Johan Steensland Music

Original link: https://musikpulsen.se/johan-steensland-duality/

Rating: 8 out of 10 at musikpulsen.se

Singer, musician and composer Johan Steensland, who hails from Uppsala, has created his second progressive rock opera “Duality”, which will be released on September 23rd.

Uppsala seems to be a good breeding ground for progressive rock with bands like Kaipa, The Flower Kings, HFMC and others. There are also some common denominators here with today’s Kaipa. Singer Aleena Gibson who sings on Kaipa’s later albums also sings here together with Johan. Per Nilsson who also plays with Kaipa plays guitar on four of the album’s 12 tracks.

Other musicians who participate are Ingemar Brandt who plays piano on “Only Good Men”, Owe Eriksson plays fretless bass on “Black Sea” and Ture Trygger contributes flute on a couple of tracks. Otherwise, Johan Steensland plays all the instruments and sings. And boy, how he sings! So he is not only a very talented songwriter and multi-instrumentalist but also a really good singer. There are times when I think of David Bowie when I hear Johan sing, and that is a very good mark. The music is magnificent with many beautiful tempo changes.

The songs are based on a “story” by Johan Steensland, which can be read in full on his website johansteenslandmusic.com. It is largely about Eddie, a writer who takes refuge in a lonely cabin where he finds inspiration to write a crime novel about psychopaths and murderers. When he is going to visit a publisher who is interested in his manuscript, he is suddenly hit by a car. Five days later, Eddie wakes up in a hospital, but he has lost his memory. He no longer knows who he is and what is hidden in his past. A relationship gradually develops with the nurse Lydia who takes care of him in the hospital.

For me, who was not previously familiar with Johan Steensland and his music, this is a very positive introduction. It is composition, music and production of a very high class. I am truly impressed!

Original link: https://progetplus.over-blog.com/2025/08/johan-steensland-duality.html

For those who don’t know him yet, Johan Steensland is a multi-instrumentalist from Uppsala, the Swedish city that has seen the emergence of iconic bands like Flower Kings, Kaipa, and HFMC. In the early 1980s, he established himself as one of the pioneers of the local progressive scene with his band Sheik Ahmeed, inspired by influences from King Crimson, Rush, and Genesis.

In 1985, he began composing Crossfade , an ambitious prog-rock opera. The project remained unfinished when he moved to the United States, but it finally saw the light of day nearly forty years later, in September 2024. The reception was immediate and enthusiastic: the specialist press praised the album, and Prog Magazine even made it one of its favorites.

Today, Johan Steensland returns with Duality , his second prog-rock opera, which appears to be both the continuation and the deepening of his abundant musical and narrative universe.

The story follows the journey of Eddie, a writer whose novels explore the world of killers and psychopaths, on the verge of finally finding success, and Lydia, a nurse with a troubled past. From the creative effervescence of his Upper Kemp cabin to the danger of being blinded by the thirst for recognition and money, Eddie finds himself thrown from one world to another following a banal road accident. Lydia, now head nurse in an Ionian amnesia ward, is confronted with a sudden and unwanted tragedy. Who is this man? Will he wake up? What does his mystery hide? Even unconscious, Eddie seems to radiate a powerful and enigmatic aura.

Each track thus becomes a chapter in this musical novel, with its own sonic universe. Influences intersect, from prog pioneers to more modern approaches, to shape a rich, varied, yet highly coherent ensemble, which perfectly serves the narrative of the two protagonists.

The titles navigate between symphonic and progressive registers, but also venture into other horizons: jazz-rock, very present in An ordinary man or The Dr Dorian Dance , mixes with Floydian atmospheres ( They believe that I’m kind ), with colors close to Peter Gabriel ( Walking in a straight line ) or HFMC ( What would you give? ) and even with melodic bursts à la Queensrÿche ( The Shredded Suit ).

Johan Steensland is not only a virtuoso musician and a refined composer: he is also a storyteller and an excellent singer with an expressive voice, which, coupled with that of Aleena Gibson  who plays Lydia, provides true moments of pure beauty.

Johan’s strength is that he never limits himself to piling up melodies or sophisticated arrangements; he constructs a narrative where each note, each silence, each instrumental motif translates an emotion, a doubt, a burst of light. His music does not seek to impress, but to upset. It is this ability to combine musical richness and dramatic intensity that gives Duality  an identity as singular as it is captivating.

