Beardfish (band)

Beardfish (band)

Beardfish is a Swedish progressive rock band formed in 2001. Their style resembles progressive rock bands from the 1970s, such as Yes and Genesis. The band initially featured vocalist Rikard Sjöblom, guitarist David Zackrisson, bassist Gabriel Olsson, and drummer Petter Diamant. The band underwent several changes in their formative years but since 2003 have had a stable lineup consisting of Sjöblom, Zackrisson, drummer Magnus Östgren, and bassist Robert Hansen. The band was signed by InsideOut Music after releasing two albums independently; they have since released four more albums.

In 2008, the band toured with a fellow progressive rock band The Tangent. They were scheduled to tour North America in the summer of 2009 as part of Progressive Nation, a tour organized by Dream Theater's then-drummer Mike Portnoy; however, they were forced to withdraw when InsideOut lost funding after its distributor, SPV, declared bankruptcy.

Beardfish's second most recent album, Mammoth, was released on March 28, 2011 in Europe and March 29, 2011 in North America.

In September 2012, Beardfish were the opening act for all European dates of the band Flying Colors, and in May 2013, were one of the opening acts (along with Sound of Contact) for all European dates of the band Spock's Beard.