Crucified Barbara at Liseberg concert review: The return of a Swedish hard rock favourite
For many fans of Swedish hard rock and heavy metal, the return of Crucified Barbara has been one of the most welcome comeback stories in recent years. Formed in Stockholm in 1998, the quartet built a loyal international following through a potent blend of hard rock, heavy metal, sleaze rock and classic rock influences.
Across four acclaimed studio albums – In Distortion We Trust (2005), Til Death Do Us Party (2009), The Midnight Chase (2012) and In the Red (2014) – the band established itself as one of Sweden’s most celebrated rock exports, touring extensively alongside acts such as Motörhead, Clutch, In Flames and Sepultura.
Their breakthrough single Losing the Game became a defining anthem of the Swedish rock scene, while their appearance in Melodifestivalen 2010, the Swedish Eurovision selection, with Heaven or Hell introduced them to an even wider audience.
What happened after the split?
After releasing In the Red in 2014, Crucified Barbara called it a day in 2016. Yet the individual members hardly disappeared from the music world. Gothenburg audiences were even able to catch most of the musicians at Liseberg in 2019 in their side project The Heard, a darker, doom-influenced collaboration featuring Deathstars guitarist Skinny and burlesque performer Pepper Potemkin on vocals.
Meanwhile, frontwoman Mia Karlsson, also known as Mia Coldheart, largely stepped away from the spotlight following the band’s split before eventually returning with a more intimate solo project rooted in acoustic folk and country music under her real name. Audiences at MetAle 2025 witnessed this softer side of her artistry during a solo appearance under her own name, a performance that stood out among the festival’s heavier acts. Yet despite the acoustic direction of her solo work, there were clear indications that her passion for rock music had never disappeared. In recent years she has also made guest appearances with bands such as Donna Cannone and The Gems, reminding audiences that the heavier side of her musical personality was still very much alive.
With those appearances in mind, a full Crucified Barbara reunion never felt entirely unrealistic. When the band announced its return in 2025, the news therefore felt less like a shock and more like the natural next chapter for a group whose members had never truly left the rock scene behind.
Back in Gothenburg at last
The band’s return initially centred around festival appearances in 2025, but for Gothenburg fans this performance carried extra significance. It had been quite some time since Crucified Barbara last performed in the city, something Mia Karlsson also acknowledged from the stage. While the members have visited Gothenburg in various musical constellations over the years, seeing Crucified Barbara reunited felt different.
The second evening of this year’s MetAle festival at Liseberg therefore carried a sense of occasion. After opening performances from rising Gothenburg thrash metal outfit Hostilia, it was Crucified Barbara’s turn to close the night.
It was immediately clear that their appearance was one of the festival’s most anticipated bookings. The photo pit was packed with photographers eager to document the reunion, while the audience, though not enormous in the way midsummer festival crowds can be, was deeply committed from the outset. With the concert season only just beginning, those who turned up brought enthusiasm in abundance, creating a warm and energetic atmosphere in front of Liseberg’s smaller, more intimate stage.
A subtle hint: could new Crucified Barbara music be on the horizon?
Interestingly, one of the evening’s most intriguing moments came not during a song but in between them. While discussing the recording of the band’s two most recent albums in Gothenburg with producer Chips Kiesbye (of the band Sator), Mia initially referred to them as the band’s “last” albums before quickly correcting herself to “latest”.
It may have been nothing more than a slip of the tongue, but for fans hoping that the reunion eventually leads to new music, it was difficult not to interpret the correction as a small but encouraging sign. At the very least, the possibility does not seem entirely off the table.
A setlist spanning all four albums
As an early follower of the band, I have always had a particular fondness for the debut album “In Distortion We Trust”. The video for Losing the Game was my first introduction to Crucified Barbara during the glory days of Swedish music television, so its absence from the setlist was mildly disappointing. Thankfully, the equally infectious Play Me Hard arrived as the second song of the evening while I was still in the photo pit, its irresistible riff instantly triggering a reflexive bout of headbanging.
