Guitarist Katrina Johansson

Having released a heavy instrumental EP in 2005 Guitarsongs Volume I, Katrina has recently finished her second studio release with producer Mike Hoffman, now avaliable on her website. Her melodic shredding style has gained her a lot of respect as a female icon in a typically male-dominated genre. Additional recording and mixing at Studio One with Chris Djuricic.

Guitarist Katrina Johansson Love, Surrender, Forgiveness

Company: Independent Release: 2007

Track listing:

1. Scar Tissue

2. Bellydance

3. Love Surrender Forgiveness

4. K-9 Lullaby

Song one: Scar Tissue � Starts out simply enough with some lush chorusy chordal picking. Then in quick fashion, Katrina kicks in a very distorted and anthem-matic sounding guitar cadence. The drums and bass hammer out the first bars of this tune, all the while, creating a marching tempo to neo-classical guitar stardom. Her first riff right out of the gate is an awesome memorable arppegiated run. And then we go back to the intro, where there is interplay with the lightly picked guitar and the crisp tone of Katrina�s guitar lead lines weaving in and out of the composition. Yeah, makes for an interesting passage. The young guitarists� prowess and legato lines are flawless, and she knows how to jam in and around a simple but catchy motif. Her lead tones a very warm even on the long fast runs. She keeps her picking clean and well executed. There is no sloppiness here! Johansson understands the concept of �playing for the song� and keeping it appealing to the listener. The song ends in a twist of disheveled rhythmic chops and a crescendos flurry of notes that just keep getting faster and faster until your eyeballs are spinning in the back of your head! �TILT!�

Song Two: BellyDance - I love the dark and mysterious sounds that the big acoustic skins give the song while the guitar�s reflective melody-line propels this harmony fearlessly forward into uncertain aural territories. The arrangement gives me picturesque mind-flashes of �The Great Alexander� and his conquest of the foreign but enticing rich lands of the Sheiks, and Crown Princes. �Belly Dance� is the perfect name for this tune too� Johansson doesn�t mind taking her time with the melody lines. She gives you a well thought out arrangement that helps give her the freedom to create lead lines with feeling and true emotion. Once again, when it comes time to shred, she can do it in the flash of a transitory creative whim� Inspirational!

"Johansson has great feel, and some indcredible chops played within strong song compositions. In addition to her excellent phrasing and strong vibrato, Johansson is an extremely impressive speed picker." - Mike Varney's spotlight from Guitar Player 2006

Song Three: Love, Surrender, Forgiveness � Do I here some classic sounds here. The tune opens very �Yes / Journey� sounding, and I hear other bands and influences from the late 70�s. I guess that must mean I can remember the melody and hum the lead solo. In one section of the song, the crunching rhythm takes me back to weekend pig roasts, beer and volleyball while listening to bands like Van Halen, Rush, Yes and Boston, etc. It�s really unique when you�re listening to a guitarist who can alternate from classic lead playing to Yngwie type shred with out tripping all over herself. Katrina is very proficient in extended legato lines and short burst of some killer tapping techniques. Her bending and phrasing definitely work for me. Timeless!

Song Four: K-9 Lullaby (Remix) � Yeah! AC/DC meets Yngwie Malmsteen. The song�s starts out very arena rock and bombastic. I hear another guitarist�s influence in there too� His name you ask? Randy Rhoads. It�s amazing to think that he was one of the first guitarists to start it all with the neo-classical style guitar playing. The tone that Katrina gets out of her Dean guitar is something to emulate as a thought provoking player� With her Satriani squeaks and squawks, lengthy legato runs, and last but not least, her awe-inspiring finger tapping technique; it�s no wonder why Dean Guitars has her as one of their endorsees. If this album does anything for you, it will definitely make you want to go home and break out your axe and start practicing. Katrina Johansson does have something to say, and I�m sure this is only just the beginning to an illustrious career as a guitar-goddess. �Flash!�

Line-up:

Katrina Johansson - Guitars

Wolfe - Drums

Mike Hoffmann - Bass, Slide Guitar, 12 String Guitar

Michael Angelo Batio - Bass (K-9 Lullaby)

Brad Rohrssen - Drums (K-9 Lullaby)

Katrina Johansson - Driven

For more about Katrina visit: