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Helsingborg, SWEDEN-based Soilwork got their start in 1995, with the
name Inferior Breed; the line-up for that time was vocalist Björn
'Speed' Strid, guitarists Peter Wichers, Ludvig Svartz and Mattias Nilsson,
Carl-Gustav Döös on bass and drummer Jimmy Persson.
Before they could record a disc, their early line-up was shaken up by
the departure of bassist Döös. To record the 5-track demo, "In
Dreams We Fall Into The Eternal Lake", Wichers decided to handle
the bass parts himself. Mattias Nilsson then left the crew. The EP quickly
attracted the attention of various record labels, including the fledgling
French label known as Listenable Records, which signed the band. After
adding keyboardist Carlos Holmberg and bassist Ola Flink they changed
the name to Soilwork.
"Steelbath Suicide", the band's official debut, saw the light
of day in 1998 and immediately caused a major positive stir in the Metal
underground.
The following year, after new changes in the formation, guitarist Ola
Freening replaced Svartz and drummer Henry Ranta replaced Persson, Soilwork
released its second LP, "The Chainheart Machine".
In February 2001, the Swedish metallers put out their third album, the
first on Nuclear Blast, "A Predator's Portrait"; the record
hit the Metal scene with ferocity, capitalizing on the songwriting strengths
and diverse musicianship of the band and taking fans and critics by surprise.
Highlights for the band that year included their performance at Wacken
Open Air in front of more than 20,000 fans, as well as their first-ever
American appearance at the Milwaukee Metalfest. Soon after Holmberg left
the band and was replaced by keyboardist Sven Karlsson.
Hitting a potent blend of aggression and melody, Soilwork stepped it up
like pros for the critically acclaimed "Natural Born Chaos";
released in 2002, this highly successful release landed the band's first
American tour supporting Killswitch
Engage.
Never slowing down, Soilwork birthed "Figure Number Five" in
the following year; yet another step ahead for the Swedes, this potent
piece of energetic Metal led to two more massive American tours alongside
acts such as Chimaira, In
Flames and As I Lay Dying. After
a few years of line-up stability, Henry Ranta left just after the album
was released saying he was burned out; Dirk Verbeuren was subsequently
hired as a permanent drummer.
In March 2005 the sextet returned with their sixth full-length disc "Stabbing
The Drama", it peaked at #21 on the Billboard's Top Independent Albums
chart. That fall longtime guitarist and founding member Peter Wichers
left to pursue a career in producing.
After some rigorous auditioning, a suitable replacement was found in
guitarist Daniel Antonsson. With a strong line-up in place once again,
Soilwork began writing material for what would become their new album,
"Sworn To A Great Divide".
Soilwork biography is an exclusive of 100xr.com
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