ARTISTS 2023
IRON MAIDEN UK
Iron Maiden is one of the biggest and most legendary metal bands of all time. In 2018, they played one of the most lauded concerts in Sweden Rock history - this summer they return with a brand new show THE FUTURE PAST tour, featuring some epic tracks from their latest chart topping album "Senjutsu" along with a focus on 1986's classic "Somewhere in Time". A collection of classic cuts from the rest of their career is also being promised!
MÖTLEY CRÜE US
At first, record companies and critics refused to take Los Angeles' very own Mötley Crüe seriously. In the early 80s, the combination of heavy rock, glam and the sleaziest rock'n'roll imaginable was supposedly dead on arrival. But Mötley Crüe got the last laugh. Albums like "Shout at the Devil" (1983), "Girls girls girls" (1987) and "Dr. Feelgood" (1989) were great commercial successes and also widely influential. Already living legends, Mötley Crüe grew into even greater notoriety following the release of their no-holds-barred autobiography "The dirt" in 2001. The 2019 biopic of the same name became so successful that the band, who actually called it a day in 2015, decided to return to the stage once more to the delight of new and old fans alike. Their huge "Stadium Tour" with Def Leppard now crosses over from the US to Sweden and SRF - who have known and loved this mega-legendary band for ages.
DEF LEPPARD UK
They started out as a teenage, glitter rock-inspired addition to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in the late 70s. From there, their career skyrocketed and Def Leppard became one of the biggest, most iconic acts of the 80s. Albums like "Pyromania" (1983) and "Hysteria" (1987) sold millions and millions of copies and produced countless hit singles. Def Leppard even managed to make it through the 90s without losing their legendary status, and keep producing dignified works like "Def Leppard" (2015) and the very well received "Diamond star halos" in 2022. Since the band's major tour spectacle "The Stadium Tour" alongside Mötley Crüe has already brought down the house in the US, the time has now come for Def Leppard to bring this experience over to SRF.
GHOST SE
Sweden's foremost theatrical rock outfit Ghost brings its phantasmagorical live ritual to Sweden Rock for the first time since 2015. Fall under the spell of Papa Emeritus IV and his Nameless Ghouls as they headline the final night of this summer's 30th anniversary edition of Sweden Rock-and bear witness to the Ghost live experience that the media is calling a "euphoric spectacle" (Rolling Stone) and "the next generation of arena stars" (The Wall Street Journal).
DEEP PURPLE UK
One of the earliest and most legendary hard rock bands of all time, Britain's Deep Purple, have endured numerous lineup changes and one extended break since their 1968 debut. Still, today they cannot only boast immortal albums like "In rock" (1970), "Machine head" (1972) and "Perfect strangers" (1984) - they are also having second wind once more with such records as "Now what?!" (2013) and "Whoosh!" (2020). 2023 will mark the SRF debut, not for the band, but for new guitarist Simon McBride who, despite the gigantic shoes he has to fill, has already been enthusiastically received by the band's famously loyal fanbase.
PANTERA US
In the decade 1990-2000 Pantera was the biggest, most influential brutal metal band in the world. On five albums, melding thrash metal with a Texas attitude, they redefined the scene forever. In 2003, the band folded, and brothers Dimebag (guitar) and Vinnie Paul (drums) died in 2004 and 2018, respectively. Now the remaining classic members, Rex Brown (bass) and Phil Anselmo (vocals), have re-animated Pantera and the response so far clearly shows just how deeply missed the band has been.
EUROPE SE
The Swedish legends debuted in 1983, and in 1986 made rock history forever with, in particular, the title track of their 1986 third album "The final countdown". Not that Europe's reputation depends exclusively on this one multi-million selling classic. On the contrary, each of their eleven albums (number twelve is to be recorded in 2023) is ripe with perennial fan favorites. In recent years, the band have mainly been expressing their classic rock side, whereas their classic "The final countdown"-lineup lives on and thrives to this day.
