DRAGONLAND
Biography and discography of Dragonland, the symphonic power metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden, with a page for each of their seven albums from The Battle of the Ivory Plains (2001) to the 2026 Scarlet Records release Prophecies, including line-ups, running orders and official videos, on METAL BOOST.
Biography
DRAGONLAND
Biography
DRAGONLAND is a symphonic/melodic power metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. Since forming in 1999 the group has built seven studio albums around a grand fantasy world, the self-produced saga The Dragonland Chronicles, and the detailed orchestration written by keyboardist Elias Holmlid. Guitarist Olof Mörck spent those years in parallel with AMARANTHE, and Amaranthe's success is part of why the band went through a long silence.
Formation and the opening of the saga, 1999 to 2002
DRAGONLAND was formed in Gothenburg in 1999 around guitarist Nicklas Magnusson and vocalist Jonas Heidgert, and recorded a first demo, Storming Across Heaven, in 2000. A guitarist change just before the debut sessions brought in Olof Mörck.
The 2001 debut, The Battle of the Ivory Plains, was conceived as the first chapter of the band's self-produced fantasy saga, The Dragonland Chronicles. Released by the Greek label Black Lotus Records, it was engineered by Andy LaRocque, the guitarist of KING DIAMOND. Holy War followed in 2002 as the second chapter, recorded and mixed at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg; the band's long connection with producer Fredrik Nordström and that studio begins here and runs on through their later work.
A change of course: Starfall and Astronomy, 2004 to 2006
The third album, Starfall (2004), and the fourth, Astronomy (2006), were made as stand-alone records outside the saga. Starfall came out first in Japan, on King Records' Metal Frontier line, ahead of Century Media's 2005 European edition. EVERGREY's Tom S. Englund was closely involved as co-producer and guest vocalist, and Starfall is the first album to feature Jesse Lindskog, who joined on drums.
Astronomy was mixed by Fredrik Nordström, with cover art by Niklas Sundin of DARK TRANQUILLITY. It carries guest female vocals by Elize Ryd, later of AMARANTHE, her first appearance with DRAGONLAND; she would return as a guest on the fifth and sixth albums.
Completing the saga: Under the Grey Banner, 2011
Five years after Astronomy, the band released their fifth album, Under the Grey Banner (2011). As the third chapter of The Dragonland Chronicles it completes the story of the first two records, and many regard it as the band's masterpiece. It was produced by Olof Mörck and Elias Holmlid and mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen; the cover art is by Damian Bajowski, known for the game The Witcher, and guests include Elize Ryd, Jake E and Fred Johanson. It came out on AFM Records, with a Japanese edition on King Records.
A long silence and a comeback: The Power of the Nightstar, 2011 to 2022
After Under the Grey Banner, DRAGONLAND fell quiet for a long time, as the AMARANTHE that Olof Mörck had co-founded took off and took up much of his time. Their first album in eleven years, 2022's The Power of the Nightstar, was conceived as a sci-fi concept album set in space, separate from The Dragonland Chronicles. The band produced it themselves, with Jacob Hansen again mixing and mastering; it was the first studio album for Johan Nunez, who had played the band's live shows since 2014, and Elize Ryd sang a duet on "Journey's End". It was released by AFM Records, and the Japanese edition, on Marquee/Avalon, came out two days ahead of the international one.
Signing to Scarlet and Prophecies, 2025 to 2026
In December 2025 the band signed a multi-album deal with the Italian label Scarlet Records and announced a new record as the start of "a new chapter in the Dragonland saga". The seventh album, Prophecies, has a release date of 23 October 2026; Fredrik Nordström, whose bond with the band goes back to the second album, produced, mixed and mastered it at Studio Fredman, and the cover, as on the sixth album, is by Pedro Sena (AMON AMARTH, KREATOR). There are twelve tracks, closing with a cover of FM-84's "Running In The Night".
Olof Mörck, long the band's other guitarist, left in July 2026, put down to how little time his success with AMARANTHE left him. As a final gift the band recorded a song he and Elias Holmlid had written back in 2013 but never released, and put it on Prophecies. The album is also the band's first with a five-piece line-up after his departure, and the band announced a support slot on TÝR's Valhalla Calling Europe 2026 tour, alongside Twilight Force and Vanaheim, for November and December 2026, right after its release: their largest tour to date.
Members
The current line-up is Jonas Heidgert (vocals), Jesse Lindskog (guitar), Elias Holmlid (keyboards), Anders Hammer (bass) and Johan Nunez (drums). Jonas Heidgert is an original member from the 1999 formation and also drummed in the band's early years. Elias Holmlid is the band's principal songwriter and the heart of its symphonic arrangements. Jesse Lindskog joined on drums for Starfall and later moved to guitar, and Johan Nunez has been in the band since 2014.
Guitarist Olof Mörck, one of the band's constants since its early days, left in July 2026. Alongside DRAGONLAND he co-founded AMARANTHE and has also played in NIGHTRAGE.
Japan
DRAGONLAND's Japanese editions have come out on King Records' Metal Frontier line (Starfall, Astronomy, Under the Grey Banner), on Hot Rockin' (the first two albums) and on Marquee/Avalon (The Power of the Nightstar); Starfall was in fact released first in Japan, ahead of the rest of the world. On stage, the band played Evoken Fest 2018 in Tokyo in September 2018, which remains their only appearance in Japan.
