We've got some perspective!

Several people have asked me about this photo challenge in March and believe it or not, this is the day I am finally sharing the fruits of this journey with you! Isn't that super exciting? Well, I hope it's newish news at least for you, because I feel like this is fading away more and more every day as I am flying away in my hot air balloon of a life (perhaps to fight some trolls and goblins around the more dangerous mountains of grown up life).

These 16 days were kind of a triple ultra mega challenge for us because it was like a battle ground where so many issues had to be fought. I had to get over all those annoying inner voices turning my face into stone with every next evil statement and trust Claudio and our goals. Claudio had to find something new to do every day, be inspired OR decide to keep going even if he wasn't. We both had to deal with not having enough personal space day by day because we had to see each other daily to take those pictures. I kid you not, for loners independent people like us that might be the hardest part of this, just having no choice to hide in our caves and rejuvenate in our own time! 

By the way, have you ever thought how rough is the "a picture a day for 30 days" title? Is it one picture you take randomly and make it a day? Is it a few pics from which you choose and then leave just one? Or is it a fully creative, several hours long photo-shoot that you are greatly committed to? To us anything except the last one didn't really make sense, because we needed the process, the time to sink it in and the time for developing a special relationship more than we needed that one pic. We worked hard because it was important AND FUN, therefore after some time we got really tired. Somewhere after the middle it didn't really make sense to keep going, cause the subject seemed to be exhausted and so were we. However, as you'll see in the gallery I will in some magical way attach to this post, we've got a lot more than 30 pics, and the ones I decided to pick were just some half or 2/3 of everything we made really. 

Probably the best way  to illustrate the success of this challenge is to compare the first and the last day of it + maybe some aftermath. This is what I wrote in my very secret diary in the day 1:

"Day 1 - the anxiety is rising with every movement Claud makes - him taking the "cap" off the camera, adjusting each leg of the tripod, all the clicks and ticks feel exactly like that moment when the dentist takes the scary looking syringe from the metal tray and you know that you are just a few seconds away from the needle touching your gum and then pricking in your flesh. You're not supposed to cry out loud from the horror because you kinda lost that right in the moment you stopped being seven and also every time you ate a candy, had a soft drink, didn't floss or go to the dentist earlier, but you feel like yelling BIG TIME, and your body goes all tense, you can feel the neurons dying EVERYWHERE because of sensations you'd like to choose not to feel but can't, and it is just so unpleasant. So I am standing there observing this instinctive fearful, borderline physical reaction in me and realizing this is a big deal. I am scared of someone stopping the time for just one second, having a piece of me, something of me that I cannot control - and having that one thing forever. I am scared of seeing myself there and seeing something I don't want to see - as if a picture could be a statement, something that is about you and is true, and is frozen like that even if you're not okay with it. "

At the last day, I was just really excited to do a bit for a challenge after a big break we had in between and it kinda came as a surprise - I realized a part of me has always wanted to be seen and photographed. I was still able to see every single flaw in the pics and that still made me feel concerned about what do those flaws represent (Does my smile always look fake or twisted? Would it ever be possible to take a picture that I would like 100%? how good is this photography as a work of  Claudio's art? What is the meaning of light and shadows, style and the time of the day in photography and in the way I perceive myself and others? Would it be possible to find out if I'd be as crazy captious about my friends and family as I am with me?). However, I am okay around cameras now. I enjoy being on both sides of the camera and having some memories in the form of frozen time.

Somewhere in the middle the whole process just wore me off I think. I started caring more about Claudio's creative process that I cared about how I looked (and what nasty things would be said by my inner critics or the ones still out there). I realized I am ready to give him more radiant, free spirited "material" to work with. Seeing myself from so many different angles, lights, effects and points of view also made me realize there's just one me, but thousands of ways to depict it. Someone taking a quick pic without warning at a party might capture my inner walrus and feel free to publish that online, making me forever careful around them. Someone might take a blurry, but oh so important pic of me dancing salsa - happy and confident, and having a great time. Someone might uncover my inner Chandler, having that tense/fake fun face I hate to see so much, reveal the skin conditions or the lack of character in my visage that shake me to the very core. 

Some lights or frames, or even people might treat you better picture-wise than others. Feeling relaxed and less self concerned can help too. In the end, a picture says much more than just how you look like - it tells the story of your time, the story of your photographer's intentions, equipment and skills, the story of what's exposed and what's left out of frame. You are just a part of the picture, literally and figuratively. Not even albums full of your pictures can tell your story - much less define who you are. There is always something left out and the objective might not completely justify its name.

