Dream Evil

Scandinavian power metal unit Dream Evil -- named after a 1987 <a href="spotify:artist:4CYeVo5iZbtYGBN4Isc3n6">Dio</a> album -- is the brainchild of revered Swedish music producer Fredrik Nordström, one of the most prolific melodic death metal engineers in the country. Formed in 1999 alongside <a href="spotify:artist:70I9vE7YTwKmelfEplXc5r">Firewind</a> guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:6LEttL8kbm67tcEy84Qh5O">Gus G</a>, the band was eventually rounded out by vocalist Niklas Isfeldt, bass player Peter Stålfors, and drummer <a href="spotify:artist:6GkcXH1o5ofhq0dPxSoFok">Snowy Shaw</a>. Dream Evil dropped their debut album, Dragonslayer, on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Century+Media%22">Century Media</a> in 2002, followed by tours with <a href="spotify:artist:2o18h28enlHxj887tATc58">Hammerfall</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:7jxJ25p0pPjk0MStloN6o6">Blind Guardian</a>. The group's sophomore full-length, Evilized, was released in 2003, with The Book of Heavy Metal arriving the following year. <a href="spotify:artist:6LEttL8kbm67tcEy84Qh5O">Gus G</a> left the fold shortly after the latter LP's release, and was replaced by Mark Black.

The lineup changes continued in 2006 with the departure of <a href="spotify:artist:6GkcXH1o5ofhq0dPxSoFok">Shaw</a> and the arrival of new drummer Pat Power, who made his studio debut on that year's United. Black left the group in 2007 and was replaced by Daniel Varghamne, who appeared on the band's fifth studio long-player, 2010's In the Night.

Black would return to the fold for 2017's aptly named Six. Following support and festival tours of Europe and the U.S., Dream Evil reconvened only occasionally for the purpose of touring -- each of the band's members had young children at home. They began recording an album in 2019, but were interrupted by the pandemic, then placed family priorities over recording. In July 2024, following a clutch of video singles, Dream Evil returned with Metal Gods. The album was recorded and mixed by Nordstrom, and included three guests, all on lead guitar: Jonathan Thorpenberg (the Unguided), Tommy Johansson (<a href="spotify:artist:0yOw8r5Hd8SyHeZL2eFkxF">Majestica</a>), and <a href="spotify:artist:1oICjZBHU6lx0ck43cZiZz">Christopher Amott</a> (Black Earth). ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi