Backlash (Swe)

New Year’s Eve 1986 – Party in Uppsala
Vocalist Daniel Reichberg gets to know guitarist Warwick Tucker more closely. Tucker mentions he’s started playing with a couple of classmates from Fyrisskolan. It turns out he has replaced original member Johan Lindgren, who also handled vocals—so the band is now looking for a singer.

Late January 1987 – Wednesday
Tucker calls Reichberg: “Do you still sing?” After an affirmative answer, he explains the band has a gig on Friday and rehearsal the next day. “Want to join?” Reichberg, eager to be in a band, says yes.

At the bus stop, Reichberg is met by drummer Knut “Henke” Ljungblom, wobbling through the snow on a stolen bike. “Are you Daniel?” They soon meet Tucker and bassist Jörgen Nilsson, and inside the rehearsal space guitarist Nicklas Lundberg joins them. Reichberg learns the band is called Backlash. He’s taught the only surviving song from Mk I, “Kingdom,” plus backing parts for two new songs, and they rehearse two covers. Ljungblom insists: “They have to be played EXACTLY like the originals—then we prove we can do it.” The set feels thin, so Tucker and Reichberg suggest an improvised 12-bar blues. Nilsson asks, “What does one of those sound like?” After rehearsal, Tucker and Reichberg head to the Åsgränd kitchen to write lyrics and melodies.

Late January 1987 – Friday, Tunet Youth Center, Torbjörnstorget
Strengthened by one last rehearsal—and some Lapin Kulta—Backlash Mk II makes its live debut. The new singer wears a tailcoat and long underwear. The venue is packed with friends.

Setlist:
“Kingdom” – Suggestive and heavy, with a hopelessly bad lyric about choosing between two paths in the underworld.
“Haunted Mind” – A successful Iron Maiden pastiche with polished cliché lyrics.
“No Drinkers” – Primitive metal with tongue-in-cheek lyrics claiming they don’t drink (everyone knows the opposite is true).
* 12-bar blues – Reichberg improvises Muddy Waters-style lyrics while the guitarists solo furiously.
“Master of Puppets” – Reichberg knows the lyrics by heart.
“The Trooper” – Reichberg still (as of 2013) does not know the lyrics.

Spring 1987
Backlash rehearses relentlessly, aiming for the Uppsala Talent competition.

April 1987 – Romberga, Enköping
The band enters the studio to record its first demo: “Haunted Mind” (now more refined) and “Devil’s Curse” (Reichberg’s favorite, more bluesy and melodic). The engineer, Kari, is jokingly called “Karin” by Nilsson and Tucker. After the first session, Ljungblom and Lundberg go home, while the others roam Enköping—eating pizza, drinking beer, and chasing girls. They eventually fall asleep rolled up in a carpet on a concrete basement floor.
Reichberg records vocals the next day—something he disliked at the time, but later considers perfectly fine.

May 1987 – Fagotten, Gottsunda Centrum
Backlash is voted into the Uppsala Talent finals by a strong turnout of friends. They confidently tell the press: “We were the best and we’ll win the final too.” They perform “Haunted Mind,” ending humorously with “Mah Na Mah Na” from The Muppets. Controversy arises when Reichberg also plans to compete with another band, The Badroomers. Would he be forced to choose—or risk disqualification? The issue resolves itself when the other band fails to advance.

September 1987 – Folkets Hus, Uppsala
Two songs compete for the final slot: the melancholic “Deep Blue Sea” and the glam-oriented “Back in the Game.” The compromise: “Haunted Mind.” Dressed flamboyantly and wearing makeup applied by Reichberg’s sister Eva, Backlash wins the competition (this time judged by a jury). Prize: two days of studio recording at Radio Uppland. During the victory encore “Devil’s Curse,” Reichberg breakdances during the solos.

October 1987 – Stora Torget, Uppsala
Warwick Tucker, long interested in more symphonic music, quits the band mid-preparations for the Rock-SM competition. The classic Mk II lineup dissolves.

Autumn 1987 – Tunet Youth Center
Now a quartet, Backlash records a weaker version of “Haunted Mind” and a required cover of Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” notably omitting the iconic organ line to “shock” the jury.

Autumn 1987 – Flustret Restaurant
The experiment fails—Backlash is not selected for the Rock-SM regional competition.

November 1987
Maggie Olsson enters Reichberg’s life, significantly reducing his rehearsal commitment: “Isn’t once a week enough?”
However, he remains enthusiastic about live and studio work.

Winter 1987
With Terno Hagert joining, Backlash becomes a full quintet again—arguably the most socially enjoyable lineup. His thrash influences, combined with Ljungblom’s tastes and Reichberg’s growing obsession with Metallica and Anthrax, shape the band’s direction. At one gig, Hagert tunes his guitar onstage for several minutes. The venue staff grows tired of the band’s (especially the singer’s) diva behavior.

Early 1988 – Gläntan Youth Center
The increasing thrash direction clashes with Lundberg’s style. In the song “D.B.R.,” he plays a single chord throughout. Reichberg even wears the song title on his cap.

May 1988 – Studio Pärla, Uppsala
Second demo recorded:
“King of Araby” – Eastern-influenced thrash with layered vocals.
“Man of the Future” – A more aggressive reworking of a Tucker composition, later considered the band’s best song by Reichberg.

Summer 1988
Plans are made to form a study group to fund an EP. Hagert declares: “I’ll wallpaper my room with that record!”

Late Summer 1988
After hearing Nilsson’s ambitious progressive piece (“Next Year in Jerusalem”), Hagert leaves. Guitarist Micke Haraldsson joins. Funds are instead used for a high-quality PA system. The band also decides to take vocal lessons.

November 20, 1988 – Barowiak, Uppsala
Backlash Mk IV makes its only live appearance at a charity gala. The band presents a more mature image and performs several new songs.

January 1989 (Part 1)
After long delays, Backlash finally claims its studio prize. They record “Mobile Maze” and “Lonely Mountain Man.”

January 1989 (Part 2)
Just before vocals are recorded, Reichberg is informed the band wants a new singer. Though not surprised, he is furious at being excluded from the recording he helped earn. For a time, Teddy Möller sings with Backlash, later replaced by a man known as “Stålis.” The band changes its name to Panama, eventually replacing all members from the classic era. Reichberg forms Hot Breeze, active until his move to Gothenburg in 1996, where he later joins Cowboys Demons and Wizards.

April 2009
Through Facebook, former members reconnect. Old recordings are shared, and at least three express interest in reuniting to play the old songs again.