Coming from Stockholm, Sweden, the original line-up of Dismember first started back in 1988 as a trio.
Back then Dismember
consisted of guitarist David Blomqvist, singer/bassist Robert Sennebäck and drummer Fred Estby and in a period of only 18
months they released two demos, Dismembered and Last Blasphemies. Both tapes became extremely popular and established
the bands name as one of the Death Metal genres most promising acts. Despite the group's initial success the original line-up fell
apart in October 1989, when drummer Fred left the band to hook up with Carnage, back then another hot upcoming Swedish
act, who featured vocalist Matti Kärki, bassist Jonny Dordevic (who later became vocalist in Entombed) and guitarist Michael
Amott (who joined Carcass later on). In late 1989 Carnage signed a one album contract with Necrosis/Earache Records and
short before they entered the famous Sunlight Studios to record their debut album, they were joined by Estby's former
Dismember bandmate Blomqvist (as a second guitarist), who had just quit playing bass for Entombed in order to take part in
the album's recording sessions.
Dark Recollections was issued as a split CD with Norways Cadaver in early 1991 and was immediately hailed as one of the most intense and utterly brutal recordings of our time. Unfortunately it was also the swansong for Carnage, as founding member Amott quit to join UKs Carcass. The remaining members Estby, Kärki and Blomqvist decided to resurrect the monicker Dismember.
As a three-piece they recorded a new demo, Reborn In Blasphemy, which further displayed the group's knack for composing unbelievably heavy material. Following the tape's completion, Sennebäck returned to take his place as a second guitarist coming from the then still unsigned Death Metal outfit Unleashed. The last one to join in was bassist Richard Cabeza who left his former band Carbonized. With the full line-up they got a couple of record contract offers and decided to sign with the German company Nuclear Blast Records. They made their appearance with two cuts from their Reborn... tape on the much-acclaimed Death Is Just the Beginning compilation.
In early 1991 Dismember returned to the Sunlight Studios and recorded their debut album Like An Ever Flowing Stream. The
album's release in May 1991 was followed by overwhelmingly positive reviews in the entire Metal press. June 1991 saw their
first European tour with Morbid Angel, which ended prematurely due to disagreements with the headlining act.
Dismember
returned back to Sweden. That year saw the quintet's return during the 6 dates of the Roch Hard Christmas Festival, sharing
the stage with Death, Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death and Pestilence. In March 1992, Dismember issued a 5-track EP
entitled Pieces. This release went on to cement their reputation as one of Sweden's leading Death Metal acts.
May-July saw the
band taking part in a three-band package with co-headliners Napalm Death and Obituary which took them around Europe and
gave them the opportunity to play in front of thousands of fans all over the continent.
In July 1992 Dismember were subjects of an obscenity trial at Her Magistrates Court in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK, where the bands's lyrics to the track Skin Her Alive (off Like An...) were described as "hideous, frightfull and repulsive to the senses... liable to inspire a sense of violence in the listener".
Fortunately the magistrates decided that the lyrics were not intended to inspire any people to commit violence acts.
With an
even more cynical view on the ridiculous obscenity laws, Dismember started to work on their next album, Indecent And
Obscene, which proved that the Swedes were not willing to pull back. The product of the well-tried and -tested cooperation
with producer Tomas Skogsberg, made Indecent And Obscene another highlight in the amazing history of the quintet. The
album showed the band more mature and catchy than on previous releases, without forgetting about the roots.
A first US tour
followed and soon afterwards another extensive European tour. January 1995 saw the return of Dismember on the 11 dates of
the Nuclear Blast New Year's Festivals together with their labelmates Meshuggah, Hypocrisy, Amorphis and Benediction and
once again they could carry away the audiences with their intense live performances. The 3-track CD-EP Casket Garden saw
its release in February 1995 and especially the catchy title-track was quite remarkable. Dismember released their third
full-length album, Massive Killing Capacity, in August 1995 and the album presented the Swedes in better condition than ever.
More mature and more heavy, Dismember has definitely found their own style.
Dismember Fan-Club address (from the Indecent & Obscene booklet):
Dismember Fan Club
Vendelsgatan 2A
802 61 GÄVLE
SWEDEN