Dozer

Emerging from Sweden in 1995, the stoner rock outfit Dozer originated in the quiet community of Borlänge when vocalist-guitarist Frederik Nordin joined forces with lead guitarist Tommi Holappa, drummer Erik Bäckwall, and bassist Magnus Larsson. Larsson soon departed to focus on martial arts, making way for Johan Rockner. The group rapidly attracted attention within the global stoner rock community after Kerrang! magazine named their 1998 single “Hawaii Cottage” single of the week. Additional momentum arrived through split releases with Demon Cleaner in 1998, Domestic Dudes in 1999, and Unida in 1999, followed by the standalone 1998 single “The Phantom.” Their debut full-length, In the Tail of a Comet, appeared in 2000 on the fledgling stoner imprint Man’s Ruin.

Even though the sessions cost a modest $500, the album earned placements on numerous critics’ year-end Top Ten lists and paved the way for the 2001 follow-up Madre de Dios. Both the band and that record suffered when Man’s Ruin collapsed into bankruptcy later that year, while their third album, Call It Conspiracy, surfaced in 2002 on the vinyl-centric Molten Universe label and received limited notice. Dozer subsequently paused touring and recording to explore side endeavors, most prominently Holappa’s project Greenleaf, before regrouping in early 2005 for a European run supporting Extol and Mastodon. The touring stint rekindled activity, prompting the addition of drummer Daniell Liden and the completion of their fourth album, Through the Eyes of Heathens, which Detroit-based Small Stone Records issued in early 2006.