# Jens Johansson

Jens Ola Johansson (born 2 November 1963 in Stockholm) is a Swedish keyboardist and pianist. Jens got famous in the early 80's when he and his brother Anders (drums) joined Yngwie Malmsteen's "Rising Force". Jens is the son of the Swedish Jazz pianist Jan Johansson. Jens has also worked with the guitar player Allan Holdsworth.
He's currently working with the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius and Ritchie Blackmore's rock project Rainbow. He is notable for his high-speed and technical skills in the style of neoclassical, fusion and rock.

## Biography

Johansson is son of Swedish jazz pianist Jan Johansson and brother of Ex-HammerFall drummer Anders Johansson. He is highly influenced by classic rock keyboardists like Don Airey, Eddie Jobson and Jon Lord. In 1982, the classically trained Johansson left the jazz fusion band Slem and joined the Swedish metal band Silver Mountain, which also included Anders. In 1983 he left Sweden for California and joined guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen as a member of his band, Rising Force. Numerous records and world tours ensued and he stayed with Yngwie until 1989. Johansson also played with the band Dio between 1989 and 1990. Like Anders, he began an ongoing collaboration with Jonas Hellborg in 1989 which has resulted in several progressive and avant-garde recordings, including Dissident, Unseen Rain (an acoustic piano trio record with Ginger Baker on drums) and the hard core progressive fusion record, E.
In 1993, Johansson co-founded a progressive blues metal project, The Johansson Brothers, and recorded a self-titled record. In 1996, with a different line-up, they recorded another album, Sonic Winter, this time under the name "Johansson", with Yngwie Malmsteen guesting on guitar. The last Johansson record, The Last Viking, a more "European metal" oriented album, was released in 1999 with special guests Michael Romeo and Göran Edman.
Johansson has released several instrumental solo records such as Fjäderlösa Tvåfotingar, Ten Seasons (a piano solo album improvised in the Mark Kostabi gallery, New York), Heavy Machinery (with Anders and Allan Holdsworth) and Fission (with Anders, Shawn Lane and Mike Stern) and many collaborations with other artists, metal compilations and Berends Brothers' band Mastermind.
He co-founded Heptagon Records to distribute his own recordings and that of other musicians, such as guitarist Benny Jansson and bassist Magnus Rosén. Johansson auditioned for Dream Theater after Kevin Moore left the band in 1994 but due to many delays by the band in making a decision he instead joined Finnish power metal band Stratovarius. Since 1995 he has remained in Stratovarius, and still releasing solo albums and appearing as a guest or session musician in other projects.
Johansson is a self-confessed computer nerd, admitting to have started on an Atari ST (which he still owns), and having coded software in C, as well as his own website in Perl. He rejects being considered one of the best keyboardists in the world, as he believes there are many people that are far better than him.

## Gear

Johansson has used many types of keyboards and synthesizers throughout his career. Amongst his favourites are the Korg Polysix, Yamaha DX7 as a MIDI controller, (from the Rising Force times to present), the Oberheim Matrix Series and the Roland JV-1080 sound module. He is also fond of the Hammond Organ. Johansson is a computer fan and long-time Steinberg programs user (like Cubase). An example of his interest in computers is his record Fission, which is replete with special effects and sound experimentation. His signature lead is emulation of Polysix on JV1080, going thru early Amp simulation / distortion pedal JD-10 by Morley.
Recently, he has been using PC-base system with Lenovo Laptop Computer both recording and live. And he uses JV1080 as backup on live.

