On Rock - Exerpt

The Swedish rock scene of the mid '00s was suitably efficient in its retrograde ambitions. There was also a clear distinction between the new rock bands that appeared after the mid 90s and the legions of melodic death metal and flamboyantly classicist power metal bands that developed earlier. Swedish garage revivalists the Hives and the the Hellacopters kept rip-roaring beer-soaked garage rock alive and kicking. The Hives achieved a measure of success in the States and managed a few radio hits, while the Hellacopters truly earned the tag of "Sweden's loudest band" with their hellacious live show.

A number of the heavy stoner rock bands of this area were influenced greatly by the rich psychedelic and experimental tradition of their homeland. Carcass, Carnage and Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amot's Spiritual Beggars, along with Kyuss-worshipping desert gods Dozer, Greenleaf, Asteroid and Demon Cleaner are the best of these, but worthwhile rocking has been done by the likes of Lowrider, Truckfighters, Roach Powder and the Mushroom River Band. Witchcraft and later Graveyeard were more or less untouched by the American desert rock and altarnative rock currents, and did a completely faithfuk homage to 70s proto doom bands like Bedemon, Necromandus, Lucifer's Friend and Pentagram. Gluecifer was harder-hitting and more glammed up than some of the blunted out stoners in those bands, but their approach was mostly a tightened up version of traditional high energy hard rock.

Dungen stand out as the most significant rock band of the period, due to their superior songwriting chops and spectacular use of the recording studio. Strangely enough, their use of Swedish singing caused them to stand out significantly from many of their contemporaries. Their album Ta Det Lungt made substantial inroads in the burgeoning North American indie rock market and raised the band's profile considerably. Main man Gustav Ejstes started the project as essentially a one-man studio project, but eventually put together a full band for touring and recording purposes. At best, their sound married pristine production and indelible if unintelligible hooks to an adventurous musical base that incorporated jazzy interludes, warm acoustic mantras, low-key lounge crawls, and heavy psychedelic freakouts. Estes' guitar was just as likely to let go a screeching feedback solo as release a fluttering butterfly melody.

Opeth began life as an extreme metal band in the '90s, but quickly evolved into something altogether more dynamic. Their Blackwater Park album nicked its name and ambition from 70's prog rock dinosaurs, but it is a high water mark for progressive metal. Opeth also managed to build a titanic live reputation based on their obvious musical skill and crushing take on Zeppelin's classic light and shade approach. This suited them well among some of the bands that were appearing on the heavier end of post-rock experimentation. Opeth's output would become quite influential as more bands embraced the grandiosity and complexity of progressive music later in the decade. Opeth themselves continued to evolve and generated a vortex of metal, folk, rock, jazz, psychedelic and progressive music before committing themselves to full fledged 70's revivalism at the close of the decade. By the end they had more in common with King Crimson than In Flames, but their discography is consistent, expansive, and surprisingly approachable.


Sweden's approach to doom has traditionally been more classically influenced in the heavy metal sense of the term as demonstrated by Count Raven, Isole and Candlemass. Grand Magus were much more dramatic than either their English Rise Above lablemates or their American Southern Lord contemporaries. Cult of Luna approached Candlemass riffs from an alternative rock angle and showed a flair blissed-out dynamic builds as well. Ghost (not the Japanese band) appeared late in the decade and delivered a killer sludge assault with occasionally Ozzie-ish vocals.