Bloodbath is a Swedish
death metal supergroup from
Stockholm, formed in 1998. The band has released six full-length albums, two EPs and two DVDs depicting their performances at
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a rock music festival, held annually since 1990 on the first weekend of August in the village of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Almost all styles and subgenres of hard rock and metal are ...
(in 2005) and
Bloodstock Open Air
Bloodstock Open Air is a British heavy metal festival held annually at Catton Hall in Walton-on-Trent, Derbyshire, since 2005.
Originally held indoors for one day with two stages, the festival started in 2001 at the Derby Assembly Rooms and h ...
(in 2010). The group consists of
Martin Axenrot
Erik Martin "Axe" Axenrot (born 5 March 1979 in Linköping, Sweden) is a Swedish death metal drummer, best known as the former drummer for progressive death metal band Opeth from 2006 to 2021. Since 2004, he is the drummer for Bloodbath. Known ...
(ex-
Opeth),
Anders Nyström
Anders Nyström (born 22 April 1975), also known as Blakkheim (or formerly Blackheim), is a Swedish musician.
Biography
Nyström founded the Swedish metal band Katatonia with singer Jonas Renkse in 1991. Nyström is involved in the songwrit ...
(
Katatonia
Katatonia are a Swedish heavy metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström. The band started as a studio-only project for the duo, as an outlet for the band's love of death metal. Increasing popularity led them ...
),
Jonas Renkse
Jonas may refer to:
Geography
* Jonas, Netherlands, Netherlands
* Jonas, Pennsylvania, United States
* Jonas Ridge, North Carolina, United States
People with the name
* Jonas (name), people with the given name or surname Jonas
* Jonas, one of ...
(also
Katatonia
Katatonia are a Swedish heavy metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström. The band started as a studio-only project for the duo, as an outlet for the band's love of death metal. Increasing popularity led them ...
) and
Nick Holmes (
Paradise Lost).
History
The band named themselves after the song "Blood Bath" from the album ''
To the Gory End'' by extreme metal band
Cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
. The initial lineup consisted of
Mikael Åkerfeldt
Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt (; born 17 April 1974)[Mikael Åkerfeldt](_blank)
, Op ...
(
Opeth) on vocals,
Dan Swanö (
Edge of Sanity
Edge of Sanity was a Swedish death metal band that, alongside Opeth, is commonly regarded as being the first to fuse extreme metal styles like death and black metal with progressive rock. The group was founded by Dan Swanö in 1989 and ended in ...
,
Nightingale
The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos''), is a small passerine bird best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is no ...
) on drums,
Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström (
Katatonia
Katatonia are a Swedish heavy metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström. The band started as a studio-only project for the duo, as an outlet for the band's love of death metal. Increasing popularity led them ...
,
Diabolical Masquerade) on guitar, and
Jonas Renkse
Jonas may refer to:
Geography
* Jonas, Netherlands, Netherlands
* Jonas, Pennsylvania, United States
* Jonas Ridge, North Carolina, United States
People with the name
* Jonas (name), people with the given name or surname Jonas
* Jonas, one of ...
(Katatonia,
October Tide
October Tide is a Swedish death/doom metal band that was created in 1994 by Katatonia vocalist Jonas Renkse and then-Katatonia guitarist Fred Norrman. Norrman revived the band after leaving Katatonia in 2009.
History
1995–1999
October ...
) on bass Bloodbath released the
EP ''
Breeding Death
''Breeding Death'' is the first EP by Bloodbath. It was released on 8 February 2000 by Century Media Records.
Release
''Breeding Death'' was initially released on 8 February 2000 on Century Media Records and re-released on CD in 2006 with two bo ...
'' within a year of forming, followed two years later by their debut album ''
Resurrection Through Carnage
''Resurrection Through Carnage'' is the debut studio album from Swedish death metal group Bloodbath. It was released on November 12, 2002, on Century Media Records. It is the only album to feature Dan Swanö on drums, as he later switched to ...
''.
