Tommy Johansson

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DREAM OCEAN And Tommy Johansson (SABATON) Perform “Phantom of the Opera”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on July 7, 2021

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: DREAM OCEAN, Tommy Johansson. Leave a comment

When Andrew Lloyd Webber composed The Phantom of the Opera in the early eighties, he already felt that there was a distinct metal energy to the main theme of his global success. That is why he had electric guitars added to the 1986 promotional single release, which reached number 7 on the UK billboard charts. Now symphonic metallers DREAM OCEAN are here to max out this classic’s full epic potential with their operatic prowess and relentless double bass driven savagery: “Since our first album we enjoy engaging in different projects with the great names of the metal music scene. And we know how much symphonic metal listeners love the iconic musical theater duet of Phantom of the Opera. So we decided to give this amazing piece a modern and bombastic new touch of Dream Ocean.” The song is a perfect amalgamation of the elements the band embodies: Intense emotions ranging from hellish depths to soaring highs, a hypnagogic blur of dreams and reality complemented by an orchestral soundscape, which Dream Ocean skillfully galvanize with their highly technical metal sensibilities.

Lead singer Başak Ylva takes on the role of Christine with her exceptional mezzo soprano voice, effortlessly reaching the highest note of the entire musical: “Our singer Başak re-awakens Christine with her unique, dark and powerful vocals.” Finding a male counterpart who could match her performance left no room for debate either: “For this project we could not imagine anyone other than the amazing Tommy Johansson himself as the Phantom!” The Swedish vocalist and guitarist (Sabaton, Majestica) was more than eager to join the Turkish-German collective of virtuosos in the role of the Phantom: “I’m very happy to be a part of Dream Ocean’s amazing cover of one of my all time favourites – Phantom of the Opera! I have for a long time wanted to record this song somehow, and when they asked me to act as the Phantom I was very glad and didn’t hesitate for a second! They have really captured the exciting and scary emotions of the original song and at the same time added a new, heavier touch to it that doesn’t ruin this classic song, but instead enhance it in a very MAJESTIC way!” The pleasure is mutual, as conservatory graduate Başak underlines: “Since we have heard his voice for the first time we always wanted to do a project with him and we are honored to call him our friend as well as our guest on this amazing project. We are thrilled to announce our strange duet The Phantom of the Opera with Tommy Johansson.”

Find the music video for Phantom Of The Opera featuring Dream Ocean and Tommy Johansson here:

Support Dream Ocean’s crowdfunding campaign for their upcoming sophomore album The Missing Stone here:
https://www.indiegogo.com/at/do-themissingstone

Pär Sundström: “Sabaton’s Success comes from Touring, Hard Work & Good Songs”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on November 1, 2019

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: ‘The Metal Voice’, Pär Sundström, Sabaton, Tommy Johansson. Leave a comment

Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice spoke to Sabaton’s bassist Pär Sundström and guitarist Tommy Johansson in Montreal, Canada. The two spoke about the bands new album The Great War and the hard work behind the success of Sabaton.

Watch the interview below.

When asked about the difference between their new album The Great War and their last albums
“I do think that Sabaton has evolved over the past 15 years however the core of Sabaton is still there. We make small progressions from album to album but we sound like Sabaton. Anybody who expects Sabaton to have a big change in musical styles maybe they are looking at the wrong band. Fans of Sabaton know what to expect when there is a new album.”

When asked what they learned about World War One that they didn’t know about before doing the album
“I learned about the details of the war that are frightening that I was not so aware of, for example the details surrounding The Battle of Verdun. I knew it was one of the longest conflicts in the war but I did not know the magnitude of it, so digging deeper into that conflict was an eye opener.”

When asked about their thoughts on the song about the controversial Red Baron
“The thing about World War One there’s not really any good or evil, it is more of a gray zone. Nobody really knows what is right or wrong there it’s just a war where everybody is suffering heavily. The Red Baron he was one of those characters that we felt for a long time that we wanted to cover. He’s one of the most famous because he wanted to be one of the most famous, he would be what you would call a rock star of World War One, taking the credit on his skills and that make him stick out a bit and that’s why we did a song about him.”

When asked what is the secret to Sabaton’s continous success
“I don’t think there is a secret, first of all bands need a good quality songs. Does Sabaton play good songs? A lot of fans say we do and then it’s hard work and there are no shortcuts. Sabaton is not a band that will be played on the radio so we have to do it the hard way, tour, tour, tour. We just don’t give up.”

