Sweden Rock Festival 2025 (SWE)

[cristyflorin]

Line-up 2025

 

SLIPKNOT US

Slipknot's eponymous (label) debut caused sensation and controversy in equal measure. Metallic brutality as, more or less, organized chaos. Lyrics dripping with anguish and rage. The distinctly masked nine-man outfit took these elements even further on their next album, "Iowa" (2001), named after their home state. This success cemented Slipknot's place in metal history and they have ever since been a vital part of the scene. Neither internal controversies nor even tragedies have been able to stop Corey Taylor & Co, who released their seventh "real" album "The end, so far" in 2022 and will make their highly anticipated SRF debut in 2025.

 

SABATON SE

From cult act to cultural phenomenon. Amazing work ethics, an ever-reliable knack for catchy songwriting and, lest we forget, a riveting historical concept has made Sabaton one of Sweden's biggest metal bands ever. Their album debut "Primo victoria" in 2005, domestic mega-success "Carolus rex" in 2012, and the massive international splash with their latest, tenth album "The war to end all wars" (2022) are just some of their career milestones. Sabaton's ability to combine seductive melodies with informative storytelling from military history makes them unique, and has resulted in countless modern classics. "Primo victoria", "Ghost division", "Cliffs of Gallipoli", "40:1", "Carolus rex", "Bismarck", "No bullets fly", "Christmas truce", Motörhead cover "1916" ... at times it appears as if every song produced by Joakim Brodén & Co becomes a fan favorite. SRF 2025 will be the band's only European show this summer, featuring a unique production.

 

SCORPIONS DE

Yes, Scorpions really do celebrate their 60th anniversary in 2025. Though in 1965 they were just schoolboys led by guitarist Rudolf Schenker. It got really serious with their album debut in 1972, singer Klaus Meine having joined the ranks. International stardom came with such albums as "Lovedrive" (1979), "Blackout" (1982) and "Love at first sting" (1984), the band got their biggest hit in 1991 with "Wind of change" ... In short, Scorpions remain one of the biggest hard rock bands ever, and unquestionably the most legendary one from their native Germany. Swedish Motörhead-veteran Mikkey Dee becoming their drummer in 2016 has both donned extra sting (!) to the classics live, and contributed to make their most recent album "Rock believer" (2022) their most energetic in years.

 

KORN US

KoRns eponymous debut from 1994 is one of the most influential albums of the 90s, generally regarded as the beginning of the nu metal genre. These Californians followed up "Korn" with "Life is peachy" (1996), "Follow the leader" (1998) and "Issues" (1999): all huge successes and milestones in nu metal history. KoRn have remained a vital and highly regarded part of contemporary music. Their most recent, fourteenth album "Requiem" (2022) was yet another success, praised for its innovative sound, and the band promise that the upcoming follow-up won't be any weaker.

 

DREAM THEATER US

Was ever the return of a drummer so longed for? The world's biggest prog metal band Dream Theater having reunited with their immeasurably popular original drummer Mike Portnoy will definitely affect crowd response on their return to SRF. Not that the crowd wouldn't have cheered anyway, given the material from such historical albums as "Images and words" (1992), "Awake" (1994) and "Black clouds & silver linings" (2009). Lest we forget, Portnoy, singer James LaBrie, guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung and keyboardist Jordan Rudess will release Dream Theater's sixteenth studio album "Parasomnia" in February.

 

KING DIAMOND DK

Danish-born metal singer King Diamond is famous as the frontman in the legendary Mercyful Fate, as well as his own namesake band. The makeup-adorned shock rocker debuted with the latter act in 1986, and "Fatal portrait" was an instant success. Even greater such were the follow-ups "Abigail" (1987), "Them" (1988) and "Conspiracy" (1989): possibly the eeriest concept albums in metal history, with Diamonds equally eerie falsetto as additional spice. Until 2007, King Diamond continuously delivered more successful albums in the same epic, old school-metallic style. And in 2025, we hear, the first part of a new suite of albums, "The institute", will finally see the light of day.

 

OPETH SE

Progressive rock fused with death metal and growling? A pioneering concept in 1995, so Opeth's breakthrough was not immediate. But success gradually grew with albums like "Blackwater Park" (2001), "Ghost reveries" (2006) and "Watershed" (2008). Opeth's rise came to no halt when main man Mikael Åkerfeldt went over to clean singing full time on "Heritage" (2010). On the contrary, success continued. "In cauda venenum" (2019) possibly became the most highly praised Opeth album yet, establishing the band as one of Sweden's biggest in both progressive rock and metal. Now its follow-up "The last will and testament" is finally here, and even with the occasional growling, to the delight of old fans.