Being in this challenge has helped me gain some perspective. What was a fuzzy problem before, has now became much more clear. I thought I am freaked out of taking pictures because there is something wrong with me - not only the looks but also the personality that sticks out from every pixel. I realize now that I [still] have a problem with the uncertainty of someone randomly taking pictures without my permission. There's something about freezing your point of view of my reality that is deeply disturbing if it's taken for granted. I also see the distinct things I still don't like about myself very clearly, but they've stopped being so sharp and hurtful. Some time after the project I realized I care more about what my body can do and experience rather than represent. I have fought some really hard fights this year and made some progress towards self-confidence and can say now that although aware of my flaws I am now over feeling guilty and disgusted with my own body. It can feel alive in so many beautiful ways that I am eternally grateful just for having the chance to own it. I  wish [at least] this level of acceptance for everyone. 

I also wish I could extend it to other areas of my own life. Would be nice to feel okay with the age 25 compared to the level of accomplishment I have made so far professionally. Or the inner age (which too often feels like a roller coaster from 13-37) compared to the real one. Or the overall intelligence, skills and habits, and so many other things that are still topics of the automatic-shit-tape that plays in my head every day. If only it would be as easy to expose and play with things you can't touch... 

As you can see there was a lot of experimenting with the relationship between light and darkness from Claudio's side. Previewing this as I write, I must admit that the pictures default blogger formatting allow you to see don't quite carry the artistic quality of them, so there might appear a different form of this album later on (maybe in Claud's own post about his side of the story, eh? If you're reading this, it's a direct wink at you!), where you can see the pics full screen. Meanwhile, I'll be dealing with my own relationships with light and darkness to maybe possibly highly unlikely share with you later.

I leave you with the lovely collection of the last, 16th day of our 30 day challenge. For me the last day was a kind of a celebration of the road we walked together and the progress made. Made me think what would happen if we met after some years when we're older and did the rest of the intended time just for the wonders of it. Until that possibly wrinkly or/and unicorn-possessed days, I leave you with this and wish you a great summer!

Photo Credit for all the pictures used in this post: Claudio Yurdadön. You can find some of his work over here and here and maybe even somewhere else if you're a better stalker than I am. ;) 

So Sweden, huh

I had my last class in Karlstad University yesterday, and I learned a new thing that made me think over the experiences of the previous year in Sweden. I had heard about this in regards to gender and racial equality, but had been kinda ignorant about the cultural side of it (which, according to Bennet is called intercultural sensitivity). According to this sensitivity there are different stages of ethnocentrism or ethnorelativism ranging from denial to integration. 

Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity
©Dr. Milton J. Bennett, 1986 & 1993

I have always perceived myself as an accepting and tolerant person, therefore I was kinda surprised to find myself in the stage 3 (still in the ethnocentric side) in regards to intercultural differences. It's called minimization, and if I still remember it right, it means that you try to minimize the differences between your own culture and others, seeing only the similar things and ignoring the depths of differences that lye under the Coca-Cola signs and tall buildings that tend to be similar in lots of places.

Filling the classroom with her energetic timbre while explaining intercultural sensitivity, our professor Annika Malmsten made me realize  finally that seeing the differences is crucial to being tolerant and integrate in different environments as well as help others to integrate. You can't fully accept something you don't really see. 

So Imma talk a bit about my impressions of Sweden and Swedes - the differences, similarities and other stuff I noticed as a Latvian here.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE.

