Sonata Arctica is a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, Finland. Created as a hard rock band named Tricky Beans, they later changed to Tricky Means and finally to Sonata Arctica, when they shifted to power metal. The current lineup consists of drummer Tommy Portimo, lead singer Tony Kakko, keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg, guitarist Elias Viljanen and bassist Pasi Kauppinen. All the musicians of the band's history except Portimo also acted as backing vocalists.
Alf Peter Tägtgren is a Swedish musician 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 Pain in which he is the only member. He is also the owner of The Abyss recording studio and the co-founder of Lindemann, a music project between Tägtgren and Rammstein vocalist Till Lindemann. Tägtgren left Lindemann in 2020.
Nocturnal Rites is a Swedish power metal band formed in 1990.
Sabaton is a Swedish power metal band from Falun. The vast majority of their albums are written about historical events, mainly wars and significant battles. Sabaton has been referred to as one of the "big four" power metal bands, along with Helloween, Blind Guardian, and DragonForce.
Per Christian Liljegren, is a Swedish musician, best known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the Christian melodic power metal band Narnia. Liljegren is also the frontman of the metal bands Audiovision, Divinefire, Flagship and Wisdom Call. He is also the owner of the Liljegren Records label which features bands such as Divinefire, Crimson Moonlight, Sanctifica, Grimmark, Harmony, Veni Domine and Majestic Vanguard. He changed his last name to Rivel by choosing to take his wife's last name when they were married. After the divorce in 2008 he changed his name back to Liljegren.
Jani Stefanovic is a Swedish multi-instrumentalist who primarily plays Swedish death metal. He started playing around the age of 13–14 years old.
Boden is a locality and the seat of Boden Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 16,847 inhabitants in 2018. It is part of the larger area around coastal city Luleå some 36 kilometres (22 mi) southeast. After Kiruna, it is the second largest town in Northern Sweden's interior.
Liljegren Records / CMSweden is a Swedish heavy metal music record label founded by Christian Liljegren in 1997. The label was originally titled C.L. Music and Distribution but was changed later. Notable current and former groups on the labels roster include Divinefire, Majestic Vanguard, Veni Domine, Crimson Moonlight, ReinXeed, Sanctifica and Pantokrator.
Majestica is a symphonic/power metal band from Boden, Sweden. They were formed in 2000 by vocalist Tommy Johansson. They are influenced by soundtrack focused films such as The Lord of the Rings and bands like Helloween with Michael Kiske, and Rhapsody of Fire.
Amaranthe is a Swedish heavy metal band originally known as Avalanche. The band is notable for their blend of various metal genres and having three lead vocalists.
Carolus Rex is the sixth studio album by Swedish power metal band Sabaton. It is a concept album based on the rise and fall of the Swedish Empire, whose monarch Charles XII gives it its title. It was released with both English and Swedish vocals. It is the last album to feature guitarists Oskar Montelius and Rikard Sundén, drummer Daniel Mullback and keyboardist Daniel Mÿhr. It was produced by Peter Tägtgren in Abyss Studios. The album received critical acclaim and commercial success, achieving gold certification in Poland and quadruple platinum in Sweden.
Battle Beast is a Finnish heavy/power metal band established in Helsinki in 2008 by Anton Kabanen, Juuso Soinio and Pyry Vikki. The initial line-up consisted of guitarists Soinio and Kabanen, and drummer Vikki, who were high school friends. The rest of the original lineup, bassist Eero Sipilä, keyboardist Janne Björkroth and lead singer Nitte Valo, joined the band after auditions.
Joakim "Jocke" Brodén is a Swedish musician who is the lead vocalist, keyboardist and occasional third guitarist of the power metal band Sabaton. He and bassist Pär Sundström formed the band in 1999.
Civil War is a Swedish power metal band from Falun, formed in 2012 by several former members of Sabaton. The band adopted the same lyrical themes of war and historical battles that were characteristic of Sabaton. However, unlike Sabaton, many of Civil War's songs focus on American history and conflicts, whereas Sabaton's songs are primarily about European history and conflicts.
Twilight Force is a Swedish symphonic power metal band known for their highly fantastical lyrics and LARP-style outfits which the band performs onstage in. The band's main lyrical themes are based on the lore of a fictional world known as The Twilight Kingdoms, created by keyboardist Daniel Beckman. The band has released four studio albums to date.
Follow the Cipher is a heavy metal band from Falun, Sweden, that was formed in 2014 by Sabaton contributor Ken Kängström, who is also the group's lead guitarist. The other members include bassist Jonas Asplind, drummer Karl Löfgren, guitarist and backing vocalist Viktor Carlsson. The band released their self-titled debut album on Nuclear Blast Records in May 2018.
The Great War is the ninth studio album by Swedish power metal band Sabaton. It was released on 19 July 2019. It is the first studio album to feature guitarist Tommy Johansson. Like many of Sabaton's albums, it is a concept album, this time about World War I, often known as the Great War. The songs cover multiple stories from the war, including those of Manfred von Richthofen, T.E. Lawrence, Alvin York, the Attack of the Dead Men, the Battle of Verdun, and others.
Nils Patrik Johansson is a Swedish heavy metal singer who has been the lead singer of Astral Doors since 2002 and was the lead vocalist of Civil War from 2012 to 2016. He is also a member of the bands Lion's Share and Wuthering Heights, as well as an eponymous solo project, Nils Patrik Johansson.
Chris Rörland is a Swedish guitarist. Before joining power metal band Sabaton in 2012, he played in TME and Nocturnal Rites.
Hannes Van Dahl is a Swedish musician, best known as the drummer of the power metal band Sabaton.