With Duality , Johan Steensland has produced an ambitious work that stands out as a major step in his artistic journey and certainly his best album to date.

An artist and an album to absolutely discover.

Original in Swedish, in Sweden Rock Magazine nr 8, 2025 (https://swedenrockmagazine.com/)

Rating: 8 (out of 10)

“This is something completely different from the last album Crossfade. I wrote that one several decades ago, while this one is completely new.”, wrote the composer in an email to me. Still, the Johan Steensland identity hovers heavily over the material and makes Duality resemble its predecessor. This means virtuosically played and deeply emotional prog rock in an intermediate position between minor and major, in some places in roughly the same school as The Flower Kings, but at the same time unique in its kind. Deceptively easy to listen to, because there are layers upon layers of detail that makes you want to re-listen both one and a hundred times.

My thoughts wander here and there between Rush, Saga and The Police. Steensland mostly handles the singing himself, although sparred by the beautifully singing Aleena Gibson (Kaipa) where the illustrative concept so requires. Among the other guests, Per Nilsson (Kaipa, Scar Symmetry) stands out in a number of sparkling guitar solos. Due to both drama and groove, Duality hereby enters the fight for this year’s prog rock gold.

Original: Steensland, Johan – Duality – MLWZ.pl

Review by Artur Chachlowski for Maly Leksykon Wielkich Zespolow
Johan Steensland is an almost cult figure on the Swedish progressive rock scene. In the
early 80s, he was one of the first to enter the scene with a pompous progression inspired by
bands such as King Crimson, Rush and Genesis. His band, Sheik Ahmeed, once gained
mythical status thanks to their legendary progressive concerts. In addition to working as a
sound engineer at the local Studio Pärla, Johan Steensland built his first own (8-channel)
studio and began composing a rock opera called “Crossfade”. It took him more than three
years to complete this work, but the publication of the CD “Crossfade” had to wait until
September last year, when it was finally professionally re-recorded and finally released on
CD on September 9, 2024.

After completing work on “Crossfade” in 1988, Johan decided to reach a wider audience and
formed the progressive pop band Position Melker, drawing inspiration from artists such as
Sting, Toto and Peter Gabriel. The band performed in their native Uppsala at the end of the
80s, but did not achieve the expected commercial success.

As such, Steensland decided to put his musical ambitions on hold and moved with his family
to California in 2003 to pursue a career in science. By 2008, the Steensland family was back
in Sweden, and as the children grew up, Johan began to pursue music again. He set himself
the goal of musical development and devoted the following years to improving his vocal
technique. He also improved his guitar, bass and drums technique. When he felt that the
right moment had come, he began working on a rock opera, which was released a few
weeks ago on CD (Cemafor Records) under the title “Duality”.

“Duality” is a classic two-act, emotional story lasting just over an hour about the aftermath of
a couple’s breakup. The protagonists Eddie Areola and Lydia Gilbert meet in unusual
circumstances. He, a young author, is working on a new novel and is studying the
psychology of psychopaths and killers while collecting materials. On his way to a meeting
with the publisher, he loses control of the steering wheel, his car loses grip on a slippery
surface and… after a few days, he wakes up from a coma at the Locrian Memorial Hospita.
He doesn’t remember anything, not even his name. The only thing that still lingers in his head
are the experiences of psychopaths and murderers. The nurse at Locrian Memorial Hospital
is Lydia, a thirty-three-year-old girl. During the night shift, a young man after a car accident
arrives at her ward. After a few days, he wakes up from a coma. He doesn’t remember
anything. Even his name and surname… This is the starting point for this extraordinary love
story.

The role of Eddie is played by the author himself, Johan Steensland, and the parts of Lydia
are sung by Aleena Gibons, whom fans of progressive rock associate with the group Kaipa.
Steensland is responsible for almost the entire instrumental part, he plays all instruments
except for the solo guitar parts, for which Per Nilsson is responsible (we also remember him
from Kaipa, as well as from the Scar Symmetry formation) and we also have the occasional
participation of flutist Ture Trygger, pianist Ingemar Brandt and Owe Eriksson playing fretless
bass on “Duality”.

In short, on “Duality” we hear crystal clear progressive, melodic music, with tempo changes,
with repetitive motifs in various forms and many other classic elements typical of the prog-
rock genre. There are a lot of atmospheres known from Kaipa’s albums, and while listening
to it, I often thought of similarities with the solo album of Mostly Autumn pianist Iain
Jennings, “The House” (does anyone still remember this wonderful album released in 2027?

