Maria Sjoholm: Vocals/Flavia Canel: Guitar/Anna Kjellberg: Bass/Martina Axen: Drums
Stockholm quartet Drain S.T.H. intend to change the musical perception of their native land forever. "This country is pretty dark and cold and depressing, yet our music isn't typical for Sweden," insists singer Maria Sjoholm. Despite the homogeny of Swedish artists that rise to international visibility, the hard rock and heavy metal scenes there are vibrant and thriving. It's not just Ace of Base and Roxette," Sjoholm chuckles.
The fifteen blistering cuts on the Drain S.T.H. debut full-length, Horror Wrestling, share as much in common with Ace of Base as Courtney Love does with Kathie Lee Gifford. Billboard magazine claims the band "...comes on with enough force to rate among the headbangers of the world and with enough melodic acumen to stick in the minds of hook-starved audiences....A promising act." Recorded at Stockholm's Decibel studio, dense tracks like "Stench," "I Don't Mind," and "Crack The Liar's Smile" boast a musical intensity that ensnares the listener with raw melodicism, then moves in for the kill with virtuoso ferocity.
Sjoholm and drummer Martina Axen take turns penning the words, although both share a penchant for darker topics, including death ("Someone") betrayal and humiliation. Hence, the album title, lifted from a bizarre Mexican videocassette. "The lyrics are about wrestling with your own agony and horrors in life," notes Axen. The band composes the music in collaboration, according to Canel. "We all write different parts, and then we try to put them together. Sometimes one of us comes with a whole song, but that's very rare." The group's tight-knit allegiance extends beyond the stage and rehearsal studio, too. "We're still the best of friends, which is great considering we spent nine months in a tour bus together last year. Of all the bands we've toured with, I've never seen anybody as tight knit as we are. Even at home, we hang out together almost every day," says bassist Kjellberg.
Drain S.T.H. came together in 1993, but their foundations stretch back a few years before that when AxÈn and Canel began playing together. The name was chosen because "it just fits with the sound and lyrics," says Axen. With their lineup complete, Drain S.T.H. spent a year together, writing songs and creating their sound. They had one rule: Quit your job or quit the band.
That dedication culminated in the polished sound found on Horror Wrestling and a tight live set. It also earned tours with Type O Negative, the OZZfest (featuring Ozzy Osborne, Marilyn Manson and Pantera among others), Corrosion of Conformity, Life Of Agony and Machine Head, just to name a few. The band played up and down and across the U.S., building a loyal fanbase. Drain S.T.H. also found the U.S. airwaves friendly, as rock radio embraced their first two singles, "I Don't Mind" and "Serve The Shame."
Drain S.T.H. is now preparing for the Mercury release of Horror Wrestling, featuring three previously unreleased tracks, including Drain's version of the Motorhead classic, "Ace Of Spades." The band is also looking forward to more touring in the U.S. this summer.
Drain S.T.H. realize their all-female line-up may still seem novel to some. "We don't waste time thinking about that anymore," says Kjellberg. "We happen to be an all-female band -- that concept will upset some, and inspire most." They also believe that gender is inconsequential to their music. "We've never related to other female bands ourselves," says Sjoholm. You can bet some diehard metal fans who have said those exact words in the past, will be changing their tune once they've gone a few rounds with Horror Wrestling.
Source: http://www.members.tripod.com/seaofnames/Bio.htm#band
