Biography

Hailing from the backwoods of northern Sweden, Hellsingland Underground are an old-fashioned hard rock band with an earthy style influenced by Neil Young, AC/DC, and early Guns N' Roses. The band made their critically acclaimed album debut in 2008 and broke into the Top Ten with their 2010 follow-up Madness and Grace. Hellsingland Underground were founded by singer/songwriter Charlie Granberg, who comes from the small town of Ljusdal in the northern county of Hälsingland. Granberg left Ljusdal for Stockholm at age 18 in hopes of finding success as a rocker and lived there for several years before returning to his hometown in 2006. During his time in Stockholm, Granberg came to know guitarist Mats Olsson and drummer Patrik Jansson, who for nearly a decade were members of the hard rock band Maryslim. They eventually split from Maryslim to team up with Granberg, who had written a bunch of songs and was looking to start a band. Around 2006, Hellsingland Underground took shape with the inclusion of second guitarist Peter Henriksson, keyboardist Mathias Stenson, and bassist Martin Karlsson. Upon founding their own label, Killed by Records, Hellsingland Underground made their eponymous album debut in 2008. The release garnered critical acclaim and spawned a couple hit singles, "Slipping Through the Hands of Time" and "Northern Country Boy." Released two years after the band's debut album, the follow-up effort, Madness & Grace, was a blockbuster commercial success, reaching number six on the Swedish albums chart. Following the release of their third album, 2012's Evil Will Prevail, the band entered a period that found them at odds with their management, as tours and bookings suddenly fell through and contractual disputes marred their momentum. By this time, keyboardist Stenson had been replaced by Henning Winnberg and the band soldiered on to begin sessions for their fourth album, a purported concept album titled Understanding Gravity. Initial studio sessions in early 2015 were scrapped and the band opted instead to rent out a 16th century castle in Sörmland to complete their work. The departure of second keyboardist Winnberg opened the door for new recruit Thomas Petterson, who took his place midway through recording. After numerous trials and tribulations, Hellsingland Underground wrapped up their fourth effort and Understanding Gravity was released in the spring of 2016. Before the release of their next album, Olsson left the band and was replaced by new guitarist Jerry Ask. The band's fifth full-length A Hundred Years Is Nothing, was released in August of 2019. ~ Jason Birchmeier & Timothy Monger, Rovi