• Rules. This a little bit stereotypical and trivial example, but it definitely has a grain of truth in it. To make it even more trivial, Imma put you in a bus in Karlstad and in Riga. In Karlstad's buses people would sometimes find ways to cheat  and not pay for the ride, but generally, it doesn't seem like a hot trend for Swedes to go around paying. You say "hej" to the bus driver, beep your expensive bus card and sit down without a care in a very comfy seat. It is not common to check tickets (literally never happened to me in 10 months time I have been here) and the fine for not having a ticket you'd pay if you did get caught is not that bad if you cheat regularly. The thing is (and I might be wrong assuming this, so correct me if you're Swedish or know better), there seem to be no real need for harsh controlling mechanism cause Swedes are generally more prone to accept and trust the rules that are established in this country, therefore also kinda strengthening the system that seems to be working well in here. There is no anarchy to be suppressed. 
  Now if you step in a Latvian bus, tram or trolley, in 10 months time of public transportation you're gonna see ticket collectors A LOT. In fact, that might be the least you see, especially in Rīga. You might see people running away, negotiating or even having fights with ticket collectors, endless and fruitless arguments, and even come across some apps meant to bring people together to avoid buying the increasingly expensive tickets.
  It seems like "the rules are made to be broken" is sometimes more fitting my country than Sweden, not only in the little bit unsuccessful example of the public transport, but in other fields and ways too. I have a feeling that in Latvia people try to find ways around rules more often, because they might not work for everyone or might be somewhat connected to the general distrust for politicians and "the system".
• Diversity and equality. Sweden feels like a more diverse place than Latvia, which seems to be connected to Swedes being more tolerant and equal overall. It is common to see ethnically, racially and creatively different people even in such a relatively small town as Karlstad, and racism and other excluding narratives seem to be much less normalized. You'd see men with kids and doggies on the streets as often as you'll see women doing the same. You'd see 50/50 gender representation in The Swedish Government. You'd be able to marry legally if you're gay here. However, there have been some serious controversy and changing opinions regarding immigration in Sweden the last few years, so it's not all smooth sailing either.  
• Swedish times of the day. This is quite similar in Latvia, but more distinct perhaps. In the worst of wintertime, I would literally see no sun for days because of the cloudiness, or because if I'd wake up really late like I sometimes do, the sun would already be set. On the other hand, if it's nearly summer and you suck at going to bed before 5 AM, you'd fall asleep while the sun is burning a hole in your window and it would seem to get dark only for a few hours (have heard that in some regions it's not more than 3 hours or so). So more contrast I guess, and less really dark starry nights that I miss so much about home. "The darkness" is also the first thing you get warned about when you arrive here, suggesting to buy lamps and seek for UNI student counseling services if it gets too depressing.
• The visuals - the cute little Swedish houses, bigger clouds (I have a back up on this one, so don't take out your cray cray stamp just yet!), really beautiful people (the tall blond Swede is an exaggeration though, but Swedes do seem to take care of their looks and be kinda put together). Also, everything is automatized and the trains are way faster rushing past the rocky forests and natural landscapes.
• Different flavors of artsiness - I really have to take pics of all the weird statues to illustrate this in my Swedish home town. There's a "Nobody puts baby in the corner" sign just near the main entrance, the thing I call the "elephant-butt statue", "the big ear" and other signs of letting the freak flag of free artistic expression fly over here. 

  

  Me jumping from one elephant to another. Photo by Claudio Yurdadön

• The mentality. I feel like I noticed this even less than Swedes themselves, because as a Latvian I feel kinda used to always taking the single free spot in the bus, being shy and needing quite a lot of personal space, but I feel like this is receiving too much hard feelings and not being fully understood. Maybe cause I met so many creative, interesting Swedes I didn't get to know the "hiding in a cave" side of Swedish people, but for some reason I feel like although they might be a little distanced (just as Latvians seem to be), they have been very warm, positive, friendly and even openly curious about me as an Erasmus student. However, it is also kinda true and funny that using just a few words and putting my adorable, shy but friendly face on I can blend in well enough for Swedish people not to figure out I'm not one of them for quite a while. :D
  
    
• English goes a long way, but seeing you try speaking Swedish will make Swedes ecstatic! Every Swedish person I have told I am (slowly! :D) learning their language have that "sun just came out of the clouds" brightness in their face and start speaking Swedish to me really fast right away. It is quite fun, and makes me blush every single time. 

Overall I think that I found myself in the Erasmus community more than in the natural everyday life Swedes' environment, so the things I have noticed are probably as precise as your reflection in the bathroom mirror after having a really long, hot shower. However it might be, Erasmus+ was a really valuable year in my life that I am gonna compare the upcoming years to. 

Me, cold turkey and the night

It is funny how sometimes you feel like the tectonic plates of your personality are shifting and your fate is being altered, but it is so hard to say anything that feels as important as the process you're experiencing. Describing it  feels like catching fish with bare hands in a turbulent river and then juggling with it while being attacked by a crocodile at the same time...

Because I recently committed myself to Cold Turkey and my phone is impossible to charge, I decided of just writing here loosely and pretending this is like an "actual" Facebook conversation. Cause the morning Elga thought it's a perfect idea to block all the social and fun homepages till 10 this morning. Good decisions.

