Unleashed (band)
Encyclopedia
Unleashed is a Swedish
death metal band that was formed in 1989 by Johnny Hedlund. Viking
culture, recollection of a pre-Christian world, and Norse
folklore are common themes found in the band's songs. A number of their recent songs also contain references to J. R. R. Tolkien
.
. In 1991, the band released their debut studio album
, Where No Life Dwells
, and toured with Morbid Angel
in Europe
and United States
.
In 1992, Unleashed released their second studio album, Shadows in the Deep, including a cover version
of Venom
's Countess Bathory. Their next studio albums were Across the Open Sea in 1993 and Victory in 1995, the latter being the last album which guitarist Fredrik Lindgren played on. Lindgren began to focus strongly on playing punk rock, so Unleashed replaced him with Fredrik Folkare, who played guitar on the fifth Unleashed studio album Warrior in 1997.
The band went on hiatus, after 7–8 years of recording and touring. They were concentrating on life outside the music business, their musical side projects, and studying. After a reissue of the band's classics in 2002, the band released a new album called Hell's Unleashed in 2002, and they began to tour once again. This was also the same year Hedlund had to deal with allegations of having Nazi sympathies. It seemed that Dave Grohl
of Nirvana
and Foo Fighters
wanted to approach Johnny Hedlund to contribute lead vocals to one of the songs for his Probot
metal project, but the album producer, Matt Sweeney
, discouraged him from doing so because of the supposed Nazi sympathies of Hedlund. Hedlund quickly branded these accusations as false and stated, Unleashed praises nature, beast and man. Man....regardless of background, place of birth or color of the skin.
In 2004, Unleashed released their seventh studio album, Sworn Allegiance. In October 2006, the band released their eighth studio album, Midvinterblot
. Unleashed toured Europe
in November 2006 as part of the Masters of Death tour, with Grave
, Dismember
, and Entombed
. On February and March 2007 they headline
d a North America
n tour with Krisiun
and Belphegor
. June 2008 saw the release of their ninth studio album entitled Hammer Battalion
.
On July 24, 2009 it was announced that Unleashed had signed a contract with German label Nuclear Blast Records for the release of their tenth album entitled As Yggdrasil Trembles
. In the press statement the band said, "We are very much looking forward to this new cooperation! The recording of the album is scheduled for October/November this year." .
In the start of 2010 Unleashed will be part of the Summer Breeze Open Air
and the With Full Force
heavy metal festivals in Germany.
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....
death metal band that was formed in 1989 by Johnny Hedlund. Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
culture, recollection of a pre-Christian world, and Norse
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
folklore are common themes found in the band's songs. A number of their recent songs also contain references to J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
.
Biography
Unleashed was founded in 1989 by vocalist and bassist Johnny Hedlund. Unleashed recorded demos "Revenge" and "Utter Dark", which got them a record deal with the German label Century Media RecordsCentury Media Records
Century Media Records is an Independent record label with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.- Background :...
. In 1991, the band released their debut studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, Where No Life Dwells
Where No Life Dwells
-Personnel:Unleashed*Johnny Hedlund: Bass, Vocals*Fredrik Lindgren: Lead & Rhythm Guitars*Tomas Olsson: Lead & Rhythm Guitars*Anders Schultz: Drums, PercussionProduction*Executive Producer: R. Kampf*Produced By Waldemar Sorychta...
, and toured with Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida. UK music magazine Terrorizer ranked one Morbid Angel album in its “Top 40 greatest death metal albums”, with their 1989 debut Altars of Madness appearing at number 1...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In 1992, Unleashed released their second studio album, Shadows in the Deep, including a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Venom
Venom (band)
Venom are an English heavy metal band that formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal —are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general...
's Countess Bathory. Their next studio albums were Across the Open Sea in 1993 and Victory in 1995, the latter being the last album which guitarist Fredrik Lindgren played on. Lindgren began to focus strongly on playing punk rock, so Unleashed replaced him with Fredrik Folkare, who played guitar on the fifth Unleashed studio album Warrior in 1997.
The band went on hiatus, after 7–8 years of recording and touring. They were concentrating on life outside the music business, their musical side projects, and studying. After a reissue of the band's classics in 2002, the band released a new album called Hell's Unleashed in 2002, and they began to tour once again. This was also the same year Hedlund had to deal with allegations of having Nazi sympathies. It seemed that Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
of Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
and Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
wanted to approach Johnny Hedlund to contribute lead vocals to one of the songs for his Probot
Probot
Probot was a heavy metal side project of ex-Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters rhythm guitarist and lead-singer Dave Grohl. An album was recorded out of the material and released in February 2004...
metal project, but the album producer, Matt Sweeney
Matt Sweeney
Matt Sweeney is a guitarist, vocalist, and producer who has worked with various musicians and groups.-Biography:Sweeney's high school band Skunk released two albums on Twin/Tone records...
, discouraged him from doing so because of the supposed Nazi sympathies of Hedlund. Hedlund quickly branded these accusations as false and stated, Unleashed praises nature, beast and man. Man....regardless of background, place of birth or color of the skin.
In 2004, Unleashed released their seventh studio album, Sworn Allegiance. In October 2006, the band released their eighth studio album, Midvinterblot
Midvinterblot (album)
Midvinterblot is the eighth studio album by the Swedish death metal band Unleashed. It was released in 2006 by Steamhammer Records .-Track listing:...
. Unleashed toured Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in November 2006 as part of the Masters of Death tour, with Grave
Grave (band)
Grave is a Swedish death metal band that formed in 1986 by vocalist and guitarist Ola Lindgren, who is their only constant member. The band had particular success in the early 1990s, and their first four albums, Into the Grave, You'll Never See..., Soulless and Hating Life, cemented their...
