The Quill are a Swedish stoner rock/heavy metal band.
Biography
The Quill was formed in the early 1990s by singer Magnus Ekwall, guitarist Christian Carlsson, drummer George Atlagic, organist Anders Haglund and bassist Peter Holm. The Quill played the Swedish bar circuit the following years. Peter Holm left the band at the end of 1993 and was replaced by Roger Nilsson. After writing material for half a year they entered Berno studio in Malmö and recorded their self-titled debut The Quill in three weeks.
After signing a record deal with Megarock Records their debut was released in Europe in March 1995. A video for the track "Jet of water" was recorded. The album got an overwhelming reception by the critics and was later voted number 70 in Sweden's biggest newspaper "Aftonbladet" poll, Top 100 albums of the year. Other reviews that can be mentioned: 4 out of 5 in Raw, 81 out of 100 in Burrn! magazine.
After a short promotion tour in Sweden with Abstrakt Algebra, The Quill played the Karlshamn Rockfestival. A tour in Germany was booked but was later cancelled due to some trouble with the record company. Instead The Quill played some more festivals in Sweden. After playing all over Sweden for almost a year the band started working on the next album. In May 1997 Anders Haglund decided to leave the band, the others feeling no need of a new organ player decided to continue as a four piece band. In August 1997 the band again entered Berno Studio in Malmö and started working on the second album Silver Haze. A month later the band had recorded 13 new songs.
Since the release of the album was delayed and The Quill had written some new songs that they wanted on the album, so they re-entered Berno Studios in the summer of 1998 and recorded the tracks "Grand Canyon, "Under a vow" and "Mercury". At the same session they also recorded the song "A Sinner's Fame" originally made by the band Trouble, and the song "Fairies Wear Boots" originally recorded by Black Sabbath. During the autumn of 1998 they did a smaller tour of Sweden.
The beginning of 1999 finally saw the release of the second album entitled Silver Haze. The summer also saw the release of a 10" EP called Evermore on Froghouse records as well as a praised performance at Sweden Rock Festival. During the summer the band entered Berno Studios twice recording their versions of "Where Eagles Dare" by Iron Maiden, "Frozen Over" by Captain Beyond and "Mount Everest" by November.
In 2000 The Quill re-released their first album on both CD and vinyl. It was released by Meteorcity in the US and People Like U in Europe. Shortly thereafter the band announced that they reached an agreement with German label SPV/Steamhammer and Japanese label JVC/Victor. Once again the band entered Berno Studios and recorded their third album, which came to be titled Voodoo Caravan when released in 2002. By many fans seen as the quintessential The Quill album it also feature a guest appearance by Spiritual Beggars/Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amott. More live shows followed with an appearance at Wacken Open Air as the highlight of the year.
Wasting no time, the band quickly started working on the next album. This time the band decided to change studio and producer and ended up in Halmstad in the southwest of Sweden. Working with producer Rickard Bengtsson in Slaughterhouse Studios, the band opted for a more contemporary sound compared to previous releases. To further develop their sound, the band tapped In Flames producer Daniel Bergstrand when it came time to mix the album. Released in 2003 Hooray! It's a Deathtrip and showcased a harder and more focused selection of songs. To promote the album The Quill teamed up with Norwegian band Gluecifer and headliners Monster Magnet for an extensive European tour playing 40 shows over the course of seven weeks.
In 2005 bass player Roger Nilsson left the band, citing exhaustion from too much touring. He was replaced by Robert Triches and the band decided to leave Sweden for the recording of fifth album In Triumph. Working with producer Tommy Newton of Helloween and UFO fame, the album was recorded in Area 51 Studios in Celle just outside Hannover, Germany. To promote the release of the album in 2006, a video was recorded for the track "Broken Man". More touring followed when the band headlined a short European tour as well as a bunch of European festivals culminating in another performance at Sweden Rock Festival.
Following the end of the In Triumph period vocalist Magnus Ekwall decided to leave the band in 2007; no comments were made regarding his departure.