Who Is Anti Cimex? Swedish D-Beat Since 1981
Few bands sound as raw as Anti Cimex. If you've just found them, or you've loved them since the first 7", here's a quick guide to who they were and why punks still wear their name.
Where does Anti Cimex come from?
Anti Cimex was a hardcore punk band from Sweden, formed in 1981. They took their name from Anticimex, a Swedish pest-control company, whose name comes from Cimex, the Latin name for the bed bug. Their first single, Anarkist Attack (1982), is often called the start of Swedish käng punk, and the band is remembered as one of the first to define Scandinavian hardcore.
Who was in Anti Cimex?
The early band had Nillen Andersson on vocals, Tomas Jonsson on bass and later vocals, Jocke Pettersson on guitar and Charlie Claeson on drums. Later, Cliff Lundberg joined on guitar and Lefty on bass, and several other players came and went.
Why did they split twice?
The band broke up in 1986, when Jocke left. They came back in 1990 with Cliff on guitar, and the sound turned slower, heavier and more metal. In 1993 they called it a day for good.
The main records
- Anarkist Attack (1982)
- Victims of a Bomb Raid (1984)
- Criminal Trap (1986)
- Absolut Country of Sweden (1990), the first album
- Scandinavian Jawbreaker (1993), the last
Still loud today
In 2025 Anti Cimex was inducted into the Swedish Music Hall of Fame, and the same year brought Jawbreaker, a documentary about the band.
Every piece at Anti Cimex Merch is printed to order, on tees, hoodies, sweatshirts and kids' sizes.