Kings in the North

Kings in the North is a debut by musicians gathered from across the Swedish melodic hard rock scene. It did not even begin as a band, though. It started as a solo project for Alexander Strandell of Art Nation, produced by Jona Tee of H.E.A.T. Christian “Kicken” Lundqvist of The Poodles and John Levén of Europe came aboard, and under the push of Frontiers president Serafino Perugino it took the shape of a group. It appeared on 18 June 2021. Who plays what is more tangled than it looks. Jona Tee handled not only keyboards and production but most of the guitars on the record himself. Love Magnusson of Dynazty was still a guest at this point, playing solos only. From the title track into “Perceval” and “Sharoline,” the songs are built on Nordic clarity and outsized choruses. “Mad World” came first as a single, “Sharoline” as the first video. There are eleven tracks. Jona Tee himself calls this sound Eurovision melodic rock.