Crashdiet

A leading force in the Swedish "sleaze rock" scene of the 2000s -- a revival of the glam metal (or hair metal) of the 1980s, but with a more pronounced punk element, often rawer in sound and raunchier in style -- Crashdïet formed in 2000, taking inspiration from Skid Row, Guns N' Roses, Kiss, W.A.S.P., and G.G.

Allin, and vowing to bring back the big shows and big songs of "unpredictable and dangerous" rock & roll. After several lineup changes, the group was signed by Universal in 2004 -- making them, by their reckoning, the first sleaze rock act on a major label in over ten years -- and released their debut, Rest in Sleaze, the following year. The album hit number 12 on the national charts and spawned the singles "Riot in Everyone," "Breaking the Chainz," "Knokk 'Em Down," and "It's a Miracle," and the band launched an auspicious tour of Sweden to support it in the fall of 2005. In January 2006, however, the band's lead singer and guiding light, 26-year-old Dave Lepard, committed suicide in his apartment after a bout of depression. His three surviving bandmates decided they couldn't continue the band without Lepard, but given an unexpected outpouring of sympathy and support from fans worldwide, they performed one final tribute gig in February. Several months later, the ex-members of Crashdïet met to discuss future plans, decided to continue on as a new band, and began searching for a new singer. By October, the trio announced they had decided to continue under the name Crashdïet after all, with the approval of Lepard's family, so as to keep his spirit alive and continue to spread the band's message. In January of 2007, a year after Lepard's suicide, Crashdïet debuted with their new singer, H. Olliver Twisted. A sophomore album, The Unattractive Revolution, was released in October, preceded by the single "In the Raw," and reached number 11 on the Swedish albums chart. ~ K. Ross Hoffman, Rovi