Christofer Johnsson
Encyclopedia
Christofer Johnsson is a Swedish
musician. He is a founding member and the guitar player for Therion
and used to be in Carbonized
, Liers in Wait
, Messiah
and Demonoid
. He is a member of the magical order Dragon Rouge and founder of the defunct Dark Age Music label. On March 21, 2006, he announced he will no longer sing for Therion, though he will continue playing guitar for the group.
, who also used brass and strings in songs like "Penny Lane
".
At an age of 11, his taste for music took a turn as he started to listen to hard rock
and heavy metal
bands like Accept
, Judas Priest
, W.A.S.P., Iron Maiden
, Saxon
, Motörhead, Venom
, Manowar
, Ozzy Osbourne
, Black Sabbath
, and Uriah Heep
. Many of these bands had orchestral elements in some of their songs. When he was 14, he started to listen to more raw heavy metal
bands like Metallica
, Slayer
, Anthrax
and especially, Celtic Frost
. One of his friends played the B-side of a Scorpions
album for him, and Christofer instantly fell in love with Scorpion's older albums. Uli Roth, who played guitar on these albums, had broken up with Scorpions
and formed the band Electric Sun
. Christofer managed to find a copy of one of their albums after a long search, and was disappointed at first. After a period of time, he gave it more of a chance, and ended up becoming insanely obsessed with the music. He mentions Uli Roth as one of his greatest influences in the symphonic Therion
albums.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
musician. He is a founding member and the guitar player for Therion
Therion (band)
Therion is a Swedish symphonic metal band founded by Christofer Johnsson in 1987. The word "therion" comes from the Greek therion , meaning "Beast," i.e., that of the Christian Book of Revelation...
and used to be in Carbonized
Carbonized
Carbonized were a Swedish death metal band formed 1988 in Saltsjöbaden. The band was formed by Lars Rosenberg in 1988, with Dismember vocalist Matti Kärki...
, Liers in Wait
Liers in Wait
Liers in Wait were a Gothenburg, Sweden-based death metal band active between 1990 and 1995.The group was formed by Kristian Wåhlin after the dissolution of Grotesque, a precursor to At the Gates, and for a very brief time featured the band's core members...
, Messiah
Messiah (Swiss band)
Messiah were a death/thrash metal band from Switzerland.Messiah's debut album, Hymn to Abramelin, was released in 1986 through Chainsaw Murder Records. Their second LP, titled Extreme Cold Weather, came out in 1987 and was re-issued on CD three years later by Nuclear Blast. The release also...
and Demonoid
Demonoid (band)
Demonoid is a Swedish extreme metal band founded in 2003 that derives its influences from traditional death metal, thrash metal and black metal....
. He is a member of the magical order Dragon Rouge and founder of the defunct Dark Age Music label. On March 21, 2006, he announced he will no longer sing for Therion, though he will continue playing guitar for the group.
Inspiration and influences
In his childhood Christofer enjoyed listening to classical music, and gradually became more interested in his father's 50's and 60's rock music. Popular music played on the radio in this era generally had a lot of strings in it, and even though much of it didn't fall in his taste, it still managed to influence him. As a 7-year-old he heard his first progressive rock as a theme in a Norwegian children TV-program. As 9-year old, he started to listen to The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, who also used brass and strings in songs like "Penny Lane
Penny Lane
"Penny Lane" is a song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney. It was credited to Lennon–McCartney.Recorded during the Sgt. Pepper sessions, "Penny Lane" was released in February 1967 as one side of a double A-sided single, along with "Strawberry Fields Forever". Both songs were later included...
".
At an age of 11, his taste for music took a turn as he started to listen to hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
bands like Accept
Accept
Accept is a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled by former vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes. Their beginnings can be traced back to the late 1960s...
, Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
, W.A.S.P., Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Saxon
Saxon (band)
Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart...
, Motörhead, Venom
Venom (band)
Venom are an English heavy metal band that formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal —are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general...
, Manowar
Manowar (band)
Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980 the group is known for its lyrics based on fantasy and mythological topics along with their "loud and bombastic" sound...
, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, and Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
. Many of these bands had orchestral elements in some of their songs. When he was 14, he started to listen to more raw heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
bands like Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
and especially, Celtic Frost
Celtic Frost
Celtic Frost was a metal band from Zürich, Switzerland. They are known for their heavy influence on the extreme metal genres. The group was first active from 1984 to 1993, and re-formed in 2001. Following Tom Gabriel Fischer's departure in 2008, Celtic Frost decided to break up again...
. One of his friends played the B-side of a Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
album for him, and Christofer instantly fell in love with Scorpion's older albums. Uli Roth, who played guitar on these albums, had broken up with Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
and formed the band Electric Sun
Electric Sun
Electric Sun was a music group formed by Uli Jon Roth after his departure from the Scorpions in 1978. They recorded three albums between 1979 and 1985....
. Christofer managed to find a copy of one of their albums after a long search, and was disappointed at first. After a period of time, he gave it more of a chance, and ended up becoming insanely obsessed with the music. He mentions Uli Roth as one of his greatest influences in the symphonic Therion
Therion (band)
Therion is a Swedish symphonic metal band founded by Christofer Johnsson in 1987. The word "therion" comes from the Greek therion , meaning "Beast," i.e., that of the Christian Book of Revelation...
albums.