GOJIRA FR
France's Gojira are, like Meshuggah, Mastodon and Opeth, certified pioneers in modern, extreme and technical metal. And like the two latter bands, they have in recent times abandoned the idea of consistent brutality for a more eclectic sound. Which has not impeded their popularity at all. Gojira have released seven studio albums since 2001, and the two most recent ones, "Magma" (2016) and "Fortitude" (2022), are just as praised and popular as the classics "The way of all flesh" (2008) and "L'enfant sauvage" (2012) - if not more so. A significant aspect of Gojira's is their well-crafted lyrics, touching upon their own lives as well as the world in general, and whose atmosphere is absorbed by the music, making it even more expressive.
ALTER BRIDGE US
In 2004, lauded singer Myles Kennedy (currently also in Slash's band) joined forces with three quarters of post-grunge heroes Creed. The result was Alter Bridge, one of the leading heavy rock bands of the 2000s. Their seven studio albums have sold over five million copies and produced such classics as "Blackbird", "Addicted to pain", "Show me a leader" and most recently "Silver tongue". Alter Bridge famously prefers to perform their pensive but contagious music on smaller venues, but fortunately, for SRF they are willing to make an exception.
BEHEMOTH PL
They had to cancel abruptly in 2019 - but now, finally, SRF audiences will once more get to see one of the biggest metal bands of our time. Behemoth formed in 1991 as a black metal act, later changed lanes to advanced death metal and have since expanded boundaries on bold, artistic works like "The Satanist" (2014), "I loved you at your darkest" (2018) and "Opvs contra natvram" (2022). A band in the now, and a band of the future.
BILLY GIBBONS and the BFGs US
Being the guitarist and singer of ZZ Top since 1969, Billy Gibbons is one of the true legends of rock. In recent times, he is also a prominent solo artist. The Caribbean-flavored album "Perfectamundo" (2015), "Big bad blues" (2018) - the title says it all - and "Hardware" (2021) have all been praised by fans and critics alike. In 2023, Billy and his band - including none other than Matt Sorum (ex-Guns N' Roses, The Cult and Velvet Revolver) on drums and Austin Hanks on guitar - will be doing a few select European shows, and we're happy to announce that SRF is one of those lucky chosen few.
CLUTCH US
Somewhat ironically, Maryland's Clutch, who arrived during the alternative wave of the 90s, rank among the most cherished defenders of traditional rock in our time. Then again, Clutch were never that traditional, in the sense bound by rules. On the contrary, from their 1993 debut to their most recent and thirteenth studio album "Sunrise on Slaughter Beach" (2022), Neil Fallon & Co have upheld their unique and unpredictable profile. Which is decidedly why they have amassed such a loyal and devoted fanbase.
AIRBOURNE AU
They come from Australia, and they play bona fide hard rock'n'roll. So, Airbourne are similar to AC/DC? Sure, and they're not sorry about it! Thanks to an intense liveshow and albums like "Runnin' wild" (2007), "Breakin' outta hell" (2016) and most recently "Boneshaker" (2019), the band have built a large and enthusiastic following not least in Europe. Album number six is planned for release in 2023 - we'll see if there are any appetizers from it when Airbourne returns to SRF with their aforementioned intense liveshow.
TESTAMENT US
The biggest band from "the second generation" of Bay Area thrash metal have basically been praised by the whole metal community since their 1987 debut "The legacy". It's actually hard to name any among their thirteen studio albums that has not been declared a classic, the most recent outing "Titans of creation" (2020) certainly included. In short, fans of headbang-compatible, energetic, innovative and all around high quality metal know that singer Chuck Billy et al never disappoint, and that definitely goes for their live shows as well.
WOLFMOTHER AU
"Wolfmother" was one of the most recognized debut albums of 2005 and went on to sell more than one and a half million copies. Its creators, the Australian band of the same name, have ever since remained as one of the flagships of contemporary old school hard rock, led by singer and guitarist Andrew Stockdale. Wolfmother's sixth and most recent album "Rock out" arrived in 2021, and gained attention not least for its Black Sabbath-ish groove.
