Loch Vostok

Loch Vostok is a progressive metal band from Uppsala, Sweden. Named after a subterranean lake in Antarctica, rose out of the collapse of progressive metal band Mayadome in 2001.

Biography

Loch Vostok was formed in 2001 by drummer Teddy Möller out of the ashes of his previous progressive metal band Mayadome. Bringing with him keyboardist Sebastian Okupski and bassplayer Erik Grandin along with new recruits guitarist Niklas Kupper and drummer Alvaro Svanerö, Möller switched role from drums to singer and guitarist for the new band. However Grandin was to relocate to the United States and was replaced by Tomas "Tym" Jonsson which Möller had played with previously in Mellow Poetry.

With the line-up complete Loch Vostok set out to record a self-financed album with producer Daniel Bergstrand in 2002. The result was Dark Logic. An album which the lyrics were entirely based upon infamous serial killers such as Henry Lee Lucas, Andrei Chikatilo and Ed Gein. The Russian distributor CD-maximum were the first to pick up the album and shortly after Magnetism records released it officially worldwide in August 2004.

After the album's release keyboardist Sebastian Okupski decided to leave Loch Vostok to focus on other projects. The vacancy was filled by Andreas Lindahl of Platitude but due to the distance between Uppsala and Gothenburg he decided to leave the band after the recordings of the new album Destruction Time Again!.

In December 2005 keyboardist/composer Fredrik Klingwall of Flagellation, Anima Morte, etc. joined Loch Vostok.^[1] And with Destruction Time Again! out on their new label, Escapi Music, they hit the road supporting King Diamond in the Scandinavian leg of his European 2006 tour.^[2] With the album being quite well received Loch Vostok set out to do more gigs to support the album following the King Diamond tour in 2006 and 2007 with among others Pyramaze, Grave and Rotting Christ,^[3] as well as playing the 5-year anniversary of Headway Festival (A festival which they had also played in 2003) in Amsterdam.

In 2007 they also began the recordings of the follow-up to 2006 years Destruction Time Again! in Teddy's own Blueflame Studio, an album that came to be Reveal No Secrets, which then was released in the summer of 2009. After this release, the band entered a kind of hibernation era, with Möller being very busy with his other band, F.K.Ü.. Current drummer Svanerö decided to leave, and was replaced by Lawrence Dinamarca. In 2011, the band signed a three-album deal with Vicisolum Productions^[4] and released critically acclaimed Dystopium, which was then shortly followed by a tour with Therion and Leprous. Tomas "Tym" Jonsson decided to leave the band before the tour, due to complications with a herniated spine, and was replaced on bass by Jimmy Mattsson of Planet Rain.

A year later, the fifth album, V - The Doctrine Decoded, was announced and furthermore released on October 4, 2012.^[5]

Members

Current members

• Teddy Möller – vocals/guitar (founding member)
• Niklas Kupper – guitar/backing vocals (2001–2009) and (2011-)
• Jimmy Mattsson – bass (2011-)
• Lawrence Dinamarca - drums (2010-)
• Mattias Hagberg – keyboard (2015-)

Former members

• Erik Grandin – bass (2001–2002)
• Sebastian Okupski – keyboard (2001–2004)
• Andreas Lindahl – keyboard (2004–2005)
• Alvaro Svanerö – drums (2001–2009)
• Tomas "Tym" Jonsson – bass (2002–2010)
• Mano Lewys - guitar (2010-2011)
• Fredrik Klingwall – keyboard (2005-2015)

Discography

• 2004: Dark Logic
• 2006: Destruction Time Again!
• 2009: Reveal No Secrets
• 2011: Dystopium
• 2012: V - The Doctrine Decoded
• 2015: From These Waters

References

External links

• Official Website
• Loch Vostok at Myspace
• Loch Vostok at Last.fm
• ViciSolum website