Jens Johansson
Jens Johansson (born November 2, 1963 in Stockholm ) is a Swedish pianist in the power metal field and was one of the first pianists to use guitar shredding on the keyboard. He is also known for using an inclined tripod. He has shaped several well-known keyboard players, including Janne Wirman from Children of Bodom , who uses a similar tripod and uses Johansson's sounds on some pieces.
Life
Johansson is the son of jazz pianist Jan Johansson and the younger brother of Anders Johansson , who plays the drums for Hammerfall . In 1982 he played in a classic jazz band called Slem , but later joined the metal band Silver Mountain , where his brother also played. In 1983 he moved to California and joined the Yngwie Malmsteen band as a keyboardist . Johansson played various appearances with Yngwie and was involved in many of his albums up to 1989, after which he played with the band Dio until 1990 , then he began working with Jonas Hellborg like his brother . With this line-up, they recorded various albums.
In 1993 Anders and Jens Johansson founded their own blues metal band The Johansson Brothers on the side , until in 1996 they recorded the album Sonic Winter with Yngwie as a guest musician on guitar in a different formation . His last album The Last Viking is a European-themed album, with Michael Romeo and Göran Edman as guest musicians.
He joined the power metal band Stratovarius in 1995 . Since 2015 he has been part of the new line-up of Ritchie Blackmore's band Rainbow .
Equipment
Johansson played a lot of synthesizers during his music career. His favorite synthesizers are the Korg Polysix , the Yamaha DX7 , the Matrix series from Oberheim and the Roland JV-1080 . Johansson is a big computer fan and programs his keyboards with his own sounds. The patches he programmed have become the standard for keyboard solos in Metal . Both Janne Wirman from Children of Bodom and Henrik Klingenberg from Sonata Arctica play almost all solos with the classic original "Jens Patch".
Discography
With Stratovarius
- Episode (1996)
- Visions (1997)
- Visions of Europe (1998)
- Destiny (1998)
- Infinite (2000)
- Intermission (2001)
- Elements, Pt. 1 (2003)
- Elements, Pt. 2 (2003)
- Stratovarius (2005)
- Polaris (2009)
- Elysium (2011)
- Nemesis (2013)
- Eternal (2015)
With Yngwie Malmsteen
- Rising Force (1984)
- Marching Out (1985)
- Trilogy (1986)
- Odyssey (1988)
- Trial by Fire (1989)
- Inspiration (1996)
With Anders Johansson
- Anders Johansson: Shu-Tka (1992)
- The Johansson Brothers (1994)
- Anders Johansson, Jens Johansson and Allan Holdsworth: Heavy Machinery (1996)
- Anders Johansson: Red Shift (1997)
- Johansson: Sonic Winter (1997)
- Johansson: The Last Viking (1999)
With other artists
- Silver Mountain: Shakin 'Brains (1983)
- Erik Borelius: Fantasy (1988)
- Dio : Lock Up the Wolves (1990)
- Deadline: Dissident (1991)
- Stephen Ross: Midnight Drive (1991)
- Ginger Baker : Unseen Rain (1992)
- RAF: Ode to a Tractor (1992)
- Shining Path: No Other World (1992)
- Jonas Hellborg Group: E (1993)
- Snake Charmer: Smoke and Mirrors (1993)
- Dave Nerge's Bulldog: The Return of Mr. Nasty (1994)
- Robert Blennerhed: Seven (1994)
- Smoke on the Water - A Tribute (1994)
- Tony MacAlpine : Premonition (1994)
- Itä-Saksa: Let's Compromise (1998)
- Snake Charmer: Backyard Boogaloo (1998)
- Benny Jansson: Flume Ride (1999)
- Blackmore's Night : Under a Violet Moon (1999)
- Mastermind [USA]: Excelsior! (1999)
- Roland Grapow: Kaleidoscope (1999)
- Mastermind [USA]: Angels of the Apocalypse (2000)
- Einstein: Einstein Too (2001)
- La Leyenda Continua: Tributo a Rata Blanca (2001)
- Silver Mountain: Breakin 'Chains (2001)
- Andy West with Rama: Rama 1 (2002)
- Arjen Lucassen : Star One: Space Metal (2002)
- Benny Jansson: Save the World (2002)
- Aina: Days of Rising Doom (2003)
- Barilari (2003)
- Sonata Arctica : Winterheart's Guild (2003)
- Mastermind (Japanese): To the World Beyond (2004)
- Spastic Ink : Ink Compatible (2004)
- Kamelot : The Black Halo (2005)
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Johansson, Jens |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swedish pianist in power metal |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 2nd, 1963 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Stockholm |