LITA FORD UK/US
Legendary Lita Ford started her music career with The Runaways, merely 16 years old. After a few chaos-filled years of success with this pioneering band, Lita released her first solo album in 1983. Since then, she's had a long career that has inspired generations of guitarists and lead to both MTV hits and collaborations with magnitudes like Ozzy Osbourne, Nikki Sixx, Gene Simmons and Toni Iommi.
RAISED FIST SE
Raised Fist are the Swedish titans on the international hardcore scene. Since 1998 the band have released seven albums, of which the three most recent - "Veil of ignorance" (2009), "From the North" (2015) och "Anthems" (2019) - have also been domestic chart successes. In addition to their strong music and lyrics, Raised Fist are also renowned for their intense live shows, taking such fan favorites as "Friends and traitors", "Anthem" och "Venomous" to even greater heights.
SKID ROW US
In the early 90s, New Jersey's Skid Row was one of the very biggest bands in heavy rock. Their albums "Skid Row" (1989) and "Slave to the grind" (1991) sold millions of copies and songs like "18 and life", "Youth gone wild" and "Monkey business" were major hits. The years that followed were confused, with multiple changes of lead singer and few records, but at this moment Skid Row are officially back on their feet. The new album "The gang's all here" is a great success, and new Swedish singer Erik Grönwall (ex-H.E.A.T) has already won the hearts of fans worldwide.
U.D.O. DE
After many years as the singer and main man in Accept, Udo Dirkschneider is one of the most legendary names in German heavy metal. However, since his original departure from Accept in 1987, he has branched out even further with his band U.D.O. The latter band have released no less than seventeen studio albums, most recently "Game over" in 2021. To the delight of Udo's many fans, U.D.O. have never failed to deliver classic German heavy metal, that stands proud and tall even next to the singer's great heritage with Accept.
KAMELOT US
Florida's Kamelot is one of the biggest, and most groundbreaking bands in power metal and symphonic metal. They debuted in 1995 and not least the concept album duo "Epica" (2003) and "The black halo" (2005) have gone down in metal history. Over the years, Kamelot have successfully reinvented themselves multiple times, not least since the arrival of Swedish singer Tommy Karevik on "Silverthorn" (2012). The band are now breaking a five year album drought with their thirteenth studio effort "The awakening, and so far there are no signs of them losing their grip on their audience.
SYMPHONY X US
Alongside Dream Theater, New Jersey's Symphony X is the most beloved and influential of the 90s prog metal pioneers. Ever since their 1994 debut the band have only got more popular - their shift to an even more metallic sound on their three most recent albums "Paradise lost" (2007), "Iconoclast" (2011) and "Underworld" (2015) was greeted with enthusiasm by the fans. Pending their highly anticipated tenth studio album, due for release in 2023, it will be a great pleasure to once more see powerhouse vocalist Russell Allen & Co at SRF, where their strong liveshow has always met with roaring praise.
MONSTER MAGNET US
New Jersey's Monster Magnet became a cult act even in the early 90s, as a hard space rock act. Their big break, however, was "Powertrip" of 1998, a commercial success and pioneering milestone of stoner rock. Ever since, main man Dave Wyndorf and cohorts have continued to raise the banner of hard, traditional, psychedelic rock'n'roll on numerous acclaimed releases, most recently their 2021 cover album "A better dystopia".
AVATAR SE
One of the few bands to really move melodice death metal forward since its 90s heyday, is Sweden's Avatar. They have released eight studio albums since 2006, including such modern day classics as "Hail the apocalypse" (2014) and "Hunter gatherer" (2020), where brutality intermingles with finesse and miscellaneous surprises. Lest we forget, Johannes Eckerström is a unique frontman. We're all but certain that Avatar's ninth album "Dance Devil dance", arriving in February, will increase their momentum still a little more just in time for SRF.
JINJER UA
They have been called both "metalcore" and "djent", but Jinjer from Ukraine might best be described as "progressive metal". Since their 2014 debut, and not least "King of everything", featuring the classic "Pisces", in 2016, they have grown into one of the most talked-about metal bands of our time. In 2021 came their fourth album "Wallflowers", and became just as cherished as its predecessors. Jinjer's sound is distinguished by the alternations between brutal metal and, for instance, jazz, soul and reggae. Not to mention Tatiana Shmailyuk handling clean singing and growling with the same brilliance.
