Ride the bleak train coming out of Sweden, with Egonaut, a band of black-hearted minstrels. They have been around since 2005, conjuring their audio Doom/Alt magic. The group is made up of Mikael Bielinski on bass, Dennis Zielinski on keyboards, Markus Johansson on drums, Fredrik Jordanius on guitars/vocals and Emil Kyrk on vocals. They have an impressive body of art, including the albums ‘Electric’ (2011), ‘Mount Egonaut ‘(2013), ‘Deluminati‘ (2015).
Sweden’s Shit The Cow released their first full length last December and it rips! Since 2011 they have released five EPs, ramping up to their debut album ‘Cavelord’. They describe their music as “scrapyard rock” that is “sound of an old rusty truck crashing into a tree” and I think that is true of their sound. They like to keep their songs short and tight, and that can also be said about the tracks on this new album. They have matured their sound, without cutting out any of the lean riffs. I would recommend this band and this album to someone who is looking for something like Queens of The Stone Age but with a rusty Red Fang edge to it. Robin fronts the band with guitar/vocals while Danno and Erka share the responsibility of guitar/bass. Robin gives their sound a tight rhythm to follow on drums. Continue reading
Swedish death metal veterans, The Crown return with their tenth full-length studio album, ‘Cobra Speed Venom,’ scheduled for release March 16, 2018 via Metal Blade Records. Since originally forming in 1990 under the name Crown of Thornes, the band has gone through various metamorphoses but once again manage to bring their unique rock n’ roll attitude and sensibility to their sound which is, without a doubt, unabashedly and unapologetically “metal.” By incorporating the aggressive and speedier elements of thrash, the brutality of old school American and Swedish death metal, and the groove and inhibition of arena rock; The Crown takes a refreshing approach to their own distinctive brand of death metal. There is virtually zero pretense to be heard and it’s clear while listening to this album that the group is actually having fun playing music the way they want to. As highly skilled and experienced musicians with an impressive discography to prove it, they deliver an amazingly powerful thirteen-track, hour-long annihilator of a record that will immediately satisfy and impress metal fans ranging anywhere from the casual to the über elite. Continue reading
Avatar
Avatar has long been one of those bands that dominate in their live shows and leave fans jaws on the floor not only by their sound but their amazingly entertaining stage presence. On this particular night Avatar headlined the Buckhead Theatre with opening acts Hellzapoppin Side Show and The Brains from Montreal Canada. You could say that Hellzapoppin easily fit in with Avatar’s whole theme, they aren’t a musical act but it brought something different to the show that you don’t see very often. Continue reading
Thungur formed in Malmoe, Sweden as Bend And Break in 2014. The band has a hard hitting heavy rock sound that binds melodic soothing vocal tones and harsh rapid fire moments as well. Under the name Bend And Break they have two earlier releases available on streaming platforms. ‘The Village Sessions’ is a collection of old singles and the EP ‘The Cage’ was released in 2015. Fast forward to 2017 and the band has released their debut full length album as Thungur. ‘No Going Back’ is a 100% a DIY effort. It was tracked, produced and mixed by guitarist Bjorn Stegerling and bass player Roger Nielsen. The bulk of the album was recorded at Bjorn’s studio in Malmoe. Mastering and the cover design was completed by Bjorn as well. In addition to being the bands first full length it is also the bands first physical release.
Palmless is an experimental metal band from Malmoe, Sweden. The thing that brought them to my attention was Jonas Pedersen’s former band Black Temple; who’s debut album I awarded the best album of 2015. When Jonas departed Black Temple I was first let down, then quickly finding out he had a band in waiting which was Palmless. These two bands differ greatly. Palmless is much more experimental and sometimes fitting more closely in the black metal genre. Jonas trades in his bass for guitar duties with this band. Vocalist Niklas Olsson has a vivid approach as the frontman, voice shines within this band. Ulf Blomberg brings the low end thunder on bass and drummer Daniél rounds out the band with his hard hitting stylings and cymbal crashes. Combined the members give the band an all-around sound that is full of varying elements and groundbreaking techniques. Palmless has relinquished their debut album ‘The Nine Exits’ on January 13, 2017. It was recorded and mixed by Jonas Pedersen at his studio Kryptan IV, in Malmö, Sweden. Continue reading
Katatonia
Last Thursday night I found myself doing something I absolutely despise, taking the horrid DC metro rail, to do something I dearly love, enjoying live music. Katatonia, was opening the North American tour in support of their album ‘The Fall of Hearts’ at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. A small venue with a prominent stage with excellent lighting and sound system, many consider 9:30 Club to be the heart and soul of the music scene in Washington D.C. And I have never been to this iconic venue in our nations capital, despite having lived in the area for multiple years. This, combined with the excitement of seeing Katatonia live for the first time, my excitement was palpable. Still, I had little idea how good a night this was going to be. Katatonia is one of the finest heavy metal bands to have emerged from Sweden, and their ten studio albums bear testimony to that. The last album ‘The Fall of Hearts’ was released mid last year, which garnered excellent reviews from fans and critics alike. On this North American leg, they are supported by Caspian and Uncured. Continue reading
Photo: Emelie Eng
THE LAST BAND is a hardcore/punk/hard rock group from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 2012 and brings a slew of influences into their music. In less than 9 months after releasing their debut album ‘Rats Of Gothenburg’, the band entered the studio to record a new album. That album would become their second, ‘The Fall’, on Gain / Sony Music. The album was recorded during the summer at Crehate Studios by Oscar Nilson and contains ten tracks, written and produced by THE LAST BAND. The album released November 4th, 2016. They have toured along side fellow Swedes Avatar, and made quite the name for themselves. In regards to their new video for “White Powder” from their sophomore release they state “The video pentagon tried to shut down, that got your dad pregnant and made Snoop Dog change his name to Snoop Lion. We give you “White Powder”! With statements like that how can you not watch this video? True to form the band unleashes an amazing song that includes 90’s nu-metal elements as well as sticking to their hard rock and hardcore roots. This video has it all… limos, dildos, squishing bananas, luchadore masks, dancing, mariachi band attire and don’t forget the drugs. How could you not want to see this video now? Enjoy…
Follow THE LAST BAND on Facebook here. “The Fall” is now streaming on Spotify go check it out.
Album Artwork: Set Before Us – “Enigmas”
The out pour of fantastic Swedish metal bands continues! Set Before Us, from Stockholm Sweden, just recently put out their new EP ‘Enigmas’ on November 18, 2016. This is their second release, it is a follow up to their 2014 release, ‘Voyagers’. The new release was mixed and mastered by Venom Sounds. Having only formed in 2012, the band has a very polished sound. There is a strong influence of the early metalcore bands and it stands out on this EP! The band consists of Niklas Edström, Erik Tropp, Hampus Andersson, Jesper Nilsson, and Emanuel Borgefors. Continue reading
Sonic Syndicate is:
Nathan J. Biggs – Lead Vocals
Robin Sjunnesson – Guitars
Michael Bärzén – Bass
Sonic Syndicate has been around since 2005, when guitarist Robin Sjunnesson was only sixteen years old. Shortly thereafter, the band released its debut, Eden Fire on Pivotal Reckordings September 13, 2005. Two years later, after being picked up by Nuclear Blast records, they released Only Human on May 18, 2007. With solid backing, Sonic Syndicate was able to tour non-stop and sharing the stage with international sensations like Nightwish, In Flames, Soilwork and many, many others. As a result, they were awarded Best Newcomer by the Swedish Metal Awards and Bandit Rock Awards 2008 in Stockholm, Sweden.
