Legbiter had already wrapped the “Worms” EP. Recorded and mixed by William Blackmoon (Gadget) at Overlook Studios in Gävle, mastered by Magnus Lindberg of Cult of Luna at VRTKL Audio — it was done, ready to push out on streaming with no label in the picture.
Then former drummer Markku Hildén, who’d moved on to Barrens, sent the recordings over to Pelagic Records. Pelagic listened, got in touch, and came back with a different idea: a split with Swedish labelmates Norna. Both bands were in. A 10″ gatefold got planned for March 2026. That 10″ is out now.
Legbiter go back to 2015. Rikard Nordström (ex. Sentinel 5), Mattias Lindmark (ex. Purusam), and Markku Hildén (ex. Logh, Cult of Luna) — old friends from the north of Sweden, all veterans of the region’s 90s hardcore circuit — wanted to do something together again.
“Not with the specific goal to just rehash 90’s rock,” Rikard explains, “but to hang out more and to do something guitar based and heavy together again.” The geographic spread between members made rehearsing awkward from day one, but songs came anyway. In 2017 the band released the “Totes Meer” EP and played some shows.
After that, members dropped out. Then Covid arrived. Viktor Ahnfelt (Quagmire, MammaPappaBarn) and Rikard, both by then based in Stockholm, kept the thing alive — meeting when they could, stacking up riff recordings for future use. Jonas Eriksson Slove (ex. Culkin), who’d already filled in for Markku on drums before, eventually joined the band properly once restrictions lifted and house renovations were behind him. The trio locked in a rehearsal space in Stockholm and started building in earnest.
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In 2025, Legbiter went into the studio — Blackmoon’s place in Gävle — with Jonas pulling double duty on drums and second guitar. Those sessions became “Worms.” The title track’s premise is blunt: “This track is about decay and transformation. It’s heavy and abrasive, but also about finding beauty in the different phases of life.”
Rikard on what Legbiter actually sounds like at this point: “It can be noisy, sludgy, doomy, hardcore-y, shoegazy — we really don’t care anymore but it all sounds like Legbiter when we’re through with it. The songs on the EP/split are a really good representation of Legbiter in general, having all the different kinds of elements that we enjoy in our music.”
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The split pairing works because of the distance between the two bands rather than in spite of it.
Norna — whose guitarist and vocalist Tomas Liljedahl previously fronted Breach — move in long, patient arcs, letting weight accumulate rather than forcing it. Their three tracks operate on a different clock than Legbiter’s.
“Contrast is everything, we have always tried to flow between despair and beauty,” Liljedahl says. “Dynamics are important to us. This split will give you that contrast.” On the intention behind their contribution: “Create as much destruction with as little means as possible, raw and true.”
Rickard Nordström recognized what made the pairing worth doing: “Even though we sound very different sonically I think we all have a lot of common ground, not only in being parts of the 90’s scenes, but also musically in the somewhat dissonant and harsh guitar parts. Personally, I love splits with bands that don’t sound exactly the same, but share some common traits and vibes.”
The split runs six tracks across a limited gatefold 10″ — the Lithany/Worms Edition pressed to 130 copies. For live duties, Legbiter have brought in Rickard Lindblom (Traktor / Lindblom & Lindblom) on drums, freeing Jonas to focus entirely on guitar. The band is actively hunting shows and, per Rikard, already writing for a full album on Pelagic.
Liljedahl, on what he wanted from Norna’s side of the record: “The beauty in suffering is always there. Sonically due to the dirt and grit, getting in and out fast was important to keep everyone’s attention, including ourselves. Shorter songs, full force from the very start.”
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