“Empire’s End” by Dozer
Dozer Biography
…and so the story begins. Christmas Day 1995, the first gig by four youngsters calling themselves Dozer. It took place at an illegal club down in a dark basement in their hometown Borlänge, the industrial town who’s only achievement is having the highest crime rate in Sweden. It was my first meeting with the band. I remember they played some Kyuss and Monster Magnet songs and a handful of their own songs. People intoxicated by their home-made vodka went berserk. After the last song I turned around and saw a battlefield, bodies were lying in piles on the floor, covered with broken glass. The night ended with knife fights and police raid…as usual. But I knew there was something special about that band…
Fast forward to September 2002, four young men calling themselves Dozer are surrounding the giant mixing consul in Polar Studios in Stockholm. The scene is like something out of a Star Trek spaceship control room. The producer Chips Kiesbye turns the volume up on the finished mixes from the new third album Call it conspiracy. Excitement in the air. I feel a broad grin spreading on my face. I can’t help it. And then I think back on some of the things that has happened the last seven years…
In 1998 the first record was released, a 7″ which to our great surprise was appointed “Single of the week” by Kerrang! magazine. Also in 1998, right after playing a gig with the Hellacopters and the Dictators, the original bass player left the band to become a professional ninja. Sadly, he died in 2001 and is deeply missed by us. Our friends at Meteorcity wanted Dozer to do a split record with Unida and we said, -OK!
After hearing a demo, Frank Kozik of Man’s Ruin called up and asked, -Hey guys, wanna make a record? -Sure! And in 2000 the first album by Dozer -In the tail of a comet was released. The album, recorded for only $500 was highly acclaimed and was on several best of lists for 2000. One day a friend calls me and says; I’m playing the new X-games on Playstation, did you know Dozer have a song on the game? Yes, Supersoul is on there! One band member temporarily went off to pursue a professor’s degree in mathematical physics. But came back after a while…
Touring the European continent followed and has been a great force in evolving the band. 4 tours and many gigs in 14 countries is the result so far. Live gigs have had the tendencies to give some strange memories. Once in Finland the singer got bitten in the face by a fan that jumped up on stage, maybe he tried to kiss him, we’ll never know… another time a guy in the audience damaged his eardrum and had to be ambulanced to nearest hospital after standing to close to the guitar loudspeaker. He later said it was worth it…
Another album, Madre de dios, was released on Man’s Ruin in 2001 before the label went belly up soon after it’s release. Without label support, the band toured continuously through Europe and built a strong fan base. The decision grew to take control of the bands future themselves instead of being fucked by another label. With there own money and own label Molten Universe, where they released the first 7”, they now have full control of the future.
For the new album, the band had a number one choice of producer; Chips K. Originally a punk kid from Borlänge, his latest production work for the Hellacopters, the Nomads and Sahara Hotnights proved he was the man for the job. In spring 2002, the recording started at Music-A-Matic studio in Gothenburg. The studio has a real warm atmosphere and the latest Soundtrack of our lives album was recorded there for example. After a break in the summer when Chips produced the new Hellacopters, he and the band reunited in September in legendary Polar Studios in Stockholm to do some additional recording and mixing the album.
And here we are now, you’re invited to be part of the future story…
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(“Empire’s End” by Dozer [VIDEO] / Article compliments of ArtistDirect.com)