power metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...
band from
Umeå
Umeå ( , , , locally ; South Westrobothnian: ;). fi, Uumaja; sju, Ubmeje; sma, Upmeje; se, Ubmi) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County.
Situated on the Ume River, Umeà ...
in the Swedish province of Västerbotten
Norrland
Norrland (, "Northland", originally ''Norrlanden'' or "the Northlands") is the northernmost, largest and least populated of the three traditional lands of Sweden, consisting of nine provinces. Although Norrland does not serve any administr ...
. The band was formed in 1997, and they have since released five full-length albums. They have a sound similar to bands including early
Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres.Iron Savior
Iron Savior is a German power metal band that was formed in Hamburg in 1996. Following a period of several years working behind the scenes in music production, multi-instrumentalist and producer/engineer Piet Sielck joined with former Helloween ...
, and
Nocturnal Rites
Nocturnal Rites is a Swedish power metal band formed in 1990.
Biography
The band started off under the name ''Necronomic'' playing death metal, as can be heard on their demo (''The Obscure'', 1991). This attracted some independent labels' at ...
, although Persuader includes influences of
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
also. Members Jens and Emil joined the band
Savage Circus
Savage Circus is a German/Swedish power metal band originally formed as a side project by Thomas "Thomen" Stauch before leaving Blind Guardian.
History
Formation and ''Dreamland Manor''
Savage Circus began when Stauch asked his friend Piet ...
in 2005, started by
Thomen Stauch
Thomas "Thomen" Stauch (born 11 March 1970), also known by his nickname The Omen, is a German heavy metal drummer, mostly known as the co-founder and former drummer of Blind Guardian.
Biography
He began his career in 1984 the band Luciferâ ...
after he left
Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres."Persuader – Biography" . Metal-Rules.com. Retrieved 23 November 2013. Jens Carlsson and Efraim Juntunen joined shortly thereafter. Fredrik Hedström was eventually recruited on bass, who had played with Pekka in a band named Shallow. In January 1998, David left the band due to musical differences. In November 1998, the band released a demo titled ''Visions and Dreams'', which was recorded at Garageland Studios. The band was signed to Loud 'n' Proud (LNP) records, 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 ...
metal label.
The band's debut studio album, '' The Hunter'', was released on 16 July 2000.
''Evolution Purgatory'' and ''When Eden Burns'' (2001–2006)
The band's label, Loud 'n' Proud, went out of business leaving them without proper label support. In early 2001, guitarist Pekka Kiviaho left the band and they broke up for brief period of time. According to Jens, the band "needed a pause to find a new guitarist and a new label" and "would never cancel Persuader." The band reformed in the spring/summer of 2001 with the addition of new guitarist Emil Norberg, who attended the same school as Jens.
The band started working on their next studio album, and submitted a demo of their unsigned music to Noise Record's Young Metal Gods contest. They won, and released '' Evolution Purgatory'' through Noise Records on 2 February 2004. After the release of the album, Jens and Emil became involved with
Savage Circus
Savage Circus is a German/Swedish power metal band originally formed as a side project by Thomas "Thomen" Stauch before leaving Blind Guardian.
History
Formation and ''Dreamland Manor''
Savage Circus began when Stauch asked his friend Piet ...
, releasing their debut album ''
Dreamland Manor
''Dreamland Manor'' is the debut album of German power metal band Savage Circus. The album sounds similar to older classic Blind Guardian.
Writing
The band wrote most of the album together. Three songs, however, were written solely by Thomen fo ...
'' in 2005. Jens also became involved with
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
based
Dark Empire
''Dark Empire'' is a ''Star Wars'' comic book metaseries produced by Dark Horse Comics. It consists of a six-issue Limited series (comics), limited series written by Tom Veitch and drawn by Cam Kennedy, followed by a second six-issue limited seri ...
, after being asked by Matt Moliti to contribute vocals to their 2006 debut '' Distant Tides''.
The band released their third studio album, ''
When Eden Burns
Persuader is a Sweden, Swedish power metal band from the city Umeå in the Swedish province of Västerbotten Norrland. The band was formed in 1997, and they have since released five full-length albums. They have a sound similar to bands includi ...
'', on 15 May 2006.
''The Fiction Maze'' (2007–2014)
Persuader had been at work on their next studio album for several years since the release of ''
When Eden Burns
Persuader is a Sweden, Swedish power metal band from the city Umeå in the Swedish province of Västerbotten Norrland. The band was formed in 1997, and they have since released five full-length albums. They have a sound similar to bands includi ...
''. The album experienced multiple delays due to various reasons. In addition, band members have contributed to their side projects during this time including, in 2008, Dark Empire's '' Humanity Dethroned'' and, in 2009,
Savage Circus
Savage Circus is a German/Swedish power metal band originally formed as a side project by Thomas "Thomen" Stauch before leaving Blind Guardian.
History
Formation and ''Dreamland Manor''
Savage Circus began when Stauch asked his friend Piet ...
's ''
Of Doom and Death
''Of Doom and Death'' is the second full-length album by the Germany, German power metal band Savage Circus. It was released on October 23, 2009 via Dockyard 1 Records.
Track listing
''All music and lyrics written by'' Savage Circus
Credits
...
''.
In updates, the band humorously refers to their recording location as Studio Värdelös. The Swedish word värdelös translates to "useless" in English. On 12 December 2010, the band revealed the tentative title of the album as ''
The Fiction Maze
''The Fiction Maze'' is the fourth studio album by Swedish power metal band Persuader. The band describes the album as "the perfect mix of everything we've done so far, expanded on the Persuader sound while keeping the core that is the band" and ...
''. Throughout 2011–2013, the band issued intermittent updates on the progress of the album. On 11 September 2013, the band announced they had signed with Inner Wound Recordings.
''
The Fiction Maze
''The Fiction Maze'' is the fourth studio album by Swedish power metal band Persuader. The band describes the album as "the perfect mix of everything we've done so far, expanded on the Persuader sound while keeping the core that is the band" and ...
'' was released late December in Japan and early January in North America and Europe.
Departures of two members and ''Necromancy'' (2016–present)
On 26 October 2016, rhythm guitarist Daniel Sundbom left the band and Fredrik Mannberg took his place; on 2 February 2019 bassist Fredrik Hedström left the band.
In October 2020, the band released a new single, their first in six years, from the upcoming album ''Necromancy'', which was released on 4 December 2020. Guitarist Emil Norberg also commented, "This release will mark the beginning of a new chapter for us and we look forward to working together for many more albums in the future,"
On 17 January 2021, rhythm guitarist Fredrik Mannberg left the band and they welcome new bassist Alex Friberg.
In March 2022, the band released a statement indicating a temporary hiatus citing a lack of passion to record a follow-up to 2020's ''Necromancy'', stating "We will surely all remain in the metal scene in one way or another".
Band members
;Current members
* Jens Carlsson – vocals (1997–present), rhythm guitar (1997–2006)
* Emil Norberg – lead guitar (2001–present), rhythm guitar (2021-present), bass (2019–2021)
* Alex Friberg – bass (2021-present)
* Efraim Juntunen – drums (1997–present)
;Former members
* Pekka Kiviaho – lead guitar (1997–2001)
* Daniel Sundbom – rhythm guitar (2006–2016)
* Fredrik Mannberg – rhythm guitar (2016–2021)
* Fredrik Hedström – bass (1997–2019)
The Fiction Maze
''The Fiction Maze'' is the fourth studio album by Swedish power metal band Persuader. The band describes the album as "the perfect mix of everything we've done so far, expanded on the Persuader sound while keeping the core that is the band" and ...