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Nightrage is a Greek/Swedish
melodic death metal Melodic death metal (also referred to as melodeath) is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal (including New Wave of British Heavy Metal). The genre features the heavines ...
band originally from
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
. They later re-located to
Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
, Sweden.


History


Formation and ''Sweet Vengeance'' (2000–2003)

Nightrage was founded by Marios Iliopoulos and his close friend
Gus G Konstantinos Karamitroudis (born 12 September 1980), better known as Gus G, is a Greek heavy metal guitarist. He currently plays with his band Firewind. He has also played in Mystic Prophecy, Nightrage, Arch Enemy, Dream Evil and Ozzy ...
in June 2000. They made three demos from 2001 to 2002. Their debut album, '' Sweet Vengeance'', was released in 2003 and featured drummer Per Möller Jensen ( The Haunted), and bassist Brice Leclercq. They also managed to acquire the services of legendary vocalist
Tomas Lindberg Tomas Lindberg (born 16 October 1972), also known as "Tompa" and "Goatspell", is a Swedish vocalist who has fronted many death metal bands, most notably At the Gates. He has been active as a musician and composer since the late 1980s. He also t ...
(ex
At the Gates At the Gates is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1990. The band was a major progenitor of Gothenburg-style melodic death metal alongside In Flames and Dark Tranquillity. Prior to their first disbandment in 1996, At ...
). ''Sweet Vengeance'' also featured guest clean vocals on a few tracks by Tom S. Englund of Evergrey fame. The album is proceeded by their first video for the track "Gloomy Daydreams" on an earlier edit, with Gus G. on vocals.


''Descent into Chaos'' and departure of Lindberg & Gus G (2004–2006)

Their second release, ''Descent into Chaos'', was released in 2005 and had a change of line up, with the addition of a more permanent rhythm section. Fotis Benardo ( Septic Flesh, ex-Innerwish) took over on drums and Henric Carlsson, who also plays in the band Cipher System, on bass.
Mikael Stanne Bengt Mikael Stanne (born 20 May 1974) is a Swedish musician, best known as the vocalist, primary lyricist and a former guitarist for the melodic death metal band Dark Tranquillity. Since the departure of original drummer Anders Jivarp in 2021, ...
, of
Dark Tranquillity Dark Tranquillity is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg. They are considered one of the pioneering acts of the Swedish death metal, Gothenburg metal scene, which also includes bands such as In Flames and At the Gates - regarded a ...
, provided a clean vocal section on the track "Frozen".
Tomas Lindberg Tomas Lindberg (born 16 October 1972), also known as "Tompa" and "Goatspell", is a Swedish vocalist who has fronted many death metal bands, most notably At the Gates. He has been active as a musician and composer since the late 1980s. He also t ...
left the band so that a more full-time vocalist could accompany them on tours and studio albums. When Gus G was performing with
Arch Enemy Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, originally a Supergroup (music), supergroup from Halmstad, formed in 1995. Its members were in bands such as Carcass (band), Carcass, Armageddon (Swedish band), Armageddon, Carnage (band), Carna ...
at
Ozzfest Ozzfest was an annual music festival tour of the United States and sometimes Europe and later Japan, featuring performances by many heavy metal music, heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Sharon Osbourne and her husband O ...
2005, he was replaced by Pierre Lysell for Nightrage's touring activities. For some of Nightrage's tour in support of Bolt Thrower, Gus G was again unavailable and his place was taken by Christian Muenzer, of
Necrophagist Necrophagist ( ) was a German technical death metal band founded and fronted by guitarist and vocalist Muhammed Suiçmez. The band used baroque music-influenced compositions paired with extreme metal drumming. The name originates from the Gre ...
. In March 2006, Gus G. permanently left Nightrage to focus completely on
Firewind Firewind is a Greek power metal band formed in Thessaloniki in 1998. The group is currently signed to AFM records and was originally a small project created by guitarist Gus G. to showcase his demo, '' Nocturnal Symphony'', in 1998. Firewind ...
(later in 2009 becoming the guitarist for
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
). At this time, Fotis Benardo decided also to leave Nightrage and focus on the reunited Septic Flesh. He was replaced by Alex Svenningson.


