Unleashed

This article explains the band Unleashed , for the film see: Unleashed .

Unleashed
Unleashed at With Full Force 2018
General information
Genre (s)	Death metal , thrash metal
founding	1989
Website	http://www.unleashed.se/
Current occupation
guitar	Tomas Måsgard
Vocals , bass	Johnny Hedlund
guitar	Fredrik Folkare
Drums	Anders Schultz
former members
guitar	Fredrik Lindgren (1989–1995)

Unleashed (engl., Unleashed ') is a company incorporated in 1989 death metal - band from Sweden that by mid-2009 at SPV was under contract and is now at Napalm Records is for this class.

Band history

Singer and bassist Johnny Hedlund at the Rockharz Open Air 2014

The band was formed in 1989 after Nihilist broke up ; the remaining members formed Entombed a week after its dissolution .

After some demo recordings , a tour with Bolt Thrower and a single, the debut album Where No Life Dwells was released in 1991, which was followed by a tour with Morbid Angel . After the album Shadows in the Deep , which, like its predecessor, received positive reviews, Across the Open Sea , Victory and Warrior were released . After the latter was not well received by fans and critics, a band break followed until 2002.

With the following album Hell's Unleashed , the band went on tour again and performed at festivals. Two years later, Sworn Allegiance was released another album, which was positively received by the reviews.

In February 2006 Anders Schultz suffered a collapsed lung, which is why he was replaced by Jonas Tyskhagen for the appearance at the Metal Mania Festival in Poland. In March 2006 the band announced their eighth album and went into the studio to record, in July 2006 they signed a contract with SPV and announced the album Midvinterblot for the coming fall. The album reached first place in the German Legacy magazine. In November 2006 Unleashed went on the Masters of Death tour through Europe with Dismember , Entombed and Grave and in the spring of 2007 on a tour through North America. In 2008 the album Hammer Battalion was released and the band shot a video for the song Black Horizon on it, before going back on the stages, including as headlining at various festivals and then again on Hammer Battalion tour as headlining with Obituary through the states. In Europe, the tour continued in November and December together with Krisiun and One Man Army and the Undead Quartet . The music video for Black Horizon was released in 2008.

In 2011 the band was notified by GEMA that it had allowed SPV / Sony to withdraw several thousand euros from the band's accounts. GEMA refused Unleashed an answer to the question about the reason.

Music style and lyrics

Tomas Måsgard at the Rockharz Open Air 2014

Robert Müller from Metal Hammer described the band's style at the time of their debut album as “really hard-boiled, dry, hard Death Metal, without youthful boisterous technical frippery, but also without childish enthusiasm for cacophonic noise orgies” and their third album Across the Open Sea as “ one of the most puristic records of this genre for a long time, completely free of 'newfangled' influences such as jazz or hardcore ”. His colleague Jörg Staude wrote that the band was “almost as iconic as Venom back then . Sometimes they are just as bad, but who cares? ”Hedlund commented on the developments at that time with“ [e] about 60-70 percent of the original death metal bands ”that anyone“ can do what they want, but they should do it please don't call it Death Metal ”. With the next album Unleashed wanted to “show that an enormous range of variation is possible within Death Metal. We are experimenting with different rhythms and tempos and have just bought our dream equipment, so that the sound will hopefully be absolutely breathtaking. “The Finnish Kill Yourself !!! Magazine, however, called Victory , the successor to Across the Open Sea , a "piece of shit"; the music is “monotonous, typical and deadly boring Death Metal with really crappy growl vocals that lack power. […] In fact, Death Metal couldn't be more boring […]. ”In their obituary for Peter Steele , the band Carnivore , Type O negatives and“ especially his ironic way of writing lyrics ”were their inspiration.

The band's lettering contains an upside-down cross , and according to his own account, Hedlund Anton Szandor had read LaVey's Satanic Bible about twenty times by 1991, that certainly has an influence on me. Some song lines are even direct quotations from it. But I don't agree with everything it says, I'm not a pure satanist. ” Satanism and upside down crosses are“ primarily a provocation against reality ”. In Lords of Chaos , the band was referred to as the forerunner of certain black metal bands. This band differed from usual death metal concerts by Hedlund's statements about the need to destroy the “Christian religion of weakness” and self-preservation as the highest law; these are not the usual statements of a metal band, but they have been picked up by prominent Black Metallers. Parallels to statements from the Norwegian black metal environment were also seen in Hedlund's reference to the influence of his ancestors and the landscape and nature. The Norwegian black metal scene was described by Hedlund as a "nonexistent scene" which he does not want to "talk about and at the same time bring into disrepute"; There are bands, "they make one or the other record - but hardly any one has ever performed live, has come into contact with the fans and thus created a 'scene'." The band ascribes itself, 1989, "Viking- Traditions and Values ​​”in Death Metal and, according to her own statements, is fighting to be“ the Viking leaders of Swedish Death Metal ”, which means she strives to“ lead Viking Death Metal and its future to define ”and to defend and develop the contents of these traditions and values. According to the band itself, "Unleashed represents the past, present and future of rebellion against all that is wrong and unjust". For example, in Violent Ecstacy "it's about fighting back"; this is not meant as a glorification of violence, “but sometimes it is necessary. Or 'For They Shall Be Slain', a song against religions ... against all religions, not just against Christianity. It's a song about not getting involved in discussions about religions, I say very brutally: 'For They Shall Be Slain'. ”At concerts, Hedlund dedicates songs to his ancestors and spills mead that he has previously drunk over the concertgoers in the front rows. With regard to the Nordic-pagan reference and the appropriation of this mythology and symbolism by right-wing extremists , Hedlund said: “The swastika is an old symbol of the sun and life. I would never wear one, but I wear the Thor hammer , which is seen as a nationalist symbol, but for me is a symbol of the warrior, a person who takes care of his family, who takes responsibility. Nationalist? Well, it's me, because I love this country, but that doesn't make me a Nazi, and I don't see why people want to label me the bad guy who just have no idea where the real problem is. ”Hedlund's nationalism is roughly to be understood as "proud self-confidence as a national unity and respectful understanding of others".

