‘We are the Others’: A literary analysis of the rise, fall and resurrection of Ultima Thule’s Viking-rock

Abstract

Viking-rock grew out of the diminishing Swedish punk scene in the early 1980s and is lyrically linked to British Oi! and the far-right ‘Rock against Communism’ (RAC) scene. Previous research on Viking-rock either emphasizes the genre as a cultural expression of the Swedish white power milieu of the 1990s or as a product of the skinhead subculture. However, critical analyses of Viking-rock lyrics are scarce. This study emphasizes the development of the Other, as expressed in the lyrics of Viking-rock flagship band Ultima Thule from the 1980s to the 2010s, in relation to the development of the political party the Sweden Democrats. The lyrics are analyzsed from a comparative literature perspective that draws upon both borealism and the concept of the subaltern as an anti-intellectual voice of power as well as the idea that long-lasting political change is preceded by cultural change. The results suggest that Ultima Thule’s lyrical Other has gone from vague to distinct characterization. Ultima Thule also makes use of self-victimization when confronting journalism and intellectualism, much like the Sweden Democrats’ own view of themselves as political outcasts. Ultimately, the lyrics toe the party line and describe nationalists as an outcast Other in an alleged, politically correct, discourse.