The word Pantokrator is ancient Greek, the tongue the Gospel first was recorded in some two thousand years ago.  In English it translates as "Lord almighty", a reference to Jesus Christ.
 
Pantokrator was originally formed in autumn 1996.  Three guys named Magnus, Tobias and Henrik intended to start a pop/rock band in their local church.  Fortunately the band split up a few weeks before their first gig.  Mattias and Karl were invited to join them in their second try to start a band.  Since all of them were more into metal music in those days, and they knew that the new guys definitely were, the band changed their musical direction and became a metal band.  So they started to write songs for the gig that was meant for the first constellation.  A few weeks later they had their first show in the local church.  They were playing two or three of their own songs and a few covers of Mortification and Tourniquet.  They didn’t have quite the same view of how a metal band should sound, so the music was quite confusing in the beginning.  i.e. "Power-Metal" with "Death/Grind" vocals.  Some of the members were into thrash/deathmetal, others were not.

About six months after their first gig, the band recorded their first demo, "Ancient Path/Unclean Plants".  The sound had become a bit heavier and the influences of Thrash, Doom and Deathmetal were dominating these four tracks.

Shortly after this the band split up, Tobias and Henrik started a punkband (Wallsocket) with some friends.  Magnus also left the band.  Karl and Mattias were left and it seemed to be the end for the band.  Fortunately they found what they were looking for in a local Doom/Goth band.  Rickard and Jonas replaced Tobias and Henrik on bass and drums, sharing their time with their other band "Excubitor".  With the new line-up the music took a new turn against heavier domains.

In spring 1998, Pantokrator recorded their second demo, "Even Unto The Ends Of The Earth".  The music could be described as slow melodic old-school Deathmetal with influences of Doom and Blackmetal. The sound quality wasn’t the best.

Later the guitarist left the band for a year of studies.  Meanwhile the other members wrote a few songs that later were recorded and released under the name "Allhärskare", Because of the travelling distances they didn’t have the time to rehearse properly and the songs were recorded quite in a hurry, there wasn’t much time for well needed criticism.  "Allhärskare" was released as a six song mini-CD in 2000.

During the next year, their guitarist moved closer to the others and they all decided to be more serious about the band.  They started to rehearse regularly and they also began to write their new songs in a more professional way than before.  They had a few live shows before they decided to go into a studio and make their most professional recording so far.  It resulted in their six-track CD-EP called "Songs Of Solomon".  It was co-produced with Hubertus Liljegren of Sanctifica.  With its lyrical theme about love and sex in a biblical view, this "album" could be something to think about both for non-Christians and for those who never have put their feet outside a church. "Songs Of Solomon" was released in early 2001 as a self-financed CD, with an eight page booklet containing lyrics and pictures of the band.

Through their contacts with C.L. Music & Publishing it also came out as a split-CD together with Sanctifica’s old demo "In The Bleak Midwinter".  Two of the songs are also released on the compilation-CD and Video “Power From The Sky...." from the same label, featuring other Swedish Metal bands.  Pantokrator were also broadcasted on Swedish national TV, after Bobfest 2001.

In 2003 Pantokrator released their full length album Blod at Bobfest. It contains ten songs of brutal and progressive metal with lots of Scandinavian beauty.

All Material Used With Permission From Bands.