TNT NO
Norway's first international metal stars became big in the 80s with albums like "Tell no tales" (1987) and "Intuition" (1989). In addition to their strong, melodic tunes the band boasted two absolute stars in guitarist Ronni Le Tekrø and American singer Tony Harnell. Many years, albums, and lineup changes have since passed, but now the latter is once more back in TNT to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary together with Le Tekrø and original drummer Diesel Dahl and the band's fans could not be happier.
WIG WAM NO
Norwegian glam metal supergroup Wig Wam famously came in 9th place in the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "In my dreams". In total, they released five albums - four studio, one live - before putting an end to a successful career in 2014. However, Wig Wam weren't over for good. Following their 2019 reunion, the new song "Do you wanna taste it", as the theme of hit TV series "The peacemaker", made the band more popular than ever. Their fifth studio album "Out of the dark" has now been released - one of Scandinavia's leading "hair metal" bands is back with a vengeance.
MYRATH TN
The band that became THE talk of the 2019 SRF. At the time, Tunisia's prog metal heroes Myrath performed not only once, but due to unforeseen circumstances twice at the festival. To say that they were a sensation would be an understatement. The band, whose sound is reminiscent of Dream Theater and Symphony X albeit with strong Oriental influences, have so far released five studio albums since 2007 - most recently the 2019 smash "Shehili" - and their next album is without a doubt one of the most highly anticipated prog metal releases today.
SPIRITBOX CA
Canada's Spiritbox have been described as "post-metalcore", and indeed, singer Courtney LaPlante have emphasized the importance of progress to keep metalcore relevant as a genre. In 2016, LaPlante and husband/guitarist Mike Stringer left Iwrestledabearonce to do their own thing - and did it so well that their debut album "Eternal blue" (2021) became a US chart success. In 2022, this was followed by the third EP "Rotoscope", featuring prominent electronic flavoring: something that, just like LaPlante's vocal chops, makes Spiritbox clearly stand out from the crowd.
DEATHSTARS SE
Industrial metal, hooks and misanthropy. This combination made Deathstars one of the most acknowledged Swedish bands of the 00s. However, the four albums "Synthetic generation" (2002), "Termination bliss" (2006), "Night electric night" (2009) and "The perfect cult" (2014) was followed by a long period of relative silence - until now. This May marks the release of Deathstars' comeback album "Everything destroys you", followed by their highly anticipated return to SRF.
MAMMOTH WVH US
Wolfgang Van Halen played bass in the final lineup of his father Eddie's and uncle Alex' band Van Halen, as well as in Tremonti. In 2020 he released "Distance", a tribute song to Eddie, which was followed by the album "Mammoth WVH" the following year. The eponymous project, whose second album is in its recording phase, has received much praise for its well-crafted, genre-defying sound, and it can safely be said that Wolfgang is living up to the family name.
SATOR SE
Sator has been a cherished institution on the Swedish rock scen more or less since their beginning in 1987. These masters of groove-laden punk - and occasionally hard rock, like on their 1992 album classic "Headquake" - have, on seven "regular" albums, produced fan favorites like "World", "We're right, you're wrong" and "I'd rather drink than talk". Their classic covers album "Barbie-q-killers vol 1" (1994) saw them salute their punk roots, and fans were unsurprisingly delighted to finally get the follow-up "Return of the Barbie-q-killers" in 2022.
THUNDERMOTHER SE
Sweden's Thundermother mainly walked the AC/DC path on their 2014 debut album. Now, four more albums later, their own personal style is fully developed and it is indeed above all their two latest albums, "Heatwave" (2020) and "Black and gold" (2022), that have propelled Thundermother forward as one of the hottest new(ish) Swedish hard rock bands. On stage they're a live wire, which coincidentally got them a US tour with the Scorpions in 2022.
