Bloodbound

A Swedish heavy metal institution, Bloodbound's music has remained constant throughout their career, never straying very far from a traditional heavy metal base with power and symphonic metal accoutrements. Emerging in 2005 with Nosferatu, the band's dark image, which included corpse paint-style makeup, suggested a proclivity for black metal, but their sound hewed closer to anthemic power metal stalwarts like Helloween and Hammerfall. Bloodbound continued to explore the realms of epic fantasy metal on subsequent outings like Tabula Rasa (2009), Stormborn (2014), Rise of the Dragon Empire (2019), and Tales from the North (2024).

Bloodbound were formed in the summer of 2004 by kindred metallic spirits Tomas Olsson (lead guitar) and Fredrik Bergh (keyboards), both of whom had cut their teeth with several bands over the years before first joining forces in the short-lived Street Talk. Looking to make a strong impression from the get-go, the duo convinced experienced frontman Urban Breed, formerly of Tad Morose, to join Bloodbound's ranks, then completed the band's lineup with drummer Pelle Åkerlind (ex-Morgana LeFay), bassist Johan Sohlberg, and Olsson's brother Henrik as rhythm guitarist. This quintet recorded 2006's well-received freshman LP Nosferatu, but their much-vaunted "blood brothers" kinship was sadly already dissolved by the release of 2007's sophomore Book of the Dead, where Michael Bormann stepped in as vocalist and Bergh took over bass duties from the departed Sohlberg. Luckily, Bloodbound's original lineup would reunite for 2009's Tabula Rasa, only to splinter yet again before the sessions for 2011's Unholy Cross, where another new singer and bassist were introduced in Patrik J Selleby and Anders Broman, respectively. The fist-pumping In the Name of Metal was released in 2012, followed by the bombastic, Game of Thrones-inspired fantasy epics Stormborn (2014), War of Dragons (2017), and Rise of the Dragon Empire (2019); the live package One Night of Blood, documenting their appearance at Masters of Rock MMXV, appeared in 2016. Bloodbound's ninth studio album, Creatures of the Dark Realm, was released in 2021 and continued their sword and sorcery lyrical predilections. 2024's Tales from the North saw the band deliver an Odin-worthy power metal feast rooted in themes of Norse history and mythology. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi