Leviticus

    Leviticus

    Skövde, Sweden8 reviews across 5 releases

    aorhard rockheavy metalmelodic metal
    Discogs

    Leviticus is a Swedish Christian metal band formed in Skovde in 1981 around guitarist and songwriter Bjorn Stigsson. Its early work drew on the heavy metal of the early 1980s, with symphonic touches, hard guitar riffs and direct biblical writing. The 1984 debut I Shall Conquer is firmly tied to that period: forceful, fairly uniform metal broken by a rock song and a ballad. The Strongest Power tightened the attack, with bass-heavy arrangements, major-key power chords and a singer whose Swedish accent remained audible in English. By Setting Fire to the Earth, the group had shifted toward melodic metal. The guitars still drove the songs, but the vocals became more expansive and the arrangements more accessible. Biblical episodes such as Deborah and Barak sat beside exuberant praise songs, giving Leviticus a sound that was devotional without leaving the conventions of 1980s hard rock.

    In 1990, Leviticus broke up after an American tour, and Stigsson went on to form XT with singer Sonny Larsson in 1991. XT released three albums during the early 1990s, while Stigsson also issued a solo record. Leviticus re-formed for the final Bobfest in Sweden in 2003, with Peo Pettersson singing; the performance became Live At Bobfest 2003. The group also played a 30th-anniversary concert in Skovde in May 2011, bringing back Hakan Andersson alongside Pettersson. In 2024, Leviticus issued the Swedish-language EP MMXXIV, again with Andersson on lead vocals. Stigsson died on August 6, 2026, after a long illness.

    5 releases reviewed