Ääretön Joulu

My infatuation for finnish hardcore started about 15 years ago when I got a tape full of finnish classics from tape trading with a guy outta sweden. Of course I still own that tape but thanx Thor during the last decade almost the entire 80s' finnish hc catalogue has been repressed in a way or another. And Svart records outta Finland has been responsible for tons of cool represses lately. Seriously, in only 4 years of existence they've been able to release something close to 200 records!! Quite impressive, I'd dare to say.

Anyhow, back to that tape. One of the bands that impressed me a lot was Terveet Kädet. I had their first three eps recorded one after the other and I simply kept playing them continuously. While the first two had a rougher sound, it's their third ep "Ääretön Joulu" the one that, thanx to a slightly better production, in my opinion captured their intensity perfectly. Also, along with the "s/t" and "The Horse" full lengths, it has one of their most iconic artwork.

For the 30th anniversary of Terveet Kädet "Ääretön Joulu" release, they've done things in the big way at the Svart Records HQ. Gatefold cover, 12 pages booklet with tons of pics, reviews and articles about the band. Too bad it's all in their native language. An english translation would've been more than welcome!! I've been able to get a copy on piss & shit splatter vinyl which is a nice addition to the already cool package.

But the best additional touch is that, inside the gatefold cover, they've chosen to reprint the original picture the band has used for the cover in its entirety and full-coloured. That led me to an unexpected yet interesting discovery. Judging solely on the original black and white cover, I've thought for years that the hanged guy was simply wearing a pair of gloves. But the picture shows that his hands simply have a more intense pink colour than the rest of his body. I'm quite sure it has something to do with blood circulation and bondage. Damn weirdos.