Dan Swanö
Swedish musician

Dan Swanö

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Swedish musician
Gender:
Male
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Birth:
10 March 1973(Finspång)
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Biography

Introduction

Dan-Erland Swanö (born 10 March 1973) is a Swedish musician who is currently the vocalist, guitarist, ex-bassist and ex-drummer for the band Nightingale, lately vocalist, keyboardist and drummer for the band Witherscape, as well as the Owner of Unisound but he achieved fame as the vocalist and songwriter of progressive death metal band Edge of Sanity.
As a multi-instrumentalist he is regarded as influential in the underground melodic death metal, black metal, progressive metal, death metal, progressive rock, power metal communities. He is known for his progressive rock-influenced songwriting style and his frequent use of both clean and growled vocals.

Music

Swanö has fronted a number of bands, including Edge of Sanity, Brejn Dedd, Unicorn, Infestdead and Route Nine. He has also been a member of Katatonia, Ribspreader, as well as playing drums and lead guitar in death metal band Bloodbath.

He has also contributed his vocal talents to Arjen Lucassen's Star One project. The two musicians are good friends, with Lucassen contributing guitar parts to Swanö's Nightingale project. He can also be heard on the albums Theli and A'arab Zaraq – Lucid Dreaming by the symphonic opera metal band Therion. He was also producer and contributing writer of the band Diabolical Masquerade, the now defunct solo avant-garde black metal band of Anders Nyström aka Blakkheim (Katatonia, Bloodbath, ex-Bewitched). He also contributed some guitar solos, backing vocals on various Diabolical Masquerade albums, and played the drums on the album Nightwork. He also produced and played the keyboards on the Memories from Nothing album by Swedish progressive rockers Another Life, released on Vic Records.

Swanö has also released a solo progressive death metal album entitled Moontower, on which he showcases his multi-instrumental talent, playing all instruments (guitar, bass, drums, keyboard) as well as providing all the vocal work.

During 2009 Swanö re-activated Odyssey, this time performing all instruments by himself. Swanö recorded 7 of his all-time favourite songs which was released in November 2010 on the album 'Reinventing The Past', together with the three 1999 tracks as a bonus on Dutch based Vic Records. His brother Dag played guest lead guitar on the song 'Gypsy' (Uriah Heep cover).

In 2013, Swanö released with his new project Witherscape the full studio album The Inheritance, with Ragnar Widerberg as co-member, and the collaboration of, amongst other guest musicians, Novembers Doom's founder Paul Kuhr. It was followed a year after by the EP The New Tomorrow. In 2016, the full studio album The Northern Sanctuary was released, via Century Media Records like its predecessors, featuring once again Paul Kuhr.

Dan Swanö has a diverse vocal register, encompassing many styles, which include death growls; clean, melodic singing with a warm rich tone; deep, dark, gothic vocals and thrash shouting.

As a peculiarity, he is a left-handed guitarist (right hand on the neck) but plays on right-handed guitars without reversing the strings (highest strings up), which is quite unusual.

Family and work

Dan with his brother Dag

Despite the large amount of releases to his name, Swanö up until recently worked full-time in a music store (Musikbörsen) in Örebro, near his home in Sweden, rarely doing live performances with any of his bands. He had played bass in his elder brother Dag Swanö's band Pan.Thy.Monium with Dan using Day DiSyraah, and Dag using Äag as pseudonyms. Dag also plays guitar in Nightingale, formerly under the name of Tom Nouga.

