Unleashed (band)

Unleashed was founded in 1989 by vocalist and bassist Johnny Hedlund. Unleashed recorded demos "Revenge" and "Utter Dark", which got them a record deal with the German label Century Media Records. In 1991, the band released their debut studio album, Where No Life Dwells, and toured with Morbid Angel in Europe and the US.

In 1992, Unleashed released their second studio album, Shadows in the Deep, including a cover version of Venom's "Countess Bathory". Their next studio albums were Across the Open Sea in 1993 and Victory in 1995, the latter being the last album which guitarist Fredrik Lindgren played on. Lindgren began to focus strongly on playing punk rock in his band Loud Pipes, consisting of members from famous Swedish death metal bands, and when he finally left Unleashed they replaced him with Fredrik Folkare, who played guitar on the fifth Unleashed studio album Warrior in 1997.

File:Unleashed_JonnhyHedlund.jpg

The band went on hiatus after 7–8 years of recording and touring. They were concentrating on life outside the music business, their musical side projects, and studying. After a reissue of the band's classics in 2002, the band released a new album called Hell's Unleashed in the same year, and they began to tour once again. This was also the same year Hedlund had come under scrutiny because of allegations that he was a Nazi sympathizer. Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters initially had intended to approach Hedlund, hoping he would contribute lead vocals to one of the songs for his Probot metal project, but the album producer, Matt Sweeney, discouraged him from doing so because of the rumors of Hedlund's alleged sympathies.{{cite web|url = http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=37802|title = DAVE GROHL NIRVANA 'Ripped Off' UNLEASHED Song|publisher = blabbermouth.net|date = 2005-06-08|access-date = 2007-10-02|url-status= dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080116181559/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=37802|archive-date = 2008-01-16}} Hedlund quickly branded these accusations as false and stated, Unleashed praises nature, beast and man. Man....regardless of background, place of birth or color of the skin.{{cite web| url=http://www.metalstorm.ee/bands/biography.php?band_id=356&bandname=Unleashed| title=Unleashed Biography| website=Metalstorm.ee| access-date=2007-10-02}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/unleashed-we-are-not-nazi-sympathizers/|title=Unleashed: We Are Not Nazi Sympathizers!|date=2002-10-23|work=Blabbermouth.net|access-date=2017-08-01}}

In 2004, Unleashed released their seventh studio album, Sworn Allegiance. In October 2006, the band released their eighth studio album, Midvinterblot. Unleashed toured Europe in November 2006 as part of the Masters of Death tour, with Grave, Dismember, and Entombed. On February and March 2007, they headlined a North American tour with Krisiun and Belphegor. June 2008 saw the release of their ninth studio album entitled Hammer Battalion.

On 24 July 2009, Unleashed signed a contract with German label Nuclear Blast Records for the release of their tenth album entitled As Yggdrasil Trembles. In the press statement the band said, "We are very much looking forward to this new cooperation! The recording of the album is scheduled for October/November this year."{{cite web| url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=124143| archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913045931/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=124143| url-status=dead| archive-date=2012-09-13| title=UNLEASHED Signs With NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS - July 24, 2009}}

In summer 2010, Unleashed was part of the Summer Breeze Open Air and the With Full Force heavy metal festivals in Germany.{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=132192|title=1349, REBELLION Confirmed For Germany's SUMMER BREEZE Festival|publisher=Blabbermouth.net|date=2009-12-17|access-date=2010-03-24|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606080839/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=132192|archive-date=2011-06-06}} The band's 11th studio album Odalheim was released also on Nuclear Blast Records in April 2012, and their twelfth record Dawn of the Nine was released 24 April 2015. In early 2018, it was announced that Unleashed had signed to prominent Austrian label Napalm Records, through whom they released their next album entitled The Hunt for White Christ later that year. In February 2021, the band announced that they were working on their 14th studio album. The resulting No Sign of Life was released in late 2021.

Unleashed Metal Frenzy 2024 14.jpg|Johnny Hedlund

Unleashed Metal Frenzy 2024 24.jpg|Tomas Måsgard

Unleashed Metal Frenzy 2024 05.jpg|Fredrik Folkare

Unleashed Metal Frenzy 2024 01.jpg|Anders Schultz

• Johnny Hedlund – vocals, bass (1989–present)
• Anders Schultz – drums (1989–present)
• Tomas Måsgard – rhythm guitar (1990–present)
• Fredrik Folkare – lead guitar (1995–present) [https://web.archive.org/web/20130704035139/http://metalriot.com/news/unleashed/]

• Fredrik Lindgren – lead guitar (1989–1995, died 2025){{Cite web |date=2025-01-05 |title=Έφυγε ο Fredrik Lindgren (κιθάρα UNLEASHED) |url=https://www.forgotten-scroll.gr/forum/viewtopic.php?p=96809 |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Forgotten Scroll |language=el}}
• Robert Sennebäck – vocals, rhythm guitar (1989–1990)

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• Where No Life Dwells (1991)
• Shadows in the Deep (1992)
• Across the Open Sea (1993)
• Victory (1995)
• Warrior (1997)
• Hell's Unleashed (2002)
• Sworn Allegiance (2004)
• Midvinterblot (2006)
• Hammer Battalion (2008)
• As Yggdrasil Trembles (2010)
• Odalheim (2012){{cite web|url=http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=76469 |title=Unleashed Announces Title, Album Concept - in Metal News |website=Metalunderground.com |date=2011-08-15 |access-date=2020-03-22}}
• Dawn of the Nine (2015) {{cite web|url=http://www.nuclearblast.de/en/label/music/band/discography/details/3757002.71093.dawn-of-the-nine.html |title=Dawn Of The Nine by UNLEASHED - info and shop at Nuclear Blast - Nuclear Blast |website=Nuclearblast.de |access-date=2020-03-22}}
• The Hunt for White Christ (2018)
• No Sign of Life (2021)
• Fire Upon Your Lands (2025)

• ...And the Laughter Has Died (1991)

• Live in Vienna '93 (1993)
• Eastern Blood Hail to Poland (1996)

• Masters of Brutality (Fnac Music, 1992)
• Viking Raids (The Best Of 1991-2004) (2008)

• ...And We Shall Triumph in Victory (2003)
• Immortal Glory (The Complete Century Media Years) (2008)

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|Unleashed}}

• [http://www.unleashed.se Unleashed - official website]

{{Unleashed (band)}}

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Category:Musical groups established in 1989

Category:Swedish death metal musical groups

Category:Swedish viking metal musical groups

Category:Century Media Records artists

Category:Nuclear Blast artists

Category:Musical groups from Stockholm