Rutto (T.H.E. Rutto) was a pioneering Finnish hardcore band that existed from 1981 to 1984 and released two highly sought-after 7"s EPs released by Ikbal Records in 1983 and 1984 respectively. One of the few Finnish hardcore bands to have a female singer, Rutto managed to record only 11 songs in their brief existence. Final Doomsday records are extremely proud to present official reissues of both Rutto 7"s complete with rare compilation only tracks, unreleased photos, Finnish zine interviews from the early 80s, and for the first time ever, printed labels. The records have been made in close cooperation with the band as well as Finnish punk and hardcore veterans Vote Vasko and Läjä Äijälä.
Each 7" is limited to 500 copies worldwide and comes in a tri-fold sleeve with the original record artwork and unreleased photos. Distributed in the USA by Sorry State Records and in the EU by La Vida Es Un Mus.
Our take: Final Doomsday just reissued both 7”s by this 80s Finnish band, who alternately styles their name as T.H.E. Rutto or T.H.E.R. Ei Paluuta is their first EP from 1983, which sits right on that bubble between punk and hardcore that I love. The music is quite simple, sounding like something that would have come out of the UK in 1978 or 1979 when legions of young people were first trying their hand at emulating the Sex Pistols… stylistically, Ei Paluuta reminds me a lot of Discharge’s earliest demos. Rutto’s playing is less leaden, but what sells these tracks are the vocals. Rutto’s singer Känä sounds so pissed, delivering a raw and venomous performance. By the time Rutto released 1983’s Ilmastoitu Painajainen, the band had gotten faster and tighter, with a fast take on UK82-style punk in the vein of the Partisans or Ultra Violent, and Känä’s vocals are once again a highlight. If you’re a fan of that style, Ilmastoitu Painajainen is a must-hear, but people with a taste for homespun proto-hardcore like Heart Attack might prefer Ei Paluuta. Also, while Final Doomsday and their sister label Meat House Productions specialize in straight reissues that meticulously replicate the look, feel, and sound of the original pressings, these reissues give us some extras without losing that perfect early 80s aesthetic (Cooch from Radio Raheem did the layouts). The layouts of both EPs are expanded into fold-out sleeves that bring together photos, interviews, flyers, and the like, and Ilmastoitu Painajainen even gives us some extra tracks, placing all three of the EP’s original three tracks on side A and devoting the B side to a live performance that’s more like the tracks on Ei Paluuta.