Discography (as registered on this site)
| Year | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Prophecies | Studio album (7th, release date 23 October 2026) |
| 2022 | The Power of the Nightstar | Studio album (6th) |
| 2011 | Under the Grey Banner | Studio album (5th) |
| 2006 | Astronomy | Studio album (4th) |
| 2004 | Starfall | Studio album (3rd) |
| 2002 | Holy War | Studio album (2nd) |
| 2001 | The Battle of the Ivory Plains | Studio album (1st) |
A note on sources
This biography draws on MusicBrainz (release dates, labels and catalogue numbers), the Discogs API (per-album credits), the official pages of AFM Records and Scarlet Records, reporting by BraveWords and BLABBERMOUTH.NET, the Marquee/Avalon product page and the English Wikipedia article on the band; the saga structure and the band's early history are taken from Wikipedia. As the band's own official site is not currently live, some details still differ across sources.
Trivia
Dragonland was formed in 1999 in Gothenburg, Sweden. In the words of its current label, Scarlet Records, the band became 'a bonafide power metal institution' across the 2000s, and it has since spent more than two decades crafting meticulously arranged, fantasy-rooted symphonic power metal.
The band's first two albums, The Battle of the Ivory Plains and Holy War, form a single fantasy story they call The Dragonland Chronicles. Keyboardist Elias Holmlid has said the tale was then set aside for two records: on Starfall and Astronomy, newly using software synthesizers, the band moved toward a more modern sound and different lyrical themes, before Under the Grey Banner (2011) returned to the saga.
The fifth album, Under the Grey Banner (2011), is full of guest voices. Holmlid has said the story's antagonist is sung by the musical-theatre actor Fred Johansson, whom he thought of after seeing him play Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar. Three singers then in AMARANTHE — Elize Ryd, Jake E and Andy Solvestrom — also took part, and Anna Mariann Lundberg co-wrote some of the lyrics and provided the voice-overs on 'Shadow of the Mithril Mountains' and the vocals on 'Ivory Shores'.
Guitarist Olof Mörck kept a busy parallel career alongside DRAGONLAND. BLABBERMOUTH.NET has described him as 'the guitarist of AMARANTHE, DRAGONLAND and NIGHTRAGE'; AMARANTHE, the band he co-founded, went on to considerable success after its self-titled debut in 2011.
In July 2026 DRAGONLAND announced the departure of its longtime guitarist Olof Mörck. The band called it 'a unanimous decision, and should not come as a surprise', citing his success and workload with AMARANTHE, and added that he is 'an old and dear friend' with whom they remain on the best of terms.
As a parting gift from Olof Mörck, Prophecies includes a track he wrote with keyboardist Elias Holmlid back in 2013. The band describes it as 'kind of a lost chapter' that felt 'truly special' to finally bring to life in the studio.
Prophecies, the band's seventh studio album, was produced, mixed and mastered by the veteran Swedish producer Fredrik Nordström at his Studio Fredman. It was not their first time together — the band notes they worked with him 'once again' — at a studio known for landmark records by IN FLAMES, ARCH ENEMY and HAMMERFALL.
The CD and digital editions of Prophecies close with a bonus track that is an unexpected choice for a symphonic power metal record: a cover of 'Running In The Night' by FM-84.
News
DRAGONLAND Announces New Album 'Prophecies', Shares 'Survival Of Mankind' Single
The classic Swedish symphonic power metallers have released the first single from "Prophecies", due on October 23 via Scarlet Records.
Albums
DRAGONLAND's seventh album, with a release date of 23 October 2026 on Scarlet Records. Produced, mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordström at Studio Fredman, it contains the final recorded contributions of long-time guitarist Olof Mörck (AMARANTHE), who left the band in July 2026.
DRAGONLAND's sixth album, released in 2022, a comeback after eleven years since Under the Grey Banner. A sci-fi concept album set in space and separate from The Dragonland Chronicles saga, it was released by AFM Records; the Japanese edition is on Marquee/Avalon (MICP-11706).
DRAGONLAND's fifth album, released in 2011 after a five-year gap since Astronomy. The third chapter of The Dragonland Chronicles saga, it completes the story of the first two albums and was released by AFM Records; many regard it as the band's masterpiece.
DRAGONLAND's fourth album, released by Century Media in 2006 and mixed by Fredrik Nordström. A stand-alone record apart from the saga, it features guest female vocals from Elize Ryd, later of AMARANTHE.
DRAGONLAND's third album, first released in Japan on King Records' Metal Frontier line on 27 October 2004, ahead of Century Media's 2005 European edition. A stand-alone record separate from the saga, it features EVERGREY's Tom S. Englund as co-producer and guest vocalist, and is the first album with Jesse Lindskog on drums.
DRAGONLAND's second album, released in 2002, and the second chapter of The Dragonland Chronicles saga. It was recorded and mixed at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg and issued by the Greek label Black Lotus Records.
DRAGONLAND's 2001 debut album and the opening chapter of the band's self-produced fantasy saga, The Dragonland Chronicles. Released by the Greek label Black Lotus Records and engineered by Andy LaRocque, it is symphonic power metal in the classic Swedish mould.