Expulsion (band)
Encyclopedia
Expulsion was a Death metal
band from Vallentuna
, Sweden that existed from 1988 to 1999. The band gained notability for being one of the earliest Swedish death metal bands, and that two of its members also played in black metal band Treblinka (later named Tiamat
).
band River's Edge split up after vocalist Johan Edlund
decided to leave to form Treblinka, leaving members Stefan Lagergren (guitar), Anders Holmberg (bass) and Calle Fransson (drums) to form Expulsion.
Expulsion recorded two demo cassettes, Cerebral Cessation (1988) and Veiled In The Mists of Mystery (1989) as a trio, with Anders Holmberg as lead vocalist. Due to Calle Fransson's and Stefan Lagergren's military service, the band was put on hold until 1991.
When the band was once again active, Anders Holmberg had committed to playing in thrash metal band Tranquillity and was replaced by Chelsea Krook (bass) and Fredrik Thörnqvist (vocals). Lead guitarist Chris Vowden joined, and after a while Anders Holmberg returned as bass player.
The A Bitter Twist of Fate CD-single was recorded and released by the band themselves (under the record label alias Dödsmetallfirma Expulsion) in 1993. The CD gained the interest from Italian Godhead, a label under Flying Records.
The debut album Overflow was released in 1994, and the follow-up Man Against in 1996. Although never on any tour, the band played concerts together with bands as At The Gates
, Grave
, Tiamat
, Dismember
and Nihilist
.
After ten years without any success the band split up in 1998. For a brief period, the members switched vocalist from Thörnqvist to Andreas Jansson under the name Judge And Jury, but ultimately split up in 1999.
, Athetist
and Sadus
as prime inspirations to start a death metal band. The combination of these influences, and the slower, doomier
, bands such as Candlemass
and Paradise Lost
formed the basis of Expulsion's sound.
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band from Vallentuna
Vallentuna
Vallentuna is a bimunicipal locality and the seat of Vallentuna Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 26,500 inhabitants in 2005. It stretches over two municipalities in Stockholm County, in the Roslagen region. Vallentuna is also a suburb of Stockholm...
, Sweden that existed from 1988 to 1999. The band gained notability for being one of the earliest Swedish death metal bands, and that two of its members also played in black metal band Treblinka (later named Tiamat
Tiamat
In Babylonian mythology, Tiamat is a chaos monster, a primordial goddess of the ocean, mating with Abzû to produce younger gods. It is suggested that there are two parts to the Tiamat mythos, the first in which Tiamat is 'creatrix', through a "Sacred marriage" between salt and fresh water,...
).
History
In 1988, the Thrash metalThrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band River's Edge split up after vocalist Johan Edlund
Johan Edlund
Johan Edlund is a Swedish singer, guitarist and keyboardist who is the leader of the bands Tiamat and Lucyfire. He has also done remixes for some of Rammstein's and London After Midnight's songs. He was also a guest singer in the Dutch progressive metal project, Ayreon...
decided to leave to form Treblinka, leaving members Stefan Lagergren (guitar), Anders Holmberg (bass) and Calle Fransson (drums) to form Expulsion.
Expulsion recorded two demo cassettes, Cerebral Cessation (1988) and Veiled In The Mists of Mystery (1989) as a trio, with Anders Holmberg as lead vocalist. Due to Calle Fransson's and Stefan Lagergren's military service, the band was put on hold until 1991.
When the band was once again active, Anders Holmberg had committed to playing in thrash metal band Tranquillity and was replaced by Chelsea Krook (bass) and Fredrik Thörnqvist (vocals). Lead guitarist Chris Vowden joined, and after a while Anders Holmberg returned as bass player.
The A Bitter Twist of Fate CD-single was recorded and released by the band themselves (under the record label alias Dödsmetallfirma Expulsion) in 1993. The CD gained the interest from Italian Godhead, a label under Flying Records.