I am currently taking a break from reading about ethnopolitical discourses and acculturation and , despite that it is actually starting to get interesting, I kinda realized that this year my research project (GP) is gonna be even tougher than it usually is. This year's research seems like a 3D version of the projects from all the previous years, which means more work in the same amount of not enough time and would usually get me crazy stressed. GP or "gada projekts" translated from Latvian means a year project, by the way, and I have a little less than a month now to write it. 

Which has basically made me lose it every single year except this one. 

Not this year, GP, we're gonna have different fight this year! For a long time I have been more or less overlooking the fact that the goals and results I'm aiming for have harmed my health and well-being, and it all seemed to be temporarily okay - as long as I passed, kept my scholarship, finished studies and so on I ignored anxieties, messed up sleeping patterns, problems with breathing, not paying enough attention to my loved ones and so on. 

Like the time we had to finish several multimedia assignments last year and I hadn't slept for two nights in a row, came home from the final presentation of all the work and still had to do the last stupid assignment while feeling totally drunk and miserable from sleep deprivation. My absolutely favorite person in the world was visiting and not only couldn't I pay attention to her, but I think I was also barely able to talk or understand anything at all.  

Now this didn't come easily. When you finish working for a project you have to present the next day and are left with half an hour for a quick power nap instead of some real slumber the feeling of waking up dead is bad enough, but then there's also this free spirited voice inside stating "this is inhuman, a person should not live like this, you are missing some basic human rights in your life and it sucks that you let this happen!". 

Having the same crazy dedicated attitude as in my home university at the time when the first exam here was announced I was so stressed I got several panic attacks a day. I would be "motivating" myself so much to overcome the increased challenges of studying in a strange new place in different language as successfully as before that the anxiety turned me in a complete wreck from time to time. I would lie on the floor just crying and waiting for the breath to come back and for the panic to end, and sometimes this would take hours. That had literally never happened to me before and I really hope it's never coming back. 

Let me just take a moment to appreciate the way the Swedish education system is designed right now. One big, wonderful difference being that if you don't pass, you have another (free of charge and guilt free-same possibilities for the highest grade) chance to take the exam. This combined with really strong resistance against panicking and worrying has really done wonders for me. 

I appreciate it this much...

Or maybe even a little bit more.

It made me realize that not only panicking and setting success and results higher than well-being was totally unnecessary, it was also unacceptable. No result is ever more valuable than being able to breathe and sleep, and have a sense of self-respect (well, maybe like saving the Earths population of famine all at once forever or providing world piece could be valuable enough. But that is not the point. Nobody does that kinda trades anyway these days.). Grades should  be a byproduct not the central focus of education. I think I'd never come to this conclusion hadn't I been exposed to the clash of cultures and lifestyles Erasmus has provided.

I am siting in my bed with this multi-faceted, difficult, challenging and a little bit annoying quest of a year project, and I am not freaking out. I am calm because I know I am and have been doing the best I could most of the time. Life is happening apart from the main five years goal of finishing uni too, and I am living it to the fullest. It is important to learn new things, take as much as possible from studying, have a degree and hopefully do good with it afterwards. But it has also become clear that it's as important to be healthy, satisfied, strong, loving and ALIVE in the broadest sense possible. It is important to reach goals outside professionally oriented world, such as becoming more accepting, forgiving, confident and grown up. Having a balance I'd like for the people I love to have. Being as good to myself as I'd wish for others.

I realize now that the presentation of this year's research project might be more embarrassing than it usually is. I might get a 7 out of 10 (overachievers will get the horror of this happening). I got a G not a VG in Swedish I already. In the craziest-probably-not-gonna-happen scenario I might lose the funding that allows me to study for free in Latvia because of not meeting the deadline or something. The old me would be scared stiff only thinking about this for a second, but as I write it right now, I am okay. I traded perfection and predictability for some peace of mind, and believe everything is gonna work out just fine. It is probably not going to be as steady all the time and get a bit rockier closer to the deadline(s), but generally I have faith in the future and in myself.

So thank you, Erasmus.  

Not ready yet

I have tried writing this post for 3 times now, and it does not look promising. Such a trivial and embarrassing topic makes it really hard for me not to puke on my pc while writing about it while also feeling that it might be important to talk about this. I have been avoiding taking pics, writing, speaking publicly, just generally being "too visible" for my whole life cause I have not been okay with who I am (moreover who I am not). 

