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38-520: The band was formed in early 1985 by guitarists and former members of the band Trafalgar Magnus "Manko" Axx (Axelsson, guitar) and Anders Allhage (best known as Andy La Rocque , guitarist of King Diamond since 1985 and who also played briefly with Death and Megadeth ). Ken "Ulf" Sandin (bass). They joined forces with Dag Ingebrigtsen , a former vocalist of the Norwegian band TNT , bassist Ulf "Ken" Sandin and drummer Dennis Nybratt. This line-up played on

76-456: A Norwegian album of Christmas themed rock songs with various vocalists: "The Grønne Glitrende 3 Og Dag". In the summer of 1985, Allhage left for King Diamond and Nybratt (later in Steelwings ) left the band around the same time. They were replaced by Jamie Borger from Treat on drums and Dan Stomberg from Madison on guitar. This line-up recorded some demos with Allhage singing and informally used

114-548: A Vale Forlorn , where he performed lead guitars on the song "Busted to the Floor". LaRocque contributed a guitar solo to the track "Cold" on the album Slaughter of the Soul by Swedish melodic death metal group At the Gates . Producer Fredrik Nordström was responsible for the idea, and telephoned LaRocque. At the Gates' guitarist Anders Björler gave LaRocque an audio cassette recording of

152-915: A former member of Madison who sang on two of their albums, and for a brief period in 1985 Edman fronted Vinnie Vincent Invasion between Robert Fleischman and Mark Slaughter . Edman soon left the band to sing in former Europe guitarist John Norum 's solo project, where he sang on the album Total Control (1987). Later, Edman sang for Yngwie Malmsteen and on the early demos with former Malmsteen bassist Marcel Jacob 's band Talisman . After living in Los Angeles in 1988, where they hung out with among others Kee Marcello and Stevie Nicks and met with several record companies, eventually Swedish Erotica, now only consisting of guitarists Axx and Le Fay and bassist D'Fox were signed to Virgin Records Swedish office, thanks to A&R representative Donna Simmons, based on

190-610: A guest musician in a new version of Shotgun Messiah with the stage name "BJ", and abandoned thus Swedish Erotica, and was replaced by a returning Jamie Borger, most recently Treat but also the very person who earlier had persuaded Levén to leave the band in favor of Treat. 1995, with a new contract with a small company Empire Records, Swedish Erotica finally released a second album called Blindman's Justice , recorded in Bauhaus Studios in Gothenburg and mixed by Michael Ilbert . After

228-484: A keyboard player instead of a new guitarist, in order to take some burden off Wikström´s shoulders, who always played both guitar and keys live. Patrick "Green" Appelgren (ex-Power), the younger brother of Mikael "Äpplet" Appelgren (European table tennis champion in the late 1980s), handled all keys from then on. The album did badly in the charts and was a commercial disappointment. The band toured in Japan in 1990 in support of

266-571: A member of the heavy metal band King Diamond since 1985. LaRocque started out in the mid 1980s in the Gothenburg hard rock bands Trafalgar and an early version of Swedish Erotica . He also played on the Death album Individual Thought Patterns and the IllWill album Evilution , along with former members of Mercyful Fate . He can be heard on other albums as well, such as Falconer 's Chapters from

304-463: A successful career as a writer in film and television, Axx operated until early 2019 one of the most popular rock clubs in Sweden, Sticky Fingers in Gothenburg, while Möller and Sandin remained musicians in various constellations over the years. Axx is also credited on one Motörhead album as one of the few outside writers ever to receive a songwriting credit together with the band on one song, "Civil War" on

342-741: The Monsters of Rock Tour 1988 in support of it. Soon after they completed the tour guitarist Leif Liljegren was fired from the band in December 1988, followed shortly by bassist Kenneth Siwertsson, who quit in February 1989 due to the band's lack of success. The band's final album of the 1980s was Organized Crime , released in September 1989 on Vertigo Records . For this album the band brought in bassist Joakim "Joe" Larsson (ex-Six Feet Under, Power, Jammer) to replace Siwertsson. They also decided to replace Liljegren with

380-459: The " Overnight Sensation " album and was also offered by drummer Mikkey Dee to join Motörhead as replacement for guitarist Wurzel . The band's third album "Too Daze Gone" contains 8 songs with Levén that were meant for the second album. There are also 8 old demos recorded at the beginning of the band's career, different sessions from 1986 to 1988 before they were signed. Three of the songs are from

418-510: The Line" (4:19); "We're Wild, Young and Free" (4:43); "Hollywood Dreams" (4:26); "Love Hunger" (5:01) Side B: "Love Me or Leave Me" (4:27); "Downtown" (3:55); "She Drives Me Crazy" (3:31); "Loaded Gun" (3:59); "Rip It Off" (4:24); "Break the Walls" (4:38). Andy La Rocque Andy LaRocque (born Anders Allhage , 29 November 1962) is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter and record producer, best known as

