Oscar Dronjak
Encyclopedia
Oscar Fredrick Dronjak (born January 20, 1972) is the rhythm and lead guitarist and founder of the Heavy Metal
band HammerFall
. Prior to the success of HammerFall, he also played and released albums with the death metal
acts Ceremonial Oath
and Crystal Age.
Dronjak was born in the Swedish
town of Mölndal
to a Serbian
father and a Swedish mother. His first instrument was the recorder
; he then played trombone
for a few years until, at the age of fourteen, he settled on guitar
. Soon after, he started his first band, called The Hippie Killers. In 1989 he started a death metal
band called Desecrator, which was later renamed Ceremonial Oath
. But just before they released their first album, he quit the band. The end of his career in Ceremonial Oath
was the beginning of Hammerfall. At first, Oscar's main priority was the death metal band Crystal Age. Thus, Hammerfall was initially merely a side project, where he and some friends were just rehearsing some songs that he had written, one of them being "Steel Meets Steel". But soon, they recorded their first album, called Glory to the Brave
. Oscar uses Jackson
guitars, most notably the Jackson Randy Rhoads
. In 2011 he signed a contract with ESP Guitars
.
He also performed backing vocals for three In Flames
albums: Lunar Strain
(on the track "Lunar Strain), Subterranean (on the track "Stand Ablaze") and The Jester Race
("Dead Eternity").
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band HammerFall
HammerFall
HammerFall is a power metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak.- Early days :...
. Prior to the success of HammerFall, he also played and released albums with the death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
acts Ceremonial Oath
Ceremonial Oath
Ceremonial Oath was a Swedish extreme metal band who formed in 1988 under the name "Desecrator", changed their name to Ceremonial Oath in 1990 and disbanded in 1995. During their short career they released three demos, one EP and two full-length albums...
and Crystal Age.
Dronjak was born in the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
town of Mölndal
Mölndal Municipality
Mölndal Municipality is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden, just south of Gothenburg...
to a Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
father and a Swedish mother. His first instrument was the recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
; he then played trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
for a few years until, at the age of fourteen, he settled on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. Soon after, he started his first band, called The Hippie Killers. In 1989 he started a death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band called Desecrator, which was later renamed Ceremonial Oath
Ceremonial Oath
Ceremonial Oath was a Swedish extreme metal band who formed in 1988 under the name "Desecrator", changed their name to Ceremonial Oath in 1990 and disbanded in 1995. During their short career they released three demos, one EP and two full-length albums...
. But just before they released their first album, he quit the band. The end of his career in Ceremonial Oath
Ceremonial Oath
Ceremonial Oath was a Swedish extreme metal band who formed in 1988 under the name "Desecrator", changed their name to Ceremonial Oath in 1990 and disbanded in 1995. During their short career they released three demos, one EP and two full-length albums...
was the beginning of Hammerfall. At first, Oscar's main priority was the death metal band Crystal Age. Thus, Hammerfall was initially merely a side project, where he and some friends were just rehearsing some songs that he had written, one of them being "Steel Meets Steel". But soon, they recorded their first album, called Glory to the Brave
Glory to the Brave
Glory to the Brave is the debut studio album released by the Swedish power metal band HammerFall in 1997. Despite the fact that the band was formed in 1993, HammerFall performed mostly live music and covers before this album was released. "Steel Meets Steel" was composed by Oscar Dronjak just...
. Oscar uses Jackson
Jackson Guitars
__FORCETOC__Jackson is a renowned brand of electric guitar that bears the name of its founder, Grover Jackson.-Early years:Grover Jackson obtained ownership in Charvel's Guitar Repair of Glendora, California in the 1970s with a promise to bolster Charvel's business...
guitars, most notably the Jackson Randy Rhoads
Jackson Randy Rhoads
The Jackson Randy Rhoads is an iconic model of electric guitar, originally commissioned by guitarist Randy Rhoads and produced by Jackson Guitars....
. In 2011 he signed a contract with ESP Guitars
ESP Guitars
, located in North Hollywood, California, is an American-based, Japanese-owned manufacturer of electric guitars and basses.- History :In 1975, Hisatake Shibuya opened a shop called Electric Sound Products in Tokyo. It provided custom replacement parts for guitars. In 1976, ESP gained a reputation...
.
He also performed backing vocals for three In Flames
In Flames
In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1990. Since the band's inception in 1993, they have released ten studio albums and one live DVD...
albums: Lunar Strain
Lunar Strain
Lunar Strain is the debut album by Swedish melodic death metal band In Flames. In this release, vocals were sung by Mikael Stanne, the vocalist of Dark Tranquillity, who was a session musician for In Flames at the time. The album is known for its "folky elements" with the inclusion of violins and...
(on the track "Lunar Strain), Subterranean (on the track "Stand Ablaze") and The Jester Race
The Jester Race
The Jester Race is the second album by melodic death metal band In Flames. It is the first album to feature Anders Fridén as the band's vocalist and Björn Gelotte as the drummer. A video for the song "Artifacts of the Black Rain" was also released...
("Dead Eternity").