Entombed-Addiction King - Entombed-Addiction King

JUL 01 1998 · 12:00

Entombed-Addiction King - Entombed-Addiction King (1998) Director: Alex Hellid & Yasin Hillborg Era: Late 90s Death 'N' Roll / Alt-Metal Crossover (1998) - Swedish death metal pioneers pivot toward groove-heavy alternative metal and noise rock, releasing 'Addiction King' as the lead video from the divisive fifth album Same Difference on Music for Nations. High curatorial value as a primary audiovisual document of one of Swedish death metal's most contested stylistic transitions. The video is co-directed by a sitting band member (Alex Hellid), lending it unusual auteur significance within the metal music video corpus. Serves as a key comparative artifact for tracing the visual and sonic shift from Entombed's early-90s extreme metal identity to their late-90s groove/alt-rock era. Preserved on YouTube (ID: tbebejWhsJU). Tier reflects cultural significance within metal video history despite limited mainstream reach. Context: Released in late 1998, 'Addiction King' arrived at a moment of acute identity crisis for Entombed. Having pioneered the Swedish death metal 'buzzsaw' sound on Left Hand Path (1990) and later the death 'n' roll hybrid on Wolverine Blues (1993), the band's fifth album Same Difference represented their most radical stylistic departure, toward noise rock, groove metal, and alternative metal. The departure of founding drummer Nicke Andersson (who left for The Hellacopters) marked a symbolic rupture with the band's death metal origins. The video's warm-toned, fast-cut performance aesthetic reflects the mid-budget European metal video production norms of the late 1990s, where labels like Music for Nations commissioned workmanlike but energetic clips. Critically divisive on release, the album and its lead single remain a contested but culturally significant artifact of Swedish heavy metal's late-90s mainstream crossover moment. Director notes: Premiered October 26, 1998, per IMVDb. Co-directed by Entombed guitarist Alex Hellid and Yasin Hillborg, a rare band-member co-direction credit for the era. The video supports the lead track from Same Difference, recorded at Polar Studios, Stockholm in August 1998 and mixed at Baby Monster Studios, New York in September 1998. The album was released November 16, 1998 on Music for Nations. No additional production crew, cameo appearances, or location details are documented in available sources.