''A New Disease Is Born'' (2007–2008)

Their third release, ''
A New Disease Is Born ''A New Disease Is Born'' is the third full-length studio album by the Greek/ Swedish melodic death metal band, Nightrage. It was released by Lifeforce Records on 12 March 2007. The album features an entirely new lineup, excluding guitarist Mar ...
'', was released in 2007. Gus G. was replaced by
Dragonland Dragonland is a Swedish power metal band renowned for their self-produced ''The Dragonland Chronicles'' fantasy saga, which spans their first, second, and fifth albums. The band is also recognized for the original symphonic/ electronic elements ...
/
Amaranthe Amaranthe is a Swedish heavy metal band originally known as Avalanche. The band is notable for their blend of various metal genres and having three lead vocalists. History Formation, self-titled debut album and ''The Nexus'' (2008–2013 ...
guitar virtuoso
Olof Mörck Olof Mörck (born 12 December 1981) is a Swedish musician who is the guitarist and one of the songwriters of the heavy metal band Amaranthe, as well as guitarist of the power metal band Dragonland. He was also a member of Nightrage between 200 ...
. The song "Scathing" was chosen for the band's second
video Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...
, and was directed by
Bob Katsionis Babis "Bob" Katsionis (; born February 17, 1977, in Athens, Greece) is a Greek guitarist and keyboardist and the lead guitarist and keyboard player for the heavy metal/power metal bands Stray Gods, Warrior Path, Outloud, and Serious Black; he was ...
. After the release of ''A New Disease Is Born'', Alex Svenningson and Jimmie Strimell left the band to form the melodic metalcore band Dead by April. Longtime bassist Henric Karlsson also left the band due to his family obligations.


''Wearing a Martyr's Crown'' and ''Vengeance Descending'' (2009–2010)

Vocalist Antony Hämäläinen, bassist Anders Hammer, and drummer Johan Nunez joined the band in the summer of 2007. Their fourth album, ''Wearing a Martyr's Crown'', was recorded, produced, and mixed by
Fredrik Nordström Björn Tom Fredrik Nordström (born 5 January 1967) is a Swedish record producer and musician, and the guitarist of the heavy metal band Dream Evil. He is one of the leading melodic death metal and power metal producers in Sweden and has worke ...
at
Studio Fredman Studio Fredman is a well-known recording studio in Gothenburg, Sweden, owned and operated by producer Fredrik Nordström. It is popular among Swedish metal bands, with artists such as At the Gates, Deathstars, Nightrage, Norwegian band Dimmu ...
for a 2009 release date. On 18 February 2010, Nightrage released their third music video for the song "Wearing a Martyr's Crown." The video was again directed by
Bob Katsionis Babis "Bob" Katsionis (; born February 17, 1977, in Athens, Greece) is a Greek guitarist and keyboardist and the lead guitarist and keyboard player for the heavy metal/power metal bands Stray Gods, Warrior Path, Outloud, and Serious Black; he was ...
. "A Grim Struggle", "Collision of Fate", "Shed the Blood", and "Wearing a Martyr's Crown" were made available as
downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
for the ''Rock Band'' video game series on
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
. On 30 June 2011, "A Grim Struggle" was made available for download on the
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
console. Vengeance Descending is a double CD reissue of albums '' Sweet Vengeance'' and ''Descent into Chaos''. The first disc features a bonus track called "Gloomy Daydreams", and the second one features "Black Skies", which was also a bonus track. Both tracks were previously only available in Japanese releases.


''Insidious'' and World Tour (2011–2012)

