bloodbath n : indiscriminate slaughter [syn: bloodletting, bloodshed, battue]

English

Etymology

Coined in 1867. Compound of blood and bath, the latter used to refer in the metaphorical sense to a deluge of a thing.

Noun

1. Indiscriminate killing or slaughter.

Translations

• Dutch: bloedbad
• Danish: blodbad
• German: Blutbad
• Hebrew: מרחץ-דמים (merkhatz-damym)
• Icelandic: blóðbað
• Italian: bagno di sangue

Bloodbath is a Swedish death metal band from Stockholm formed in 2000. Their 2000 EP Breeding Death featured Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) on vocals, Dan Swanö (Edge of Sanity, Nightingale, etc.) on drums, Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström (Katatonia, Diabolical Masquerade) on guitar, and Jonas Renkse (Katatonia, October Tide) on bass. Influenced by positive feedback from fans, the band decided to make a full release. Two years later, Bloodbath released their debut album Resurrection through Carnage.

In 2004, vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt left Bloodbath to free up more time for his primary band Opeth. To replace him, Bloodbath brought in Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy). The lineup changed further, with Dan Swanö switching to play the guitar instead of drums. Martin Axenrot (Witchery, Satanic Slaughter and now Opeth) took his place and the band was now bigger and more serious, no longer functioning as just a secondary project. The band's second full release, Nightmares Made Flesh, was released in Europe on September 27, 2004.

In February of 2005, Tägtgren left the band due to "conflicting schedules." That same year, Mikael Åkerfeldt rejoined the band for a single live show at Germany's Wacken Open Air on August 5th. Prior to the show, the band commented on the Wacken show: "Not only the first, but also the last gig for Bloodbath (with Mikael Åkerfeldt on vocals)" (later also turning out to be the last one with Dan Swanö). In September of 2005, Bloodbath started a search for a new lead vocalist.

In August 2006, the band announced the departure of Dan Swanö from their ranks due to musical differences and Swanö's restrictions to devote more time and effort to the project in the future. They simultaneously closed the vocal auditions, announcing that no suitable singer had been found.

On March 27th, 2007 the band announced that a new lineup would shortly be unveiled, along with news that they were producing new material, to be released on a mini-CD towards the end of summer. In August 2007, band member Jonas Renkse wrote a message on the band's official discussion forum which suggested that work was in progress In December of 2007, the CD's title, Unblessing the Purity, was announced in Mikael Åkerfeldt's "best of 2007" album list. It was later confirmed by Blakkheim on the band's forum.

On January 30th 2008, it was announced via the Bloodbath website that Mikael Åkerfeldt would be rejoining the line-up on vocals along with new member Per Eriksson (ex-21 Lucifers, ex-Genocrush Ferox) on guitars.

The new mini-cd includes 4 songs and was released on March 10th 2008.

Also announced on the special website Peaceville Records set up for the Bloodbath mini-CD is the long awaited Wacken live CD/DVD, which was released after two delays on June 2nd,2008.

Members

Current

• Mikael Åkerfeldt - lead vocals (2000 - 2004, 2006, 2008 - present)
• Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström - guitars (2000 - present)
• Per Eriksson - guitars (2008 - present)
• Jonas Renkse - bass (2000 - present)
• Martin "Axe" Axenrot - drums, percussion (2004 - present)

Former

• Peter Tägtgren - lead vocals (2004 - 2005)
• Dan Swanö - drums, percussion (2000 - 2004), guitars (2004 - 2006)

Discography

Full length albums

• 2002: Resurrection Through Carnage
• 2005: Nightmares Made Flesh
• 2008: Untitled upcoming album

EPs

• 2000: Breeding Death
• 2008: Unblessing the Purity

Live

• 2008: The Wacken Carnage

References

External links

• Bloodbath's official homepage
• Bloodbath's official forum
• Bloodbath's official MySpace
• The special Bloodbath page of Peaceville Records

bloodshed, blue ruin, breakup, butchery, carnage, consumption, damnation, decimation, depredation, desolation, despoilment, despoliation, destruction, devastation, disintegration, disorganization, disruption, dissolution, final solution, genocide, havoc, hecatomb, holocaust, mass destruction, mass murder, massacre, perdition, pogrom, race extermination, race-murder, ravage, ruin, ruination, saturnalia of blood, shambles, slaughter, spoliation, undoing, vandalism, waste, wholesale murder, wrack, wrack and ruin, wreck