Lefay

Swedish heavy metal outfit Lefay emerged from the ashes of Morgana Lefay, a group that dissolved in 1997 following roughly ten years of existence and six albums issued on Black Mark. Core members Charles Rytkönen on vocals and Tony Eriksson on guitar promptly assembled a new lineup by adding guitarist Peter Grehn, bassist Micke Åsentorp, and drummer Robin Engström; the refreshed quintet promptly tracked its first Lefay album, The Seventh Seal, which surfaced in 1999 and was succeeded the next year by S.O.S. In an apparent bid to bridge the two eras—both rooted in a blend of traditional and power metal—the musicians also revisited and re-recorded the independent debut originally issued by Morgana Lefay, Symphony of the Damned. The project soon collapsed, however, under a wave of negative reviews, falling sales figures, and widespread listener bewilderment. The entire sequence of name alterations stemmed from mounting frustration with the band’s Black Mark contract; after an unsuccessful attempt to exit the deal, the musicians re-signed in 2005, thereby reclaiming permission to operate under their complete original moniker and resuming activity as though the intervening turmoil had never occurred.