Jerusalem (Swedish band)
| Jerusalem | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Genres | Christian rock, Christian metal |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Website | www |
| Members | Ulf Christiansson Anders Mossberg Dan Tibell Klas Anderhell Peter Carlsohn Reidar I. Paulsen Michael Ulvsgärd |
| Past members | Bertil Sörensson Danne Gansmoe |
Jerusalem is a Swedish Christian rock band, founded in 1975 by Ulf Christiansson. It was one of the first bands to combine Christian lyrics with a hard rock and heavy metal sound.
Jerusalem's message was primarily aimed at youth, with their lyrics describing the band's relationship to God in an ordinary, but radical way. The band's purpose was expressly evangelistic. Their concerts have been described as a series of revival meetings which often included altar calls and occasionally exorcisms. When the band first toured in the mid-1970s in Sweden, their combination of Christian lyrics with a hard rock sound was very controversial. The band was only permitted to perform at a few churches.
Over time, Jerusalem gained broader acceptance, and after three years of touring record companies began making offers to record the band. The Christian record company Prim signed Jerusalem, without much expectation of success. However, the band's self-titled debut album, Jerusalem, became an instant hit among Christian listeners, and within the first six months the record sold 20,000 copies, unheard of within the genre of Christian rock in Europe.
Buoyed by the response, Jerusalem toured both in Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia. The next album, Volym 2, was released in 1980. This record, which was also dubbed into an English version, exposed Jerusalem to a global audience. The band's schedule became filled with tours in Germany, France, England, Belgium, and Finland.
From the Christian Greenbelt festival in England, where Jerusalem participated during the summer, Americans brought the record to the United States and Glen Kaiser, leader of Resurrection Band, one of the biggest Christian rock bands in the US. Kaiser gave the record to Pat Boone, who owned Lamb & Lion Records. Lamb & Lion subsequently released Jerusalem's records in the United States and Canada.
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Wikipedia