MIKE TRAMP - songs of White Lion DK
Danish-born singer Mike Tramp became a star in the 80s with hair metal heroes White Lion, known for hit singles like "Wait" and "When the children cry". His first solo album arrived in 1997, and he has since had additional success, particularly in his native Denmark, with his own more melodic and emotional outings. This summer, however, Mike will be returning to his roots - under the moniker "the songs of White Lion" he and his band will be serving the Sweden Rock audience choice cuts from his feline past.
CHRISTONE KINGFISH INGRAM US
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram was only 20 years old when he released his debut album "Kingfish" in 2019, being heralded as "the next blues explosion" by none other than Buddy Guy. His second album "662" followed in 2021. The guitarist from Clarksdale, Mississippi has already astounded his home country with his playing, as emotional as it is personal, so now the time has come for the SRF crowd to get acquainted with it as well.
BRITISH LION UK
British Lion originally formed as a sideproject for Iron Maiden's bassist and leader Steve Harris. Their first album was released in 2012 and positively received. The next one was obviously put on hold while Harris was busy with Iron Maiden, but "The burning" finally arrived in 2020. This too was praised by fans, and British Lion have now established a fanbase of their own for their particular, truly British heavy metal featuring the unique vocals of Richard Taylor and, obviously, Harris' even more unique bass grooves.
CONEY HATCH CA
Canada is one of the greatest nations for melodic hard rock, and Coney Hatch one of its finest bands. "Monkey bars", "Devil's deck" och "Fantasy girl" are just a few fan favorites off their four albums - three of those being 80s' classics and all of them highly regarded among connoisseurs. The front duo Carl Dixon (vocals, guitar) and Andy Curran (vocals, bass) have also had success as solo artists, and Dixon with April Wine and the Guess Who as well.
MARDUK SE
Sweden's first major black metal band are still every bit as cherished by their fans. Even their classic 1991 demo "Fuck me Jesus" put Marduk on the extreme metal map. Thereafter they have mixed religious themes with World War II observations on fourteen studio albums, among other things. Every one of those has, to the delight of Marduk's fan, preserved that venerable black metal bite, so their fifteenth album "Memento mori" - their first in five years - is highly anticipated to say the least.
ANGRA BR
In their native Brazil they are titans, internationally they are rightfully lauded as one of the major pioneering acts of power metal. Angra's first two albums "Angels cry" (1993) and "Holy land" (1996) became genre-defining classics, combining metal, classical music and South American rhythms. Ever since then they have, on a discography including nine studio albums, successfully maintained their position as one of the leading bands in melodic metal. The fact that the name of their singer since 2013 is Fabio Lione (ex-Rhapsody, Kamelot) certainly doesn't hurt.
TRIBULATION SE
Arvika-based Tribulation has since their start in 2005 continuously broken new grounds with their distinctive style that rips melodies from the darkest corners of metal. Tribulation is a world renowed name in underground circuits, but their expression and aesthetics has also proven popular with the larger metal community and on the big stages.
THRESHOLD UK
The European answer to Dream Theater? Nah, they're more original than that, but Britain's Threshold, celebrating 30 years as recording artists in 2023, are indeed one of the first and most classic bands in European prog metal. Unlike many veteran acts Threshold have only become more popular over time - out of their twelve studio albums, the likes of "Legends of the shires" (2017) are just as cherished as the old releases, and there is little doubt that their current, and highly anticipated album "Dividing lines" will maintain the winning streak.
GRAVE SE
Grave is one of Sweden's oldest, most legendary death metal bands. They have also held on to the genre's classical variety for (almost) their entire career, producing eleven fine albums from "Into the grave" (1991) to "Out of respect for the dead" (2015). After an extended break the band is now once more back in business, with singer and guitarist Ola Lindgren firmly at the helm as always.
VENDED US
"We didn't get our parents' talents. We found that on our own", says Vended singer Griff Taylor, whose father, like drummer Simon Crahan's, is a member of Slipknot. And yes, one listen is enough to establish that this young band do their own brutal, modern metal thing, and do it well. Their debut EP ""What is it/Kill it", released in November 2021, was an instant talkabout, and on the arrival of the September 2022 single "Ded to me" Vended proclaimed their intention to conquer Europe. You have been warned ...
