Hidden Gems & Guilty Pleasures: Scheitan (Sweden)
Scheitan (Gothic Rock // Sweden)
Scheitan is a gothic rock band from Luleå, Sweden.
Scheitan was formed in 1996 by Pierre Törnkvist (Helltrain, Devil’s Force) and Oscar Karlsson (Gates Of Ishtar, Helltrain, Sarcasm, The Duskfall, Raised Fist). On the band’s debut album »Travelling In Ancient Times« (Invasion Records), the music was harsh and raw black metal. But already in the last track of the debut album, »Portals Of Might«, there were traces of musical change.
The first part of the bands second album, »Berzerk 2000« (Invasion Records), consisted of four melancholic, gothic tracks with only the harsh vocals of Pierre Törnkvist as a reminder of what was done on the debut album. The album finished off with three black metal tracks seeing the bad bid farewell to its black metal roots.
For their third album, the band signed with Century Media and released »Nemesis«, an album ahead of its time with a goth n roll style that was unique. After the album release, Scheitan played the mighty Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig and vanished into the dark.
After the release of »Nemesis« in 1999, the band went into a hiatus for 24 years before releasing three singles in 2023 (featuring Billy Idol cover »White Wedding«), tracks that all in a short time gained quite a lot of attention. Scheitan got signed by Greek label The Circle Music and released their fourth album »Songs For The Gothic People« in May 2024.
The album got en excellent reception from various press sources all around the world and Scheitan performed live for the first time since 1999 at the legendary Temple Club in the heart of Athens in June 2024.
It may have taken “only” twenty-five years for Scheitan’s fourth album, »Songs For The Gothic People«, to arrive after their third, yet their return was so strikingly powerful that the follow-up, their fifth offering, »Wine For A Tormented Soul«, came without delay in December 2025, like a storm that refused to be held back.
Musically, Scheitan remain faithful to the gothic rock path they paved with »Songs For The Gothic People«. The compositions here continue to battle one another for dominance, each track vying to be the one that leaves the deepest mark. The production is once again crystalline and forceful, but this time, it’s Pierre Törnkvist’s vocals that show remarkable evolution.
In March 2026, Scheitan released a brand new single, »A Million Days«, from their new and yet-untitled album, currently in development for a projected release in 2027.
»A Million Days« continues the band’s exploration of melodic gloom, featuring lyrics that touch on themes of endurance, internal conflict and the weight of “dead desires”. The song describes a journey through “a thousand fires” and “a thousand battles”, centred around a heavy refrain of emotional isolation and the “drowning of a lonely soul”.
Pierre Törnkvist commented on the rapid return to the studio: “I immediately started working on new songs after we released the last album. There are already ideas for about 4-5 songs, and I guess we will have another album ready in about 12 months if everything works out as with the previous two albums.”
When asked whether inspired gothic rock still exists today, the answer is clear: “Of course it does and Scheitan make sure we never forget it!”
Discography:
• »Travelling In Ancient Times« LP (Invasion Records, 1996)
• »Berzerk 2000« LP (Invasion Records, 1998)
• »Nemesis« LP (Century Media Records, 1999)
• »Deathgoth« EP (2021)
• »Lost In Time« Single (2023)
• »Fire At Dawn« Single (2023)
• »White Wedding« Single (2023)
• »Believe« Single (2024)
• »Songs For The Gothic People« LP (The Circle Music, 2024)
• »Fury Flow« Single (2024)
• »Love N’ Death« Single (2024)
• »Carry Me Home« Single (2025)
• »Heaven Tonight« Single (2025)
• »Döden är helt underbar« Single (2025)
• »Wine For A Tormented Soul« LP (The Circle Music, 2025)
• »A Million Days« Single (2026)
Scheitan is:
Pierre Törnkvist – All instruments, vocals and drum programming
FFO: The Sisters Of Mercy, Fields Of The Nephilim, The Mission, Depeche Mode, Diary Of Dreams, Deathstars, The 69 Eyes, Tiamat
Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well