Ablaze My Sorrow

Ablaze My Sorrow came together in 1993 when Martin Quist took on vocals and guitar alongside Magnus Carlsson on guitar, Anders Brorsson on bass, and Fredrik Wenzel on drums. Like other Swedish death metal groups of the era, the quartet wove abundant melody through their otherwise ferocious attacks. Shortly after the band tracked its first demo, “For Bereavement We Cried,” Alex Bengtsson replaced Wenzel behind the kit, and Roger Johansson joined on second guitar before the 1996 release of the debut album If Emotion Still Burns, allowing Quist to concentrate solely on singing. Both newcomers soon departed, however, and Fredrik Arnesson stepped in on vocals while Dennie Linden handled guitar for the follow-up The Plague, issued in 1997 on the same No Fashion label. Frustrated by scant recognition and the difficulty of distinguishing themselves within Sweden’s overcrowded heavy metal landscape, the band entered a lengthy hiatus. Kristian Lönnsjö later joined as vocalist, enabling a return in 2001 with the third album Anger, Hate and Fury, although broad acceptance has continued to prove elusive.