CROWNE SE
It was as recently as March 2021 that the single "Mad world" introduced Crowne, the Swedish hair metal supergroup with members of Europe, H.E.A.T, the Poodles, Dynazty and topnotch singer Alexander Strandell of Art Nation fame. Their first album "Kings of the North" followed a few months later, and the recent sophomore effort "Operation Phoenix" shows Crowne going in a more metallic direction - to the delight of their expanding fanbase.
SPIDERGAWD NO
Spidergawd from Norway formed in 2014 by a gang of seasoned veterans - two of them from cult band Motorpsycho - with a common desire to play raw, primitive rock in the veins of MC5 and Grand Funk Railroad, with a massive saxophone to boot. The eponymous debut was released the same year and was a domestic success. Since then there have been, so far, five additional full-length albums from Spidergawd, and internationally their reputation has been growing as well. In 2022 the band played Wacken, and so this year it's SRF's turn.
EMPLOYED TO SERVE UK
Britain's Employed To Serve are to many a new, promising band of the more brutal persuasion. But truth be told, front duo Justine Jones (vocals) and Sammy Unwin (guitar, vocals) formed Employed To Serve as early as 2011 and they have released four albums already. Though admittedly, their most recent album so far, "Conquering" (2021), and not least the song "Exist", is what have really caused Employed To Serve to stand out from the crowd. Anyone who appreciates a mixture of heavy metal, hardcore, punk and metalcore should definitely lend this constellation their ears.
JODDLA MED SIV SE
Since 1990, Joddla Med Siv from the deepest South of Sweden have delivered their trademark mixture of rock'n'roll and folk, complete with an absurd but unassuming humor in their native language. For this, they have earned a perennial status as a Swedish cult act. "Inte ens en kolvastång", "Knudor på min snålle" and "Tjuge pågar i bastun" are but three examples of classic cult songs of the bona fide Swedish variety.
THORBJØRN RISAGER & THE BLACK TORNADO DK
One of the great contemporary, European favorites to blues connoisseurs comes from Denmark. Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado have been at it since 2003, and in 2022 they released their eighth studio album "Navigation blues". Their music could be described as big band blues including reeds, two lead guitars and appropriately raspy vocals. Its roots can be traced to the American South as well as Chicago, with hints of funk, soul and plenty more this and that.
BLOODBOUND SE
In 2004, power metal was considered uncool once more. This did not concern Bloodbound, who attained cult status with their very debut "Nosferatu" (2005). These Swedes advanced even further from their sixth album "Stormborn" (2014), embracing a fantasy esthetics both sound- and imagewise. They have successfully maintained this on subsequent releases, while adding a Viking angle on their up n' coming tenth album "Tales from the North", as is evident on current single "Odin's prayer". Singer Patrik Selleby remains one of Bloodbound's major selling points, not least on stage.
ENFORCER SE
Enforcer, formed in Sweden in 2004, is one of the most prominent and consistently successful bands of the "New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal". Their five studio albums so far - "Into the night" (2008), "Diamonds", (2010), "Death by fire" (2013), "From beyond" (2015) och "Zenith" (2015) - are all fundamental, modern classics of a vivacious movement. Heavy metal is not retro, but timeless, in Enforcer's own words, and they will undoubtedly continue to demonstrate it on their waiting to be released sixth album.
SKYND AU
May we introduce one of the more oddball acts of 2023! Think Macabre in an industrial metal setting. Australia's Skynd play brutal electronic music, write lyrics with a "true crime" theme, and alternate freely between vocal styles - all equally badass. "Horrorcore" is one genre name that has been attributed to this unique band, who since 2018 have released four EPs ("Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4"). Did we also mention that they are known for their creative live shows?
