Johan Berg

“The Most Promising Metal Band in Twenty Years”

Curiosity about Xion began to emerge during the summer of 2022 when local rumors circulated about a group of young guys playing with tightness and energy on par with the big established metal bands. It seemed as if the five members had done nothing since birth but perfect their guitar solos. After coming in second place in Sweden's biggest music competition for young musicians, Imagine Sweden, Xion released their debut single “Fake Acid” in September 2022. The Swedish metal scene was astonished by the band's skill, especially considering the band had members who were under 18 at the time.

In late 2022, plans for a debut album began to take shape. Xion teamed up with producer Johan Reivén, drummer of LOK, and started recording in Gothenburg and Borlänge. Throughout 2023, they released singles “Derailed,” “Men Who Play God,” “Vision of the Blind,” and “Death Cap.” In January 2024, the thrash quintet released their debut album “Between Shadows and Gods” and took the metal world by storm. Within a week of its release, the album reached the top 3 in the following Swedish sales charts:

• Hard Rock of the Week
• Physical Albums of the Week
• Vinyl of the Week

Promoters quickly recognized Xion‘s unique live performances, and the band transitioned from small to large stages with remarkable speed. Notably, Xion was invited to open for In Flames at the iconic Dalhalla arena in the summer of 2023. Earlier that same summer, they played at Gefle Metal and Alive Festival. The year after, they played at Sweden Rock Festival, Alive Festival, and later in the summer of 2024, they returned to Dalhalla to open for Gene Simmons' band together with Nestor. Their concerts have been praised as tight, well-rehearsed, and captivating. Sweden Rock Magazine awarded their live show a 9/10 rating, and their performance at the Sweden Rock Festival received a 4/5 rating. Another testament to their professionalism came in spring 2023, when they avenged their previous year's second place by winning the finals of Imagine Sweden and finishing third in the European final in Brussels, also winning the audience's prize.

• “Fake Acid” and “Men Who Play God” rank among the best music in the genre produced in many years (Calle Englund, Rocknytt, 2024)

Going forward, Xion will once again enter the studio to record their next album.

• “I spent ten times as much time on the songs on the second album as I did for the first.” (Erik Zetterström, Xion, 2024)

The combination of the members' young age and their extremely well-played and tight music has made Xion one of the most interesting and promising new acts in Swedish metal in recent years.