MARIONETTE has injected new light and energy into the Swedish death metal genre since bursting onto the scene with Spite (2008).

The band is currently building on its successful 2009 European tours in support of Enemies with its “The SlaughTour 2010” U.K headline tour and dates in Scandinavia with fellow Gothenburgers Dark Tranquillity.

Founded in 2005 by high school friends bassist Mikael Medin, guitarist/backing vocalist Aron Parmerud and keyboardist Linus Johansson, MARIONETTE quickly gained substantial attention as newcomers to the Swedish metal scene by winning or placing high in a series of national and international music contests.

Concurrently, the band broke the Gothenburg sound mold - taking inspiration from unexpected places - while adapting new visual approaches, often putting the band at odds with self-absorbed elitists.

In early 2008 MARIONETTE recorded its debut album Spite which was mixed and mastered by Christian Silver (Sonic Syndicate).

Following the worldwide release of Spite in spring of the same year, MARIONETTE forged a dedicated following on the back of tours with Die Apokalyptischen Reiter in Europe; Scandinavia with Deathstars and Sonic Syndicate; and the UK as a headliner and with the Deathstars.

Immediately after the intense touring schedule for Spite, MARIONETTE began writing material for Enemies.

In keeping with the approach established for Spite, MARIONETTE assembled a production team for Enemies which included Pontus Hjelm (Dead By April) and two-time Swedish Grammy award winning producer Åke Parmerud.

Fredrik Nordström (In Flames, At The Gates, Bring Me The Horizon) and Peter In De Betou (Dimmu Borgir, Meshuggah) handled mixing and mastering duties respectively. Enemies was born to critical acclaim upon its European release in late 2009 and early 2010 in North America and Japan.

Special recognition given to the band’s aggressive sound, “stylistic depth”, “technical cohesion”, and an intrinsic ability to walk the line between relentless heaviness and commercial appeal (Kerrang! Magazine).

Heavy touring followed including Scandinavian dates with Five Finger Death Punch in November 2009 and European dates with Blessthefall.

Enemies was nominated for a Swedish Metal Award in the category of “Best Death Metal Album” of 2009.

In July 2010 MARIONETTE entered Studio Fredman with producer Fredrik Nordström to begin recording the band’s as yet unnamed third album, the first to feature new vocalist Alexander Andersson.

The band will take a break from recording in fall 2010 to perform on its headlining “The Slaughtour 2010” of the U.K. and to support fellow Gothenburgers Dark Tranquillity for the final Scandinavian dates of “Where Death Is Most Alive Part II” Tour.

With a mobilized, energetic, fanbase, and new album well on the way, MARIONETTE’s continued efforts to challenge and stir up the metal establishment will not go unnoticed.

MARIONETTE Signs Worldwide Publishing Deal with Warner/Chappell

Gothenburg Sweden based metal sextet MARIONETTE has signed a worldwide publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music Scandinavia (MESHUGGAH, SABATON). The band is currently mixing its as-of-yet-untitled third album with Pontus Hjelm (DEAD BY APRIL) at Studio PH in Gothenburg Sweden.

Commented by Warner/Chappell Music Scandinavia’s Sanken Sandqvist: “Sweden has continued to produce quality metal acts for over twenty years now. But MARIONETTE stands out above all for its focus on creating quality metal that is innovative and unconventional, while putting on an excellent, interactive, live show that is above and beyond what most bands with dudes in jeans and t-shirts can do in concert. We look forward to working with these young guys from Gothenburg and helping them grow to new heights.”

Guitarist, backing vocalist, and founding member Aron Parmerud added:
“We are proud to announce that we have signed with Warner Chappell for publishing our previous two albums and our future material. This worldwide deal will give us the support of one of the worlds largest publishing companies, allowing us to focus on creating new and innovative music, which has been our goal since 2005.

“Everyone at the MARIONETTE camp has been 100% focused on the mixing of our third album, which is occurring (as I type) at Studio PH with Pontus Hjelm. This album is by far our most mature release to date; there are a lot of new elements we are introducing to the MARIONETTE sound. We expect to turn a lot of heads with this release, and so far the response to the new material we played live on our “The SlaughTour 2010” headline tour of the UK and dates with DARK TRANQUILLITY earlier this year was received extremely well both by MARIONETTE fans and people who have never seen or heard us before. After our album is mastered in January we look forward to getting back on the road and sharing more new material with everyone who sees us live next year. Some titles of tracks on the album are ‘Something Forgotten’, ‘Remember Your Name’, ‘Stand In Line’ and ‘Lights Out’.”

MARIONETTE recently concluded its “The SlaughTour 2010” UK headline tour and Scandinavian dates supporting Dark Tranquillity: the first tour dates featuring new vocalist Alexander Andersson (ELDRIMNER) who joined the band in the spring. The second video diary from the headline tour can be viewed below:

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Updated Tuesday, 4 January, 2011 1:09 AM