Soilwork is a Swedish melodic death metal band formed in 1995 in Helsingborg. The band was founded by Björn Strid and Peter Wichers under the name Inferior Breed before adopting the name Soilwork in 1996. The name reflects the idea of building from the ground up. Their early sound was influenced by bands such as Pantera, Meshuggah, and Carcass, and evolved toward a more melodic style after the name change. The band recorded the demo "In Dreams We Fall into the Eternal Lake," which led to contact with Michael Amott of Arch Enemy and subsequently to a recording contract with Listenable Records.

In 1998, Soilwork released their debut album, "Steelbath Suicide." After lineup changes, including the replacement of drummer Jimmy Persson by Henry Ranta and guitarist Ludvig Svartz by Ola Frenning, the band toured in Europe. Their second album, "The Chainheart Machine" (1999), received critical attention and led to a contract with Nuclear Blast. During this period, they toured with acts including Cannibal Corpse and Dark Tranquillity.

With the release of "A Predator's Portrait" (2000), Soilwork gained wider recognition within the melodic death metal scene, alongside bands such as In Flames. The band performed at Wacken Open Air and continued extensive touring. Their 2002 album, "Natural Born Chaos," produced with Devin Townsend and Fredrik Nordström, marked further development in their sound and supported tours in Europe and North America. "Figure Number Five" (2003) continued their commercial growth, followed by lineup changes including the departure of Henry Ranta and the eventual appointment of Dirk Verbeuren as full-time drummer.

In 2005, Soilwork released "Stabbing the Drama," which charted in Sweden and Finland and entered Billboard’s Heatseekers and Independent Albums charts in the United States. The band appeared on Ozzfest in 2005. Guitarist Peter Wichers left later that year and was replaced by Daniel Antonsson.

"Soilwork" released "Sworn to a Great Divide" in 2007 and toured internationally, including a North American run with Lamb of God and Killswitch Engage. Following additional lineup adjustments, the band issued the compilation "The Sledgehammer Files: The Best of Soilwork 1998–2008" in 2010 and the studio album "The Panic Broadcast" the same year.

After Peter Wichers’ second departure in 2012, Soilwork released the double album "The Living Infinite" in 2013. The EP "Beyond the Infinite" followed in 2014. Longtime bassist Ola Flink left in 2015 and was replaced by Markus Wibom. In 2016, drummer Dirk Verbeuren departed to join Megadeth, and Soilwork released the compilation "Death Resonance."

The band’s eleventh studio album, "Verkligheten," was released in 2019, introducing drummer Bastian Thusgaard. The EP "Underworld" followed the same year. In 2020, Soilwork released the EP "A Whisp of the Atlantic." In 2022, bassist Rasmus Ehrnborn officially joined the band, and Soilwork released their twelfth studio album, "Övergivenheten."

In September 2022, guitarist and songwriter David Andersson died at the age of 47. Touring guitarist Simon Johansson, who had performed with the band since 2019, became a permanent member in 2023. As of 2026, Soilwork is working on a new studio album.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soilwork

Studio albums Steelbath Suicide (1998) The Chainheart Machine (1999) A Predator's Portrait (2001) Natural Born Chaos (2002) Figure Number Five (2003) Stabbing the Drama (2005) Sworn to a Great Divide (2007) The Panic Broadcast (2010) The Living Infinite (2013) The Ride Majestic (2015) Verkligheten (2019) Övergivenheten (2022)