Band members

• Unleashed, live at With Full Force 2018
• 

  Singer and bass player Johnny Hedlund

• 

  Guitarist Tomas Måsgard

• 

  Guitarist Fredrik Folkare

• 

  Drummer Anders Schultz

Discography

Chart positions Explanation of the data

Albums

Odalheim   DE 92 05/04/2012 (1 week) Dawn of the Nine   DE 71 05/05/2015 (1 week) The Hunt for White Christ   DE 52 11/02/2018 (1 week)   CH 87 04/11/2018 (1 week)

Studio albums

• Where No Life Dwells (1991)
• Shadows in the Deep (1992)
• Across the Open Sea (1993)
• Victory (1995)
• Warrior (1997)
• Hell's Unleashed (2002)
• Sworn Allegiance (2004)
• Midvinterblot (2006)
• Hammer Battalion (2008)
• As Yggdrasil Trembles (2010)
• Odalheim (2012)
• Dawn of the Nine (2015)
• The Hunt for White Christ (2018)

Live albums

• Live in Vienna '93 (1993)
• Eastern Blood - Hail to Poland (1996)

Demo recordings

• The Utter Dark (1990)
• Revenge (1990)

EPs and splits

• In the Eyes of Death (Split, 1991)
• And the Laughter Has Died ... (EP, 1991)

Others

• Century Media Promo Tape (Promo-MC, 1990)
• … And We Shall Triumph in Victory (box set including the first six albums on vinyl, limited to 2000 pieces, 2003)
• Viking Raids (Compilation, 2008)
• Immortal Glory (Box-Set, 2008)

swell

1. ↑ ^{a b} About Unleashed ( Memento of the original from September 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed November 27, 2012. 
2. ↑ Frank Stöver: NIHILIST .
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Robert Müller: Unleashed . The real Vikings . In: Metal Hammer , September 1991, p. 118.
4. ↑ Different hospitalized for lung collapse ( memento of the original from August 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , February 21, 2006, accessed November 27, 2012. 
5. ↑ Temporary replacement for Anders for the "Metal Mania" Festival in Poland ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , February 23, 2006, accessed November 27, 2012. 
6. ↑ Unleashed currently in the Studio, recording their 8th studio album ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , March 31, 2006, accessed November 27, 2012. 
7. ↑ Unleashed joins forces with SPV ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , July 19, 2006, accessed November 27, 2012. 
8. ↑ Release of Unleashed's 8th Studio Album Midvinterblot ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , August 16, 2006, accessed November 27, 2012. 
9. ↑ Unleashed conquers number one position in German metal magazine "LEGACY" ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , November 8, 2006, accessed November 27, 2012. 
10. ↑ MASTERS OF DEATH TOUR 2006, Unleashed, Grave, Dismember and Entombed on tour ( Memento of the original from August 21, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , June 13, 2006, accessed November 27, 2012. 
11. ↑ Unleashed wants to thank their Vinland fans for a fantastic tour ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , March 19, 2007, accessed November 27, 2012. 
12. ↑ Unleashed Video Recording ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , August 24, 2007, accessed November 27, 2012. 
13. ↑ US tour confirmed and samples from upcoming "Hammer Battalion" ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , April 28, 2007, accessed November 27, 2012. 
14. ↑ Hammer Battalion US tour, change of venue in Ft.Worth, Texas ( memento of the original from August 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , August 22, 2007, accessed November 27, 2012. 
15. ↑ Hammer Battalion European Tour starts on the 14th of November ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , November 7, 2008, accessed November 27, 2012. 
16. ↑ Thank you to our European warriors ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , December 16, 2008, accessed November 27, 2012. 
17. ↑ World Premiere of "Black Horizon" Video ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , September 9, 2008, accessed November 27, 2012. 
18. ↑ The GEMA allows free access to bandmembers accounts ( Memento of the original from September 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , December 4, 2011, accessed November 27, 2012. 
19. ↑ ^{a b c d} Robert Müller: Unleashed . Of the pride of the righteous . In: Metal Hammer , March 1994, pp. 136f.
20. ↑ Jörg Staude: Unleashed . Across The Open Sea . In: Metal Hammer , October 1993, p. 54.
21. ↑ Unleashed . Victory . In: Kill Yourself !!! Magazine , No. 4, 1995, p. 5.
22. ↑ We raise our goblets to a warrior. ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , April 18, 2010, accessed November 27, 2012. 
23. ↑ Michael Moynihan , Didrik Søderlind: Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground . Venice, CA: Feral House 1998, p. 30.
24. ↑ Michael Moynihan, Didrik Søderlind: Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground . Venice, CA: Feral House 1998, p. 179.
25. ↑ Declaration Of War ( Memento of the original of September 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed November 27, 2012. 
26. ↑ Michael Moynihan, Didrik Søderlind: Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground . Venice, CA: Feral House 1998, p. 31.
27. ↑ Unleashed in the German charts
28. ↑ Chart sources: CH

Web links

Commons : Unleashed  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the band