Unleashed

Unleashed have been stalwarts of the Swedish death metal scene since the early '90s, with plentiful album releases showcasing a basic loud-fast-rules death metal style that has remained largely unchanged, but always potent. The group consists of bassist/vocalist Johnny Hedlund, guitarists Tomas and Fredrik, and drummer Anders; they debuted in 1991 with Where No Life Dwells, following it with 1992's Shadows in the Deep, 1993's Across the Open Sea, the "official bootleg" of 1994's Live in Vienna, 1995's Victory -- possibly their best -- another live album with 1996's Eastern Blood, and 1997's Warrior. ~ Steve Huey