 

KREATOR DE

Germany's, and Europe's, most legendary thrash band. But Mille Petrozza & Co don't just live off the classic status of albums like "Pleasure to kill" (1986) and "Extreme aggression" (1989). On the contrary, Kreator have remained ever relevant and their most recent albums "Gods of violence" (2017) and "Hate über alles" (2022) are also universally recognized as jewels in their crown. Kreator's secrets for staying on top throughout their, so far, fifteen album-long career, are, one; strong material, two; ever-fresh new angles, and three; "extreme aggression". Them always giving their very all on stage doesn't hurt either.

 

MESHUGGAH SE

Brutal music built around mind-bogglingly technical rhythms. This was the concept by which Sweden's Meshuggah redefined a whole metal generation. Albums like "Destroy erase improve" (1995) and "Chaosphere" (1998) are genre-defining classics, and the band continues to impress and fascinate with each new album, the ninth and most recent being "Immutable" (2022). And on stage, vocalist Jens Kidman, drummer and living legend Tomas Haake and the others form a compact sonic wall of heaviness and precision.

 

RUNNING WILD DE

As iconic as heavy metal gets! These German legends led by "Rock'n'Rolf" Kasparek used their Judas Priest-influences to create their very own brand of heavy metal. Their debut "Gates to purgatory" (1984) achieved cult status. Their third album "Under Jolly Roger" (1987) launched the pirate theme that made Running Wild famous for real. And in the 90s, when many saw traditional metal as dead, Running Wild stuck to their guns on one album more classic than the other. Besides their highly anticipated return to SRF, their many fans also have an eighteenth studio album to look forward to in 2025.

 

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION US

The supergroup of all supergroups! On vocals and bass: Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Phenomena, The Dead Daisies). On keyboards: Derek Sherinian (Alice Cooper, Dream Theater). On drums: Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin, UFO, Foreigner). On guitar: the king of modern blues, Joe Bonamassa. Their first four albums from 2010-2017 made every classic rock fan cheer - and then despair, when the band went on indefinite hiatus. Imagine the joy of those fans when Black Country Communion returned after seven years with "V" (2024 - which turned out to be every bit as good as its predecessors.

 

TURBONEGRO NO

Deathpunk on "Ass cobra" (1996), glam on steroids on "Apocalypse dudes" (1998), new wave, synth plus everything and more on "Rocknroll machine" (2018). Norway's Turbonegro is almost impossible to briefly describe. But, it is easy to pinpoint them as one of the most beloved Nordic rock bands through a nine album career. This thanks to powerful songs and live shows as extravagant as humorously provocative. Apart from three concerts in their native Norway a couple of years ago, Turbonegro have not played any shows since 2019, but now the time has finally come for their return to the live scene.

 

D-A-D DK

D-A-D and Swedish crowds have a long mutual history. Sweden was among the first countries to discover Denmark's arguably most legendary rock band, who debuted in 1986 and within a few years had cemented their place on the Nordic scenes with such classic songs as "Sleeping my day away", "Bad craziness" and "Laugh n'a ½". Their unique blend of hard rock'n'roll, country and punk have earned. D-A-D an ever loyal fanbase. Their current album "Speed of darkness", their first in five years, has been greatly anticipated, and the D-A-D liveshows remain attractions that are second to none. Just to mention one thing, we have all Stig Pedersen's bizarre bass guitars!

 

PRETTY MAIDS DK

One of the most legendary bands in Nordic classic metal! Danes Pretty Maids made metal history even with their first albums "Red hot and heavy" (1984) and "Future world" (1987). In modern times, they have enjoyed a kind of second golden age from "Pandemonium" (2010) and their most recent sixteenth album "Undress your madness" (2019). The latter was followed by a timeout, for band leaders Ronnie Atkins (vocals) and Ken Hammer (guitar) to pursue other projects. But now Pretty Maids are back on the live scene.

 

SKILLET US

Skillet from Memphis, Tennessee are titans on the US rock scene. Their sound could be described as a combination of postgrunge and alternative metal, with a Christian message. The eleven studio albums, the first one released in 1996, have sold in excess of 17 million copies. The biggest seller of the lot would be number seven, "Awake" (2009), containting the hits "Monster" and "Hero". However, Skillet have enjoyed continuous success with subsequent albums as well, most recently the lauded "Dominion" (2022). They have placed high on the SRF audience wishlist since their last visit in 2014 and now it is finally time for their comeback!

 

ORBIT CULTURE SE

When Sweden's Orbit Culture made their SRF debut in 2022, the crowds pulled left no doubt: these were rising stars of melodic death metal. Under the ambitious leadership of frontman Niklas Karlsson, Orbit Culture have released four EPs and as many albums since 2013, and had what deserves the name hits with songs like "Sun of all", "Saw" and "The shadowing". Tours with Machine Head and Slipknot during 2024 have also confirmed what we just stated: Orbit Culture is a band steadily on the rise.