It was announced via
Blabbermouth.net ''Blabbermouth.net'' is a website dedicated to metal and rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. It is run by the website's founder Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was launched in March 2001. In October 2001, the rec ...
that former At the Gates and Nightrage vocalist
Tomas Lindberg Tomas Lindberg (born 16 October 1972), also known as "Tompa" and "Goatspell", is a Swedish vocalist who has fronted many death metal bands, most notably At the Gates. He has been active as a musician and composer since the late 1980s. He also t ...
would be performing guest vocals for the album titled ''Insidious''. A short video clip of the session was added to YouTube. Other guests set to appear on the new album are
Gus G Konstantinos Karamitroudis (born 12 September 1980), better known as Gus G, is a Greek heavy metal guitarist. He currently plays with his band Firewind. He has also played in Mystic Prophecy, Nightrage, Arch Enemy, Dream Evil and Ozzy ...
, Tom Englund, Apollo Papathanasio and John K. ''Insidious'' was the first album since ''Sweet Vengeance'' to feature the original line up. Antony Hämäläinen spoke briefly about the album's direction in a recent interview with Deathmetalbaboon.com, "It sounds really heavy. Stripped down and in your face. The songs are a bit shorter and with fewer acoustic guitars than ''Wearing a Martyr's Crown''. It's a very pissed off sound, so it's going to be a really heavy record. Lots of guitar solos and melodies there too of course." The album release dates were 26 September 2011 in Europe and 11 October 2011 in North America. On 23 March the title track "Insidious" was made available as
downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
for the ''Rock Band'' video game series on
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
. On 21 May the band released a new video for the track Delirium of the Fallen. The video was shot on 28 April at the Eightball Club in
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
, Greece. Directing of the clip was handled by Gabriel Psaltakis. Starting on 9 October 2011, the band supported the album on a tour of North America with
Firewind Firewind is a Greek power metal band formed in Thessaloniki in 1998. The group is currently signed to AFM records and was originally a small project created by guitarist Gus G. to showcase his demo, '' Nocturnal Symphony'', in 1998. Firewind ...
and Arsis, titled "Frets of Fury". In late April 2012, a tour of Europe alongside Demon Hunter and
Deadlock Deadlock commonly refers to: * Deadlock (computer science), a situation where two processes are each waiting for the other to finish * Deadlock (locksmithing) or deadbolt, a physical door locking mechanism * Political deadlock or gridlock, a si ...
was scheduled. August 2012 was the first time the band played in Asia, headlining the Daejeon Metal Festival in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
. Announced in April 2013, the band will headline a tour of
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
for the first time in their career. The tour began on 5 November and was titled Extreme Metal over Japan. Support for the six date trek came from the Australian technical death metal band
Psycroptic Psycroptic are an Australian technical death metal band formed in Hobart, Tasmania in 1999. Mainstay members are the Haley brothers, drummer Dave Haley, Dave and guitarist Joe. Their lead vocalist, Jason Peppiatt, joined in 2004. In 2008 they ...
, American technical death band
The Faceless The Faceless are an American technical death metal band from the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles. They released their debut album, ''Akeldama'', in November 2006, and a follow-up, '' Planetary Duality'', in November 2008. The band's third ...
and French deathcore act In Arkadia.
Olof Mörck Olof Mörck (born 12 December 1981) is a Swedish musician who is the guitarist and one of the songwriters of the heavy metal band Amaranthe, as well as guitarist of the power metal band Dragonland. He was also a member of Nightrage between 200 ...
has not been part of a live performance or band photography since 2011. It is assumed he has left the band to focus on his main project
Amaranthe Amaranthe is a Swedish heavy metal band originally known as Avalanche. The band is notable for their blend of various metal genres and having three lead vocalists. History Formation, self-titled debut album and ''The Nexus'' (2008–2013 ...
.


New members and releases (2013–present)

In 2013, Antony Hämäläinen officially left the band to pursue other musical ventures. Ronnie Nyman was recruited to replace Hämäläinen on vocals. With Nyman, the band released their sixth studio album, ''
The Puritan ''The Puritan, or the Widow of Watling Street'', also known as ''The Puritan Widow'', is an anonymous Jacobean stage comedy, first published in 1607. It is often attributed to Thomas Middleton, but also belongs to the Shakespeare Apocrypha ...
'', in 2015. In July 2016, Magnus Söderman (guitars), Francisco Escalona (bass), and Lawrence Dinamarca (drums) were announced as the newest members of Nightrage. The band recorded and released their seventh studio album, ''The Venomous'', in 2017. Their next album, ''Wolf to Man'', was released on 29 March 2019. Their ninth studio album, ''Abyss Rising'', was released on 22 February 2022. On 30 June 2023, Nightrage announced on both their Facebook and Instagram page that their long time vocalist Ronnie Nyman would be leaving the band to focus on his other musical project "Offerblod" and that Jimmie Strimell would be rejoining the band as their vocalist. He was then replaced by Konstantinos Togas. The band began recording their upcoming tenth studio album on 28 October 2023. On 8 March 2024, the band announced their upcoming album, ''Remains of a Dead World'', would be released on 31 May.