The debut album Overflow was released in 1994, and the follow-up Man Against in 1996. Although never on any tour, the band played concerts together with bands as At The Gates
At the Gates
At the Gates is an extreme metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden, and a major progenitor of the Gothenburg death-metal sound. Their early albums lean towards a death metal sound, but later albums sound more like melodic death metal.Initially active from 1990 to 1996, the band reformed in 2007 for a...
, Grave
Grave (band)
Grave is a Swedish death metal band that formed in 1986 by vocalist and guitarist Ola Lindgren, who is their only constant member. The band had particular success in the early 1990s, and their first four albums, Into the Grave, You'll Never See..., Soulless and Hating Life, cemented their...
, Tiamat
Tiamat (band)
-Biography:Initially, the band played straightforward black metal under the name Treblinka. After having recorded the album Sumerian Cry in 1989, vocalist/guitarist Johan Edlund and bassist Jörgen Thullberg parted ways with the other two founding members, and subsequently changed the name to Tiamat...
, Dismember
Dismember (band)
Dismember was a Swedish death metal band that formed in 1988. They are well known in the death metal underground. They split up in October 2011.-History:...
and Nihilist
Nihilist (band)
Nihilist was a Swedish Scandinavian death metal band formed in 1987 by Nicke Andersson and Alex Hellid.The band split-up in 1989 when Johnny Hedlund left to form Unleashed...
.
After ten years without any success the band split up in 1998. For a brief period, the members switched vocalist from Thörnqvist to Andreas Jansson under the name Judge And Jury, but ultimately split up in 1999.
Influences
Expulsion have often cited the bands XecutionerObituary (band)
Obituary is an American death metal band formed in 1984 in Tampa, Florida under the name Executioner, then changed the name's spelling to Xecutioner, and later changed their name to Obituary in 1988. The band comprises vocalist John Tardy, drummer Donald Tardy, guitarists Trevor Peres and Ralph...
, Athetist
Atheist (band)
Atheist is a technical death metal band from Florida, founded in 1984, whose music combines metal riffs with subtle Latin music arrangements and jazz fusion.- History :...
and Sadus
Sadus
Sadus is an American thrash metal trio from Antioch, California.-History:Sadus was formed in 1984 in Antioch, California. While their very first efforts were influenced by early thrash metal bands, such as Slayer or Death, the band would later develop its own musical style by adding complicated...
as prime inspirations to start a death metal band. The combination of these influences, and the slower, doomier
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
, bands such as Candlemass
Candlemass
Candlemass are an influential Swedish doom metal band established in 1984 by Leif Edling , their leader and songwriter. The band is originally from Stockholm. After releasing five full-length albums and touring extensively throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Candlemass disbanded in 1994, but...
and Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost (band)
Paradise Lost are a heavy metal band that formed in 1988 in Halifax, England.-History:Their first three full-length albums are examples of the death/doom style, although the latter two incorporated some melodic and gothic elements...
formed the basis of Expulsion's sound.
Members
- Stefan Lagergren - guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
(Treblinka, TiamatTiamat (band)-Biography:Initially, the band played straightforward black metal under the name Treblinka. After having recorded the album Sumerian Cry in 1989, vocalist/guitarist Johan Edlund and bassist Jörgen Thullberg parted ways with the other two founding members, and subsequently changed the name to Tiamat...
, Mr. Death, Voldet) - Anders Holmberg - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(also vocals 1988 - 1991) (Treblinka, TiamatTiamat (band)-Biography:Initially, the band played straightforward black metal under the name Treblinka. After having recorded the album Sumerian Cry in 1989, vocalist/guitarist Johan Edlund and bassist Jörgen Thullberg parted ways with the other two founding members, and subsequently changed the name to Tiamat...
, Tranquillity) - Calle Fransson - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(Stressfest) - Fredrik Thörnqvst - vocals 1991 - 1998
- Chris Vowden - guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
1992 - 1999 (Stressfest, Mouthpeace)
Albums
- Overflow (1994, Godhead)
- Man Against (1996, Godhead)