Legendary Heavy Load frontman and guitarist Ragne Wahlquist has died at 69 years old. Wahlquist founded Heavy Load in 1976 with his brother and drummer Styrbjörn Wahlquist, and is regarded as the godfather of Swedish heavy metal.
News of Wahlquist's death comes from Swedish TV news show SVT Nyheter. The outlet also notes that Heavy Load was in the midst of working on the follow-up to their 2023 record Riders Of The Ancient Storm, and that the "intention is to complete the record and to carry the band forward."
Heavy Load released three highly-influential albums during their original run as a band between 1976 and 1983 – Full Speed At High Level in 1978, Death Or Glory in 1982, and Stronger Than Evil in 1983. Heavy Load would eventually reunite in 2017 and begin performing again in 2018. If you're unfamiliar with the Wahlquist brothers and their influence on Swedish metal, check out some of their performances from over the years below. They're killer.
