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Dream Evil is a melodic heavy metal band from Sweden assembled and integrated by musical producer Fredrik Nordström in 1999.
Fredrik had the ambition of creating a band for a long time, until when on a vacation, he met the talented greek guitarist Gus G. (from Firewind and Mystic Prophecy). The two musicians got along very well, despite their age difference of over a decade. Plans for Dream Evil started to be formed, and shortly, Gus was on a plane to Gothenburg, in which him and Fredrik began writing material for the band.
They had big plans for Dream Evil, but that meant that they would need incredibly talented musicians working with them. The person that first came to their mind was Snowy Shaw (from Mercyful Fate, King Diamond and Notre Dame), but the drummer refused their invite, initially. He changed his mind later on and agreed to record with them their first album.
Fredrik known a vocalist called Niklas Isfeldt, who had done backing vocals for on some Hammerfall songs he had produced, and since Isfeldt wasn't involved in any major project at the time, he decided that he was a good option. Niklas shown a lot of talent in his test, and it was soon decided that he would be part of the band. He also brought his good bassist friend Peter Stålfors along.
The fact remains that, up until the moment the promotional photos were shot, the band members hadn't been on the same place even once. Some didn't even know eachother.
The band got a deal with Century Media Records and intended to name the band Dragonslayer, due to the content of the songs they had written, heavily focused on medieval and fantastical themes. However, their label didn't think the name was original enough, and thus the band settled with the name Dream Evil, inspired by the title of one of Dio's albums.
Dream Evil's debut was released on April of 2002, and got a very postitive feedback from both the specialized press and the heavy metal fans from around the world. In no time, the album Dragonslayer reached number one on the Japanese import charts. The band played on many festivals and supported Blind Guardian during part of their tour.
tant ones. They also supported Blind Guardian on their Sweden dates.
The band went along surprisingly well, despite the apparent random manner by which they had been united. Snowy Shaw decided that he was going to take part of the band permanently and Dream Evil went on their first Japanese tour. While in Japan, the band was invited to support Hammerfall's 2003 european tour. Their label hinted that it would be a good idea to have a new album out by then.
With very little time in hand, the band wrote the basis of most songs on the flight back from Japan, and on the next day already entered studio to record the new album. They took two weeks in total to record Evilised, and most songs were recorded as they were written. The album was mixed and finished in two and a half weeks. Evilized was released on the 20th of January and Dream Evil then toured Europe with Hammerfall and the less known Masterplan.
In June of the same year, the band reurned for a second Japanese tour. Gud G. appeared on the cover of Young Guitar Magazine, a spot reserved only for the best guitarists in the world.
During the promotion of their next single, Gus was touring with his second band, Mystic Prophecy. Therefore, Snowy Shawn took upon his hands the task of playing the lead guitar sections of the Dream Evil songs, proving that he is truly a talented musician.
For their third album, the band took their time and wrote many songs, writting enough material to fill more than two CDs. The Book of Heavy Metal took two months to be recorded, and was released in May of 2004.
Guitarist Gus G. has left the band in late 2004 to dedicate more time to Firewind, but the band picked a new lead guitarist: Mark U Black (from King Diamond).
Line-Up
- Niklas Isfeldt - Vocals
- Mark U Black - Guitars
- Fredrik Nordström - Guitars and keyboards
- Peter Stalfors - Bass
- Snowy Shaw - Drums
Former members
Discography
- Dragonslayer (2002)
- Evilized (2003)
- Children of the Night EP (2003)
- The Book of Heavy Metal (2004)
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