ROCK RADAR: VELVETEEN QUEEN
Sweden keeps proving that real rock ’n’ roll is alive and well. Meet Velveteen Queen.
Formed in Sweden and arriving on the scene in 2022, Velveteen Queen is part of a new generation of bands bringing swagger, hooks, big guitars and attitude back to hard rock. Drawing from the DNA of Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses and The Black Crowes, the five-piece takes the spirit of classic hard rock and the Sunset Strip and gives it a younger, contemporary punch.
The current lineup features Samuel Nilsson on lead vocals and keys, Lukas Axx and Noah Mårdh on guitars, Vilmer Fall on bass and Isac Borg on drums. And despite the members still being in their early twenties, Velveteen Queen has already built a résumé that would make plenty of veteran bands jealous.
They’ve appeared at major Swedish rock festivals including Sweden Rock Festival, and have shared stages with names including Alice Cooper, Judas Priest and Megadeth. Their growing reputation as a live band has also taken them beyond Sweden, including European touring and dates supporting Mammoth WVH.
The band released the self-produced The Theatre Sessions in 2023, followed in 2024 by its debut full-length album, Consequence of the City. That record helped expand Velveteen Queen’s reach internationally, including a licensing deal with King Records for release in Japan and other Asian markets. In 2025, the next major step arrived when the band signed a worldwide deal with Silver Lining Music.
Now Velveteen Queen is preparing for its biggest chapter yet.
Their sophomore album, The Greater Good, arrives September 18, 2026, through Silver Lining Music. Produced by Sören Andersen, the 11-track record digs deeper into the band’s combination of sleaze, groove, melody and arena-sized hard rock. Silver Lining describes the record as carrying the strut of the Sunset Strip with touches of Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, Velvet Revolver and Hanoi Rocks—but the important part is that Velveteen Queen isn’t simply trying to recreate 1989. There’s a modern energy behind it.
The title track, “The Greater Good,” kicked off the new album cycle in May and even features Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboardist Peter Keys on piano. It was followed by the riff-driven “Adrenaline,” a song inspired by life on the road and the band’s relentless pursuit of rock ’n’ roll. The third advance single, “Too Far Gone,” leads directly into the September album release.
And that’s exactly why Velveteen Queen is on the BANNED RADIO Rock Radar.
They’re young, they’re hungry, they’re building their reputation the old-fashioned way—writing songs, getting on stages and taking rock ’n’ roll to an audience that still wants loud guitars, big choruses and a little danger.
If you think rock is dead, you haven’t been paying attention.
Velveteen Queen is on the radar.