Growing up as a TV kid, I have learned quite early that I will never be able to match the standards of my favorite characters there NOR will I ever be as brave, pure and honorable as the folks from the booklands, so, basically, I have been answering no to self acceptance since forever. It feels like such an outdated, silly, immature problem that you shouldn't have in the great sophisticated nowadays, but it is oh so here. I have noticed that being a bitch to yourself, comparing, or ignoring yourself seem to be commonly accepted practices of treating yourself among other people too.

I have just recently decided that I am not okay with this anymore and that it is time to put up a fight against low self esteem and high self criticism. So one day after seeing this TED talk while wanting to help a friend in need of a subject and myself to overcome issues I am done with, it seemed to be a great idea to grow together in this "Take a picture for 30 days in a row" challenge. Learning a lesson a day, facing my issues (CAMERA AND MY FACE IN GENERAL), I have to admit that I still suck at self acceptance, but it feels like moving. 

I am not jumping to every "click" of a picture being taken as I was on the day one anymore. I can see more than what I hate in myself in pictures. I can see the good, the bad and the overall, and I am saying hello to myself boldly. I am also learning that it's okay not to be okay with what I see - me in a weird light or position, or expression can still be a person I choose to love and cherish. And it's okay to be the subject, to expose yourself and to take a stand for your own persona sometimes just as it is okay to do that with your friends and family, random cats, people in need for a smile or opening the doors or kind words or whatever. I made a choice to stop excluding me from the list of people (which is pretty much everyone on this planet) that feels like deserving the best possible treatment and kindness and I am (while still hiding under the sheets when writing this) proud about this. One day a bunch of kids will be happier cause their momma-to-be chose to work with neurosis and get real.

Also, I am proud to be a part of someone else's personal and professional journey. I did not expect this photo challenge to be so pleasant and painless, and beautiful, all of which is Claudio's* responsibility. So far being in this challenge has taught me to trust and rely on someone as well as find safety in being honest which is a pretty new human thing for me too. I don't think I could have done it with anyone less Claudio than Claudio. So YAY for being awesome and going in the direction of YES. 

I solemnly swear I'm not mentioning ABBA in this post about Swedish music!

It was one of those last warm and sunny days of late summer here in Karlstad. I was full of pleasantness after a great day talking, laughing, ravioling and sipping wine with my cousin Līga when I finally got to one of the local film festivals that are sometimes held here. Excited to get some culture in my system I met my classmate Joakim just to discover that we kinda missed almost the whole thing. So we ended up hanging around on a beautiful piece of the earth near the river (google tells me it's called promontory) and in a moment of total honesty I confessed that I do not care about music.

Yes, I said that. And most of the time I really mean it. I know it is super stylish these days to identify with your favorite artists, but mine just happen to be writing books not singing. I like the sound of the silence as much as I like music. Anyways - to not care about music was something my new friend found utterly wrong and as a music loving person was dedicated to fix. And I must admit he succeeded a little.

Without a further ado I would like to introduce you to the great Swedish MIXTAPE I got as a result of my inability to keep embarrassing and totally non-fancy secrets to myself:

Because of the lovely fact that I have two Swedish friends here and Linnea (apart from being my second half of The Octopus) is also highly artsy, the mixtape was the beginning of getting to know music of my Erasmus homeland even more. It is funny how you can kinda puke in your mouth every time you hear something remotely lovey-dovey or too sentimental and then fall in love with something like this:

or this:

or even this!

For me the music I got to know along with my friends is now loaded with memories of the fun times we had here together. I might even get resistant to say I don't care about music. As much as I still like the empty spaces that silence gives for your own imagination to float around, I find myself loving the wonderful things that can fill those spaces too. It is kinda the same but very different.

If you feel like I am missing something else that totally rocks Swedish music scene and is important, feel free to share it to fix this wrongdoing! ;)

Hello! Your "questions answered far too late" day is here again!

Photo by TheLanguidClown, CC.

So long, long time ago I told you guys to ask me questions about what interests you about my Swedish life or anything else. Gatis asked me if Swedes appreciate and honor the metal music (and there was a question about Moomin trolls too, of course, but for that I have not much to say except that I actually met a person who thought Moomin trolls are depressive. He hadn't read the actual thing, just seen the animation film, so I guess that explains it.)*

Anyways, I have to mention right away that talking about metal or hardcore or death-like kinda music is my thing the same way I can remember the difference between pork and beef and all the other big animal meat. It just sounds like any other noise to me. Fortunately I have a Swedish friend Joakim who is very passionate about music and was very kind to answer my questions. 

