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A melodically charged, hard-hitting retro-metal unit from Gothenberg, Sweden, RAM was formed in 1999 by guitarist Harry Granroth, who was looking to create a band that evoked the old-school sonic mythos of benchmark hard rock outfits like Iced Earth, Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate, and Iron Maiden. Boasting a core lineup that includes vocalist Oscar Carlquist, drummer Morgan Pettersson, bassist Tobias Petterson, and guitarist Martin Jonsson, RAM issued an independent EP called Sudden Impact in 2003. The buzz began in earnest in 2005 with the release of their debut studio long-player Forced Entry, which garnered excellent reviews and helped the band land some choice gigs with the likes of Gamma Ray and Dark Tranquillity. 2009 saw the release of their sophomore effort, the AFM-issued Lightbringer, and in 2011 the group inked a deal with Metal Blade, who would go on to release the band's third and fourth full-lengths Death and Svbversvm in 2012 and 2015, respectively. ~ James Christopher Monger