One of the perennial favorites with the Sweden Rock crowd. Saxon debuted in 1979, made it big the following year with sophomore effort Wheels of Steel, and have ever since with slight deviations delivered classic British heavy metal on 22 studio albums so far, most recently Thunderbolt (2018). Saxon‘s consistently high standard on record and […]
The Rainbow story begins in 1975, when one of the world’s biggest guitar heroes Ritchie Blackmore leaves Deep Purple for a new project. Until 1984 Rainbow is a waterhole for some of the greatest musicians in hard rock, releasing seven studio albums packed with classics like “Man on the Silver Mountain”, “Stargazer”, “Long Live Rock’n’Roll” […]
The Tunisian masters of prog metal have released four albums since 2007, most recently Legacy (2016), and number five is in the making. Being influenced by Tunisian folk music, Myrath have developed a very personal sound, sometimes referred to as “oriental metal”. The band has toured the world with the likes of Robert Plant, Dream […]
Their debut Glory to the Brave (1997) made Swedes Hammerfall spearheads of the so-called power metal movement. Subsequent releases maintained their momentum – songs like “Heeding the Call”, “Renegade” and “Hearts on Fire” have become classics and Hammerfall recognized as one of the most important bands in Swedish hard rock history. Following a couple of […]
The first time I heard Danko Jones “Bounce” I was overtaken. His sound was so different, so fresh. It had a funk to it but was also balls-out hard rock. The song used to play on the radio in the kitchen at work or in my car while I was delivering pizzas thanks to the […]
One of the most talked-about power metal projects ever was formed in 1998 by singer Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) and guitarist Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth). After two lauded albums, Demons & Wizards (2000) and Touched by the Crimson King (2005), the project was put on ice indefinitely, since both main men were so busy. But […]
Sometimes it’s good to try new things. Get out of your comfort zone. I did just that at Sweden Rock 2019. All hell-bent for leather on seeing Saxon on Saturday, June 8, 2019, at the festival, that plan dissipated surprisingly easy. It was suggested to me that “you’ve seen Saxon many times”. Indeed I have, […]
Guitarist Anton Kabanen got his breakthrough as a member of Battle Beast, whose first three – very successful – albums are written solely by him. Following his departure from Battle Beast in 2015 he formed Beast In Black. Teaming up with the likes of Greek vocalist supreme Yannis Papadopoulos and guitarist Kasperi Heikkinen (U.D.O., Amberian […]
In melodic death metal Arch Enemy ranks among Sweden’s, and the world’s top acts. The band debuted in 1996 and definitely got on the map from 2000, when Angela Gossow became the new growler. Five blockbuster albums later, Angela passed the torch on to Alissa White-Gluz in 2014. Once more a successful move – Arch […]
The Texas trio would be one of the world’s best known bands, with fans in all camps. In 1971 they released their first album, featuring their patented, scorching blues/boogie rock with clever, suggestive lyrics. In 1983 ZZ Top went from successful to superstars with the album Eliminator, adding synthesizers to the boogie in groundbreaking fashion. […]
