Biography
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Years Active
1996 – present (28 years)
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Founded In
Strängnäs Municipality, Södermanland, Sweden
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Members
- Cloffe Caspersson
- Erik Sahlström
- Kalle Sjödin
- Kjell Enblom
- Magnus Lindvall
Maze of Torment formed in 1996 in Strängnäs, Sweden out of the ashes of the band Harmony, due to massive line-up and direction changes the band had experienced from 1992-95. Maze of Torment dedicated itself to creating intense Death/Thrash Metal with total disregard for all trends or caution.
In May 1995, Maze of Torment recorded for the first time and with their line-ups' first incarnation; Pehr Larsson on vocals and bass, Pete Flesh on guitars and Kjell Enblom on drums. The three-track promo that was the result of these initial rumblings landed the band a deal with Germany's We Bite/Corrosion Records.
A year later, the band's debut, "The Force" was complete, recorded at Unisound Studios in Sweden. Due to delays of every imaginable variety the release of "The Force" was delayed for an entire year after its completion, leading the band to seek another label as quickly as possible.
In March of 1998 they re-entered the studio with a new contract with Tomas Nyqvist's Iron Fist Productions to record their second album, "Faster Disaster". By this time, Pehr Larsson had quit playing bass to focus on his vocals, and the band had recruited Peter Jansson to handle the four-string duties. The album received extremely positive critical response, even at a time when the word "Thrash" was becoming synonymous with "Cheesy Cash-in garbage", Maze of Torment's material was strong enough to win over even the staunchest critics.
Despite the brilliant reaction that the album received, sales were disappointing due to a lack of distribution from Iron Fist. The band knew that they had to take the next step and find a label that would give their ferocious music the intense push that it deserved.
After replacing vocalist Pehr with the formidable Erik Sahlstrom and replacing bassist Peter Jansson with Kalle Sjodin, the band quickly inked a deal with Necropolis Records for "Death Strikes". After returning to Sweden's famed Sunlight Studios the band emerged with a killing piece of molten Metal insanity that should have establish their rightful place among the most intense bands in the Death/Thrash Metal genre today.
Sadly Necropolis Records fucked everything up and when it was time to enter the studio for the recording of their fourth album "The Unmarked Graves" all started to fall apart. After 10 months of delay the studio bill to Tommy Tägtgren / The Abyss Studio was still not payed. Everything was falling apart for the band at this time. The rage towards Necropolis Records was more than enormous.
But when everything was like worst Blackmoon from the Swedish cult label Hellspawn Records (Dark Funeral / Infernal ect.) contacted the band and made an offer to release "The Unmarked Graves". They decided to give Necropolis Records the finger and accept the deal from Hellspawn Records. Both parts see this collaboration as the beginning of something greater and the band is more than satisfied with the standard Hellspawn Records has shown so far. No fucking delays, no fucking lies… just pure fucking underground!!
The band stands unsigned once again and decides to return to the Abyss in august 2003 to record the fifth album entitled "Hammers of Mayhem" on their own budget. In the beginning of 2004 the original band member, guitarist and main riff master Pete Flesh (Peter Karlsson) and bass player Kalle Sjödin decides to quit the band. The band plays their last show at the Inferno festival in Norway. The remaining members Kjell Enblom and Erik Sahlström didn't feel that this was the end and decides that the show must go on. A new deal with the label Black Lodge is now a fact and the "Hammers of Mayhem" album can finally be released. Also the "The Unmarked Graves" album is reissued by Black Lodge and even the debut album "The Force" and the first promo "Brave the Blizzard" (now as a 7"single) are reissued by other labels.
After the departure of Peter and Kalle, the band has gone through some major changes. The line-up has now changed to a five piece army. The new members are Viktor Hemgren (also in Lucien, ex Månegarm, ex Sorg), Rickard Dahlin (ex Sorg) and Cloffe Caspersson (known from Stockholms only rock radio station 106,7 Rock Klassiker). Viktor left the band in may 2005 an was replaced by Magnus Lindvall (Soils Of Fate) as a session member. The new line recorded the album "Hidden Cruelty" in Berno Studios 2006. The single called "Breach the Wall" and the album "Hidden Cruelty" were released 2007. The new material was more aggressive and solid than ever and a new era in the Maze of Torment history was on the edge to take off.
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