The Bear Quartet
Moby Dick
West Side Fabrication

Mattias Alkberg is a poet who lives in Luleå, Norrbotten. A place where polar-bears roam the streets and penguins are the most common bird (well, not really - but almost). People from this isolated place, far, far north, are very silent and do not speak unless spoken to. Many great bands come from this place or neighboring cities, for example Fireside, Meshuggah, Him Kerosone or Cobolt to name but a few.

In one of the most peculiar, Mattias Alkberg is the vocalist and he also writes the lyrics. The name of this band is The Bear Quartet, and they have been around since 1989. They have made 6 albums so far, plus some EPs and collections.

The line-up is Jari Haapalainen on guitar, Jejo Perkovic on drums, Mattias Alkberg plays the guitar and sings (as mentioned), and Peter Nouttaniemi plays the bass guitar. Their latest release is called Moby Dick and the four guys have managed to make a brilliant album. It has some extremely good tunes and nice lyrics, already called a Swedish classic by at least 5 music magazines.

So, what do they sound like? Well, take one dose traditional guitar-rock, add some country and top it off with a little soul. There you have it. Don't forget to spice it with great, powerful songs. Serve with cold beer and reindeer-meat and end up with the best kept secret of the Swedish northern mountains.

Copyright © 1997 Erik Starck