “Kobben” Bergström and John Swahn.
Intro to Desecration
Archival transfer · Thrash Metal · 1988
Devils Fate is a 31-second intro leading into the original recording of Desecration.
The same intro returns at the beginning of the new recording, now incorporated into Desecration instead of being listed separately.
Desecrate’s second surviving studio demo, recorded at Musikhuset in Enköping on 27–28 May 1989. Dave Janney had replaced Mårten Korkman on bass. The lineup was John Swahn, Rickard Ceder, Måns Magnusson, Dave Janney and Jakob “Kobben” Bergström.
Original demo recording
Archival transfer · Thrash Metal · Enköping 1989
The third Desecrate demo, recorded at Musikhuset in Enköping in December 1989. By this recording Dave Janney had moved to guitar and Jens “Jenka” Åberg joined on bass, alongside John Swahn, Rickard Ceder and Jakob “Kobben” Bergström.
Original demo recording
Archival transfer · Thrash Metal · Enköping 1989
The original studio recording of Second Death and Possessor of Life was erased during the final mix. These live recordings preserve the songs from the original era. Second Death, Angels Fuck and Scooby Dooaaauöö II were recorded at Desecrate's first show at Storvreta Fritidsgård on 25 November 1988. Possessor of Life and Scooby Dooaaauöö III were recorded at Nybygården; the date is currently unknown.
Original live recording · archival audio
Storvreta Fritidsgård · 25 Nov 1988
Devils Fate served as the intro to Desecration on the first demo.
The original Devils Fate intro returns at the beginning of the 2026 recording, now folded into the track itself.
The song survived only through live material after the studio demo was lost.
Rebuilt and released as the title track of Desecrate's first full-length album.
The first full-length Desecrate album, built from songs written during the original era.
All 13 tracks play directly from this website. No YouTube is required for the album player.
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Original photos, demo inserts, cassette artwork and contemporary fanzine material from Desecrate's original 1988–1990 era.
The musicians who passed through Desecrate during the original era.
Formed in Uppsala in 1988 and active through 1990. Three surviving demos, a lost Second Death session, live shows and changing lineups before the band split. The songs returned more than three decades later.
Founder and guitarist of Desecrate. Ceder was part of every documented original-era lineup, playing guitar and bass on the first demo and guitar on the 1989 recordings.
Lead vocalist throughout Desecrate's original demo period, appearing on all three tapes and the live lineup between them.
Drummer in the original trio and throughout the band's original 1988–1990 period. Later associated with Equinox, Roundhouse and Kelly 8.
Joined Desecrate in 1989, first replacing Mårten Korkman on bass for Arranger Of Disorder, then moving to guitar for Lonely Disgrace. He later played bass in Sarcasm. Dave Janney died in 2008.
Joined Desecrate on bass for Lonely Disgrace, the final documented demo of the band's original late-eighties period.
Joined the expanded live lineup on guitar and remained for the recording of Arranger Of Disorder, where he is credited on lead guitar.
Bassist in Desecrate's second lineup, which existed for live performances after the first demo. He was later replaced by Dave Janney before Arranger Of Disorder was recorded.
PROMO PHOTO · LEFT TO RIGHT
