Is there something called ‘Eclectic Metal’?
Originally conceived in the Gothic Metal realm, Deonda Ltd has evolved into a project refusing to comply with the confinements of ordinary genres. Metal guitar riffs combine with soft melodies, drum machine patterns with organic percussion, ambient keyboard pads with noises. Rhythms range from jazzy grooves to double pedals to harsh electronic beats. Vocals range from dark to bright, from soft to crisp to growling.
The common denominator, instead, is darkness. The darkness of the human mind; the darkness of the world we live in; and the darkness of the future we are all heading for…
CORE MEMBERS
Magnus Borgström
Guitars, programming, backing vocals.
Current location: Lund, Sweden.
Mikael Drackner
Bass guitar, programming.
Current location: Stockholm, Sweden.
Mikael Nyblom (formerly Antic)
Vocals, programming, percussion, engineering.
Current location: Lund, Sweden.
FORMER ASSOCIATES
Theo Randås: live guitars & backing vocals.
Ida Knutsson: live backing vocals.
Maria Bemark: additional vocals.
Ulf Nyberg: bass, live guitars.
Hugo Hedberg: live guitars & live backing vocals.
Björn Hedberg: programming & production.
Nils Nilsson: guitars.
BACKGROUND
Deonda Ltd was formed in mid-1997 in a fusion of other projects. The name Deonda was taken in early 1998. Originally a five-piece lineup, Deonda released their debut-EP, Life Anthem, in April 1998.
The original members unfortunately ran into cooperational problems, and the band split up in May 1999 to save friendships and spare themselves pain. However, Magnus Borgström and Mikael Antic (later Nyblom) were not quite satisfied with this decision and decided to continue the work on their own.
During the Death (released in January 2000) sessions, Borgström got in contact with Mikael Drackner (a former member of The Misled), who was asked to put some bass into it. The whole thing worked out very well, and he was soon considered a permanent member of the band.
In early 2001 the band name was modified to include “Ltd”. And in June the same year, the band now officially known as Deonda Ltd released a new CDM-promo named Demonstration 2001. This was also the first of three releases to feature additional vocals by Maria Bemark. In late 2002 the Hollow You EP saw daylight. This was to be the last physical release of the band.
After that, Deonda Ltd became a somewhat fluid project, as the members kept relocating around the world (e. g. Bolivia, Brazil, Italy, the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, and more) for various reasons. Nevertheless, during 2001-2003 the band threw off a number of live shows with the aid of various additional musicians.
Beyond that, Deonda Ltd have chosen to release individual songs over the internet, which are then compiled into virtual EPs: Necessitudines Infernales, released in 2006, The Illicit Verses, released in 2017, and The Anaesthetic Suite, released late 2024.