Christofer Johnsson

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Christofer Jan Johnsson
Johnsson live with Therion in 2008.
Johnsson live with Therion in 2008.
Background information
Born (1972-08-10) 10 August 1972 (age 49)
Upplands Väsby, Sweden
GenresSymphonic metal, progressive metal, death metal, progressive death metal, thrash metal
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter, producer
InstrumentsGuitar, bass, keyboards, vocals, mandolin, percussion, piano, drums
Years active1987–present
Associated actsTherion
Carbonized
Liers in Wait
Messiah
Demonoid
Luciferian Light Orchestra

Christofer Johnsson was born 10 August 1972 in Upplands Väsby, Stockholm County and is a Swedish composer. He is a founding member and the guitarist for symphonic metal band Therion and was previously a member of Carbonized, Liers in Wait, Messiah, and Demonoid.[1] On 21 March 2006 he announced he will no longer sing for Therion-- though he will continue as guitarist for the group.

Inspiration and influences[]

As a child Christofer enjoyed listening to classical music and gradually became more interested in his father's '50s and '60s Rock. As a 7-year-old he heard his first progressive rock: a theme for a Norwegian children's TV program. As 9-year old he started to listen to The Beatles. At age of 11 his taste for music took a turn as he started to listen to hard rock and heavy metal bands such as: Accept, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Manowar, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, and Uriah Heep. When he was 14 he started to listen to more raw heavy metal bands like: Metallica, Slayer, Bathory, 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 Scorpions' older albums. Christofer managed to find a copy of an album by former Scorpion Uli Jon Roth's Electric Sun after a long search and ended up becoming obsessed with their music. He mentions Uli Roth as one of his greatest influences in his early work.

Personal life[]

Johnsson resided for a time in a villa he designed himself called Villa Adulruna south of Stockholm with his girlfriend, Mina Karadzic. In 2019 they sold the villa and moved to the island of Gozo, Malta. Christofer has been a vegetarian since 1999. He has a one child.[2][3]

Fire incident[]

On 26 July 1992 Johnsson's parents' house was set on fire. Christofer was on tour and not home at the time of the incident. Minimal damage was done before the fire was put out but the event was blown-up in the media and metal scene.[4]

Health problems[]

On 26 January 2017 Johnsson revealed he had been suffering from intense pain in his neck and shoulders and was diagnosed with two spinal disc hernias. Allegedly the product of years of headbanging these hernias put him at risk of losing the ability to perform live.[5] A Rock Opera project was delayed and the band shortened their sets to allow Johnsson to perform. On 8 April Johnsson announced he had been able to avoid surgery for his condition that had improved as the result of physiotherapy and he would resume performing at festivals by August.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ "Therion Biography". www.therion.se. Archived from the original on 25 November 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  2. ^ Daniel (3 May 2014). "Interview with Christofer Johnsson (Therion)". Wikimetal. R7. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  3. ^ "Christofer Johnsson FaceBook post". 2 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Therion biography". MusicMight. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  5. ^ "Christofer Johnsson". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  6. ^ "Christofer Johnsson". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 18 January 2018.

External links[]

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