Greenleaf

Swedish hard rock quartet Greenleaf fuses a grimy strain of stoner and sludge metal with densely riffed hard rock steeped in 1970s influences. Band members consistently embrace a hands-on independent approach, managing duties that range from studio production to visual artwork. Formed in 1999 purely as a relaxed outlet for musicians drawn from other groups, the project drew inspiration from classic hard rock and proto-metal acts of the previous decade. Founding participants included Dozer guitarist Tommi Holappa, bassist/producer/engineer Bengt Bäcke, drummer/engineer Karl Daniel Lidén—who also performed in Dozer and Demon Cleaner—and Lowrider vocalist Peder Bergstrand, resulting in the self-titled EP released in 2000.

Dozer frontman Fredrik Nordin stepped in as vocalist for the 2001 follow-up Revolution Rock, which earned strong critical notice. Small Stone Recordings founder Scott Hamilton encountered the record and offered the Swedes a multi-album contract on his Detroit-based imprint. Demon Cleaner guitarist Daniel Jansson came aboard for the 2003 Small Stone debut Secret Alphabets, which brought initial American press exposure. Limited by commitments to their primary bands, the members could only stage sporadic club and festival shows that highlighted their raw, propulsive force. After the album cycle Jansson, Lidén, and Nordin departed, although Lidén continued contributing to studio work.

The reconstituted quartet welcomed Truckfighters singer Oskar Cedermalm and then-Dozer drummer Erik Bäckwall to record 2007’s Agents of Ahriman. The resulting set of blues-infused, overdriven hard rock tracks showcased Cedermalm’s delivery amid the dense riffing and attracted broader international attention despite positive reviews failing to translate into extensive touring. In 2010 Holappa and Bäcke committed to Greenleaf as their main focus; Cedermalm stayed on vocals while ex-Dozer drummer Olle Mårthans and ex-Dozer bassist Johan Rockner, now handling second guitar, joined the lineup. This configuration enabled sustained road work and yielded the 2012 album Nest of Vipers, engineered and mixed by Lidén. The touring effort generated widespread acclaim, with several metal publications crediting the ostensibly casual project with shaping Sweden’s hard rock landscape.

Following more than six months on the road, Cedermalm, Mårthans, and Rockner exited. Vocalist Arvid Jonsson from Mozkovitch and drummer Sebastian Olsson came aboard, leading to the final Small Stone release Trails & Passes. Jonsson oversaw tracking of his own vocals during sessions again helmed by Lidén. The nine-song collection presented the band’s most refined songcraft and production, merging psychedelic textures, hard rock drive, and metallic blues while retaining their earlier visceral punch, earning career-best notices and headline theater and club dates across Europe. After a full year of touring the group moved to Napalm Records, though Bäcke departed and Rockner returned on bass for Rise Above the Meadow, issued in February 2016. The band produced the record while Lidén handled recording, mixing, and mastering; upon release it appeared on streaming charts and was hailed by metal outlets as essential within hard rock and stoner metal history. Subsequent touring success included rapid sell-outs and larger festival stages, yet Rockner left once more, succeeded by bassist Hans Fröhlich, while Jonsson stepped away to marry and was replaced by vocalist Arvid Hällagård.

This lineup entered the studio in early 2018 and completed Hear the Rivers, released that November on Napalm. Lidén again recorded, mixed, and mastered the album, which introduced female backing vocals from Karin Hällagård. The band maintained an extensive 2019 schedule that encompassed their first Australian dates. Pandemic restrictions halted live activity in 2020, yet the stable roster continued writing separately before reconvening at Lidén’s Studio Gröndahl in October to finish Echoes From a Mass in ten days. Lidén mixed and mastered the album at Tri-Lamb Studios for its Napalm release in March 2021. Following two lengthy tours the group signed with Magnetic Eye and returned to the studio in 2023. In June 2024 they completed the nine-song The Head & the Habit before launching a summer festival tour.