ASTRALIUM Release New Video ‘Rising Waves From The Ocean’, Ft. SABATON’s Tommy Johansson

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 23, 2019

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: "Land Of Eternal Dreams", 'Rising Waves From The Ocean', ASTRALIUM, Sabaton, Tommy Johansson. Leave a comment

Italy’s symphonic metal band ASTRALIUM have just unleashed their latest video ‘Rising Waves From The Ocean’ featuring Sabaton guitarist Tommy Johansson doing special guest vocals. The video is in support of their debut album “Land Of Eternal Dreams”, due out today, August 23rd via Rockshots Records (worldwide release) and via Japanese label Spiritual Beast.

Watch ‘Rising Waves From The Ocean’ here

A pure symphonic album with power heavy prog metal influences, epic choirs, high pitch vocals plus lyrical sections and baroque/magniloquent arrangements, “Land Of Eternal Dreams” is a concept release about dreams and the astral universe, but also the fantasy world that lives in us. It’s an inner journey through imaginary stories about myths and legends from the past.

The band explains the release:

“First of all, I want to say that we are very excited about our debut album “Land Of Eternal Dreams”. Fans can expect an amazing album of great melodies, blended with cinematic, symphonic and classical music, along with metal guitar riffs and epic choirs. We believe that music evokes sensations, emotions and real fantastic worlds in our minds.”

The album also features specials guests Tommy Johansson (Sabaton, Majestica), Jo Lombardo (Ancestral, ex-Metatrone), Andrea Martongelli (Arthemis), Stefano “Ghigas” Calvagno (Metatrone, NefeshCore), Adam Cook (A Hill To Die Upon), Davide Bruno (Metatrone, NefeshCore) and more.

ASTRALIUM was formed in 2014 by soprano Roberta Pappalardo and bass player Giuseppe Pappalardo. Drummer Salvo Grasso (Metatrone, Hypersonic) and guitarist Emanuele Alessandro complete the line-up.

➤ Album orders and Streamings Smarturl.it/Astralium
➤ Music video ‘The Journey’ here.
➤ Spotify here.

Track Listing:
1. Remembrance
2. The Journey
3. Rising Waves From The Ocean
4. My Life Is My Eternity
5. Whisper In The Silence
6. Hope Is Gone
7. Breath of My Soul
8. A Dream's Elegy
9. Seven Seas, Seven Winds
10. Ethereal Voices From The Forest
11. The World of Unknown
12. Hidden Conspiracy

SABATON: Present New Guitarist; More Tour Dates Announced

Posted by aliblackdiamond on August 23, 2016

Posted in: News. Tagged: Sabaton, Thobbe Englund, Tommy Johansson. Leave a comment

Swedish heavy metal heroes, SABATON, closed the release weekend of their new record entitled “The Last Stand”, successfully at their own festival, Sabaton Open Air. They not only had to say goodbye to their guitarist Thobbe Englund, but they also welcomed their new member Tommy Johansson.

The band commented:
“Thank you Thobbe, welcome Tommy!
Our guitarplayer Thobbe did his final concert with us on last Saturday’s very emotional show at the Sabaton Open Air festival. Celebrating the release of our new album while saying goodbye to a great friend is lots of mixed feelings. But the future is bright since this was not nearly our last stand, from now on you will see Tommy Johansson playing guitars with SABATON and we all look forward to see you on the road!”

Tommy added:
“For me to be a part of the SABATON family is a huge honour and I couldn’t be happier! The guys are awesome and among the nicest people you can meet. I’ve been following SABATON since 2005 when I saw them live for the first time and I have loved the band ever since, so when they asked me to join there was no hesitation. Although, they did ask me already back in 2012 but for many personal reasons it was not a good time for me to hit the road and give everything that was needed to the band. So I declined, but we have stayed in touch since then. I also wanna say that Thobbe is a great guitarist and such a wonderful guy! My job is not to replace him, it’s to contribute to the band with my own style of guitarplaying but of course also to keep his fans happy by playing his wonderful solos with pride. I look foward to meet you all on tour and to do what I love the most in life – to play heavy metal!”

Get the new album here: http://nblast.de/SabatonLastStandNB
Or digitally: http://nblast.de/SabatonDownloads

More on “The Last Stand”:
‘The Lost Battalion’ OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jTgkTEDDog
‘Blood Of Bannockburn’ OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi7xBe5-M8k
‘Shiroyama’ OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylyqoxh-cXk
‘The Art Of War’ OFFICIAL LIVE CLIP:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYoK1N90KDk

Get new merch here: http://www.nuclearblast.de/de/shop/artikel/gruppen/79904.1.bandmerch.html?article_group_sort_type_handle=rank&custom_keywords=SABATON

SABATON live:

