Hailing from Karlskrona, Sweden, members of the band Psyche Force started Unchained in 1998, but was put to rest the same year, due to their obligations to their main band. But in February 1999 they reformed the band, and leaving Psyche Force, thus splitting that band up. After recording a bunch of demos, the band landed a record deal in 2004.

UNCHAINED (2005) SOUND RIOT

Dream Evil, Nocturnal Rites, Steel Attack, Wolf etc. Can you name the denominating factor within those bands? They are all apart of what I call NWOSHM (New Wave Of Swedish Heavy Metal). Seriously though, is there no end to the ongoing series of killer Swedish bands that pick up the legacy of what we call 80's metal? Unchained are yet another band to add to the list. They sound like a mix of Iron Maiden, Edguy and the Swedish elite named above. I'm not saying that they are as good as any of these bands, but they sure deliver a good enough debut. From what I can understand, their self titled effort is sort of a compilation of tracks recorded on several demos, leading to their record deal with Sound Riot. The album still sounds homogenous, and the production is quite good. Fact is, I'm really enjoying songs like "My Guide" and "Ghost Of The Alchemic Hall". Twin-guitars, strong vocal-deliveries, and memorable songs, what's not to like? I would still not bet money on these Swedes being the next big seller in the music market. I know many people will call this dated, or unoriginal for that matter. But to me, good music is good music, regardless. So what if they sound like something out of the 80's metal scene? At least these guys love what they do, and they do it proudly! Kudos for that, and congratulations with a solid debut album!

Killer tracks: My Guide, The Analyst, Ghost of The Alchemic Hall, The Great Witch Hunt, Seventh Sin