Band members

Current line-up * Marios Iliopoulos – guitar (2000–present), clean vocals, bass (2000–2003) * Francisco Escalona – bass guitar (2016–present) * Kostas A. – guitars (2025–present) * Fotis Benardo – drums (2004–2006, 2024–present) * Konstantinos Togas – vocals (2023-present) Previous members *
Gus G Konstantinos Karamitroudis (born 12 September 1980), better known as Gus G, is a Greek heavy metal guitarist. He currently plays with his band Firewind. He has also played in Mystic Prophecy, Nightrage, Arch Enemy, Dream Evil and Ozzy ...
– guitar (2000–2006), vocals, drum machine (2000–2003) * Jimmie Strimell – vocals (2005-2007, 2023) * Brice LeClercq – bass guitar (2003–2004) *
Tomas Lindberg Tomas Lindberg (born 16 October 1972), also known as "Tompa" and "Goatspell", is a Swedish vocalist who has fronted many death metal bands, most notably At the Gates. He has been active as a musician and composer since the late 1980s. He also t ...
– vocals (2003–2005) * Henric Karlsson – bass guitar (2004–2007) * Alex Svenningson – drums (2006–2007) *
Olof Mörck Olof Mörck (born 12 December 1981) is a Swedish musician who is the guitarist and one of the songwriters of the heavy metal band Amaranthe, as well as guitarist of the power metal band Dragonland. He was also a member of Nightrage between 200 ...
– guitar (2006–2011) * Antony Hämäläinen – vocals (2007–2013) * Anders Hammer – bass guitar (2007–2016) * Johan Nunez – drums (2007–2016) * Lawrence Dinamarca – drums (2016–2018) * Ronnie Nyman – vocals (2013–2023) * George Stamoglou – drums (2018–2024) Session musicians * Per Möller Jensen – session drums (2003) * Chris Barkensjö – session drums (2014–present) Touring musicians * Nick Barker – drums (2004) * Pierre Lysell – guitar (2006) * Christian Münzner – guitar (2006) * Esben Elnegaard Kjær Hansen – vocals (2007) * Johnny Haven – vocals (2007) * Constantine – guitar (2007) * Morten Løwe Sørensen – drums (2007) * Bill Hudson – guitar (2012) * Christopher Jon – guitar (2012) * Conny Pettersson – drums (2012) * Jesper Strömblad – guitar (2013–2014) * Marcus Rosell – drums (2013-2014) Guest musicians *
Fredrik Nordström Björn Tom Fredrik Nordström (born 5 January 1967) is a Swedish record producer and musician, and the guitarist of the heavy metal band Dream Evil. He is one of the leading melodic death metal and power metal producers in Sweden and has worke ...
– keyboards (on '' Sweet Vengeance'', '' Descent into Chaos'', ''Wearing a Martyr's Crown'') * Tom S. Englund – clean vocals (on '' Sweet Vengeance'', '' Insidious'') *
Mikael Stanne Bengt Mikael Stanne (born 20 May 1974) is a Swedish musician, best known as the vocalist, primary lyricist and a former guitarist for the melodic death metal band Dark Tranquillity. Since the departure of original drummer Anders Jivarp in 2021, ...
– clean vocals (on '' Descent into Chaos'') * Jacob Hansen – guitar solo (on ''
A New Disease Is Born ''A New Disease Is Born'' is the third full-length studio album by the Greek/ Swedish melodic death metal band, Nightrage. It was released by Lifeforce Records on 12 March 2007. The album features an entirely new lineup, excluding guitarist Mar ...
'')
*
Gus G Konstantinos Karamitroudis (born 12 September 1980), better known as Gus G, is a Greek heavy metal guitarist. He currently plays with his band Firewind. He has also played in Mystic Prophecy, Nightrage, Arch Enemy, Dream Evil and Ozzy ...
– guitar solo (on ''Wearing a Martyr's Crown'', ''Insidious'') * Sakis Tolis – backing vocals (on ''Wearing a Martyr's Crown'') * Elias Holmlid – keyboards (on ''Wearing a Martyr's Crown'', '' Insidious'') *
Tomas Lindberg Tomas Lindberg (born 16 October 1972), also known as "Tompa" and "Goatspell", is a Swedish vocalist who has fronted many death metal bands, most notably At the Gates. He has been active as a musician and composer since the late 1980s. He also t ...
– guest vocals (on '' Insidious'') * Apollo Papathanasio – clean vocals (on '' Insidious'') * John K – orchestrations and keyboards (on '' Insidious'') * George Baharidis – orchestrations (on '' Insidious'')


Timeline


Discography


Studio albums

* '' Sweet Vengeance'' (2003) * '' Descent into Chaos'' (2005) * ''
A New Disease Is Born ''A New Disease Is Born'' is the third full-length studio album by the Greek/ Swedish melodic death metal band, Nightrage. It was released by Lifeforce Records on 12 March 2007. The album features an entirely new lineup, excluding guitarist Mar ...
'' (2007) * ''Wearing a Martyr's Crown'' (2009) * ''Insidious'' (2011) * ''The Puritan'' (2015) * ''The Venomous'' (2017) * ''Wolf to Man'' (2019) * ''Abyss Rising'' (2022) * ''Remains of a Dead World'' (2024)


Demo albums

* ''Demo'' (2000) * ''Demo 2'' (2001, 2020 (as an official compilation)) * ''Demo 3'' (2002)


Compilation albums

* ''Vengeance Descending'' (2010)


References


External links

* * {{Authority control Greek melodic death metal musical groups Greek musical quintets Musical groups established in 2000 Century Media Records artists Swedish melodic death metal musical groups Swedish musical quintets Musical groups from Thessaloniki Musical groups from Gothenburg