RIP Fredrik Johansson of Dark Tranquillity 2022-01-28 by Trey STAFF | 37 Comments |
Ex-Dark Tranquillity guitarist Fredrik Johansson died on 25 January 2022 after a three-year battle with cancer. Fredrik Johansson was the band's guitar player from 1993 through 1999, appearing on Of Chaos and Eternal Night EP, The Gallery, Enter Suicidal Angels EP, The Mind's I, and Projector; co-writing such classic DT tracks as "Punish My Heaven", "Insanity's Crescendo", and "The Sun Fired Blanks".
Vocalist Mikael Stanne left the following statement on the band's Facebook page:
One of us is gone.
Fredrik Johansson passed away on January 25th after a three-year long battle with cancer.
He joined Dark Tranquillity in ’93, right after the recording of our first album “Skydancer”. He replaced me as guitarist so that I could focus on singing, and with that he raised the bar and set the course for what we could do and wanted to be. His influence and passion had an absolutely massive impact. The first song that we wrote together was something we ended up calling “Punish my Heaven”, and with that we knew that we were on a path that we up until then had only dreamed of.
Fredrik was mercilessly funny, sharp and highly intelligent, and would light up a conversation with his amazingly positive and quick witted commentary. But also, as easily, he would tear an uninformed argument or opinion apart with well articulated and thoroughly researched logic. His sense of humor and adventure would more often than not lead to epic excursions in stupidity and madness that I will forever miss.
Fredrik left the band in ’99 to focus on his family, yet he remained our biggest fan and our fiercest critic. His insights into the direction of our music was invaluable and knowing that he always listened and cared about what he had been part of creating meant the world to us.
A recent story, that speaks volumes about his personality, is when we launched the album “Moment” with a streamed concert in 2020. For weeks ahead of the release, Fredrik was on our Facebook page making sure that those who did not have access to a credit card or simply could not afford it would be able to see the show as well. By personally paying a ticket for those who weren’t able to, Fredrik made sure that no-one was left without. That’s who he was.
Having known about his cancer battle for almost three years and having dealt with the fact that this day would eventually come doesn’t make it any less real. We all still feel it. And we always will.
Living without you in this world will be radically different and not even close to as interesting and curiously fun as it has been with you in it. On behalf of the entire Dark Tranquillity family, we love you Fredrik and we will miss you forever.
We start our US tour today and by playing the songs that Fredrik wrote and helped create we aim to keep his name and musical legacy alive. He was one of us and we love him.
”It is what it is, and what will be will be” as Fredrik used to say might serve as a reminder that our time here is nothing but temporary and we should make the most of the beautiful personal connections we have and treasure the people that we have surrounded us with.
Tons of love from all of us to Fredrik's wife and three daughters.
Mikael Stanne and all of Dark Tranquillity
#fuckcancer
https://www.facebook.com/dtofficial
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Tagged: Dark Tranquillity
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Cancer Sucks. Projector is easily my favorite DT album.
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Hard R.I.P. "Punish My Heaven" is my favourite song of theirs or maybe out of all melodeath.
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RIP to a metal legend
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Same EvoHavok. Rip so damn hard : ((((( Absolute legend and a huge inspiration for me personally
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The Gallery blew me away at the young age of 14, not much of what I listened to at that age holds up well but this is a massive exception, an absolute classic of an album, RIP
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):
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The Gallery blew me away at the young age of 14, not much of what I listened to at that age holds up well but this is a massive exception, an absolute classic of an album [2]
Same age, same vibe. R.I.P.
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Holy fuck, hard R.I.P.
Early DT especially The Gallery is expectional stuff.
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Hard RIP
Thank you for writing the greatest melodeath album of all time : (
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This post is so sweet. This guy lived a good life to be loved like this. RIP
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Huge RIP, now I sadly know why I haven't heard any Dark Tranquillity past Projector.
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Damn, hard RIP. Gotta jam The Gallery now.
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RIP
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Mine is the Grandeur is so good it could be soundtrack to a spaghetti or contemporary Western.
...of Melancholy Burning is my favorite track from The Gallery.
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I always thought of Ocarina of time when I heard that song. Just beautiful
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rip
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RIP, important member from a great band.
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Damn devastating news. Also Stanne's post was very touching.
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Really strange because out of nowhere like a week or so ago I started randomly thinking of this band and listened to some of the albums then this news came out. Had no idea he was ill, but I haven't followed the band in a while.
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RIP
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RIP
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Stanne's post was indeed very touching. RIP.
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hard rip, this sucks. he was a central part of the greatest melodic death metal album of all time and it simply would not exist without him.
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Damn rip to a heavyweight
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"Really strange because out of nowhere like a week or so ago I started randomly thinking of this band and listened to some of the albums then this news came out. Had no idea he was ill, but I haven't followed the band in a while."
this week I had an urge to jam The Gallery after Silence... came on shuffle. forgot how much I loved the album
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Gunna jam the gallery all week.
RIP
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"A recent story, that speaks volumes about his personality, is when we launched the album 'Moment' with a streamed concert in 2020. For weeks ahead of the release, Fredrik was on our Facebook page making sure that those who did not have access to a credit card or simply could not afford it would be able to see the show as well. By personally paying a ticket for those who weren’t able to, Fredrik made sure that no-one was left without. That’s who he was."
Unbelievably sweet thing to do for fans of the band you hadn't been in for 20 years at that point, hard RIP I've been jamming DT all day
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this is upsetting.. rest in peace
why do the great leave so young
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Terrible news… I’m throwing on The Gallery
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RIP, never gotten too into these guys' music but that is quite a heartfelt tribute
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RIP
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Man that sucks. RIP Fredrik.
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RIP. I remember like it's yesterday when I saw a magazine ad of The Gallery, bought the album and was initially disappointed because it was so different than what I was jamming at the time. Gonna jam the album today.
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man f
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RIP
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Fuck man RIP #fuckcancer
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R.I.P.
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