Added: 22 November 2011
Heavy Load (Swe)
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Band Info
Members
Ragne Wahlquist - Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards ( Swedish Metal Aid, Tommy Mac Frees, Aphrodite (guest), Maeday (guest), The Krixhjälters (guest), Hammerfall (guest)) Styrbjörn Wahlquist - Drums, Vocals ( Swedish Metal Aid, Aphrodite (guest), Hammerfall (guest)), Isengard (guest))
Former / Past Members
Edward "Eddy" Malm - Guitar, Vocals ( Highbrow, Swedish Metal Aid, Eddy Malm Band, Challenger, Heathens From The North) Kent Kroon - Guitar ( Cool For Cats, Hans Edler (guest), John Turner (guest), Rob 'n' Raz (guest), Kjell Wallgren (guest)) Patrik Karlsson - Guitar Leif Liljegren - Guitar (KSMB, Treat) Michael Backlund - Bass (1976-1977) Dan "Danne" Molén - Bass (1977-1978) Torbjörn Ragnesjö - Bass (1978-1984) Andreas Fritz - Bass (1984-1985) (Challenger, Wisdom) Paul Gray - Bass (1987) (Mischief, UFO, The Damned, Eddie and the Hot Rods) Eero "Eric Birchisle" Koivisto - Bass ( Highbrow, Power, Red Baron, Warrior)
A highly influential and successful Stockholm Metal outfit, HEAVY LOAD saw regular chart placings in their home country with a series of strong self-financed albums. The band date to 1976 when brothers Ragne and Styrbjörn Wahlquist teamed up with bassist Michael 'Bachler' Backlund. Heavy gigging ensued and the following year Backlund departed to be replaced by Dan Molén. HEAVY LOAD scored its first album release in November 1978 when Stockholm Record store Heavy Sound released 'Full Speed At High Level', recorded at Mill Recording Studio in July, and the trio undertook a headline tour of Sweden to promote its release. HEAVY LOAD's brand of Metal was both enthusiastically riff orientated and melodious. Curiously, in the visual stakes, they would also take on every Heavy Metal cliché in the book with each and every album cover depicting a Viking warrior in battle mode. By 1979 the touring schedule had taken its toll on Molen who quit. HEAVY LOAD added bassist Eero Koivisto and rhythm guitarist Leif 'Lillen' Liljegren to become a quartet. However, within months both new members had left and later formed RED BARON in 1985, Liljegren also turned up as a member of TREAT at one point. During the summer of 1979 the band found replacements in bassist Torbjörn Ragnesjö and ex-HIGH BROW guitarist Eddy Malm. HEAVY LOAD's next release was the September 1981 mini-album 'Metal Conquest' cut at Decibel Studios that July, which gained the band many honours, beating many international acts to grab the number one airplay position on the H.M.H. Metal radio station playlist and charting in the national Swedish listings. Naturally the album sleeve featured Vikings at war. This success was capitalised on by an extensive headline tour, which included two live radio broadcasts from Malmö and Stockholm. A further album, 'Death Or Glory', arrived in October 1982 with another national chart placing at number 47. First editions of this record came packaged with a free 7" single, 'Take Me Away' / 'Trespasser'. 'Death Or Glory''s artwork now saw an axe wielding Viking pitched against a polar bear. 1983 started with HEAVY LOAD releasing a concert video and recording the 'Stronger Than Evil' album, sporting a Viking atop a pile of recently slaughtered foes, for issue in October. THIN LIZZY's enigmatic frontman PHIL LYNOTT, who was in Sweden promoting his solo album at the time appeared on the track 'Free'. At this point HEAVY LOAD extended their touring into Europe as album sales got stronger, although gigs were curtailed in mid 1984 when Ragnesjö departed. It was 1985 by the time HEAVY LOAD added new bassist Andreas Fritz to the ranks. Having been self-financed since inception the band now sought a major record deal and soon signed with WEA. A single, 'Monsters Of The Night', was released. Also the exclusive song "I Am Me" was recorded for the ' Rocket: Caught In Steel (1985)' compilation. But a projected album never materialized and Malm left to pursue a solo project. As a result HEAVY LOAD was put on ice as the Wahlquist brothers concentrated on building a recording studio that would be used later by CANDLEMASS amongst others. Ragne Wahlquist scored a significant production credit on the monumental CANDLEMASS debut in 1986, 'Epicus, Doomicus, Metallicus'. In 1986 HEAVY LOAD recruited guitarist Patrik Karlsson to work on a new album, although further delays were caused when Fritz left to work with ex-member Malm. Still intent on recording a new album, ex-THE DAMNED and UFO bassist Paul Gray joined up, but business considerations at the recording studio forestalled any release, although a new HEAVY LOAD album apparently still remained a possibility. Still, the Wahlquist brothers have resurrected their Thunderload label to release the Christian Metal VENI DOMINE album 'Material Sanctuary' in 1995. The band's legacy was still strong in 2000 as evident by Swedish Metal kings HAMMERFALL cutting a version of HEAVY LOAD's 'Run With The Devil' for a bonus track on their chart single 'Renegade'. Italian Power Metal band NOBLE SAVAGE covered the HEAVY LOAD track 'Dreaming' on their 'Killing For The Glory' album in 2005. - musicmight.com