## Band membership

Timeline

## Studio albums

| Title | Label | Year |
| Silver Mountain: Shakin' Brains | | 1983 |
| Yngwie Malmsteen: Rising Force | Polydor | 1984 |
| Yngwie Malmsteen: Marching Out | Polydor | 1985 |
| Yngwie Malmsteen: Trilogy | Polydor | 1986 |
| Erik Borelius: Fantasy | | 1988 |
| Yngwie Malmsteen: Odyssey | Polydor | 1988 |
| Yngwie Malmsteen: Trial by Fire | Polydor | 1989 |
| Dio: Lock Up the Wolves | Warner Bros. Records | 1990 |
| Deadline: Dissident | | 1991 |
| Stephen Ross: Midnight Drive | Shrapnel Records | 1991 |
| Anders Johansson: Shu-Tka | | 1992 |
| 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 |
| Anders Johansson, Jens Johansson and Allan Holdsworth: Heavy Machinery | | 1996 |
| Stratovarius: Episode | Noise Records | 1996 |
| Yngwie Malmsteen: Inspiration | | 1996 |
| Anders Johansson: Red Shift | | 1997 |
| Stratovarius: Visions | Noise Records | 1997 |
| The Johansson Brothers: Sonic Winter | | 1997 |
| Itä-Saksa: Let's Kompromise | | 1998 |
| Snake Charmer: Backyard Boogaloo | | 1998 |
| Stratovarius: Destiny | Noise Records | 1998 |
| Mastermind: Excelsior | InsideOut Records | 1998 |
| Jens Johansson: Fission | | 1998 |
| Benny Jansson: Flume Ride | | 1999 |
| The Johansson Brothers: The Last Viking | | 1999 |
| Stratovarius: Visions Of Destiny | Noise Records | 1999 |
| Mastermind: Angels of the Apocalypse | InsideOut Records | 2000 |
| Stratovarius: Infinite | Nuclear Blast | 2000 |
| Stratovarius: Infinite Visions | Nuclear Blast | 2000 |
| Einstein: Einstein Too | | 2001 |
| La Leyenda Continua – Tributo A Rata Blanca | | 2001 |
| Stratovarius: Intermission | Edel Music | 2001 |
| Silver Mountain: Breakin' Chains | | 2001 |
| Andy West With Rama: Rama 1 | Magna Carta Records | 2002 |
| Space Metal (Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Star One) | Inside Out Music | 2002 |
| Benny Jansson: Save the World | | 2002 |
| Aina: Days of Rising Doom | | 2003 |
| Barilari | | 2003 |
| Stratovarius: Elements Pt. 1 | Nuclear Blast | 2003 |
| Stratovarius: Elements Pt. 2 | Nuclear Blast | 2003 |
| Sonata Arctica: Winterheart's Guild | Spinefarm Records | 2003 |
| Mastermind (Japanese band): To the World Beyond | Black Listed Records | 2004 |
| Spastic Ink: Ink Compatible | | 2004 |
| Kamelot: The Black Halo | Steamhammer Records | 2005 |
| Stratovarius: Stratovarius | Sanctuary | 2005 |
| HammerFall: No Sacrifice, No Victory | Nuclear Blast | 2009 |
| Stratovarius: Polaris | Edel Music | 2009 |
| Avantasia: Angel of Babylon | | 2010 |
| Amberian Dawn: End of Eden | | 2010 |
| Stratovarius: Elysium | Edel Music | 2011 |
| Amberian Dawn: Circus Black | | 2012 |
| Stratovarius: Nemesis | Edel Music | 2013 |
| Avalon: The Land of New Hope | Frontiers Records | 2013 |
| Cain's Offering: Stormcrow | Frontiers Records | 2015 |
| Stratovarius: Eternal | Edel Music | 2015 |
| Stratovarius: Best Of | Edel Music | 2016 |
| Stratovarius: Enigma: Intermission 2 | Edel Music | 2018 |
| Gloryhammer: Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex | Napalm Records | 2019 |
| Helloween: Helloween ("Skyfall") | Nuclear Blast | 2021 |
| Star One: Revel in Time ("The Year of '41") | InsideOut Music | 2022 |
| Jani Liimatainen: My Father's Son | Frontiers Records | 2022 |
| Stratovarius: Survive | Edel Music | 2022 |