So here goes with our highly sophisticated Facebook interview!

E: Do swedes appreciate and honor the metal music?

J: Oh, definitely. It's quite a wide question to ask but if you look at the scene of Death Metal, in terms of originality I'd say Sweden is quite a leading country, especially when it comes to melodic Death. (bands like: Dark Tranquility, At The gates). The Black Metal scene pretty much belongs to the Norwegians, but generally i'd say the Death scene is ours. Some of my friends are involved in arranging the yearly festival Gothenburg Deathfest.

E: Oh, that sounds good! Scary for me, but my friend would love it! When is the deathfest happening?

J: Early in October I believe. Gothenburg is actually quite prominent for just the melodic death-scene  and Stockholm for the more “raw” stuff. Bands like: Entombed (especially the old stuff), At The Gates, Nihilist, Insision. Dark Tranquillity, Dismember, Grave, The Haunted, In Flames (before they went big).

E: Oh, okay. But it's still hardly alternative, right? I mean, not that much people listens to that?

J: There are quite a few underground clubs to be found with small gigs being held in foggy “dark end of the street”-kind of bars. I think you can find at least 2-3 black-death metal gigs a week in both Gothenburg and Stockholm. Of course it's a slim genre you know but that goes pretty for any country with this music. You won't find it on the toplists. I mean bands like In Flames, which might be the biggest and most famous Swedish “death”-band, they have developed into something more mainstream and radio-friendly. Whilst bands like Nihilist went the opposite way, being a really early Death-group who only existed for a short while and really only made a few demos. Nihilist is considered to be like cult-heroes today and many of their former members play in more known bands today like Nicke Andersson of The Hellacopters.

E: Ohhhh, that's a good fact to mention! "the death scene is ours". Nice. Worldwide?

J: Well no, but Sweden had a prominent impact on the scene. But, y see Norway is in general a lot more christian than we are like stronger believers. (I dunno how it is right now today) but Christianity has been quite an important part in their schooling, they have to sing christian songs and stuff. I think that's why the black metal scene grew big, as a reaction to all the sort of forced Christianity. The Swedish death metal scene is more like a development from the earlier hardcore punk scene and a way to like make the music more raw and extreme i suppose. That's a sidetrack but what's really cool is the huge hardcore scene that developed in the upper northern Swedish towns of Umeå and Luleå (cities smaller than Karlstad) in the late 80's -early 90's.

E: Why is that cool?

J: Because a lot of those band became well-known, even internationally, most prominently Refused and Raised Fist. Such a small area of Sweden, we're talking like maybe a total local-population of like less than 100.000 people, for a few years really had like a world-leading era of hardcore-punk. 

E: What could have been the cause of such cool outburst of this genre there?

Today they are to quite prominent student-cities, there's a lot of education going on there now. And perhaps a lot of that started in the early 90's there so a lot of young people got together, and then there's also have been quite a big nest for the Social Democrats party, with a lot of industrial working class up there... and our economy was a little shaky there in the late 80's-early 90's. This is just a speculation from my side, but not completely out of the blue as the hardcore-punk scene was very left-wing and straight-edge was a big thing too. I think the social situation locally created the music.

I myself am a great appreciator of the “heavier”, kinda Black Sabbath-inspired, and more “atmospheric” so-called; Doom(Drone/Sludge/Stoner)-metal, it's a kind of newly established “genre” of metal, and in my opinion Sweden right now  is a strong producer for this kind of “era” with bands like: Cult Of Luna, Kongh, Ocean Chief, Moloken.

And now it is time for some examples in here!

 This, in my friends words, is an early death metal. The second one, I mean, the first one, if you actually know this stuff, you'd have to know what that is, right?

The death metal of Entombed and Nihilist (linked above) has developed into a song that sounds so animalish-sweat like that blogger actually does not allow me to link it here (for real!) so - you can find it following this link. 

This was it about the death-like music scene but I actually have had the pleasure to get a wonderful  (and much more lively!) mix tape of the best of Swedish pop-rock music, so I might just tell you about that awesomeness too some day! Till the next time! 

*I wrote this in English, cause I thought this could be interesting for maybe more than just my Latvian readers. In fact, I can imagine precisely two people that might not be horrified and/or bored by reading this! :D