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Music Style
Metal |
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Musical Influences
Whitesnake, Metallica, Black Sabbath |
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Similar Artists
Whitesnake, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Dokken, Dio |
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Artist History
For the last seven years, Fatal Smile has rocked its home of Stockholm, Sweden, and beyond. Now, they’ve reached the shores of the United States having kicked off 2003 playing the New Jersey Metal Meltdown.
Guitarist Yksel “Y” Unutmaz breathed life into Fatal Smile when he moved to Stockholm in 1996. The move was made to allow his music to grow. When he got there, he met bassist Markus Johansson who had moved for the exact same reason.
Fatal Smile’s music is a mixture of heavy and raw classic metal with strong modern characteristics. It is dominated by lush melodies clearly in need of an attitude adjustment. Although Whitesnake, Metallica and Black Sabbath have strongly influenced Fatal Smile's sound, it is clearly contemporary.
Since recording its first two-track demo (“Hip M.F.”/”Sad & Gone”) in 1999, the band has undergone a lineup change at vocals and, more recently, drums. In 2000, the band welcomed vocalist H.B. Anderson (ex-Scudiero). In 2002, rock ‘n’ roll madman/drummer Robin Lagerqvist (ex-Six Pack Solution) was recruited to join Johansson in the rhythm section.
Anderson, the product of a jazz household, is as inspired by Frank Sinatra and Marvin Gaye as he is David Lee Roth and James Hetfield. His melodies and lyrics are the product of his mood, as seen in the cavernous distance between “Warfear” and “Crush On You.” A long-time drummer, Lagerqvist displayed the flexibility each band member possesses by taking the drums back up after playing guitar in the band Six-Pack Solution.
In the early summer of 2001, Fatal Smile headed into a Stockholm studio with producer Jonas stman (Yngwie Malmsteen, Mental Hippie Blood) where they spent six weeks recording and mixing its 10-track debut album "Beyond Reality” (a Heavy Metal Resources Top 10 Album Of 2002). The band is now signed a deal with the Swedish label Stars On The Rise / GMR Music Group who helped release “Beyond Reality" in early 2002.
With the media providing the accolades ("Kick ass stuff, and one of my biggest hopes for the future of hard rock." ? Metal Dreams; "9 out of 10" ? HardRadio) and fans providing the energy, it is no wonder Fatal Smile has been tabbed as “destined to help revive the ultra-melodic sounds of heavy metal music.” (Rockrage.com)
“Our music works because we are being true to ourselves,” Y says. “We write and play what we like, not what some ***hole says. It’s true music from the heart and with a hell of an attitude!”
That attitude connects the band with their audience. And if 2003 is any indication, Fatal Smile has a great future in the US.
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Group Members
H.B. Anderson - Vocals
Y Unutmaz - Guitars
Markus Johansson - Bass
Robin Lagerqvist - Drums
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Albums
Beyond Reality |
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Press Reviews
"Kick ass stuff, and one of my biggest hopes for the future of hard rock."
Rating 4,5 / 5. Chris Dugan - Metal Dreams (USA)
"...one of the best heavier rock albums of the year."
Rating: 9/10. Urban "Wally" Wallstrm - RockReunion (Europe)
"...one of the better releases I've heard this year."
Rating: "Pick Of The Month, October". Dave Palmer - Heavy Metal Resources (USA)
"When you think you’d heard everything, something like this comes up..."
Rating: 9/10. Martin Popoff - HardRadio (USA/Canada)
"A disc with long time run-guarantee! Buy it!!!"
Rating: 9/10. Sonny - Sonny`s Rock & Metal Heaven (Germany)
"...thumbs up highly and buy!"
Rating: 9.1/10. Saskia B - Metalfactory (Switzerland)
"This is one of the best heavy yet pleasingly melodic releases I've heard in ages..."
Rating: 8/10. Simon Gausden - Power Play Magazine (England)
"...gunpowder available to blow the earwax out of your head."
Rating: 8.8/10. George Thatcher - Heart Of The Rock (New Zeeland)
"...an incredible balls to the wall pure hard rock album that will burn a hole through your speakers."
Rating: 8/10. "Metal" Mike Lazaris - Hard Beyond Driven (Canada)
"...a good record that sounds like a big, powerful lion on the hunt."
Rating: 8/10. Ralph Leuenberger - MedazzaRock (Switzerland) |
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Location
Stockholm, Stockholm - Sweden |
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