BLOODBOUND release new album 'Tales From The North', out now on AFM Records

When it comes to defending the core values of timeless power metal and combining them with fresh stylistic variations and exciting stories, Swedish power metallers BLOODBOUND have always been fighting at the forefront. With nine studio albums in 16 years under their belt, the six-member band led by founding members Tomas Olsson (lead guitar) and Fredrik Bergh (keyboards) have proven their versatility and inventiveness countless times. With their new release “Tales From The North’ BLOODBOUND open a thrilling new chapter of unbridled creativity. 

"Tales From The North’ is very much a concept album about the Viking era. About the lives of our ancestors up here in the dark, cold and unfriendly environments of the North,” explains lead guitarist Tomas Olsson and summarizes the content of their eleven songs: “Different legends and myths intertwine during the course of the songs, leading up to the epic battle of 1066, which marks the end of the Viking era.” Those who already know the sound of BLOODBOUND can imagine the metallic force the band employs to evoke this story. 

"Tales From The North” will be released on July 7, 2023 as a 2-CD digipak including a live CD. And as a special treat, it will also be available as a strictly limited box set as well as coloured vinyl LPs. The first single of the is the impressive ‘Odin`s Prayer’. BLOODBOUND have not only improved in terms of content, but also musically. On “Tales From The North” their fast-paced style draws deliberate cross-references to earlier band classics. At the same time, due to their versatile instrumentation, it takes on a colouring appropriate to the theme. 

Olsson: “The songs are more fast-paced and closer to some of our earlier stuff like ’Moria’ and ’Nosferatu’, but have more complex arrangements.
Compared to the predecessor “Creatures Of The Dark Realm” there are heavier guitars and some deeper sounding keyboards. We have also incorporated some traditional Nordic folk music instruments to fit the concept of the album. It`s still pure power metal but we’re trying to take it to the next level. 

A clever move that adds epic flair, especially to ‘Drink With The Gods’ and the final ‘1066’, while ‘The Raven`s Cry’ “starts out in folk music territory and then goes into power metal mode, before turning into an almost classical baroque style chorus,” Olssons explains. To transform all this into heavy metal sounds requires a band who possess first-rate skills and are attuned to each other. Over the past 15 years, such a line-up has emerged with Olsson and Bergh, lead singer Patrik Selleby, rhythm guitarist Henrik Olsson plus bassist Anders Broman. And in 2017 they got the perfect addition with drummer Daniel Hansfeldt.

“Tales From The North” was produced by BLOODBOUND themselves, mixed and mastered by Jonas Kjellgren (Amorphis, Overkill, Sabaton) at the Swedish ‘Black Lounge Studios’, the cover artwork was done by Péter Sallai (Hammerfall, Powerwolf, among others). The signs are set on storm, especially since BLOODBOUND will be banging the promotional drums for “Tales From The North” in the coming months on their big headliner tour and at important festivals (Karmoygeddon, RockHarz, Masters of Rock, among others). Olsson is certain: “2023 will be a great year for Bloodbound!” 

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