CLAWFINGER's 'Before We All Die' Album Released in 2026
CLAWFINGER, a pioneering European rap-metal band formed in Stockholm in the early 1990s, has released their long-awaited comeback album 'Before We All Die' in February 2026 via Perception, a division of Reigning Phoenix Music.
The band is recognized for blending aggressive guitar riffs with politically charged lyrics and rap vocals. Their debut album, 'Deaf Dumb Blind' (1993), sold over 600,000 copies worldwide—exceeding 250,000 in Germany—and won a Swedish Grammis award in the hard rock/metal category. Their follow-up, 'Use Your Brain' (1995), achieved chart success in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Sweden. Over the years, CLAWFINGER has released seven studio albums, including 'A Whole Lot Of Nothing', 'Zeros & Heroes', 'Hate Yourself With Style', and 'Life Will Kill You', with cumulative worldwide sales exceeding 1.5 million.
The band has consistently addressed themes such as racism, political delusion, drug policy, environmental destruction, and social inequality. In the 1990s, they toured with acts like ALICE IN CHAINS, MEGADETH, and FAITH NO MORE and performed at major festivals including Rock Am Ring, Roskilde, and Monsters Of Rock in South America.
After a brief hiatus, CLAWFINGER returned in 2014. They released new singles in 2017 and 2022, including 'Save Our Souls' and 'Environmental Patients'. In 2025, the band signed a new label deal with Perception.
Regarding their iconic song 'N*****', vocalist Zak Tell explained that the band no longer performs it live due to evolving social awareness. He stated that the song's message is now 'misunderstood' in certain contexts, particularly in the United States, where a record company faxed a response saying 'White guys who try to tell black people how to live their lives ought to have their balls cut off'. The song was never released in the U.S.
Tell emphasized that while the lyrics were written in 1993 from a personal perspective, they remain fully supported. However, the band chose to stop performing the song as a gesture of respect for contemporary social dynamics. He noted that the issue is not about the song itself but about the broader context of racism and misjudgment in society. CLAWFINGER maintains that their overall body of work is anti-fascist and anti-racist, and that misinterpreting the band as racist is based on a flawed assumption of superiority linked to appearance.
In a 2024 interview, Tell observed that 'stupidity grows everywhere' and that humanity struggles with open-mindedness and patience. He expressed concern that people quickly judge others based on appearance, despite shared basic needs such as food, shelter, and family happiness.
The band has also stated that they do not operate as a self-assertive, defiant act—like MÖTLEY CRÜE—but instead choose to evolve with societal changes. As of now, 'N*****' is not performed live, not due to a lack of belief in its message, but as a respectful acknowledgment of the current political and cultural climate.