Hardcore Superstar
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Hardcore Superstar is a Swedish heavy metal band from
Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
, Sweden. The band was formed in 1997 and have released eleven studio albums.


History


The first ten years (1997–2007)


1997–2004

Hardcore Superstar was formed in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1997 by Joakim Berggren and Martin Sandvik. Their previous band Link had been grunge-inspired but with their new band they wanted to pull more towards rock'n'roll. They kept the drummer from Link, Mika Vaino (with the moniker DynaMike), and as lead guitarist they recruited Thomas Silver who had previously been in the band Glamoury Foxx with Jocke and had recently quit the band Green Jesus Saviours. During an early gig, Silver introduced Jocke as "Gothenburg's very own ''Jocke Berg''", a reference to the singer of the Swedish band
kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
and the moniker stuck. Through Silver's contacts with the Gothenburg record label Gain Records they got their song "Hello/Goodbye" included on a promo compilation titled ''Gain Experience'', which led to a record deal with the label. In early 1998, they recorded their debut album, released in Sweden on 4 October. The first pressing of 1000 copies sold very fast, and so did the second pressing. "Hello/Goodbye" was put out as the single and music video.Official band biography, 2009 The band got to support
Backyard Babies Backyard Babies are a Swedish rock band originally from Nässjö and currently based in Stockholm. The band was formed in 1989 and over the years they have released seven studio albums and won two Swedish Grammy Awards. They are largely attr ...
,
Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...
and Dio, and soon the British company
Music For Nations Music For Nations (MFN) is a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. It was a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records, which was a division of BMG and later Sony Music Entertainment. Launched in 1 ...
offered the band a new worldwide record deal. By the end of 1998, drummer DynaMike decided to quit. Jocke phoned Magnus "Adde" Andreasson, who at that time was living in Los Angeles where he had been a student at
Musicians Institute Musicians Institute (MI) is a private for-profit music school in Los Angeles, California. MI students can earn Certificates and – with transfer of coursework taken at Los Angeles City College – Associate of Arts Degrees, as well as Bachelor ...
. Adde, who had formerly been the original drummer of Link and his own band Dorian Gray, accepted the offer and moved back to Gothenburg. During 1999 the band's second single "Someone Special" became a hit song in Sweden and ended up on the Top 20 of national radio music charts. Instead of re-releasing their debut album with Music for Nations, as the label wanted, the band insisted on recording a new version since they wanted Adde to play on the album and they had already written new songs such as "Liberation" and "Have You Been Around". '' Bad Sneakers and a Piña Colada'' became their international debut album, released in the spring of 2000. The music video for "Liberation" was nominated for a Swedish
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
. The entire year was spent on tour in Sweden, Europe and Japan. The tour continued into 2001 when it also took them to Canada for a few shows. In the winter of 2001 they released the single "Staden Göteborg" together with fellow Gothenburg band LOK. The song is an anthem to their hometown, and in February 2001 the two bands performed a joint set in Gothenburg where all members played together. On Midsummer's Eve they repeated this concept when both bands were the joint support act for
AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...
at
Ullevi Stadium Ullevi, sometimes known as Nya Ullevi (, ''New Ullevi''), is a multi-purpose stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then has also hosted the World Allround Speed Skating Championships six times; th ...
in Gothenburg. A few days later, Hardcore Superstar were invited to support AC/DC a second time in
Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
, where they replaced
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
. In September 2001, the band released their third album, ''
Thank You (For Letting Us Be Ourselves) ''Thank You (For Letting Us Be Ourselves)'' is the third full-length album by Swedish hard rock band Hardcore Superstar, released by the Music for Nations record label. Track listing

# "That's My Life" – 3:12 # "Not Dancing, Wanna Know W ...
''. The album had a more laid back and polished feel than its action rock predecessors, and spawned two singles; "Shame" and "Mother's Love" / "Significant Other". In the spring of 2003, they recorded their next album and during their summer tour they released the single "Honey Tongue". The album ''No Regrets'' was released on 27 August, once again with a different style from the predecessor. A second single, "Still I'm Glad", followed. For this album the Japanese version featured a completely different cover. After touring Sweden and Europe in the autumn and winter they made their first short tour of the US in March 2004, funded by the Swedish Export's Council. The day before their show at
CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...
in New York they attended a cocktail party at the Swedish Consulate, where members of the band got into a fist fight with a Swedish tabloid journalist. When the band returned from the US they decided to take a break, after several years of hard work.