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456-690: The Swedish metal scene. Following his time in Treat, he was involved in AB/CD, a parody of AC/DC and released the album Cut the Crap! 1995. Later bands include Abstract Algebra, At Vance, Fatal Force, Therion and many others. 2012 Leven briefly fronted Candlemass after they got rid of former front man Robert Lowe . 2005, the German company MTM Music released a compilation by Swedish Erotica - Too Daze Gone. Morgan Jensen moved on to

494-433: The album was "Too Wild"; the single received much airplay in Sweden and took the Swedish hardrock scene by surprise. Europe's vocalist Rolf Magnus Joakim Larsson said in an interview that when he heard the song he knew it would be a hit so a couple of days later he wrote the song "The Final Countdown" as a rival to their single because there is rivalry in music. At the same time "Too Wild" was released, bassist Tomas Lind left

532-472: The album was released frontman Möller had great success with his other band, pop-rockers Black Ingvars , topping the Swedish album charts and touring successfully. This and the general musical climate dominated by grunge and alternative rock led to the Swedish Erotica finally disbanding in 1996. The former frontman Mats Levén has participated in several projects and is one of the most established singers in

570-423: The album, but achieved little success. This led lead singer Robert Ernlund to leave the band, as he was tired of the band's lack of success. In late 1990, the band replaced Ernlund with current Candlemass singer Mats Levén , who had previously sung with the band Swedish Erotica and recorded their last album of the 1990s. The self-titled album Treat was released in 1992 and again failed to gain any success for

608-452: The band Capricorn contributed background vocals, and when Niva's AOR -oriented vocals didn't work out, he was asked by Evenrude about why he was not the lead singer of the band. Levén told him that he had declined the offer last year but was now actually interested in fronting the band. The debut album "Swedish Erotica" came out in 1989 with Levén singing and former frontman Tony Niva featured on background vocals. The ballad "Hollywood Dreams"

646-500: The band and led to the band's break-up on 26 March 1993. In 2005, a compilation album was released called Weapons of Choice , which sold surprisingly well around the world and led to the band reforming with the 1989 line-up plus Nalle Påhlsson on bass. The band then signed a deal with Universal and played at the Sweden Rock Festival on 10 June 2006. On 19 March 2010, the band released their reunion album Coup de Grace which

684-578: The band and was replaced by Kenneth Sivertsson, former bass player with the band Factory who had a couple of hits in Sweden in the late 1970s. The band released Scratch and Bite in the summer of 1985 and toured all over Sweden, but in August drummer Mats Dahlberg quit the band to form his own glam metal outfit Dalton, and was soon replaced with Leif Sundin who later played with Six Feet Under . The band set about recording their second and most critically acclaimed album The Pleasure Principle in late 1985. It

722-555: The band had national and as well as international success with songs like "Get You on the Run", "World of Promises", "Party All Over" and "Ready for the Taking" in the second half of the 1980s. They played at rock festivals like Monsters of Rock in 1988 in Germany. They were also the opening act for Queen in Sweden in 1986 and opened for W.A.S.P. during their first Swedish tour. They were signed to

760-430: The band returned to the studio in the spring of 1990 to record some demos for a second studio album. Virgin evaluated the material but found it lacking material similar to the first two singles, which were written by the album's producer Ole Evenrude. About the same time Jamie Borger, who had played in the band's first version and now was a member of the far more successful Swedish band Treat , informed Levén that his band

798-567: The blues scale and melodic minor. He has a distinct guitar tone for his solos, and often incorporates layers of harmonies over his runs and phrasing. He frequently uses a mixture of classically-flavored arpeggio sequences and alternate picked runs mixed with melodic lines to create his signature style. LaRocque was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2007. He is regularly listed as among the best or most underrated guitarists in heavy metal. He cites Michael Schenker and Randy Rhoads as major influences. He also likes Steve Vai and Tony Iommi , and

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836-406: The demo that gave them the recording contract with Virgin. Levén is however credited as the only lead vocalist on the album. A one-off reunion was announced for the 2024 Sweden Rock Festival with the line-up of Levén, Axx, Le Fay, Sandin and Borger. In August 2024 the band played their second show after the reunion, at the Swedish festival Skogsröjet. Side A: "Rock 'n roll City" (4.25); "Love on

874-643: The labels Mercury and then Vertigo . The band originally disbanded in 1993 due to failing to maintain success with new singer Mats Levén ; however, former band members worked later together on two new songs for the 2006 compilation album Weapons of choice 1984-2006 ; the album sold better than expected, convincing them that the band was still relevant. This led to Treat being revived later that year, with most of its 1989-1991 line-up, including Ernlund and Wikström, and signing up with Universal . They have since released four new studio albums: Coup de Grace , Ghost of Graceland , Tunguska and The Endgame . The band

912-422: The name "Swedish Beauty" but was never able to secure a record deal. Magnus Axx did not give up, changed the band name and hired new musicians. The next incarnation of Swedish Erotica formed in 1987 with members Magnus Axx and Morgan Le Fay (Morgan Jensen) on guitar together with bassist Johnny D'Fox (Jonas Tångström) and drummer Pete Sanders (Petter Svärd). They recorded a demo with Göran Edman as session singer,