Musical contributions

Bands Audio
engineering
Audio
mastering
Audio
mixing
Backing
vocals
Bass
guitar
Drum
kit
Electric
guitar
Electronic
keyboard
Former
member
Member Other Instruments Record
producer
Vocals
Aeon Green tickY Green tickY
Altar Green tickY Green tickY
Ancient Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Ancient Ascendant Green tickY Green tickY
Another Life Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Another Perfect Day Green tickY
Argentum Green tickY Green tickY
As Light Dies Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Battlelore Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Bloodbath Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Bombshell Rocks Green tickY
Brejn Dedd Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Bucovina Green tickY Green tickY
Canopy Green tickY Green tickY
Coldworker Green tickY
Coraxo Green tickY
Cronian Green tickY
Dark Funeral Green tickY
Darkcide Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Darkified Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Dawn Green tickY
Dawn of Dreams Green tickY Green tickY
De Infernali Green tickY
Demiurg Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Demon Project Green tickY
Denial Green tickY
Diabolical Masquerade Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Dissection Green tickY
Edge of Sanity Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Effloresce Green tickY Green tickY
Evergrey Green tickY Green tickY
Evocation Green tickY
Evoke Green tickY
Fall of Serenity Green tickY
Fleshcrawl Green tickY
Frameshift Green tickY
Gates of Ishtar Green tickY
Ghost Green tickY
Ghostorm Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Godsend Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Gorath Green tickY
Hail of Bullets Green tickY Green tickY
Hallows Die Green tickY
Hearse Green tickY
Incision Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Infestdead Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Insomnium Green tickY
Kaoteon Green tickY
Karaboudjan Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Katatonia Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Lay Down Rotten Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Maceration Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
M.E.S.S Green tickY Green tickY
Mahlstrøm Green tickY
Marduk Green tickY
Masticate Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Mechanization Green tickY
Millencolin Green tickY
Mirrors of Obsidian Green tickY
Moredhel Green tickY
Mörk Gryning Green tickY
Motorowl Green tickY Green tickY
MyGrain Green tickY Green tickY
Nasum Green tickY Green tickY
Nightingale Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Novembers Doom Green tickY Green tickY
Novembre Green tickY
October Tide Green tickY
Oddland Green tickY Green tickY
Odyssey Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Omnium Gatherum Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Opeth Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Overflash Green tickY
Pain Green tickY
Pan.Thy.Monium Green tickY Green tickY
Proserpine Green tickY
Rakshasas Green tickY
Ribspreader Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Route Nine Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY ? ? Green tickY
Rytmihäiriö Green tickY Green tickY
Scartown Green tickY
Somnae Green tickY
Sörskogen Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Star One Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Steel Green tickY Green tickY
Subway Mirror Green tickY Green tickY
The Foreshadowing Green tickY Green tickY
Theatre of Tragedy Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Therion Green tickY
Threshold Green tickY
Torture Division Green tickY
Total Terror Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Uncanny Green tickY
Under Black Clouds Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Vinterland Green tickY Green tickY
Wake Arkane Green tickY
Winds Green tickY
Witherscape Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Wounded Knee Green tickY Green tickY

Discography

Solo

(All Instruments/Vocals)

  • 1998 – Moontower

with Edge of Sanity

(Vocals/Keyboards/Add. Guitar 1989-1997), (All Instruments/Vocals 2003)

  • 1991 – Nothing But Death Remains
  • 1992 – Unorthodox
  • 1993 – The Spectral Sorrows
  • 1994 - Until Eternity Ends (EP)
  • 1994 – Purgatory Afterglow
  • 1996 – Crimson
  • 1997 – Infernal
  • 1999 - Evolution (Compilation)
  • 2003 – Crimson II
  • 2006 - When All Is Said (Compilation)
  • 2012 - Kur-Nu-Gi-A (EP)

with Nightingale

Drums (1994-2000), Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards (1994-present)

  • 1995 – The Breathing Shadow
  • 1996 – The Closing Chronicles
  • 2000 – I
  • 2002 – Alive Again
  • 2004 – Invisible
  • 2005 – Nightfall Overture
  • 2007 – White Darkness
  • 2014 - Retribution

with Pan.Thy.Monium

(Bass/Keyboards/FX)

  • 1990 – ...Dawn (Demo)
  • 1991 – Dream II (EP)
  • 1992 – Dawn of Dreams
  • 1993 – Khaooohs
  • 1996 – Khaooohs and Kon-Fus-Ion
  • 2010 – ...Dawn+Dream II (Compilation)

with Unicorn

(Drums/Lead Vocals)

