Call This Phone Number to Talk to a Random Swede

Swedes are progressive thinkers. From their healthcare system to At the Gates, Sweden has always been one step ahead of the rest of the world.

And now they’ve done it again with The Swedish Number, a phone number that anyone on planet earth can dial to be connected with a random Swede.

The Swedish Number was introduced by the country’s tourist association to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country’s abolition of censorship. Swedes participate by downloading an app that patches incoming calls through to them, and anyone in the world can dial the phone number for the regular price of an international call. Over 40,000 people have dialed the number since its launch last week, with callers from the US topping the list of incoming calls at around 40%, and those from the UK, Turkey and Netherlands following.

I’m sure the Swedes participating in this program have gotten lots of questions about the infinite darkness of winter (and the infinite light of summer), herring, and meatballs. But what I wanna know is this: how many callers have attempted to strike up a conversation about the country’s rich heavy metal history? From At the Gates to In Flames to Watain to Meshuggah to Ghost to In Solitude to Graveyard, the country’s had more than its fair share of worldwide metal sensations. And further, how many “random” Swedes participating in this program are equipped to have an intelligent conversation about their country’s metal acts? Are the aforementioned bands household names, or are they on the fringe like they are most other places?

There’s only one way to find out… call a random Swede! The number is: +46 771 793 336. If your phone doesn’t have a + sign, dial 00 before the 46 and you should be good. Keep in mind international rates apply.

Watch a brief trailer video below and learn more at the official Swedish Number website. Let us know in the comments section how it goes!

Thanks: Kelly W.