HammerFall

HammerFall were born in Gothenburg in 1993, when guitarist Oscar Dronjak left Ceremonial Oath and recruited In Flames’ Jesper Strömblad for a side project devoted to classic heavy metal. Early line-ups even featured Mikael Stanne on vocals, but it was Joacim Cans, who joined in 1996, who became the voice of the band.

The debut Glory to the Brave (1997) reached No. 38 in the German chart, something no debut heavy metal album had managed before, and led the late-’90s revival of traditional power metal. Legacy of Kings (1998), Renegade (2000), which went to No. 1 in Sweden, and Crimson Thunder (2002) made them one of Europe’s biggest metal acts.

Bassist Magnus Rosén left in 2007 and was replaced by returning member Fredrik Larsson, while lead guitarist Stefan Elmgren left in 2008 to become a commercial pilot, making way for Pontus Norgren. David Wallin took over the drums in 2014.

Avenge the Fallen, the band’s thirteenth studio album, came out on 9 August 2024 through Nuclear Blast and stays proudly true to the formula, with fists in the air and Hector on the cover.

Current line-up: Joacim Cans (vocals), Oscar Dronjak (guitars), Pontus Norgren (guitars), Fredrik Larsson (bass), David Wallin (drums)