Metal Bands from Sweden

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Link To Latest CD (Playlist) on YouTube

Starting out as a no-frills death metal band, Therion would completely change their sound in the mid-1990s, adding more operatic and classical influences. Choirs and orchestration would become the norm in Therion’s core sound. Even with many lineup changes, Therion has kept to a symphonic metal sound, with the band’s mastermind Christofer Johnsson leading the way.

Katatonia is another band whose sound has evolved over the years. They started in the early 1990s as more of a death/doom band. These days their music is much more complex and dynamic, but still heavy. Jonas Renkse's vocals have also evolved from being harsh to melodic.

Arch Enemy is unusual in the Swedish metal world as they are fronted by a female vocalist, although you'd be hard-pressed to tell from just listening. Original lead singer Angela Gossow death-growled with the best of them, and current vocalist Alissa White-Gluz continues that powerhouse tradition.

Candlemass is one of the pioneers of doom metal, which debuted as a genre around 1984. Messiah Marcolin was their singer in the band's heyday, followed by Robert Lowe. Mats Leven is currently the vocalist. The band continues to tour, even though they said that 2012's "Psalms for the Dead" would be their last studio album. In 2017, Candlemass released a picture disc of "Nightfall" and a "Dark Are the Veils of Death" vinyl to celebrate 30 years since recording the hit album.

Originally called Scum, Amon Amarth eventually changed its name to what the elves in J.R.R. Tolkien's books call Mount Doom. Amon Amarth could be considered the most Viking of the Viking Metal bands due to their lyrics and videos, but the band prefers to just be called metal. With Johan Hegg's seriously low register voice, the band's tightly structured playing, and videos that run like mini-films, the quintet manages to be rousing and fun as well as heavy and extreme.

In a country where melodic death metal reigns supreme, it may seem unusual to rank a largely progressive metal group like Evergrey so highly. However, when you factor in their extraordinary musical ability and great songwriting, it's an easy choice. Tom S. Englund has one of the best voices in metal, their videos are beautifully shot, and they put on a great live show.

Many listeners and critics dismiss Soilwork as being "too commercial." Sure, their style of melodic death metal is more palatable compared to some bands in the genre, but it's still unlikely that you'll hear any of their music on your local pop station anytime soon. They write great songs that mix the brutal and the melodic.

Even with multiple lineup changes, In Flames continues to be at the top of the melodic death metal genre. Mixing death metal growls with clean singing, they have a wide appeal that grows with each release—although some critics believe their latest releases drift too far toward the mainstream.

At the Gates also stood at the forefront of melodic death metal in the early '90s. Before disbanding in 1996, they recorded several influential and respected albums. Some of their members went on to form The Haunted. The band reunited in 2007, released their sixth full-length album, "To Drink From The Night Itself," in May 2018, and continue to tour.

Utilizing unusual time signatures and tempo changes, combined with thrash and death metal elements and out-and-out experimentation, Meshuggah never fails to surprise. While some of their projects can be more hit than miss, when they are on target, they are exceptional.

Dark Tranquility, formed at the end of the 1980s, were pioneers in the melodic death metal movement. Unlike some groups whose time in the sun has come and gone, Dark Tranquility continues to progress and release great albums.

Formed in 1989, Opeth not only is arguably the best band in Sweden, they also rank as one of the best bands in the metal genre, period. They are extremely musically diverse, mixing death metal with many other styles, and even using acoustic instruments in some songs. The vocals are diverse as well, and the lyrics are exceptional. In more recent years, the band has begun to lean toward a more progressive sound, but that has done little to diminish their metal bona fides.