Count Raven are a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

band established in 1989. From 1990 to 1996, the band released four studio albums, then broke up in 1998. In 2003, they reunited and in 2009 released their fifth album, ''Mammons War''.

History

The band, formed in 1987 by vocalist Christian Linderson, guitarist Dan Fondelius, bassist Tommy Eriksson, and drummer Christer Pettersson, was called originally Stormvarning. In 1989, they changed their name to Count Raven, and released their debut album, ''Storm Warning'', a year later. It received positive reviews from the European metal press (4 K's in ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

'', 10/10 in ''

Rock Hard "Rock Hard" is a single by the Beastie Boys, released by Def Jam Records on 12" in 1984. The track contains samples from the AC/DC song "Back in Black", which was used without obtaining legal permission, causing the record to be withdraw ...

'', 6/7 in ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

''). Linderson then left to join

Saint Vitus Vitus (), whose name is sometimes rendered Guy or Guido, was a Christian martyr from Sicily. His surviving hagiography is pure legend. The dates of his actual life are unknown.Basil Watkins, ''The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical D ...

and Dan "Fodde" Fondelius became the new frontman, beginning with 1992's ''Destruction of the Void'', released via

Nuclear Blast Records Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...

, to be declared 'Doom Album of the Year' by ''Rock Hard'' magazine. The band's third album ''High on Infinity'' appeared one year later, after which the band took a three-year break before returning in 1996 with ''Messiah of Confusion,'' which dealt with the band's outlook on society and its dubious ways. "The album's name is our bass player's nickname, but when the album began to see the light of day, we thought the title was a good idea. There's a lot of 'messiahs of confusion' out there", drummer Christer Pettersson explained. In 1998, Count Raven broke up. Dan Fondelius formed a new doom metal band called Doomsday Government, while Eriksson joined Semlah in 2001. In 2003, the trio reformed, broke up again in 2006 and revived instantly with Fondelius at the helm, Fredrik Jansson (ex-Abramis Brama) on bass, and Jens Bock on drums. In 2009, Count Raven's fifth album ''Mammons War'', produced by Zeb King and released by I Hate, came out. The album earned a positive review by ''

'' which gave it a 4K rating.Olly Thomas. Kerrang! Magazine, No. 1308, 17 April 2010. Albums. Killer rebirth for Swedish Sabbath acolytes. P.54. Count Raven signed a new record deal with I Hate on 1 February 2019 and released their sixth studio album, ''The Sixth Storm'' in 2021.

Members

Current

* Dan "Fodde" Fondelius – vocals (1992–1998, 2003–present); guitars, keyboards (1989–1998; 2003–present) * Jens Bock – drums (2006–2009; 2011–present) * Samuel Cornelsen – bass (2016–present)

Former

* Christian Linderson – vocals (1989–1992) * Christer "Renfield" Pettersson – drums (1989–1998; 2003–2006) * Fredrik Jansson – bass (2006–2011) * Tommy "Wilbur" Eriksson – bass (1989–1998; 2003–2006; 2011–2016) * Patrick Lundin – drums (2009–2011)

Timeline

Discography

Demos

* ''Demo 89'' (1989) * ''Indignus Famulus'' (1989)

Split albums

* ''Wolfmoon/Wedded to Grief'' (split album with Griftegård, 2010)

Studio albums

* ''Storm Warning'' (

Hellhound A hellhound is a mythological hound that embodies a guardian or a servant of hell, the devil, or the underworld. Hellhounds occur in mythologies around the world, with the best known examples being Cerberus from Greek mythology, Garmr from Nor ...

/Phantom Import, 1990) * ''Destruction of the Void'' (

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...

, 1992) * ''High on Infinity'' (Hellhound, 1994) * ''Messiah of Confusion'' (Hellhound, 1996) * ''Mammons War'' (I Hate, 2009) * ''The Sixth Storm'' (I Hate Records, 2021)

References

{{Authority control Swedish doom metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1989 Swedish musical trios Hellhound Records artists