950-520: The singer decided to leave the label and join the established Treat , where he sang on their self-titled album in 1992, while Swedish Erotica's first attempt at a follow-up album remained unreleased. Bjarne was replaced by Jonas Olsson on drums while Levén was replaced by former Slobobans Undergång singer Anders Möller, who previously had replaced Göran Edman on vocals in Madison and also sang in an Ozzy Osbourne cover band Crazy Train. Later Jonas Tångström

988-558: The song. The tape played at the wrong speed at LaRocque's house, so LaRocque had to transcribe the recording. Two days after receiving the cassette, LaRocque laid down a guitar solo for the song within half an hour. Björler described the solo as "great" and in a November 2007 interview admitted he still couldn't play the solo "properly". LaRocque opened a studio called the "Los Angered Recordings" in Angered , Sweden in 1995, where he produced and recorded albums for many bands. In 2007, he moved

1026-581: The stores for two months when demand peaked due to a pressing factory strike, which led to reduced sales and lack of success for the band. After numerous gigs in and around their hometown, among other the clubs Alexis and White Corner and Frölunda Culture House a UK tour followed, which included a gig at the Astoria in London for 700-800 people, even before the album was released in the UK. After touring for their debut album,

1064-507: The strength of the band's demos with Edman singing. Towards the end of the year the band had hired drummer BC Strike (Bjarne Johansson, ex-Zanity) and recorded demos in Tuff Studios with BC Strike's former bandmate from Zanity, Tony Niva, singing. A single, "Downtown" was also released with this line-up. In early 1989 the band recorded a demo in Norway with producer Ole Evenrude . Mats Levén of

1102-450: The studio to Varberg and renamed it "Sonic Train Studios" where he continues to record and produce for various rock and heavy metal bands. He is known for his signature playing style which incorporates neoclassical elements, using exotic scales such as harmonic minor, phrygian dominant, and diminished minor. His extended theory knowledge enables him to mix these scales with others such as

1140-424: Was Dreamhunter , which spawned the successful single "World of Promises"; the video for the single received airplay on MTVs Headbangers Ball and was later covered by Swedish metal band In Flames on their 2000 album Clayman . During the recording of the album, drummer Leif Sundin left the band and was replaced by Jamie Borger . The band had only minor success with the album, but nevertheless managed to join

1178-510: Was a great success for the band and has led to them touring the world for the first time since the 1980s. The album received positive reviews from the press. In July 2014, Treat played the Väsby Rock festival in Upplands Väsby , Sweden. Treat released their album, Ghost of Graceland on 13 April 2016. Their eighth album, Tunguska , was released in 2018. Their latest album to date, The Endgame,

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1216-450: Was founded in Stockholm in 1981 as "The Boys" by singer Robert Ernlund and guitarists Anders "Gary" Wikstrom and Leif "Lillen" Liljegren, a former member of punk rockers KSMB , but it was not until drummer Mats "Dalton" Dahlberg joined the band in the summer of 1983 that the band began to gain a following. Dalton had attained some contacts with Swedish PolyGram Records , which at the time

1254-537: Was impressed by the friendliness of Chuck Schuldiner when he recorded Individual Thought Patterns with him. Andy LaRocque owns Sonic Train Studios in Varberg , Sweden. The notable bands which recorded in Sonic Train Studios include: Treat (band) Treat is a Swedish hard rock band from Stockholm . Formed in 1981 by singer Robert Ernlund and guitarist Anders "Gary" Wikström  [ sv ] ,

1292-519: Was looking for a new Swedish hard rock band to sign. Around the same time bass player Tomas Lind joined and the band began to record a demo tape. When asked in early interviews who influenced their sound the band members said that they were heavily influenced by bands such as Whitesnake , Journey , Kiss and Van Halen The band's demo tape landed them a deal with Mercury Records and they started recording their debut album Scratch and Bite , changing their name to Treat. The first single released from

1330-449: Was looking for a new singer. Levén felt that Virgin did not anticipate a successful career for Swedish Erotica, and he also wanted to move to Treat's hometown of Stockholm , so he began to consider leaving the band. He discussed with a manager at the Virgin that he wanted to leave the band and was told that the label was more interested in him than the band and he was offered a solo project. But

1368-472: Was originally written by British songwriter Jimmy Scott for Bonnie Tyler but never released. Videos for the album's first two singles "R'n'R City" and "Young Wild & Free" were filmed and the videos played on MTV. Thanks to this the band got more attention than many other artists signed by Virgin Scandinavia. Second single, "Wild Young & Free," reached high on the charts but the album was not available in

1406-455: Was released almost a year later in the summer of 1986 and suffered in the charts, largely due to Europe 's album The Final Countdown storming the charts and the band was unfairly compared to Europe by the media and press. The song "Rev It Up" from the album was covered by American band Newcity Rockers and was a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for them. The next album the band released

1444-462: Was replaced on bass, first by Terry Barajas who later became the drummer in Abysmal Dawn and then by a returning Ken Sandin, a former member of bands Alien and Da Vinci. During this period, the same members played around Gothenburg in the cover band Double Trouble, covering songs by, among others Guns N' Roses , Poison , Nirvana , Pearl Jam and Magnus Uggla . 1993 Bjarne Johansson played as

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