ProgPower USA 2026 @ Center Stage

Hammerfall

HammerFall is a heavy/power metal band from Sweden, formed in 1993 by Oscar Dronjak and Jesper Strömblad, then members of Ceremonial Oath.

Dronjak had already composed some of the new band's music, including the song "Steel Meets Steel". Several of the band's early lineups featured members of other influential Swedish heavy metal bands, such as In Flames and Dark Tranquillity. The members intended to take part in a competition known as "Rockslaget".

In 1996, HammerFall reached the semi-finals of the competition, but needed to find a new vocalist as their existing one would be unavailable for the competition. He was replaced by Joacim Cans, who became a full-time member of the band. Despite not winning the competition, HammerFall's live demo earned them a contract with Vic Records, which resulted in the release of their debut album "Glory to the Brave". The band was also licensed to Nuclear Blast of Germany for a four-album deal. At this point, the decision was taken that HammerFall was a full-time project, which meant that the In Flames members opted to focus on their melodic death metal band.

"Glory to the Brave" proved a considerable success for the band, paving the way for later successes. This critical and commercial success was further underscored by the success of a tour of Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, in which the band played to full houses. This pattern would be followed on later tours with other power metal bands.

HammerFall capped off 1997 with a nomination for Best Hard Rock Act at the Swedish music awards.

In 1998, HammerFall released "Legacy of Kings", their second album and their first featuring their entire lineup. Again, the band followed this release with a tour schedule covering much of Europe, as well as a number of major festivals. The first single from "Legacy of Kings", "Heeding The Call", achieved the success of a three-week stay on the German charts.

HammerFall also recorded songs for tribute albums to several of their influences, including Accept and Helloween, before embarking on their first world tour. This tour was marred slightly by most of the band catching a throat infection, which rendered lead singer Cans unable to speak, much less sing.

HammerFall's third album, "Renegade", was recorded in much the same fashion as their previous two releases had been. In contrast to the uniformly positive reaction to the first two albums, "Renegade" was met by some scepticism in some quarters, however early single releases found just as much success with fans as before, as did the album itself.

The band's fourth album, "Crimson Thunder", was recorded partly in Holland (the bass), partly in Germany (the drums) and partly on the island of Tenerife. Once again, the album met with success, with some reviews remarking on the heavier sound when compared with earlier releases.

At around this time, Joacim Cans was attacked in a bar, having a beer glass smashed into his face. He made a full recovery, and the planned video shoot for "Hearts on Fire" was only postponed by a week.

In 2007, bass guitarist Magnus Rosén decided to leave the band to continue his solo career, and in came an old friend, Fredrik Larsson. Fredrik was playing bass for Hammerfall during the recording of their debut album - Glory To The Brave. (Ilham)

Guitarist Stefan Elmgren left the band in the summer of 2008 because he wanted to focus on his career as a commercial pilot. Pontus Norgren from The Poodles replaced him. For a long time he had wanted to play heavier music so this was his chance.

The Gathering

Evergrey

A life time in metal

New album "Theories Of Emptiness" OUT NOW!

Listen and order here:

https://lnk.to/EG-TheoriesOfEmptiness

Voyager

Get ready to witness a genre-transfiguring quintet take the stage like never before! Hailing from Australia, Voyager has shattered expectations with their resilient and determined attitude. This progressive pop metal force has toured the world, winning over fans with their contagious music and electric live performances.

Voyager's signature blend of new-romantic and 80s infused vocals, keytar solos, technical yet melodic fretwork, groovy bass, and bombastic drumming efforts is unlike anything you've heard before. And now, after eight years of perseverance, patience, and fan support, Voyager have secured a top 10 position representing Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with their song 'PROMISE', an epic progressive pop metal masterpiece that takes listeners on an emotive journey of adventure and redemption.

The intrepid Aussies VOYAGER drop their most epic electro progressive power pop metal to date with their brand-new album 'Fearless in Love.' An exhilarating mix of 80's synthpop meets modern progressive metal, the album features their most infectious and anthemic work yet. Featuring the Eurovision favorites "Promise" & "Dreamer", the heavy pulse of "Prince of Fire", the upbeat "Submarine" and more, 'Fearless in Love' is next-level prog metal mastery that shatters all archetypes and expectations.

On Fearless In Love: sweeping vocals paired with emotive lyrics inspired by the grit and glam of 80s and 90s film overlay heavy guitar riffs and percussion to create a sonic journey that pushes the boundary of what fans have come to expect from Voyager. Fearless In Love will be released on July 14th and is available for pre-order.

Anneke Van Giersbergen

Info and tour dates: https://linktr.ee/annekesings

Crimson Glory

Conception

Fires in the Distance

U.S. Melodic Death Metal /// Prosthetic Records

Booking: ryan@forthrightbooking.com

ProgPower USA 2026 @ Center Stage

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