To the band’s credit, the setlist offered an impressive overview of their entire catalogue rather than focusing excessively on any single era. In the Red also made a notable appearance, performed live for the first time since the reunion, adding an extra sense of occasion for long-time fans. Personal favourites such as Sex Action and Jennyfer from “Til Death Do Us Party” were absent, and Heaven or Hell, their 2010 Melodifestivalen (Swedish Eurovision selection) entry, appears to remain firmly retired. Given how rarely it was performed even before the band’s 2016 split, its omission came as little surprise.
Dynamics and live contrast
One of Crucified Barbara’s greatest strengths as a live act is their ability to balance relentless energy with carefully placed moments of contrast. Many hard rock bands fall into the trap of maintaining maximum intensity for too long, causing songs to blur together. Crucified Barbara avoid that pitfall by varying the dynamics throughout the set.
While the band’s earlier material is often built around muscular riffs and high-octane energy, their latest studio album “In the Red” introduced a more melodic and atmospheric side to their songwriting. Songs such as Lunatic #1, The Ghost Inside and Electric Sky helped broaden the emotional palette of the evening and added welcome breathing room between the heavier moments.
This became particularly apparent during The Ghost Inside, when guitarist Klara Force unexpectedly stepped behind a keyboard to perform a haunting introduction built around organ-like tones. The atmosphere carried seamlessly into Electric Sky, which followed immediately afterwards and provided one of the evening's most melodic and emotionally engaging moments. For me, it was a standout sequence of the show.
A softer side before the grand finale
The encore section offered another memorable variation. My Heart Is Black was performed in an acoustic arrangement, with Mia Karlsson switching to acoustic guitar while Klara Force once again added subtle keyboard textures. The result was a brief moment of intimacy that also hinted at the duality of Mia’s recent musical journey, from stripped-back solo material to full-on hard rock frontwoman, before the set surged back into its final wave of energy.
Those who remained until the very end were rewarded with the title track from the debut album, In Distortion We Trust, which brought the approximately 70-minute performance to a fitting and satisfying conclusion.
Pure joy on stage
If Hostilia embodied youthful aggression and hunger earlier in the evening, Crucified Barbara represented something entirely different: happiness.
The band members looked genuinely delighted to be back on stage together. Every smile, every interaction and every movement suggested musicians rediscovering the simple pleasure of playing rock music with old friends. That sense of enjoyment proved infectious and spread quickly through the audience.
Seeing Mia Karlsson return to MetAle after last year’s intimate acoustic appearance was particularly rewarding. While her solo material revealed another side of her artistry, there was something undeniably satisfying about watching her once again wield her familiar black Gibson Flying V and command the stage in full hard rock mode.
The weather forecast had threatened rain throughout the day, but instead the audience was treated to sunshine. Combined with the band’s infectious enthusiasm, it created the perfect backdrop for a spring evening of loud guitars and shared nostalgia.
Final thoughts
Ten years after their initial farewell, Crucified Barbara no longer feel like a band revisiting old glories. Judging by the chemistry on stage and the reception from the audience, they feel revitalised. Whether new music eventually follows remains to be seen, but if this performance at MetAle 2026 proved anything, it is that Crucified Barbara still have plenty left to offer.
Full Liseberg setlist
- The Crucifier
- Play Me Hard
- Rock Me Like the Devil
- Shadows
- Feels Like Death
- Lunatic #1
- To Kill a Man
- In the Red
- Blackened Bones
- The Ghost Inside
- Electric Sky
- Everything We Need
Encore
- My Heart Is Black
- Storm Rider
- In Distortion We Trust
This show was shot with
Camera bodies
- Sony a7 IIIWide-angle shots
- Sony a7R IIClose-ups and long-range shots
Camera lenses
- Tamron 16-30mm f2.8Wide-angle shots
- Samyang 35-150mm f2–2.8Close-ups and long-range shots
Concert photo gallery
More from Crucified Barbara
Lunatic #1 – music video
From the 2014 album In the Red