L’information est tombée il y a moins d’une heure, Johan Hallgren quitte Pain of Salvation ! Le groupe nous apprend en effet sur sa page Facebook que Johan souhaite à présent se consacrer à sa femme (enceinte) et sa fille. Il continuera donc la musique (et la distribuera gratuitement en ligne), mais d’une manière qui ne lui permet plus de suivre le rythme qu’implique un groupe tel que PoS. Ainsi, si vous faîtes partie des chanceux qui iront voir Pain of Salvation en tournée avec Opeth, sachez que ce sera la dernière fois que vous verrez le groupe dans sa composition actuelle…

Le communiqué de Pain of Salvation :

After 13 years in the band, Johan Hallgren has decided to leave Pain of Salvation to focus on his daughter and wife. He will not leave music altogether, but plans to work with music in a way that allows him to stay at home with his family in Sweden. That means that the band’s upcoming Nov/Dec tour together with Opeth will be his last. He will of course be sadly missed, both musically and personally, and very difficult to replace. So, if you know someone who sings and plays the crap out of basically anyone, send him or her our way – we might just have a thing or two to discuss.

Johan: « I’m leaving the band with both joy and sadness. I need to stay close to my daughter and my child-to-come, they will be my greatest concern along with my wife. I will miss everyone I’ve met during the years, and the band will continue to have a warm place in my heart. So finally, treat yourself and all that surrounds you with respect, and stay with POS – the greatest band on the planet! Sorry if I disappoint you, I miss you already! »

Par l’intermédiaire de son profil Facebook (ici, là, ici et encore là, et encore ici), Johan Hallgren a également ajouté :

Thank you all for the kind words and I hope that you have a good life and that people treat you the best they can. Also hope to see you on my last tour with the band. For now I’m gonna prepare for the show in Krakow. See ya and peace!

Life is limited and you never know when it’s over or what happens next. No one can tell! Maybe I’ll see you all again! Love you all

I will record some music and release it digitally for free to anyone if there’s any comfort to some. 😉

You are always in my heart as everything on this planet. Respect!

I’m very exited to be a real fan of POS. Now I’m on your side and the best place is in the audience. I very exited to be able to enjoy the future of the bands upcoming work. Nice to see the guys at home with a different perspective also. Love the guys and their families and if there’s something I could do for them I wouldn’t hesitate at all. I’ll try to be true to myself and be a good bloke. 😉

Crédit photo : Lars Ardarve