Skyblood
Biography Skyblood
Mats Leven
After recording more than 50 albums in the last 30 years, Mats Leven is one of today’s most sought-after vocalists in the hard rock/metal world.
Mats began his professional musical life with Swedish Erotica from Gothenburg in 1989. In 1990 Mats got an offer from Treat and moved to Stockholm where he still lives with his family.
The Treat album almost led Mats to joining Poison guitarist C.C. DeVille’s new band a couple of years later but instead Mats recorded albums with Abstrakt Algebra and AB/CD.
Guitar legend Yngwie Malmsteen heard the Abstrakt Algebra album and hooked up with Mats at one of Yngwie’s shows in Stockholm in 1996. Mats joined Yngwie’s band in 1997-98 and got to record the album Facing The Animal with an old hero, drummer Cozy Powell. FTA was rewarded with a gold album in Japan 1998.
In the next 4-5 years, Mats did a number of guest appearances on albums/projects including Southpaw, Dogface, Essence Of Sorrow, At Vance, Pontus Norgren and Sabbtail.
In 2003 the first Krux album was released, another collaboration with bass player Leif Edling. Another two Krux albums were released in 2006 and 2011.
Mats had been friends with Candlemass for many years, helping them out recording demos for their albums since 2004. During the spring of 2012 Mats was asked to help Candlemass with 3 shows, in 2015 actually joined the band. In 2018 Candlemass brought back original singer Johan L.
In 2013, Mats old friend Gus G (Ozzy Osbourne, Firewind) recorded his first solo album. Mats was brought in as one of the singers on the first album I Am The Fire. (released 2014) and sang /co-wrote five of the songs. In 2015 Brand New Revolution was released with another 3 songs featuring M. In 2014 they did a european tour with Marty Friedman and they’ve also done a number of festivals together.
Since 2016, Mats is touring with rock theater sensation, Trans-Siberian Orchestra. About 50 shows in 6-7 weeks in 30 US cities is a normal schedule.
2019 marks the 30th year for Mats in the music&recording business. It’s finally time for a solo album to be released under the name Skyblood. It will be released in the fall of 2019 through Napalm Records.