In 2004, Åkerfeldt left Bloodbath, wanting to free up more time for his primary band Opeth, with
Peter Tägtgren
Alf Peter Tägtgren (born 3 June 1970) is a Swedish musician, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is the founder, main songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of death metal band Hypocrisy as well as the industrial metal band Pa ...
(
Hypocrisy) being brought in to replace him. The lineup changed further, with Swanö switching to guitar and
Martin Axenrot
Erik Martin "Axe" Axenrot (born 5 March 1979 in Linköping, Sweden) is a Swedish death metal drummer, best known as the former drummer for progressive death metal band Opeth from 2006 to 2021. Since 2004, he is the drummer for Bloodbath. Known ...
(
Witchery
Witchery is a Swedish blackened thrash metal band formed by former members of Satanic Slaughter in 1997. The current lineup consists of guitarists Patrik Jensen and Rickard "Rille" Rimfält, bassist Sharlee D'Angelo, vocalist Angus Norder, a ...
,
Satanic Slaughter
Satanic Slaughter was a Swedish black metal band.
History
Having previously performed under the name Evil Cunt, the group first adopted the name Satanic Slaughter in 1985.[Nightmares Made Flesh
''Nightmares Made Flesh'' is the second album by Swedish death metal band Bloodbath. It was released by Century Media Records on September 27, 2004. It was the band's only album to feature Peter Tägtgren on vocals (who was brought in to replace ...]
'', was released in Europe in September 2004.
In February 2005, Tägtgren left the band citing "conflicting schedules". That same year, Åkerfeldt rejoined for a single live show at Germany's
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a rock music festival, held annually since 1990 on the first weekend of August in the village of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Almost all styles and subgenres of hard rock and metal are ...
on 5 August. Prior to the show the band was quoted saying that the upcoming show would be "Not only the first, but also the last gig for Bloodbath (with Mikael Åkerfeldt on vocals)";. It would later turn out to also be the last show with Swanö. In September 2005, Bloodbath began searching for a new lead singer.
In August 2006, the band announced the departure of Swanö due to musical differences, as well as Swanö being busy with other projects. They simultaneously closed the vocal auditions, announcing that no suitable singer had been found.
On 27 March 2007 the band announced that a new line-up would be unveiled, along with news that they were producing new material, to be released that summer. In August 2007, Renkse posted on the band's official forums, suggesting that work was in progress. On 30 January 2008 it was announced via the Bloodbath website that Åkerfeldt would be rejoining the line-up on vocals, along with new member Per Eriksson (ex-21 Lucifers, ex-Genocrush Ferox) on guitar. In March 2008, the EP ''
Unblessing the Purity
''Unblessing the Purity'' is the second EP by Swedish death metal band Bloodbath. It was released on March 10, 2008, on Peaceville Records. It is their first release since ''Resurrection Through Carnage'' to include Mikael Åkerfeldt on vocals. ...
'' was released. Also released in 2008 was the Wacken live CD/DVD ''
The Wacken Carnage
''The Wacken Carnage'' is a CD/DVD set of death metal band Bloodbath at a very rare live appearance recorded on 5 August 2005 at the Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany. At that time, this live appearance was presented as the only Bloodbath show t ...
''. Bloodbath released their third full-length album, ''
The Fathomless Mastery
''The Fathomless Mastery'' is the third full-length album by Swedish death metal band Bloodbath, released on 29 September 2008 via Peaceville. It is the band's last studio album to feature vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt and the first to feature lea ...
'', in October 2008.
On 25 April 2011 Bloodbath released their second DVD, ''
Bloodbath over Bloodstock'', containing their performance at Bloodstock Festival 2010, as well as the 2008 performance at Party San. On 1 November 2011, during the final show of the American Opeth/Katatonia tour at Ram's Head Live in Baltimore, MD, Bloodbath performed a surprise encore after Opeth's set.
On 14 April 2012 Blakkheim announced that Åkerfeldt had officially left the group. When asked whether the new vocalist was known or not, Blakkheim was quoted saying "Oh, he's a legend!". On 16 September 2014 the band announced the new vocalist as
Nick Holmes from
Paradise Lost.