A highly influential and successful Stockholm Metal outfit, HEAVY LOAD saw regular chart placings in their home country with a series of strong self-financed albums. The band date to 1976 when brothers Ragne and Styrbjörn Wahlquist teamed up with bassist Michael 'Bachler' Backlund. Heavy gigging ensued and the following year Backlund departed to be replaced by Dan Molén. HEAVY LOAD scored its first album release in November 1978 when Stockholm Record store Heavy Sound released 'Full Speed At High Level', recorded at Mill Recording Studio in July, and the trio undertook a headline tour of Sweden to promote its release. HEAVY LOAD's brand of Metal was both enthusiastically riff orientated and melodious. Curiously, in the visual stakes, they would also take on every Heavy Metal cliché in the book with each and every album cover depicting a Viking warrior in battle mode. By 1979 the touring schedule had taken its toll on Molen who quit. HEAVY LOAD added bassist Eero Koivisto and rhythm guitarist Leif 'Lillen' Liljegren to become a quartet. However, within months both new members had left and later formed RED BARON in 1985, Liljegren also turned up as a member of TREAT at one point. During the summer of 1979 the band found replacements in bassist Torbjörn Ragnesjö and ex-HIGH BROW guitarist Eddy Malm. HEAVY LOAD's next release was the September 1981 mini-album 'Metal Conquest' cut at Decibel Studios that July, which gained the band many honours, beating many international acts to grab the number one airplay position on the H.M.H. Metal radio station playlist and charting in the national Swedish listings. Naturally the album sleeve featured Vikings at war. This success was capitalised on by an extensive headline tour, which included two live radio broadcasts from Malmö and Stockholm. A further album, 'Death Or Glory', arrived in October 1982 with another national chart placing at number 47. First editions of this record came packaged with a free 7" single, 'Take Me Away' / 'Trespasser'. 'Death Or Glory''s artwork now saw an axe wielding Viking pitched against a polar bear. 1983 started with HEAVY LOAD releasing a concert video and recording the 'Stronger Than Evil' album, sporting a Viking atop a pile of recently slaughtered foes, for issue in October. THIN LIZZY's enigmatic frontman PHIL LYNOTT, who was in Sweden promoting his solo album at the time appeared on the track 'Free'. At this point HEAVY LOAD extended their touring into Europe as album sales got stronger, although gigs were curtailed in mid 1984 when Ragnesjö departed. It was 1985 by the time HEAVY LOAD added new bassist Andreas Fritz to the ranks. Having been self-financed since inception the band now sought a major record deal and soon signed with WEA. A single, 'Monsters Of The Night', was released. Also the exclusive song "I Am Me" was recorded for the ' Rocket: Caught In Steel (1985)' compilation. But a projected album never materialized and Malm left to pursue a solo project. As a result HEAVY LOAD was put on ice as the Wahlquist brothers concentrated on building a recording studio that would be used later by CANDLEMASS amongst others. Ragne Wahlquist scored a significant production credit on the monumental CANDLEMASS debut in 1986, 'Epicus, Doomicus, Metallicus'. In 1986 HEAVY LOAD recruited guitarist Patrik Karlsson to work on a new album, although further delays were caused when Fritz left to work with ex-member Malm. Still intent on recording a new album, ex-THE DAMNED and UFO bassist Paul Gray joined up, but business considerations at the recording studio forestalled any release, although a new HEAVY LOAD album apparently still remained a possibility. Still, the Wahlquist brothers have resurrected their Thunderload label to release the Christian Metal VENI DOMINE album 'Material Sanctuary' in 1995. The band's legacy was still strong in 2000 as evident by Swedish Metal kings HAMMERFALL cutting a version of HEAVY LOAD's 'Run With The Devil' for a bonus track on their chart single 'Renegade'. Italian Power Metal band NOBLE SAVAGE covered the HEAVY LOAD track 'Dreaming' on their 'Killing For The Glory' album in 2005. - musicmight.com
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