Heavy Metal Death Can Takes Players Into The Twisted Depths of 1970s Sweden
A new trailer has surfaced for Heavy Metal Death Can, an upcoming survival horror game from indie studio Krufs Productions. The title is set to launch on PC sometime in 2026 and aims to combine oil-slicked monsters with heavy metal mayhem. It is set in an alternate version of Sweden during the 1970s and unfolds aboard a haunted military submarine.
Players will face off against the Sludge, a mysterious force that turns naval crew members into grotesque, zombie-like creatures. The setting is claustrophobic, dark, and drenched in eerie silence, punctuated only by creaking metal and distant screams. The goal is to survive, uncover what happened, and avoid becoming just another victim of the deep.
“Set on a military submarine deep in the ocean in an alternate universe based on 1970s Sweden, you must fight against the terrible Sludge, an all-encompassing filth which has turned your crew into horrific, oil-spewing zombies,” Krufs Productions said in a press release.
Krufs Productions is a two-person team based in Karlstad, Sweden, and Heavy Metal Death Can marks their first major project. Their debut suggests a clear love for both old-school horror and unconventional settings. What they are crafting is a deadly cocktail of nostalgia, grime, and guitar feedback.
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Horror Inspired by The 1990s With a 1970s Attitude
Heavy Metal Death Can embraces survival horror elements from the golden age of console gaming. Players will use tank controls and explore their environment through fixed camera angles, just like in classic horror games. It is a deliberate design choice meant to build tension and foster a constant sense of unease.
Choices made by players will affect the story, which unfolds through cryptic notes, strange encounters, and uneasy alliances. Limited resources force players to think carefully about every bullet fired and every corner turned. A strong sense of dread is baked into every encounter.
The submarine’s look and feel are rooted in Swedish military design from the 1970s. The developers visited a real submarine to make sure everything from control panels to uniforms feels authentic. The result is a setting that feels both alien and familiar, as if time itself was rotting from the inside.
Sweden Gets Loud With a Soundtrack ABBA Never Imagined
While 1970s Sweden might be remembered for catchy pop and matching jumpsuits, this game trades that for growling guitars and heavy distortion. The entire soundtrack is performed by Argos Eye, a side project of one of the developers. It was designed to echo the suffocating atmosphere of an underwater metal coffin.
Sound design goes even further with bone-chilling screams recorded by the developers themselves. Metal tools were used to strike guitar strings and submarine parts to generate authentic industrial sounds. The effect is a brutal and unnerving soundscape that stays with the player long after a session ends.
This is not ABBA’s Sweden. It is a filthy, dangerous, and nightmarish version of it where death lurks behind every rusted door. Players hoping for sequins and disco balls will instead get blood, sludge, and a relentless heavy metal pulse.
A Terrifying Blend of Fauxstalgia And Decaying Steel
Heavy Metal Death Can aims to offer a new kind of horror experience that combines old mechanics with modern visual techniques. The game uses retro-style graphics to deliver a sharp but nostalgic experience. This creates a visual language that feels like a forgotten memory gone horribly wrong.
The developers call it fauxstalgia, a term that suits the bizarre world they are building. It is a place where nothing feels quite right, yet every detail feels oddly familiar. The submarine is more than a setting, it is a character, full of creaks, shadows, and deadly secrets.
Players will have to master survival mechanics and solve puzzles while staying one step ahead of the sludge-infected crew. Every door opened could be a death sentence. It is a game that demands your full attention and then punishes your mistakes with grisly results.
Launching in 2026 By Lifelong Friends
Heavy Metal Death Can will be launching on Windows in 2026 by the two lifelong friends, with backgrounds in both music and gaming, who make up Krufs Productions. After years working in bigger companies, they wanted to make something raw, honest, and completely their own. With Heavy Metal Death Can, they are doing exactly that.
This is not a game made for mass appeal or casual thrills even though it does feel like it shares some DNA with Resident Evil Revelations. It is a loud, strange, and deeply personal dive into what horror can look like when filtered through the lens of underground Swedish metal culture. Death, decay, and distortion await.
