Persuader was formed in August 1997 by friends Pekka Kiviaho and David. Jens Carlsson and Efraim Juntunen joined shortly thereafter. Fredrik Hedström was eventually recruited on bass, who had played with Pekka in a band named Shallow. In January 1998, David left the band due to musical differences. In November 1998, the band released a demo titled Visions and Dreams, which was recorded at Garageland Studios. The band was signed to Loud 'n' Proud records, a Swedish metal label. The band's debut studio album, The Hunter, was released on July 16, 2000.
''Evolution Purgatory'' and ''When Eden Burns'' (2001–2006)
The band's label, Loud 'n' Proud, went out of business leaving them without proper label support. In early 2001, guitarist Pekka Kiviaho left the band and they broke up for brief period of time. According to Jens, the band "needed a pause to find a new guitarist and a new label" and "would never cancel Persuader." The band reformed in the spring/summer of 2001 with the addition of new guitarist Emil Norberg, who attended the same school as Jens. The band started working on their next studio album, and submitted a demo of their unsigned music to Noise Record's Young Metal Gods contest. They won, and released Evolution Purgatory through Noise Records on February 2, 2004. After the release of the album, Jens and Emil became involved with Savage Circus, releasing their debut album Dreamland Manor in 2005. Jens also became involved with New Jersey based Dark Empire, after being asked by Matt Moliti to contribute vocals to their 2006 debut Distant Tides. The band released their third studio album, When Eden Burns, on May 15, 2006.
''The Fiction Maze'' (2007–present)
Persuader had been at work on their next studio album for several years since the release of When Eden Burns. The album experienced multiple delays due to various reasons. In addition, band members have contributed to their side projects during this time including, in 2008, Dark Empire'sHumanity Dethroned and, in 2009, Savage Circus'sOf Doom and Death. In updates, the band humorously refers to their recording location as Studio Värdelös. The Swedish word translates to "useless" in English. On December 12, 2010, the band revealed the tentative title of the album as The Fiction Maze. Throughout 2011–2013, the band issued intermittent updates on the progress of the album. On September 11, 2013, the band announced they had signed with Inner Wound Recordings. The Fiction Maze was released late December in Japan and early January in North America and Europe.
