Bloodbound

Bloodbound is a Swedish heavy metal and power metal group from Bollnäs Municipality, formed in 2004 by Fredrik Bergh and Tomas Olsson. The band remains active and is associated with heavy metal, power metal and melodic metal.

Style and influences

Bloodbound’s sound draws on classic heavy metal and power metal, with named influences including Iron Maiden, Helloween and HammerFall. Although the band sometimes uses corpse paint in promotional images and at some live shows, its music is not classed as black metal. Its lyrics also sometimes deal with darker themes.

Early releases and live activity

The debut album, Nosferatu, attracts attention from magazines and websites and receives positive reviews. After that release, Bloodbound performs in Sweden and with bands including Arch Enemy, Dark Tranquillity, Evergrey and HammerFall.

Line-up changes and later work

The second album, Book of the Dead, appears in 2006 and follows a similar musical direction to the debut. Michael Bormann, formerly the singer of Jaded Heart, joins on vocals for that release. Urban Breed leaves briefly in 2006, is replaced by Bormann, and then returns to the band. Bloodbound later signs a worldwide deal with Blistering Records for the release of Tabula Rasa, its third album. The group’s members are Michael Bormann, Patrik Selleby, Fredrik Bergh, Tomas Olsson and Urban Breed.