Eight upcoming bands confirmed for the Nemis Stage

Published: February 1 2018 at 09:58

COLDTEARS, FRONTBACK, GAIN ELEVEN, GUAPA, HEDDA HATAR, NALA, NEKROKRAFT and SPIRAL SKIES. Those are the names of the Swedish bands that landed the desirable spots on the NEMIS Stage this summer.

For the 13th year in a row, Sweden Rock Festival welcomes eight new, Swedish acts to the festival. Handpicked by the festival's partner Studiefrämjandet, these young, up-and-coming acts will get the chance to perform at the Nemis stage at Sweden's biggest rock festival.

"There is an incredible amount of great bands applying for a shot a the Nemis stage each year", says Burt von Bolton at the national office of Studiefrämjandet. "That makes the selection process really difficult, but it is a lot of fun too. Those who think that rock is dead should direct their eyes and ears to the hard rock and metal genres, which are very much alive and kicking."

Martin Forssman, vice president at Sweden Rock Festival: "With the Nemis stage we are giving the Swedish hard rock and metal scene a platform for continued growth and development and each year the interest grows stronger. The stage brings additional quality music to the festival while lowering the average age of the musicians and contributing to better gender equality, which we think is great and important for the future.

The Nemis stage can be found in the Rockklassiker tent on Thursday, June 7th.

Coldtears

Coldtears are reminiscent of the likes of In Flames, At The Gates and Soilwork. We're talking aggressive, heavy riffs combined with accessible choruses. Their coming album boasts guests like Bruce Kulick (Kiss), Tomas Lindberg and Anders Björler (At The Gates) and Peter Dolving (Haunted). The song "Miracle", featuring the two former, will be released before SRF.

Frontback

Frontback have played at SRF before and are influenced by the likes of Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Steel Panther. They have made two albums with a third in the making, they have shared stages with Status Quo, Electric Boys, Freedom Call, HEAT and more, and singer Arlo Front won the national contest "Rock Voice of the Year 2016". A band to look out for.

Gain Eleven

Gain Eleven is a band that plays rock with addictive melodies, loads of energy and a healthy sense of humor. They're often compared to the likes of Foo Fighters and the Hives. Their debut "All in" was released in 2016 and is referred to by its admirers as a "kick in the crotch" type of record. The band has toured both in Sweden and abroad, for instance opening for Airbourne in Russia.

Gaupa

Gaupa emerged from a deep cellar in the concrete jungle of a mid-Swedish town. The have their roots in stoner rock, and have developed their own style ranging from doom metal to prog. Other characteristics include energetic singer Emma Näslund and surreal lyrics. Like in their debut single/video from late 2017: "The drunk autopussy wants to fight you".

Hedda Hatar

Hedda Hatar ("Hedda hates" in Swedish) are four young women whose sound has been compared to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath as well as the Arctic Monkeys. As in riff-based with a punk attitude, but also the occasional indie-rock tune. Their current single "No 1" is an appetizer from their soon to be released debut album.

Nala

Nala from Gothenburg refer to themselves as "alternative rock". Their influences come from the 60s and 70s but also the 90s - all over the place, but that can be rather sweet (again, their own words). In 2017 they released their first EP "Woman", did numerous festival gigs as well as their radio debut, and in 2018 they intend to write more songs and do more gigs all over Sweden.

Nekrokraft

Nekrokraft combine blackened old school thrash metal with a captivating blasting influenced by the likes of Behemoth and Immortal. Since their formation in 2012 they have released an EP, two singles, an album and their current compilation "Witches funeral". They have also perfected their liveshow through relentless gigging. Singer Angst is also the current frontman in Witchery.

Spiral Skies

Spiral Skies from Stockholm claim to play "on other planets kinda rock". As in heavy, vintage psychedelic rock in the veins of Jefferson Airplane, The Devil's Blood and Curved Air. The band's live performances as well as their EP "A queendom to come" (recorded live in their rehearsal studio) have been greatly praised and their debut "Blues for a dying planet" will arrive this May.