28.08. PL        Straszecin – Czad Festival
29.08. PL        Wroclaw – Rock For Freedom
31.08. IL         Tel Aviv – Reading 3 (w/ DESERT) *SOLD OUT*
03.09. CY        Lakatamia – Lakatamia Amphitheater

w/ TRIVIUM, HUNTRESS
15.09. USA     Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
16.09. USA     Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
17.09. USA     Worcester, MA – Palladium (SABATON only)
19.09. USA     Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
20.09. USA     Little Rock, AR – Clear Channel Metroplex Event Center
22.09. USA     Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
23.09. USA     Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
24.09. USA     Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre
25.09. USA     San Bernardino, CA – Knotfest (no HUNTRESS)
27.09. USA     Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
29.09. USA     Omaha, NE – Sokol Auditorium
30.09. USA     Minneapolis, MN – Mill City Nights
02.10. USA     Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life Festival
04.10. USA     Peoria, IL – Limelight Eventplex
06.10. USA     Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Live!
07.10. USA     Houston, TX – Scout Bar
08.10. USA     Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
10.10. USA     Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
11.10. USA     New York, NY – Irving Plaza
13.10. USA     Poughkeepsie, NY – The Chance
15.10. USA     Binghamton, NY – Magic City Music Hall
17.10. USA     Charleston, SC – The Music Farm
18.10. USA     St. Peterburg, FL – State Theater
19.10. USA     Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Revolution Live
21.10. USA     Lake Buena Vista, FL – House Of Blues

NEW!
28.10. BR       Belo Horizonte – A Autentica
29.10. BR       Sao Poalo – Via Marques
30.10. BR       Rio De Janeiro – Circo Volador
01.11. BR       Limiera – Bar Da Montanha
02.11. BR       Porto Alegre – Opiniao Bar
03.11. BR       Curitiba – Music Hall
05.11. RA       Buenos Aires – Teatro Vorterix
06.11. RCH     Santiago – Kmasu Premiere
11.11. MEX    Mexico City – Lunario
NEW!

30.11. RUS     Krasnoyarsk – Havana
02.12. RUS     Novosibirsk – R-Club
03.12. RUS     Yekaterinburg – Tele Club
05.12. RUS     Samara – Zvezda Club
07.12. RUS     Krasnodar – Arena Hall
09.12. RUS     St. Petersburg – A2
10.12. BY        Minsk – Republic
11.12. RUS     Moscow – Bud Arena

14.12. S Baltic Sea – Sabaton Cruise 2016 *SOLD OUT*

“The Last Tour” – Europe 2017
w/ ACCEPT
06.01. D         Hamburg – Sporthalle NEW!
07.01. D         Oberhausen – König Pilsener Arena
08.01. B          Antwerp – Lotto Arena
10.01. IRL       Dublin – Vicar Street
11.01. UK       Glasgow – o2 Academy
13.01. UK       Manchester – o2 Apollo
14.01. UK       London – o2 Brixton Academy
15.01. F          Lille – Aeronef
16.01. F          Paris – Olympia
18.01. F          Toulouse – Le Bikini
19.01. E          Bilbao – Santana 27
20.01. P          Porto – Coliseu Do Porto
21.01. E          Madrid – Barclaycard Center
22.01. E          Barcelona – Sant Jordi
24.01. F          Lyon – Transbordeur
25.01. I           Milan – Live Club
27.01. A          Vienna – Gasometer
28.01. D         Ludwigsburg – MHP Arena
29.01. NL        Amsterdam – Heineken Music Hall
31.01. D         Frankfurt – Jahrhunderthalle
01.02. D         Saarbrücken – Saarlandhalle
03.02. CH       Basel – St. Jakobshalle
04.02. D         Bamberg – Brose Arena
05.02. D         München – Zenith
24.02. FIN       Helsinki – Icehall
25.02. EST      Tallinn – Kultuurikatel
04.03. CZ        Prague – Tip Sport Arena
05.03. H         Budapest – Barba Negra
06.03. SRB      Belgrade – Belexpo
08.03. GR       Athens – Peiraios Academy
09.03. GR       Thessaloniki – Fix Factory Of Sound
10.03. BG       Sofia – Universiada Hall
11.03. RO       Bucharest – Arenele Romane
13.03. HR       Zagreb – Dom Sportova
14.03. SK        Bratislava – Aegon Arena
15.03. D         Berlin – Columbiahalle
17.03. S          Norrköping – Himmelstalundshallen NEW!
18.03. S          Sandviken – Göransson Arena NEW!
19.03. S          Örebro – Conventum Arena NEW!
21.03. DK       Copenhagen – Valby Hallen
22.03. S          Lund – Sparbank Skane Arena NEW!
24.03. S          Stockholm – Hovet NEW!
25.03. S          Göteborg – Frölundaborg NEW!
26.03. N         Oslo – Sentrum Scene
27.03. N         Haugesund – Byscenen
29.03. N         Trondheim – Samfundet Storsalen
31.03. S          Umea – Umea Energi Arena Vind NEW!