Greenleaf from Borlänge, Sweden
Heavy rock afficionados GREENLEAF were initially formed as an informal project by friends that were already playing in other bands including such notable names as DOZER, LOWRIDER, and DEMON CLEANER. The Swedes simply wanted an outlet for their mutual love of '70s-era hard rock and proto-metal while being free from the expectations and pressures of their main bands.
Despite intentions to keep GREENLEAF purely for pleasure, the undiluted joy of creating catchy songs led to everyone demanding for that material to be recorded. This eventually resulted in the release of a self-titled debut EP in 2000, which was quickly followed by first full-length "Revolution Rock" only a year later.
With guitarist and founder Tommi Holappa firmly at the helm, the sound of GREENLEAF remained remarkably consistent throughout the years and releases that followed, even through a variety of personnel changes.
Inspired by growing popularity and the success of "Secret Alphabets" (2003) and "Agents of Ahriman" (2007), they began to shift gears in 2010, moving from "the side project that refused to die" toward something closer to a band with the release of fourth album, 2012's "Nest of Vipers".
Having turned from an on and off fling to a full-time love affair, the years of rotating line-ups ended and GREENLEAF's newfound focus and stability was crowned by their fifth album "Trails & Passes" (2014), which featured new permanent vocalist Arvid Hällagård. This milestone also marked the beginning of a new phase of the band.
Their next two full-lengths, 2016's "Rise Above the Meadow" and 2018's "Hear the Rivers", won the band prime performing slots on European festival stages, while "Echoes from a Mass" (2021) reached the global streaming and European album charts – reflecting the quartet's ever-growing popularity.
Weaving together psychedelia, hard rock, and metallic blues in a warm, serpentine mélange that leaves behind none of the punishing immediacy of their earlier recordings, today's GREENLEAF merge road-tested tightness, swirling guitar-driven soundscapes, and captivating blues-laden vocals into one of the most reliably mesmerizing acts pushing the sonic horizons of desert rock to new frontiers.
With "The Head & The Habit", GREENLEAF combine an awareness of past triumphs with mature craftsmanship, showcasing their confidence in how to rock stronger, harder, and more to the point than ever before. The Swedes melt thunderous riff-magic, enrapturing and soul-heavy vocals, frenetic rhythms and driving attacks into a ear-catching, sparkling alloy of hard rocking anthems!