Fallnären

Fallnären
Fallnären performing at Raikonyretfest in 2016
Background information
Origin	Gothendral, Delkora
Genres	Alternative rock, progressive metal
Years active	1987 (1987)–present
Labels	Riot Records
Website	www.fallnären.del
Members	Valentin Oberg Mattias Jonessen Tore Vodner Jonny Grenborg
Past members	Kol Vossgaard

Fallnären (The Fallen) is a Delkoran alternative rock band formed in Gothendral in 1987. Although it never achieved the same level of commercial success as other bands of the era, the group is considered to have had some influence on the genre. Kol Vossgaard, the first Green Party chancellor of Delkora, was the group's original bassist, playing from 1987 to 1991. The band's lyrics are in Delkoran.

Biography

The band was formed in 1987 while Valentin and Jonessen were studying at Gothendral University. Grenborg, a longtime friend of Jonessen's, joined the group as its drummer that year and introduced the group to Vossgaard, who joined as its bassist. Fallnären began playing at local bars and nightclubs, slowly building a devoted following in the city. In 1988, the group was approached about playing at Sundering Fest that year. Their performance helped vault the group into the spotlight, leading to a record deal with Riot Records. The band began recording their first studio album Drömetoye, which debuted in 1989, followed by Kognition in 1990. Both proved to be underground hits, but failed to gain mainstream publicity. In 1991, Vossgaard left the band to focus on his planned run for the Federal Parliament. The band took a year long hiatus while searching for a new bassist, eventually bringing on Tore Vodner in 1992.

Omskoling, released in 1997, proved to be a breakthrough hit for the band, eventually reaching number 10 on Lyudetliste. Following the success of the album, there was an effort to book a series of nationwide tours, which were hampered by the group's antagonistic relationship with the major record companies and tour promoters. In particular, many venues refused to host the band because of its vulgar lyrics and members' on-stage antics, which often included drug use, passing out LSD to concert attendees, and profanity-laden tirades against record industry executives. In 1998, after the Izenhoth Municipal Council voted down a resolution introduced by the mayor to ban the group from performing in the city, they organized a concert at a football stadium across from the municipal complex, hanging a giant banner with a spray-painted middle finger outside. Despite these and other issues, the band managed to play to a number of sold-out crowds throughout the country.

After Vossgaard unexpectedly became chancellor following the 2002 Federal Government Crisis, the band saw a spike in their publicity, with Fantometland becoming a best-selling album upon its release two years later. In an interview with the DBS prior to the election, Oberg remarked, "Kol was always kind of a nerd, but you better fucking believe we're voting Green." In 2005, while the band played at a venue in Abenvard, Vossgaard made a surprise appearance on stage, playing bass for the second set.

After releasing Schemata in 2009, the group announced it was going on an extended hiatus. During this time, Oberg and Jonessen embarked on successful solo careers, releasing a number of best-selling singles between 2010 and 2014. In 2015, Grenborg was arrested in Tordenhelm after throwing a brick at a member of a far-right biker gang following a confrontation outside of a nightclub, but was later released without charges. In 2016, the band announced they had begun recording Abstraktion, which dropped the following year and proved to be a major hit.

Line-up

• Valentin Oberg (Lead vocals, guitar)
• Mattias Jonessen (Guitar, supporting vocals)
• Tore Vodner (Bass)
• Jonny Grenborg (Drums)

Discography

• Drömetoye (1989)
• Kognition (1990)
• Sjal pa Fjuer (1993)
• Omskoling (1997)
• Synnetplaga (2001)
• Fantometland (2004)
• Schemata (2009)
• Abstraktion (2017)