  • 1988 - A Collection of Worlds, Part I (Demo)
  • 1989 - A Collection of Worlds, Part II (Demo)
  • 1991 - The Weirdest of Tales (Demo)
  • 1992 - After Before (Demo)
  • 1993 - Ever Since
  • 1995 - Emotional Wasteland
  • 2015 - A Collection of Worlds Resurrection

with Infestdead

(Guitar/Bass/Drum-programming)

  • 1996 – Killing Christ (EP)
  • 1997 – Hellfuck
  • 1999 – JesuSatan
  • 2015 - Satanic Serenades (Compilation)

with Steel

(Vocals)

  • 1998 - Heavy Metal Machine (EP)

with Katatonia

(Session drums)

  • 1999 - Tonight's Decision

with Odyssey

(All Instruments/Vocals)

  • 1999 - Odyssey (EP)
  • 2010 - Reinventing the Past

with Bloodbath

(Guitar/Vocals/Keyboards) (Drums 00-02)

  • 2000 – Breeding Death (EP)
  • 2002 – Resurrection Through Carnage
  • 2004 – Nightmares Made Flesh
  • 2008 – The Wacken Carnage (Live album)

with Karaboudjan

(All Instruments/Vocals)

  • 2001 – Sbrodj (EP)

with Total Terror

(Guitar/Vocals)

  • 2008 - Total Terror

with Witherscape

(Drums/Vocals/Keyboards)

  • 2013 - The Inheritance
  • 2014 - The New Tomorrow (EP)
  • 2016 - The Northern Sanctuary

with Incision

(Drums/Vocals)

  • 1990 - Perverted Possessions (Demo)
  • 1991 - Infest Incest (EP) (Unreleased)

with Darkcide

(All instruments/Vocals)

  • 2007 - Split EP with Infestdead

with Masticate

(Guitar/Bass/Vocals)

  • 1990 - Desecration (Demo)

with Stygg Död

(Bass/Vocals)

  • 1990 - Välkommen till Helvetet (Demo)
  • 1990 - 666+Våld (Demo)

with Brejn Dedd

(Drums/Backing Vocals)

  • 1998 - First Demo (Demo)
  • 1988 - Ugly Tapez (Demo)
  • 1989 - Born Ugly (Demo)

with Wounded Knee

(Drums/Backing Vocals)

  • 1990 - Searching (EP)
  • 1992 - Feelings

with Route Nine

(Drums/Bass/Vocals/Keyboards)

  • 1992 - Disrupted Vacancy (Demo)
  • 1993 – Before I Close My Eyes Forever (EP)
  • 2001 - The Works (Compilation)

with Ulan Bator

(Drums/Backing Vocals)

  • 1990 - Gummicancer (Demo)
  • 1990 - På Rätt Spår (EP)

with Ghost

(Drums/Vocals)

  • 1985 - Djävulstriangeln (Demo)
  • 1986 - Hollywood (Demo)
  • 1987 - Solens Söner (Demo)

with Subway Mirror/O(:the circle)

(Guitars/Vocals)

  • 1990 - Prime
  • 1991 - Golliwog
  • 1992 - RaQ
  • 1993 - Jpp
  • 1994 - Unreleased album
  • 1998 - Wisepope

with Deppdöden

(Drums)

  • 1990 - Titta först på när jag dansar (EP)

with Star One

(Vocals)

  • 2002 – Space Metal
  • 2003 – Live on Earth
  • 2010 – Victims of the Modern Age

with Maceration

(Vocals)

  • 1992 - A serenade of agony

Miscellaneous

  • Laodicea
  • Manfred Villes
  • Necrony – guest vocals, guitars, compositions (under the alias "Day Disyraah")
  • Second Sky
  • Schecht + Akerfeldt + Swanö '98
  • The Lucky Seven
  • The Project Hate MCMXCIX – producer on Cybersonic Superchrist. Mixing and Mastering on Deadmarch: Initiation of Blasphemy, Armageddon March Eternal – Symphonies of Slit Wrists, In Hora Mortis Nostræ, and The Lustrate Process
  • Ulan Bator