2005–2007

In the spring of 2005 the band made their first signs of a comeback with a few concerts in Italy. They had returned to their former record label Gain and in the summer they released their new single "Wild Boys", which became the most sold heavy metal single in Sweden that summer. By the end of August they did their Swedish comeback gig in Gothenburg, and in October they once again supported Motörhead in Sweden. A second single, "We Don't Celebrate Sundays", was released and on 2 November they released the self-titled album ''Hardcore Superstar.'' This return had a rejuvenated and heavier sound. The album was granted top reviews in several major Swedish newspapers and was nominated for a Swedish Grammy. The songs ''My Good Reputation'' and ''Bag On Your Head'' were also picked as singles. A show at the Sticky Fingers club in Gothenburg on 25 March 2006 was filmed for a DVD. A festival show in
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
during the summer was also released on DVD With this triumphant return, the band branded their new style as 'street metal'. The summer of 2007 saw the release of the new single "Bastards" which sold gold in Sweden and went to number 4 on the Swedish singles chart. During their summer tour they played the biggest stage at
Sweden Rock Festival The Sweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal festival held in Sweden since 6 June 1992. While having a clear rock/metal focus, the festival is noted for its diversity across these genres, from southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet to de ...
, a show that would later be released on DVD. On 7 November they released the album ''Dreamin' in a Casket,'' recorded both at Adde's home studio and in the studio of fellow Gothenburg band
In Flames In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by guitarist Jesper Strömblad in Gothenburg in 1990. Alongside At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity, In Flames pioneered the genres known as Swedish death metal and melodic death metal. During t ...
. This album had an even heavier sound than its predecessor. Once again there were top reviews and another Swedish Grammy nomination. The album was also released with a bonus DVD, featuring the documentary "Inside the Casket" about the recordings. The title track and the songs "Silence for the Peacefully" and "Medicate Me" were picked as singles. The following tour was called "Mentally Damaged Tour" and started in
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, Finland on 12 November and continued through Europe.


