Biography: Märvel was formed in 2002 when John Steen (The King), Ulrik Bostedt (Speedo) and Tony Samuelsson (The Vicar) spent a high school exchange year in Colorado, USA. Ditching classes, drinking beer and playing rock n roll in the garage gave the world ‘Marvellous’, their first EP. The band got airtime on several college radio stations before they left the USA and returned to Sweden with lousy grades, but high spirits. Two other vinyl EP’s (‘Heroine Tracks’ & ‘Bedlam at the Embassy’) were released the following years through Swedish indie labels. Between 2003 and 2011, the band started honing their skills and image by playing live and recording three albums. Constant touring and airplay during the period helped the band to build a very loyal fanbase in Europe. With the release of their third full length album ‘Warhawks of War’, Märvel went through some changes. The earlier superhero gimmick was abandoned in favor of new and more iconic personas, The King, The Vicar and Speedo. A second live bass player, The Aviator, was also added to the line up. The band fully stepped into the new characters by also adopting them live on stage. ‘Warhawks of War’ was released in 2011 and marked a big step forward for the band in terms of sound and strong material. It also featured the guest stars Strings (Dundertåget, Hellacopters) and Dregen (Backyard Babies, Hellacopters, Michael Monroe). In 2012, Speedo (Ulrik Bostedt) was replaced by Burgher (Ulrik Bostedt). Filled with youthful raw energy, and with a unique style, Burgher helped catapult the band even further while touring Germany, France and Spain to promote the Warhawks album. After touring with Dregen in 2013, the band returned to the studio to record ‘Hadal Zone Express’. The album was released 28th of March 2014 to a never ending stream of praise. In the fall, the band recorded a mini album, with Fred Estby,’The Hills Have Eyes’. The title track along with a cover of W.A.S.P’s “L.O.V.E. Machine” made a big fuzz and got frequent air time. In 2017, the band partnered with The Sign Records, and the first release was the seventh album ‘at the Sunshine Factory’, the first Märvel album to be recorded fully by themselves in their own newly established studio, Solskensfabriken. The second release was a cheeky cover album, ‘Guilty Pleasures’, featuring songs from a wide spectrum of artists such as Dire Straits, Agnetha Fältskog, REO Speedwagon and Monster Magnet. In September of last year the first single (“Slasher With A Broken Heart”) from the new album ‘Graces Came With Malice’ was released, followed by two more singles (“One Common Enemy” and “Lizard’s Tongue”) before the busy celebration year arrived. In early 2022 Märvel released another two singles (“Sound Of Life Slipping Away” and “Great Man”) before the album release in April. In connection with the album release, another track (“Hot Nite In Dallas”) was released with an accompanying music video produced by Max Ljungberg. The song is a cover of Moon Martin and premiered in the american magazine Metal Injection and was featured on UK´s Classic Rock Magazine / Louder‘s “Tracks of the Week”. The album ‘Graces Came With Malice’ was released to critical acclaim and scored high reviews in Germany’s biggest online magazine Rock Hard, England’s “Classic Rock magazine” and many more across the globe. In August Märvel held their own two day festival (Märvelfest) in Linköping Sweden where they invited new and old friends like The Pusjkins, Freedom, Omni Of Halos, Knifven, Dictator Ship, Hedda Hatar, Lykantropi and Reptile Tounge to celebrate this milestone – 20 years as a band! In November Märvel flew to Spain for their first headline tour in the country since the 2011 tour in support of the album ‘Warhawks of War’. They toured in the cities of Barcelona, Lleida, Zaragoza, Toledo and Madrid. “We got a fantastic reception from the spanish Märvel Army and the crowd rocked like there was no tomorrow. Be sure it won’t be another 11 years before we rock ‘n’ roll Spain again!” What else do we have to look forward to in 2023? The Spanish online magazine Rock N Roll Army will launch a series of articles covering the entire career of Märvel with exclusive interviews with the members about nostalgia, memories, music and lots of candid stuff for the Märvel Army fans around the world. The upcoming double album ‘Double Decade’ will crown the celebration of the 20th anniversary. The album contains two brand new songs, Märvel’s greatest hits remastered and previously impossible to get B-sides and rare tracks. Both the two new songs will be accompanied by music videos. The first single is released today along with the pre-order of the album and the second single will be released in January, 2023, one month before the album release on February 24th. So you want more eh!? It remains to be seen what 2023 has to offer but one thing is clear, you can count on a band more eager than ever to meet all their fans around the world. Make sure to catch them on the road when you get the chance! |