GREEN LUNG UK
Britain's Green Lung count among the new representatives of traditional occult hard rock. Their sound contains elements from psychedelic rock a well as stoner and punk, and both their albums "Woodland rites" (2019) and "Black harvest" (2021) have been positively received by critics and fans alike. Folklore and horror are important influences to this band who despite their stubborn independet attitude are starting to gain recognition in a wider context.
THE RAVEN AGE UK
The Raven Age have been described as "melodic groove metal" and rank among the brightest new metal hopes of the UK. Their 2014 "The Raven Age" EP was received favorably and their full-length debut "Darkness will rise" (2017) was an instant success. In their relatively short existence, the band have also become a heralded live act, touring with the likes of Anthrax, Tremonti and Iron Maiden (whose bassist Steve Harris is the father of The Raven Age guitarist George Harris). The Raven Age are once morse supporting Iron Maiden on the latter's European tour.
PERFECT PLAN SE
Sweden's Perfect Plan became an instant AOR sensation with their debut "All rise" (2018), that quickly amassed one million streams on Spotify. The follow-ups "Time for a miracle" (2020) and "Brace for impact" (2022) launched their career further upwards, with their successively fatter sound. Kent Hilli also becoming the singer with his own heroes Giant certainly didn't hurt Perfect Plan's momentum either. "In and out of love", "Better walk alone" and "Can't let you win" are just a few on an already lengthy list of fan favorites.
CHEZ KANE UK
After only two albums - "Chez Kane" (2021) and "Powerzone" (2022) - Chez Kane already feels like a fixture on the melodic hard rock scene. The reason obviously being that the Welsh singer from the very first moment has made such an impression on the audience. With none other than Crazy Lixx main man Danny Rexon as a musical mastermind, and a voice that needs to be heard to be believed, there is little wonder that she came, saw, and continues to conquer.
TUNGSTEN SE
Anders Johansson is a Swedish drumming legend, from playing with the likes of Yngwie Malmsteen, Hammerfall and Manowar. With Tungsten he has formed something of a family business with his sons Karl (bass, keyboards, unclean vocals) and Nick (guitar). Completed by singer Mike Andersson (Cloudscape), Tungsten has released three albums so far. Especially the most recent one, "Bliss" (2022), has gained a lot of traction, gathering more fans than ever of Tungsten's unique mixture of classic metal, modern metal, and folk.
SELF DECEPTION SE
Self Deception delivers modern Swedish metal to million fans world wide. Hard work from the get go, soon twenty years ago, has contributed to the fact that this band currently is one of the most streamed band in Sweden. Their sound ranges from heavy metal to lively almost-pop refrains, awesome melodies, sometimes adding cinematic sound mats.
GRIMNER SE
In 2022 Sweden's Grimner celebrated their 15th anniversary since their first official release by unleashing their fourth full-length album "Urfader". This has given them more to celebrate: the album is a well-earned success, for every day gaining new fans of Grimner's distinct brand of metal, where brutality unites with enchanting ancient Norse melodies and instruments, as well as lyrics in Swedish. The band's liveshows are just getting more frequent and attracting bigger crowds, so this will surely not be the last we see of Grimner.
STRÖM SE
AC/DC-like rock with Swedish lyrics is quite unusual. But now we have Ström (electricity), who became the talk of a nation in spring 2022 with their two first singles. September saw the release of the eponymous debut "Ström", and in this short time the band have become one of the most talked-about in Sweden in a long time. Critics and audiences alike have welcomed Ström with open arms - their glorious future is seemingly already here.
DEFLESHED SE
In the 90s, Defleshed was one of the most boisterous constellations in all of Swedish death metal. Albums like "Abrah kedavrah" (1996) and "Royal straight flesh" (2005) donned a primitive and merciless sonic assault, with a goregrind spice. This cult power trio split up in 2005, but 2022 saw them return with their sixth studio album "Grind over matter". An outing every bit as brutal and energetic as the classics: Defleshed are still the same, in the best way possible.
HOT BREATH
"Your afterparty that never ends", is how Sweden's Hot Breath have described themselves. The band, with members from the likes of the not entirely unknown Honeymoon Disease, play hard and groove-laden garage-rock'n'roll that unabashedly aims for the crotch. Since their 2019 EP and 2021 debut album "Rubbery lips" have been received positively by rock fans, the time has come for Hot Breath to take on the big stages as well.
