IN FLAMES And THE HAUNTED To Headline Swedish Benefit Show

IN FLAMES, THE HAUNTED, HYPOCRISY, LOST HORIZON and NIFELHEIM will join forces for a special benefit show, 200 000 Decibel, at Trägårn in Gothenburg, Sweden on September 2. The objective is to raise 200 000 SEK (approximately $27,000) in order to help the founder of the Swedish festival 2000 Decibel.

For the past five years, Lennart Larsson has organized 2000 Decibel, a festival devoted solely to Swedish hard rock and metal. This year's edition was held on May 21-22 and featured a strong line-up, including THE HAUNTED, HYPOCRISY, NOTRE DAME, CANS, DARK TRANQUILLITY, VINTERSORG and PAIN OF SALVATION. Due to stiff competition and extremely bad weather, fewer people than expected turned up and Lennart Larsson lost 200 000 SEK on the event.

The initiative for 200 000 Decibel came from Swedish rock journalist Martin Carlsson. In a column in the newspaper GT, he urged established metal bands to unite for a benefit show, 200 000 Decibel.

"No one has done as much for Swedish hard rock and metal as Lennart Larsson," Carlsson told BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "He started the first metal fanzine in Sweden, Heavy Metal Massacre, in the early Eighties and was the first Swede to interview METALLICA. He was one of the reasons why I became a rock journalist in the first place and he's been a great inspiration to the country's hard rock scene for two decades. The mere fact that Lennart has put on a metal festival dedicated to only Swedish bands in a small town in the middle of nowhere shows just how passionate he is about this kind of music.

"This is something that people often talk about — helping other people out — but in the end nothing happens. I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands and contacted Edward Janson at the concert agency Motor and local promoter Per Carlsson at PK Musik. Together we’ve put together a bill that is a fine representation of what the Swedish metal scene has to offer. 200 000 Decibel marks IN FLAMES' last performance on home turf this year. Neither HYPOCRISY nor NIFELHEIM have ever performed in Gothenburg. Both THE HAUNTED and LOST HORIZON play their hometown for the first time since the return of their original members, vocalist Peter Dolving and guitarist Wojtek Lisicki, respectively. It's fantastic that everyone involved, including the bands, is doing this for free to help out a great guy in need."

"It'd be a real shame if 2000 Decibel went under, because it's one of Sweden's best and nicest festivals," said THE HAUNTED guitarist Patrik Jensen. "Lennart Larsson's interest in and support of Swedish hard rock is unparalleled and therefore if feels great that we can help the festival get back on track again."

Tickets will be on sale on Wednesday July 21 through www.ticnet.se.