– I refer you to our Malolexicon review – here), and even, keeping the right proportions, to
the album “A Curious Feeling” by Tony Banks.

It is ambitious, and let’s add: Steensland’s successful musical work is a collection of musical
themes endowed with strong melodies, maintained in a pensive atmosphere. It is a very
good-sounding album, pleasant to listen to, the duets of Steensland and Gibons are
impressive, and the economy of means of artistic expression (the instrumentation is
dominated by piano, delicate guitar parts and noble bass parts) is a great advantage of this
release.

Melancholic mood, reverie, nostalgia and a feeling of sadness lurking everywhere – these
are the most important features of this album. Add to that nice and accessible melodies,
interesting vocal parts and unexpectedly we find out that we got the perfect album just right
for this time of year. To the autumn cold, to the increasingly rapid darkness, to delve into a
climate full of mystery, understatement and ambiguity… And at the same time, it provides
authentic joy when listening.

A very nice album. Recommend.

Original (in French)l: https://progcritique.com/johan-steensland-duality/?fbclid=IwY2xjawNr-
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ag0d1puunIqCAmES5M_zNZDo_aem_Yt4IDd3mtAnGg2Xytbyf1Q

Rating: 4.2 stars out of 5.

Here is an album that highlights the narrative side of a conceptual musical work. ‘ Duality ‘ is
indeed a record that can be classified in the categories of concept album, rock opera, or
even musical comedy. Its author, Johan Steensland , is a Swedish multi-instrumentalist
musician who began his musical career in the 80s practicing Progressive Rock in a region
that saw the emergence of renowned groups like Kaipa , HFMC or The Flower Kings. His
atypical career led him to settle in California to pursue a career in science and research
before returning to Sweden in 2008 and resuming his musical activity by developing his
vocal, instrumental and production talents. ‘ Duality ‘ is his second Rock opera, after
‘ Crossfade ‘ which was composed in the late 80s but re-recorded and released in 2024.
Musically, the style is focused on a very melodic and symphonic Progressive Rock inspired
by Genesis on one side, Neo Prog groups like Marillion or IQ on the other, with some
Swedish touches from compatriot groups mentioned above.

The plot tells the story of Eddie, a writer who falls into a coma after an accident. He wakes up
in a hospital with no clear memory of who he is. Lydia, the head nurse, helps him piece
together his past, but as his memories return, he discovers a darker side of himself. The title
“duality” refers to this struggle between man and writer, between truth and fiction, between
guilt and redemption.

Divided into two acts (‘ Confusion ‘ and ‘ Attraction ‘), the album follows the evolution of the
relationship between the two protagonists. The main vocal roles are played by Johan
Steensland himself as Eddie and Aleena Gibons ( Kaipa ), who plays Lydia. Vocally, Johan
Steensland evokes Peter Gabriel , Neil Hannon ( The Divine Comedy ), or even David
Bowie , while Aleena Gibons ‘ voice plays on the registers of purity and power, both varying
expressions in abundance to serve the narrative. Although rich in lyrics, ‘ Duality ‘ is not
lacking in high-flying instrumental passages, since in addition to Johan Steensland on the
majority of the instruments, we find Per Nilsson ( Scar Symmetry , Kaipa ) who comes to lay
down some guitar solos with metallic inspirations, Owe Eriksson with a Jazz Fusion groove
with his fretless bass, or Ture Trygger who brings the Jethro Tull touch with his flute.

As the formalism of a concept album / Rock opera requires, the disc begins with an
instrumental introduction that sets the scene and gives some key melodies that will be found
later, and ends with an epic closing of more than 10 minutes. In between, very worked
pieces, finely chiseled and perfectly interpreted which offer the choice of several levels of
reading: from the simple collection of progressive songs, to the complete exploration of the
story and its interpretation (we even find in the booklet the description of the context telling
the past of the characters not revealed in the story). Fans of melodic Progressive Rock,
immediately accessible, with narrative development, somewhere between Neal Morse , the
Who of ‘ Tommy ‘ or ‘ Quadrophenia ‘, and ‘ Starmania ‘, I invite you to listen to ‘ Duality ‘
from start to finish for a complete experience.