2008–2018

On 24 January 2008, it was announced on the band's official website that guitarist Thomas Silver would be leaving the band, since he had "lost his fire and inspiration". Vic Zino, from their current opening act Crazy Lixx, replaced him temporarily for the remainder of the planned tour and when Zino later offered to stay he became the new permanent member of the band. In March 2009 the world's biggest heavy metal label
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 ...
announced the signing of Hardcore Superstar. The seventh album by Hardcore Superstar, entitled '' Beg for It'' was released worldwide at the beginning of June 2009. It was once again recorded in the In Flames studio. The first single "Beg For It" was released on 15 April and the song "Into Debauchery" would later get a music video. The album gave the band their third Swedish Grammy nomination in a row. The Japanese edition featured a live version of "Silence for the Peacefully" as the bonus track, while the American version contained two demo songs, one being "Welcome to Your Own Death", and the other "When I Glow", a demo version of "Need No Company", again, from the album ''Dreamin' in a Casket''. Shortly after the Beg For It tour of the UK in 2010, Hardcore Superstar announced that they were planning to release a new album, as the tour had proved to trigger their creative minds, and as a result, new material was being recorded. On 12 April 2010 they announced four potential song titles from their upcoming album, being "Last Call", "Sick as a Dog", "Won't Be Bullied" and "Sadistic Girls". On 19 May 2010, the band released the titles of four more potential songs from their upcoming album, being "Lowlife", "Beat On the Bully", "Party Ain't Over ´til I Say So" and "Here Comes That Sick Bitch Again". "Last Call", and presumably, judging by the chorus of the song, "Party Ain't Over 'til I Say So", were changed to "Last Call for Alcohol", "Won't Be Bullied", and again, presumably, "Beat on the Bully", were changed to "Bully", while "Sick as a Dog" and "Lowlife" were left off the release. On 9 August 2010, '' Split Your Lip'' was announced as the title of the album, as well as a tentative release date, set for January 2011. When the band performed a free show in their hometown
Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
on 11 August 2010, they premiered the songs "Here Comes That Sick Bitch", "Last Call for Alcohol" and "Sadistic Girls". The first single, a double A-side featuring both "Moonshine" and "Guestlist" was released with the November issue of ''Sweden Rock Magazine'' and was followed by the album release on 26 November, two months earlier than planned. The album had been thoroughly rehearsed and then recorded live in only five days at Studio Bohus south of Gothenburg. The album was followed by intense touring. On 30 August 2011 the band announced that they would be releasing a Best Of album, with a release date of 26 October. The album was to include songs from all releases, with a brand new song entitled "We Don't Need a Cure". The song premiered on Swedish radio station Bandit Rock on 31 August 2011. On 30 October 2012, it was announced by Gain and Vic Zino that the next album would be called '' C'mon Take on Me''. The debut single from the album, "One More Minute", was released on 17 January 2013. The album was released on 27 February 2013. It was recorded at Brew House Studio in central Gothenburg. Four music videos were made to the album, for the songs "One More Minute", "Above the Law", "Because of You" and "C'Mon Take On Me". October 2014 saw the release of a new single, ''Glue,'' and the band toured Germany as the opening act for Gotthard. On 24 January 2015 the band performed a full headline set to a sold-out crowd at the
Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boul ...
in
West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...
, after more than ten years since their latest American show. The night before they also played a six-song opening set for
Steel Panther Steel Panther is an American comedic glam metal band from Los Angeles, California. They are known for their profane and humorous lyrics as well as their exaggerated onstage pastiche of the stereotypical glam metal lifestyle. History Metal Sh ...
at the 2015
NAMM The NAMM Show is an annual event in the United States that is organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), who describe it as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology commun ...
Jam in
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. At the beginning of March 2015 a second single was released from the upcoming album, ''Touch the Sky,'' and during the spring tour they premiered several new songs live. The album, titled ''HCS''S was released on 22 April. A large inspiration for the album came when a fan in England managed to dig out old demos from 1994 with the band's predecessor ''Link'', and some of the songs were 20 years old. In 2016, the band embarked on a co-headlining UK and US tour with
Michael Monroe Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm (born 17 June 1962), better known by his stage name Michael Monroe, is a Finnish rock musician who rose to fame as the vocalist for the glam punk band Hanoi Rocks, and has served as the frontman for all-star sid ...
. On 12 October 2017, the band released the single "Have Mercy On Me" for their next album, and it was followed by four more singles ("Bring the House Down", "Electric Rider", "Baboon" and "AD/HD") before the album, ''You Can't Kill My Rock 'N' Roll'', was released on 21 September 2018. All four singles were granted a music video, as well as the title track. The album was nominated for yet another Swedish Grammy award.


2021–2022

During a live stream of the Alive and Streaming Podcast, with Ted Aguilar from Death Angel, Jocke announced that the album, which the band had been working on during the pandemic, would be released in 2022, and would be titled ''Abrakadabra''. The first single from the album, "Catch Me If You Can", was released on 28 August 2021, followed by the next single, "Dreams in Red", which was released on 1 October 2021. The third single, "Weep When You Die", was released on 5 November 2021. In January and February 2022 a fourth and fifth single came out, "Forever and a Day" and "Fighter", and on the eve before the album release in March the title track was premiered as a video. The album was released on 25 March 2022.


Band members

*Joakim "Jocke" Berg – vocals (1997–present) *Martin Sandvik – bass (1997–present) *Magnus "Adde" Andreasson – drums (1999–present) *Vic Zino – guitars (2008–present) Former members *Thomas "Silver" Silver – guitars (1997–2008) *Mika "DynaMike" Vainio – drums (1997–1999)


Discography


Albums

* ''
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll ''It's Only Rock 'n Roll'' is the 12th British and 14th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 18 October 1974 by Rolling Stones Records. It was the last Rolling Stones album to feature guitarist Mick Tay ...
'' - (1998) * '' Bad Sneakers and a Piña Colada'' - (2000) * ''
Thank You (For Letting Us Be Ourselves) ''Thank You (For Letting Us Be Ourselves)'' is the third full-length album by Swedish hard rock band Hardcore Superstar, released by the Music for Nations record label. Track listing

