Amaranthe

An acclaimed Swedish/Danish metal ensemble, Amaranthe blends punishing death and hardcore with lush symphonic, power, and pop-leaning electronic metal. They formed in 2009 and secured mainstream traction in 2013 when their sophomore album The Nexus reached the top ten in Sweden and Finland. Refinements continued across later releases such as Maximalism (2016), Helix (2020), and Manifest (2020), where their technical skill remained central. Their seventh studio album, The Catalyst, is due in 2024.

Olof Mörck (Dragonland, Nightrage) and Joacim "Jake E" Lundberg (Dreamland, Dream Evil) launched the project in Gothenburg in 2008 under the name Avalanche. Legal conflicts forced a 2009 rename to Amaranthe. Elize Ryd (Kamelot) and Jake E supplied most of the soaring clean vocals while Andreas Solveström (Cipher System) delivered the harsher, throatier parts; their self-titled debut arrived in 2011 and reached number 35 on the Swedish charts. The 2013 follow-up The Nexus extended their reach across multiple territories, including the U.S. Heatseekers chart, and proved to be the final release for harsh vocalist Andy Solveström, who departed shortly afterward.

Furthering their modern, mainstream metal direction, 2014’s Massive Addictive contained the international hit single “Drop Dead Cynical” and introduced vocalist Henrik Englund, while the Grammis-nominated Maximalism of 2016 folded additional metal, pop, and dance elements into the band’s sound.

Longtime clean vocalist Jake E exited in 2016 and was succeeded by Nils Molin of Dynazty, who appeared on the 2018 album Helix, Amaranthe’s last for Spinefarm. A new contract with Nuclear Blast preceded the 2020 release of the bombastic and star-studded Manifest, which included guest spots from Noora Louhimo (Battle Beast), Perttu Kivilaakso (Apocalyptica), Elias Holmlid (Dragonland), and Heidi Shepherd (Butcher Babies). The 2023 single “Damnation Flame” introduced new harsh vocalist Mikael Sehlin and is slated for the band’s seventh full-length, The Catalyst, in 2024.