Cement is from the island of Gotland, 200 miles east of Sweden's mainland. This island has always been different from the rest of Sweden in many ways, with their own strong dialect and mythology. The local mythology about Gotland, which dates back to the year 1350, holds that Gotland remained underwater during the daylight hours and only surfaced during the night because of a mysterious spell cast upon the island. Cement was formed during the autumn of 1973 by two guitar players (Björn Jonsson and Anders Åström) and two drummers (Ulf Abrahamsson and Thomas Harlevi). They were influenced by such bands as Mountain, Grand Funk Railroad, and of course the Swedish power trio November. They recorded Utmaningen in 1977 and released it in a limited run of 100 cassette tapes. This is the first LP release of the album. Instrumentally, Utmaningen is a tour de force, every bit as excellent as any of the better-known heavy rock album from the Swedish '70s. Heavy dual guitars, powerful bass, amazing drums, with fantastic production.