# "That's My Life" – 3:12 # "Not Dancing, Wanna Know W ...
'' - (2001) * '' No Regrets'' - (2003) * ''
Hardcore Superstar Hardcore Superstar is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1997 and have released eleven studio albums. History The first ten years (1997–2007) 1997–2004 Hardcore Superstar was formed in Gothenburg, ...
'' - (2005) * '' Dreamin' in a Casket'' - (2007) * '' Beg for It'' - (2009) * '' Split Your Lip'' (2010) * '' C'mon Take on Me'' (2013) * '' HCSS'' (2015) * ''You Can't Kill My Rock 'N' Roll'' (2018) * ''Abrakadabra'' (2022)


Compilation albums

* ''The Party Ain't Over 'til We Say So'' (2011)


Singles

*" Hello/Goodbye" - (1998) *" Someone Special" - (1998) *" Have You Been Around" - (2000) *"Liberation" - (2000) *"Shame" - (2001) *"Staden Göteborg" - (2001) *"Mother's Love" / "Significant Other" - (2002) *"Honey Tongue" - (2003) *"Still I'm Glad" - (2003) *"Wild Boys" - (2005) *"We Don't Celebrate Sundays" - (2006) *"Bastards" - (2007) (Gold) *"Beg for It" - (2009) (Gold) *"Moonshine" / "Guestlist" - (2010) *"One More Minute" - (2012) *"Above The Law" - (2013) *"Because Of You" - (2013) *"Glue" - (2014) *"Touch the Sky" - (2015) *"Have Mercy on Me" - (2017) *"Bring the House Down" - (2018) *"Electric Rider" - (2018) *"Baboon" - (2018) *"AD/HD" - (2018) *"You Can't Kill My Rock N' Roll" - (2018) *"Catch Me If You Can" - (2021) *"Dreams in Red" - (2021) *"Weep When You Die - (2021) *"Forever and a Day" - (2022) *"Fighter - (2022) *"Abrakadabra" (2022)


DVDs

*'' Live at Sticky Fingers'' - (2006) *''Sweden Rock 2007'' - (2007) ''(Limited Fan Edition)'' *''Loud Park Festival: Tokyo'' - (2007) ''(Limited Fan Edition)'' *''Inside the Casket: Documentary'' - (2007) ''(Released through the Dreamin' in a Casket CD/DVD album)''


Videography

*"Hello/Goodbye" (1998) *"Liberation" (2000) *"Have You Been Around" (2000) *"Someone Special" (2000) *"Shame" (2001) *"Significant Other" (2001) *"Mothers Love" (2001) *"Staden Goteborg" (w/ LOK) (2002) *"Honey Tongue" (2003) *"Still I'm Glad" (2003) *"Wild Boys" (2005) *"We Don't Celebrate Sundays" (2005) *"My Good Reputation" (2006) *"Dreamin' in a Casket" (2007) *"Medicate Me" (2007) *"Silence for the Peacefully" (2007) *"Beg for It" (2009) *"Into Debauchery" (2009) *"One More Minute" (2013) *"Above the Law" (2013) *"C'mon Take on Me" (2013) *"Because of You" (2013) *"Last Call for Alcohol" (Live Video) (2014) *"Off with Their Heads" (2015) *"Don't Mean Shit" (2015) *"Touch the Sky" (Live Video) (2015) *"Have Mercy on Me" (2017) *"Electric Rider" (2018) *"Baboon" (2018) *"Bring The House Down" (2018) *"AD/HD" (2018) *"You Can't Kill My Rock N' Roll" (2018) *"Catch Me If You Can" - (2021) *"Dreams in Red" - (2021) *"Weep When You Die - (2021) *"Forever and a Day" - (2022) *"Fighter" - (2022) *"Abrakadraba" - (2022)


References


External links


The Official Site of Hardcore Superstar
{{Authority control Musical quartets Sony Music artists Swedish glam metal musical groups Swedish hard rock musical groups Swedish heavy metal musical groups