, Dismember
Dismember (band)
Dismember was a Swedish death metal band that formed in 1988. They are well known in the death metal underground. They split up in October 2011.-History:...
, and Entombed
Entombed (band)
Entombed is a Swedish death metal band which formed in 1987 under the name of Nihilist. Though Entombed began their career as an early pioneer of Scandinavian death metal which initially differed itself from its American counterpart with its distinct guitar tone, by the early 1990s their sound had...
. On February and March 2007 they headline
Headline
The headline is the text at the top of a newspaper article, indicating the nature of the article below it.It is sometimes termed a news hed, a deliberate misspelling that dates from production flow during hot type days, to notify the composing room that a written note from an editor concerned a...
d a North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n tour with Krisiun
Krisiun
Krisiun is a Brazilian death metal band, founded by Alex Camargo , Moyses Kolesne , and Max Kolesne . Since its formation, in 1990, the group recorded two demos, Evil Age in 1991, and Curse of the Evil One in 1992, and self-released an extended play titled Unmerciful Order in 1993...
and Belphegor
Belphegor (band)
Belphegor is a blackened death metal band from Salzburg, Austria. They originally formed in 1991 under the name Betrayer before changing their name in 1993. They are named after the demon Belphegor.-Early years :...
. June 2008 saw the release of their ninth studio album entitled Hammer Battalion
Hammer Battalion
-Personnel:* Johnny Hedlund – vocals, bass* Fredrik Folkare – lead guitar* Tomas Måsgard – rhythm guitar* Anders Schultz – drums...
.
On July 24, 2009 it was announced that Unleashed had signed a contract with German label Nuclear Blast Records for the release of their tenth album entitled As Yggdrasil Trembles
As Yggdrasil Trembles
As Yggdrasil Trembles is the 10th studio album by the Swedish death metal band Unleashed. It was released on March 19, 2010 by Nuclear Blast Records.-Track listing:- Reception :-Personnel:* Johnny Hedlund – vocals, bass...
. In the press statement the band said, "We are very much looking forward to this new cooperation! The recording of the album is scheduled for October/November this year." .
In the start of 2010 Unleashed will be part of the Summer Breeze Open Air
Summer Breeze Open Air
Summer Breeze Open Air is a heavy metal music festival in Germany. It takes place annually in Dinkelsbühl, Bavaria. It was first held in 1997. The festival had been held in Abtsgmünd until 2006 when it was moved to its new location of Dinkelsbühl. The festival draws around 40,000 attendees annually...
and the With Full Force
With Full Force
With Full Force is a metal, hardcore and punk festival held annually in Germany since 1994. The 2011 edition took place on July 1 and July 3 at the Roitzschjora airport in Löbnitz near Leipzig in the Saxon county of Delitzsch.-2010:...
heavy metal festivals in Germany.
Current members
- Johnny Hedlund – vocals, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1989–present) - Fredrik Folkare – lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(1997–present) - Tomas Måsgard – rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
(1990–present) - Anders Schultz – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1989–present)
Former members
- Fredrik Lindgren – guitarGuitarThe 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...
(1989–1995) - Robert Sennebäck - guitarGuitarThe 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...
, vocals (1989–1990)
Studio albums
- Where No Life DwellsWhere No Life Dwells-Personnel:Unleashed*Johnny Hedlund: Bass, Vocals*Fredrik Lindgren: Lead & Rhythm Guitars*Tomas Olsson: Lead & Rhythm Guitars*Anders Schultz: Drums, PercussionProduction*Executive Producer: R. Kampf*Produced By Waldemar Sorychta...
(1991) - Shadows in the Deep (1992)
- Across the Open SeaAcross the Open Sea-Personnel:* Johnny Hedlund – vocals, bass* Fredrik Lindgren – guitar* Tomas Olsson – guitar* Anders Schultz – drumsGuest musicians* Stefan Westberg – organ on Across the open sea...
(1993) - VictoryVictory (Unleashed album)-Personnel:* Johnny Hedlund – vocals, bass* Fredrik Lindgren – guitar* Tomas Olsson – guitar* Anders Schultz – drums-External links:*...
(1995) - WarriorWarrior (Unleashed album)-Personnel:* Johnny Hedlund – vocals, bass* Fredrik Folkare – guitar* Tomas Olsson – guitar* Anders Schultz – drums-External links:*...
(1997) - Hell's UnleashedHell's Unleashed-Personnel:* Johnny Hedlund – vocals, bass* Fredrik Folkare – guitar* Tomas Olsson – guitar* Anders Schultz – drums-External links:*...
(2002) - Sworn AllegianceSworn Allegiance-Personnel:* Johnny Hedlund – vocals, bass* Fredrik Folkare – guitar* Tomas Olsson – guitar* Anders Schultz – drums...
(2004) - MidvinterblotMidvinterblot (album)Midvinterblot is the eighth studio album by the Swedish death metal band Unleashed. It was released in 2006 by Steamhammer Records .-Track listing:...
(2006) - Hammer BattalionHammer Battalion-Personnel:* Johnny Hedlund – vocals, bass* Fredrik Folkare – lead guitar* Tomas Måsgard – rhythm guitar* Anders Schultz – drums...
(2008) - As Yggdrasil TremblesAs Yggdrasil TremblesAs Yggdrasil Trembles is the 10th studio album by the Swedish death metal band Unleashed. It was released on March 19, 2010 by Nuclear Blast Records.-Track listing:- Reception :-Personnel:* Johnny Hedlund – vocals, bass...
(2010)
Boxed sets
- ...And We Shall Triumph in Victory (2003)
- Immortal Glory (The Complete Century Media Years) (2008)
External links
- Unleashed - official website
- Unleashed at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....