A.C.T () is a Swedish

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band formed in 1995 under the name ‘Fairyland’, in

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal popula ...

. The band has been through several personnel changes; with the current line-up featuring Herman Saming (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

), Ola Andersson (

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

), Jerry Sahlin ( keyboards), Peter Asp (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

) and Thomas Lejon (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

History

Initially under Ola Andersson on guitars, Tomas Erlandsson on drums, Jens Appelgren on vocals and Jerry Sahlin on keyboards, Fairyland was started by members of a music school in Malmö. Amongst various line-up changes, Fairyland changed its name into A.C.T in 1995. In 1996 A.C.T first came into the public eye when it made its way to the final of a Swedish music competition, although it did not win. In 1997 a new demo was recorded and the band toured extensively in Sweden, eventually recording its debut album, ''Today’s Report'', released in 1999. Following the release of this album, A.C.T embarked on a Scandinavian tour with the progressive rock band

Saga is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super NES to the Pl ...

. In 2001, the second album ''Imaginary Friends'' was recorded and the band went on a European tour supporting

Fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% ...

. In 2003, A.C.T's third album ''Last Epic'' was released, and the band went on a European tour with former

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book o ...

singer Ray Wilson. In 2006, A.C.T signed with the label InsideOut and returned with the album ''Silence''. InsideOut has subsequently re-released the first three albums as special editions, with bonus tracks and enhanced booklets. On December 24, 2013 the band announced, on their Facebook page, that their fifth album ''Circus Pandemonium'' will be released on February 19, 2014 in Japan, and on March 5, 2014 in Europe/USA and on iTunes.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Today's Report'' (1999) * ''Imaginary Friends'' (2001) * ''Last Epic'' (2003) * ''Silence'' (2006) * ''Circus Pandemonium'' (2014)

Demos

* ''Early Recordings'' (1996)

EPs

* ''Rebirth'' (2019) * ''Heatwave'' (2021) * ''Falling'' (2023)

Live albums

* ''Trifles and Pandemonium'' (2016)

Personnel

Current lineup

* Herman Saming – lead vocals * Ola Andersson – lead guitar, vocals * Jerry Sahlin – keyboards, vocals * Peter Asp – bass guitar, synthesizer, percussion * Thomas Lejon – drums, percussion

Former members

* Jens Appelgren – vocals * Simon Nicklasson - bass * Tomas Erlandsson - drums

References

External links

A.C.T
at MySpace
A.C.T biography by Gary Hill, discography and album reviews, credits & releases
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

A.C.T discography, album releases & credits
at

Discogs.com Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

A.C.T biography, discography, album credits & user reviews
at ProgArchives.com
A.C.T albums to be listened
as stream at Spotify.com
A.C.T
at Avalon Label (in Japanese)

{{DEFAULTSORT:A C. T. Swedish progressive rock groups Musical groups established in 1995 Inside Out Music artists