Members
Current members
*
Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström – guitars, backing vocals
(1998–present)
*
Jonas "Lord Seth" Renkse – bass, backing vocals
(1998–present)
*
Martin "Axe" Axenrot – drums, percussion
(2004–present)
*
Nick "Old Nick" Holmes – lead vocals
(2012–present)
*Tomas "Plytet" Åkvik – guitar
(2022–present; session 2017–2022)
Session members
*Niklas Sandin – bass
(2018–present)
*Waltteri Väyrynen – drums, percussion
(2018–present)
Former members
*
Mikael Åkerfeldt
Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt (; born 17 April 1974)[Mikael Åkerfeldt](_blank)
, Op ...
– lead vocals
(1998–2004, 2005–2012)
*
Dan Swanö – drums, percussion
(1998– 2004), guitars
(2004–2006), backing vocals
(1998– 2006)
*
Per "Sodomizer" Eriksson – guitars
(2007–2017)
*
Peter Tägtgren
Alf Peter Tägtgren (born 3 June 1970) is a Swedish musician, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is the founder, main songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of death metal band Hypocrisy as well as the industrial metal band Pa ...
– lead vocals
(2004–2005)
* Joakim Karlsson – guitars
(2018–2019)
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Resurrection Through Carnage
''Resurrection Through Carnage'' is the debut studio album from Swedish death metal group Bloodbath. It was released on November 12, 2002, on Century Media Records. It is the only album to feature Dan Swanö on drums, as he later switched to ...
'' (2002)
* ''
Nightmares Made Flesh
''Nightmares Made Flesh'' is the second album by Swedish death metal band Bloodbath. It was released by Century Media Records on September 27, 2004. It was the band's only album to feature Peter Tägtgren on vocals (who was brought in to replace ...
'' (2004)
* ''
The Fathomless Mastery
''The Fathomless Mastery'' is the third full-length album by Swedish death metal band Bloodbath, released on 29 September 2008 via Peaceville. It is the band's last studio album to feature vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt and the first to feature lea ...
'' (2008)
* ''
Grand Morbid Funeral
''Grand Morbid Funeral'' is the fourth studio album by Swedish death metal band Bloodbath. It was released by Peaceville Records on 17 November 2014.
Background
''Grand Morbid Funeral'' was recorded in 2014 at Ghost Ward and City of Glass in St ...
'' (2014)
* ''
The Arrow of Satan Is Drawn
''The Arrow of Satan Is Drawn'' is the fifth studio album by Swedish death metal band Bloodbath, released on 26 October 2018 via Peaceville. It is the only album to feature guitarist Joakim Karlsson.
Background and release
In a 2017 interview w ...
'' (2018)
* ''Survival of the Sickest'' (2022)
EPs
* ''
Breeding Death
''Breeding Death'' is the first EP by Bloodbath. It was released on 8 February 2000 by Century Media Records.
Release
''Breeding Death'' was initially released on 8 February 2000 on Century Media Records and re-released on CD in 2006 with two bo ...
'' (2000)
* ''
Unblessing the Purity
''Unblessing the Purity'' is the second EP by Swedish death metal band Bloodbath. It was released on March 10, 2008, on Peaceville Records. It is their first release since ''Resurrection Through Carnage'' to include Mikael Åkerfeldt on vocals. ...
'' (2008)
Live albums
* ''
The Wacken Carnage
''The Wacken Carnage'' is a CD/DVD set of death metal band Bloodbath at a very rare live appearance recorded on 5 August 2005 at the Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany. At that time, this live appearance was presented as the only Bloodbath show t ...
'' (2008)
* ''
Bloodbath over Bloodstock'' (2011)
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloodbath
Musical groups established in 1998
Swedish death metal musical groups
Swedish musical quartets
Swedish musical quintets
Century Media Records artists
Heavy metal supergroups
Musical groups from Stockholm
1998 establishments in Sweden