Cortex was an early 80’s post-punk/deathrock band from Gothenburg, Sweden. While just about completely unknown outside of Scandinavia (except among the really dedicated post-punk and goth collectors), due to their brief existence and the limited availability of their out-of-print releases which only saw domestic distribution and airplay, Cortex was a popular fan favorite in the Gothenburg live music scene in the 80’s, and later gained a cult following with their outstanding album ‘Spinal Injuries’. Frontman and songwriter Freddie Wadling continued to enjoy moderate success in his career as a songwriter and musician spanning over 3 decades, with an impressive musical catalogue showing his versatility from classical ballads to heavy punk, until his passing on June 2, 2016 at the age of 65.
Wadling played bass guitar in various bands in the 70’s and 80’s, including Straitjacket, Leather Nun, and Liket Lever (“The Corpse Lives” in Swedish), probably the most notable. He joined Cortex in the early 80’s, and ‘Spinal Injuries’ was released in 1981. The song “The Freaks” sung by Freddie Wadling became a signature song for him and was used in the soundtrack of Tjenare Kungen.
After Cortex, Wadling and Henryk Lipp started the alternatie pop/rock duo Blue for Two in Gothenburg in 1984, with Wadling on lead vocals while Lipp was on synthesizers and wrote the music. Blue for Two became a mainstay in the Swedish 80’s alternative scene, releasing a string of albums between 1986 and 1997.
Anyway, without further ado, here is the brilliant debut album from Cortex, ‘Spinal Injuries’! Enjoy!
Track List:
1 Mind Of Darkness
2 Warrior Night
3 Fear Of Glass
4 Nightmare No. 74
5 Morning Moon
6 The Freaks
7 Mayhem Troopers
8 Napalm Sticks To Kids
9 5 Seconds
10 Flowers Of Evil