NAKKEKNAEKKER DK
Nakkeknaekker ("neckbreaker" in their native language) is a death metal band made up of five 16-20-year-olds from Denmark, with a burning passion for genuinely old, classic death metal like Entombed and Morbid Angel. Despite their youth they have the chops and sense for the genre to rival colleagues more than twice their age. Those who wish to experience tomorrow's death metal stars today, need only attend Nakkeknaekker's SRF debut.
CHILDREN OF THE SÜN SE
From the Western Swedish forests come Children of the Sün, whose sound takes its atmosphere from love of the open nature, and its influences from the rootsy scene of the 60s and 70s, as well as contemporary peers like Greta Van Fleet and Rival Sons. They have made two albums thus far, "Flowers" (2019) and "Roots" (2022), and the latter in particular has made waves even in a wider context.
DAHLIA SE
Western Swedish act Dahlia released their first album, with the single "Gravity", in 2017. Since then they have produced two more singles, "Bullshit" (2019) and "Cut me" (2020), and currently have more music in the making. The sound of Dahlia is both dark and melodic, containing elements from both prog metal and alternative metal but also pop, and with thought-provoking lyrics by lead singer Rebecka Haak.
KARAMANJAKAH SE
"The sound of an abandoned metropolis, reclaimed by nature." That is how Karmanjakah from Stockholm described their sound. They can also be described as brutal, yet atmospheric prog metal in the same ballpark as Animals As Leaders, Periphery, Tesseract and Meshuggah. Karmanjakah's eponymous 2016 EP and their full-length 2021 debut "A book about itself" both met with positive reviews, and in 2023 another EP is planned to see the light of day.
LIAR THIEF BANDIT SE
Swedish powertrio Liar Thief Bandit play rough garage rock'n'roll ripe with high speed dirt. They are productive too: since forming in 2015 they have done no less than ten European tours as well as releasing three full-length albums, one split single with Grande Royale, and most recently the mini album "Diamonds" (2022). For fans of the Hellacopters, Kiss, Turbonegro and "hold on to your hats"-rock in general.
MODESTY SE
Modesty are four ladies from Southern Sweden who in a short time have made quite an impression on the regional scene, with their debut EP "Don't tell me" (2021) and relentless gigging, for instance opening up for Hardcore Superstar and appearing at several festivals in Sweden and also in Germany. Their next release is soon to be released, sporting more of that tough, forthright, contagious rock sound that is Modesty's own.
RUNNING COOPER SE
Since 2015, Running Cooper from Northern Sweden have produced one EP, a radio hit with "Light bricks" and the 2019 album "Are we having fun yet". Their live credentials include Croatia's INmusic Festival, and they are currently also in the process of making new music. The sound of Running Cooper could be described as riff-based rock with a blues- and 70s' feel Thin Lizzy style, topped with a little Muse-modernity.
SANCTRUM SE
Sanctrum from Uppsala, Sweden so far have four releases to their name: "In harms way" (album, 2008), "Autumn" (EP, 2013), "Rot" (album, 2015) and "Walk with vermin" (EP, 2018). Plus the single "Beacon in the light" (2020). Their sound is a melting pot of brutal thrash riffs, epic choruses and electronic elements - among other things. As a live act Sanctrum boast plenty of routine and their concerts are known for being just as intense as the music itself.
THE OVERTHRONE SE
The Overthrone from Stockholm uphold the proud Swedish melodic death metal tradition, counting In Flames, At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity and Arch Enemy among their influences. Following lauded EP "The plague" (2018) and full-length debut "Bloodmoon" (2021), 2022 saw The Overthrone do their first European tour and perform at Wacken. With new lead singer Gustav Holmberg, the band begin the next chapter of their history.
Sweden Rock Festival
Nygatan 27 294 34 Solvesborg, Sweden
Tel: +46 456-317 95
Email: info@swedenrock.com
Org. nr: SE556606494401
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