At the annual kick Sweden Rock Festival, which this year was held at the Tyrol in Stockholm, the first 26bands for the festival of 2008 were announced. They are as follows:

JUDAS PRIEST
The classic lineup of Rob Halford, KK Downing, Glenn Tipton, Ian Hill and Randy Travis will visit our festival once again. They´re currently putting the finishing touches to a new studioalbum based on the life of Nostradamus.

ASTRAL DOORS (S)
Astral Doors continue to create cosmic metal with their latest album ”New revelation”

AT THE GATES (S)
The band who created ”the Gothenburg sound” will reform for an exclusive gig for Sweden and our festival.

AVATAR (S)
A young swedish melodic death metal band who have received a lot of recognition over the last two years.

AXEWITCH (S)
Another swedish hardrock act who has decided to reform with four of their five original members. And a new album might face the day next year.

BLUE ÖYSTER CULT (US)
A classic american rockband who got their big breakthrough with ”(Don´t fear) the reaper” and Godzilla in the mid 70´s incorparating science fiction and the occult in their music. The band last visited Sweden Rock Festival in 1998 and they will be back in 2008.

BONAFIDE (S)
Those who have seen Bonafide can tell you about a band rooted in Humble Pie, Rose Tattoo and AC/DC.

CARCASS (UK/S)
An english deathmetalband, but with a swedish guitarplayer Michael Amott (Arch Enemy/Spiritual Beggars), will re-unite for Sweden Rock Festival. Drummer Ken Owen will, however, be replaced by Daniel Erlandssson.

COHEED & CAMBRIA (US)
An american progressive band from New York. They´re fascinated by 70´s-rock and many have compared them to Rush. And the producer of their latest album ”Good Apollo, I´m burning star IV, Volume two: no world for tomorrow” – Nick Raskulinecz – is the same guy who did ”Snakes and arrows”!

DARE (UK)
Melodic rock with celtic influences is the direction that former Thin Lizzy-keyboardist Darren Wharton has chosen to go since the debut in 1989. A new album entitled ”Arc of dawn” will be released next year.

DERRINGER BAND (US)
Derringer-Johnson-Appice-Aronson. Rick Derringer, Danny Johnson, Vinny Appice and Kenny Aaronson released three classic albums in the 70´s (”Derringer”, ”Sweet Evil” and ”Derringer Live”) and they´re sure to command interest today as well.

ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - former members of ELO and ELO Part II (UK)
With former members of ELO and ELO II this is a band who will prove that the large audience has not forgotten classic albums such as ”A new world record” and ”Out of the blues”.

GOTTHARD (CH)
A heavy rockband from Switzerland who graced our kickoff with a gig. Eleven of their twelve album releases have reached the number one spot in Switzerland.

HAVANA BLACK (FIN)
Southern rock from Finland? Yes, it can work and did so some 20 years ago with ”Faceless days”, ”Indian warrior” and ”Exiles in mainstream”. It still does.

HENSLEY/LAWTON & LIVE FIRE (UK)
Ken Hensley first came to prominence as a keyboardist in Uriah Heep and he teamed up with John Lawton in the latter parts of the 70´s. Of course you can count on them to play a couple of Heep-tracks.

LIZZY BORDEN (US)
Got their name from a young american woman who axemurdered her parents. This music will definitely kill you!

MINISTRY (US)
The main man in black has announced that he and the band will retire but not before Al Jourgensen has visited Sweden Rock Festival. This is the band who defined and still defines the term metal with an industrial touch.

MUSTASCH (S)
Probably the most successive hardrockband from Sweden in Sweden during 2007 thanks to their hitsingle ”Double nature” from their latest album ”Latest version of the truth”.

NEGATIVE (FIN)
They started out as something closer to gothrock but can nowadays be regarded as glam- and sleazerock. Big in Finland and soon to be big everywhere else.

SABATON (S)
They played Sweden Rock Festival in 2005 and their fanbase has been growing ever since. A new album will be released this coming spring.

SAXON (UK)
One of the most classic bands hailing from NWOBHM-era makes every festival better. And yes – they´re bringing their eagle with them!

SHAKIN` STREET
Fronted by beautiful Fabienne Shine this band released to albums in the 80´s. Fabienne, Ross the Boss, Mike Winter and Jean-Lou plus Phillipe Kalfon and Phillipe Bonnano are back.

TESLA (US)
Had great success in the early 90´s in the US starting with ”Mechanical resonance” but disbanded in 1994. The band members have found their way back together. First ever visit to Sweden Rock Festival.

THE BLUES BAND (UK)
Much talked about bluesband from England who has existed close to 30 years. This is an institution!

ULI JOHN ROTH (D)
Played a handful of songs together with his former bandmates in Scorpions at our festival in june this year and the german guitarist will return with his own band. He has concentrated on combining heavier rock with orchestral elements and his masterpeice ”Metamorphosis” was released in 2004. He´s got a new album coming out next year.

VOLBEAT (DK)
Heavy and hard from Denmark with a singer who reminds a lot about Elvis Presley!

For more information, visit the Sweden Rock Festival web site.