 

CATTLE DECAPITATION US

Deathgrind heroes Cattle Decapitation from San Diego have, ever since their 2002 debut album "To serve man", been controversial for their graphic artwork and activism for animal rights. Which hasn't hurt their career at all. On the contrary, albums like "Monolith of inhumanity" (2012) and "The anthropocene extinction" (2014) are modern extreme metal classics, and their latest and eighth album "Terrasite" (2023) their most celebrated so far. In short, it's one of the currently hottest names in brutal music who are making their SRF debut.

 

CRUCIFIED BARBARA SE

Yep - they're back! One of Sweden's greatest heavy garage bands ever got off to a flying start with their hit single "Losing my mind" and debut album "In distorsion we trust" in 2005. After three more albums and extensive touring in Sweden and abroad, Crucified Barbara split up in 2016, grieved by many. Frontwoman Mia Coldheart became a solo artist (and later bassist in the Gems), while the others formed the Heard. But now we finally get to see Crucified Barbara reunited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album. At Sweden Rock Festival, they will be on stage together again for the first time in a decade to perform the best songs from all their four albums.

 

SAMANTHA FISH US

Samantha Fish from Kansas City, Missouri is one of the hottest names in contemporary blues. Her sound boasts rich influences from rock, country, bluegrass and more. She debuted on record in 2009, with the live album "Live bait". Since then she has, among other things, released seven studio albums in her own right and most recently, in 2023, her praised collaboration with Jesse Dayton, "Death by blues". 2024 has also seen her go on tour with Slash as well as the Rolling Stones.

 

THE GHOST INSIDE US

The band that cheated death and rose again! The Ghost Inside, the Californian masters of melodic metalcore, released four albums in 2008-2014, of which the final one, "Dear youth", also raised their profile abroad. However, in 2015 they were involved in a horrific bus accident that very nearly killed them all. But The Ghost Inside not only survived, but fought their way back. Their comeback album "The Ghost Inside" (2020) became their greatest international success so far, and its 2024 follow-up "Searching for solace" sees the band beginning their conquest of European live audiences as well.

 

SOEN SE

Sweden's answer to Tool? Nah, that might not be the whole truth, but admittedly Soen also play dark, progressive metal quite unlike anything else. The band has released six studio albums to date, from "Cognitive" (2012) to "Memorial" (2023), and are more and more becoming connoisseur faves among lovers of ominous, meticulous music. They are also formidable musicians - drumming legend Martin Lopez (Opeth, Amon Amarth) being the most famous example.

 

MYRKUR DK

Myrkur is a soloproject by Danish singer and multi-instrumentalist Amalie Bruun. Since the eponymous debut EP in 2014, Myrkur has just gone onward and upward: all four full-length albums have received rave reviews and each has dramatically increased its fanbase. Musically, Myrkur has gone from relatively traditional black metal on "M" (2015) and the more Gothic "Mareridt" (2017) to what we might call metallic Norse folk music on "Folkesange" (2020) and "Spine" (2023).

 

ALIEN SE

Alien's eponymous 1988 debut may be the most beloved Swedish AOR album ever: a domestic mega success, featuring the hit singles "Only one woman" and "Tears don't put out the fire". This success wasn't repeated, however, mainly due to numerous changes of vocalists. So many rejoiced when classic singer Jim Jidhed returned for the "Dark eyes" album in 2005. They were even happier when Alien reunited permanently, with Jidhed, for the "Eternity" (2014) and "Into the future" (2020) albums. If the latter was more experimental, Alien's up n' coming eighth album is reportedly once more all about the AOR.

 

THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE ZUGLY NO

One knockout punch straight from the Norwegian punk scene! The Good The Bad and the Zugly started in 2010, are fronted by Kvelertak vocalist Ivar Nikolaisen and have been compared to compatriots Turbonegro and Gluecifer. They have made five studio albums so far, most recently "Research and destroy" in 2022. But in true punk fashion, their odd singles would be even more cult. The band's first compilation of those, "The worst four years" (2017), is already a classic and now the time has come for a follow-up, "Decade of regression". It doesn't get more no-frills or ballsy - rock'n'roll to the bone!

 

 

Sweden Rock Festival. No poster yet. New anmes Monday - likely Linkin Park like RaR/RIP and NovaRock.

 

[SweetJesus]

How do you know about new names? They said only “more information on monday”

[cristyflorin]

11 minutes ago, SweetJesus said:

How do you know about new names? They said only “more information on monday”

A guess, no insider info