History & Biography Dimension Zero was formed in 1996 by In Flames guitar team of Stromblad and Ljungstrom. Alongside them was guitarist Fredrik Johansson. They wanted to try something more deadly than the melodic sounds of their main band. A singer and drummer were recruited and the band recorded the Penetrations From The Lost World EP in 1997. The band was also on a Sepultura tribute CD with In Flames and Sacrilege member Daniel Svensson. Erstwhile singer Gothberg would soon take his place again though. This would matter little for the band would soon fold.
A reformation was not far off though. The band signed to Sweden's Regain Records in the spring of 2001 and entered Phlat Planet Studio in order to record a full-length with Dark Tranquillity's Anders Friden at the controls. Silent Night Fever was licensed to Century Media for the USA. The band had also abandoned its logo in the meanwhile.
The debut garnered much positive sentiment and the band - now armed with a new guitarist with Stromblad concentrating on bass - headed to Japan with Dying Fetus and Sodom and Korea for a short tour. The lineup entered the studio again 2003 and recorded a new album. This Is Hell was issued in November of 2003, but the band had earlier lost Ljungstrom. The band hit the European touring circuit in November, 2003 and reissued its debut EP. Daniel Antonsson joined Soilwork in early 2007. The band signed with Vic Records (which was responsible for launching the career of Hammerfall) in 2008. The 2007 album was issued in 2009 by Candlelight in North America. It was recorded at the end of 2006.
A reformed Dimension Zero — featuring former Marduk singer Joakim "Jocke" Göthberg, former Soilwork guitarist Daniel Antonsson, former In Flames guitarist Jesper Strömblad playing bass and Diabolique drummer Hans Nilsson — was booked for the 2015 Gothenburg Sound Festival, which would happen on January 2-3 at Trädgårn in Gothenburg, Sweden. Andy Solvestrom of Cipher System became the singer in 2016.
Reviews DIMENSION ZERO - SILENT NIGHT FEVER - REGAIN/CENTURY MEDIA
In the late eighties and early nineties metal labels were in the midst of another wave of releasing side project and 'solo' albums. One of these labels was Combat Records who were releasing one such album every couple of months. It wasn't long before the label looked at the financial costs (not to mention opportunity costs) and profits associated with releasing solo albums of, for instance, every single Nuclear Assault member and made a definitive decision to cease issuing any such albums in the future. The year is 2002 and every Swedish, Finnish. etc. metal musician is cashing in by moonlighting in a couple of other fly-by-night bands in addition to his main act. Never mind that hardly anybody out there cares for the resulting albums (least of all the musicians themselves), but these CDs are yet again being released with frequency by labels and musicians hungry for deriving a little more action from legitimate names like In Flames and Marduk. Business might be business but a good bet would be that were these companies' business decisions subjected to any kind of scrutiny, it would not be much longer before they would shut the trap door on any and all trivial projects. That is, if staying profitably in business means much. In today's musical climate it is difficult enough to turn a profit through serious, dedicated and full-time bands supported by promotion, guerrilla marketing and touring. Despite this harsh climate, legitimate bands are either fully ignored and destined to die the death of a demo band or, if signed, suffering the consequences of a release schedule at their labels which is burdened by the politics (ie making sure the priority artists remain happy) behind these superfluous projects. Silent Night Fever is the first full length release of the foursome of Jocke Goethberg (Marduk/Darkified/Cardinal Sin/Grimorium/Speed Limit/Escape/Rotten Remains/etc.), Jesper Stroemblad (Hammerfall/Ceremonial Oath/Sinergy/In Flames/etc.), Glenn Ljungstroem (In Flames/etc.) and Hans Nilsson (Grotesque/Liers In Wait/Luciferion/Ice Age/Diabolique/etc.). The band is fast and brutal and comes across as tinged with elements of At The Gates.
DIMENSION ZERO - THIS IS HELL - REGAIN/CENTURY MEDIA
"It's not falling, without hitting the ground" repeats the striking introduction and the listener is vaulted unto a thrashing metal fest fashioned after the Gothenburg sounds of At The Gates, Ebony Tears et al. This, theoretically, should translate into a wallop of a thrash attack. In reality, the sound has been copied, emulated and duplicated to such an extent that the whole movement's effect has become moot. It is quite astounding that so much power and rage can be directed at the listener and yet the impact could be so minimal, but that is human nature. The mind adapts and conforms. The Gothenburg thrash metal sound does not pack the same punch it did in 1995. It is a victim of the massive number of bands the world over which have copied the sound. As such, the derivative and generic music of This Is Hell comes across as just that. It really does not matter how much speed and heaviness the band applies. - Ali "The Metallian"
DIMENSION ZERO - HE WHO SHALL NOT BLEED - CANDLELIGHT
He Who Shall Not Bleed reaches Metallian Towers some two years after its original release given the delay in its appearance on these shores. Fortunately, it was not as if the band’s previous two albums made a lasting impression upon this writer - not positive ones anyway. These wimp rockers’ (members of In Flames, Soilwork, etc.) combination of weak clean vocalizing and pedestrian Swedish thrash was more than a bit overbearing and redundant. The bad habit by labels to sign unserious side-projects helped matters little.
On He Who Shall Not Bleed the band cuts the goth/emo singing to a bare minimum and concentrates on extreme shrieks. That is an improvement. The music combines Gothenburg and thrash sounds with melodious harmonies that are reminiscent of In Flames and Tiamat – just more extreme. Sadly, the quality is still not there. The material flames by with little that makes it stand out and without impact or distinction. The album’s last cut Rövarvisan is a hardcore number, which is preceded by a Bee Gees’ cover version. Hearing Stayin’ Alive done deathly is funny… for five minutes before the banality of humour and the redundancy of yet another cover version kicks in. Dimension Zero is still a bust. – Ali “The Metallian”
Interviews
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