Top 5 On Friday – Ranking the 5 Truckfighters albums

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · Published November 1, 2024 · Updated November 1, 2024

Truckfighters are a band that I have been a fan of since their first full length album. They formed in 2001 and are from Örebro, Sweden. They play stoner/ desert rock and are one the best live bands I have witnessed, on four different occasions. I first heard about the band from the former stoner rock dot com site and forum. The buzz was huge for their debut album, Gravity X and I had to hear what all the hype was about. I was immediately enthralled by the Truckfighters sound and have been a huge fan ever since, which was in 2005. Prior to Gravity X, the band released a split with fellow Swedes Firestone entitled, The Fuzzsplit Of The Century, in 2003. The band has released many EPs, splits, live records, singles, and compilations over the years. The two original band members of the Truckfighters are Ozo (Oskar Cedermalm) on bass and vocals, and Dango (Niklas Källgren) on guitars. The most current drummer, I believe is El Danno (Daniel Israelsson). They have had a bunch of different drummers throughout their career and they used to have a second guitarist early on as well. The band has always been D.I.Y. (do it yourself) in regards to writing, recording, and mixing their own songs and records and releasing them on their own record label, Fuzzorama Records. I have a great deal of respect for that and the quality of each album is the proof that it works for a band like the Truckfighters.

Today, I am gonna attempt to rank their five full length albums (LPs). The Truckfighters have never released a bad record, in my opinion. They have all been very near and dear to me and I spent many hours listening to each and every one, when they came out. The task of trying to rank them in order is very difficult. Please keep in mind, this is never set in stone and the order can change on any given day. At the very least, I want to highlight the impact that this band has on me and hopefully introduce them to new fans that happen to stumble upon this blog in the future. As always, I encourage people to share their thoughts. The order is truly based on my personal experience of the album and time frame and not based necessarily on songwriting skills and sound quality. Nobody really cares anyways, I’m just rambling and having fun. Enjoy!

5. V

The fifth Truckfighters album was released in 2016 and was simply titled roman numeral, V. It is currently the last recording the band has made, at this current time. Although it’s a very good album, it’s probably my least favorite overall. The record was very well received. Some of my favorite tracks from the album are: “Calm Before The Storm”, “Hawkshaw”, “The 1”, and “Gehenna”. The band expanded on their heavy progressive sound with this album but some of the songs were not as memorable as on other past releases. It’s still a damn good album but I like the others a little better.

4. PHI

The second album from the Truckfighters, 2007’s Phi showed a boost in the overall sound quality from their debut. The band incorporated many new nuances and sounds in their music and produced one kick ass record. Some of my favorite songs from this album are: “Atomic”, “Chameleon”, “Dysthymia”, and “Traffic”. The band also did a remake of an older tune called “Bellow The Sun”. Sometimes this album fares higher in my rankings depending on the mood I’m in. I can’t say anything negative about this record and all of the songs are very good.

3. MANIA

The third album, 2009’s Mania, is a killer release! I saw the band live for the first time on their very first U.S. tour back in 2011. The band blew me away with their live performance and remains as one of my favorite live acts ever. I remember getting to the club early (at Ralph’s Diner in Worcester, Massachusetts) and witnessing the band doing their sound check. I then said to my friend that if they sound like they did at their sound check then we are in for a real treat. They blew the doors down that night! It was an amazing experience to witness. I was happy to meet the band and get them to sign my Mania LP. Some of my favorites from the album are: “Last Curfew”, “Monte Gargano”, “Majestic”, “Con Of Man”, and “Blackness”. This was the album that cemented my love and appreciation for the Truckfighters. Seeing the band live for the first time was an important factor on the way this record holds up for me.

2. UNIVERSE

2014’s Universe was another amazing album from the band! The songwriting skills kept progressing and I saw the Truckfighters for the second time at TT The Bears Club in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Another rip roaring live experience and another opportunity to talk with the band and buy some merchandise. Universe was probably the band at their best, musically speaking. Some of my favorite songs from the album are: “Mind Control”, “The Chairman”, “Get Lifted”, and one of my all time favorites from the band, “Mastodont”.

1. GRAVITY X

What can I say about 2005’s Gravity X? This is the album that I first heard from the Truckfighters and it is still my favorite. The raw and fuzzy production of this album is so complimentary to the music they produced. The songs are all classics and the band wasn’t trying to be anything special except the best fuzz rock band in the world. They probably were that and so much more. The record is a little lengthy at one hour and seven minutes but it never feels like it is. The songs are so good and interesting throughout that this album never gets old for me. Some of my favorite songs include: “Desert Cruiser”, “Gargarismo”, “The Deal”, “Gweedo-Weedo”, “Manhattan Project”, and “In Search Of (The)”. After the band returned from their long hiatus which started in 2018, they performed the Gravity X -From Finish to Start Tour in 2020. It was the last show I saw just before the Covid pandemic broke out. The band destroyed that set and secured my decision on why Gravity X is my favorite from them.

Well, that pretty much sums that up. Sweden has been a country that has produced some of the greatest riff rock/ stoner metal bands ever. The Truckfighters are usually on the top of that list with the likes of: Lowrider, Dozer, Greenleaf, The Quill, Mammoth Volume, and so many others. I encourage everyone to check out the Truckfighters. I really hope the band will make another new album in the future. In the meantime, you can’t go wrong with any of their releases.