After breaking out in the late 2000s, Swedish rock duo
Johnossi transformed a simplistic guitar-and-drums formula into a dynamic and sometimes epic sound that earned them perennial Top Ten chart placements throughout the following decade. With just two instruments between them, singer/guitarist
John Engelbert and drummer Oskar "Ossi" Bonde play fiery rock missives that alternate between garage grit, atmospheric alt-rock, post-punk, and pop-leaning stadium bangers. As with their popularity in Sweden, the duo's sound grew in size during the latter half of the 2010s, giving them an image they sought to downplay with 2020's more low-key
Torch//Flame LP.
After forming in Stockholm in 2004, the duo played only a handful of gigs before signing with a local label and recording a debut album. Although
Engelbert played an acoustic guitar exclusively, his arsenal of effects and overdriven amplifiers put
Johnossi in the same stylistic ballpark as other guitar-and-drum duos like
the Black Keys and
the White Stripes.
A successful tour with
the Soundtrack of Our Lives and critical acclaim for
Johnossi's 2006 debut brought the duo to the attention of the Control Group, which reissued the album in America during the fall of 2007.
Johnossi supported the release with an American tour alongside
the Shout Out Louds. Returning home,
Engelbert and Bonde retreated to a studio in the outskirts of Stockholm to record
All They Ever Wanted in eight days. The album was released in 2008, displaying the band's growth as a fierce, aggressive rock act. The self-produced
Mavericks followed two years later. A bit of a recording hiatus followed before
Johnossi returned in 2014 with the epic Transitions which, like
Mavericks, reached the Top Ten in Sweden. With a global audience set clearly in their sights, the platinum-selling duo sought an even bolder sound with their fifth album,
Blood Jungle, which arrived in early 2017.
Dialing back somewhat from the massive sound of their two previous releases,
Johnossi kicked off 2020 with
Torch//Flame, a grittier and more straightforward rock album that harkened back to their earlier days. ~ Stewart Mason