Members
Lisa Wallenberg – Lead Vocals
While most of the other members had some grand experience pinpointing exactly when their interest in music started, the “how or why” Lisa started singing is slightly less memorable. Having had a love for musicals since about the age of 10, as well as being spellbound by her mom’s Sara Brightman albums, the interest in singing was born slowly. Her love for metal came about in high school when she heard Nightwish for the first time. She started taking singing lessons as well as joined a choir and a musical ensemble. It was not until she moved from Stockholm to Linköping that she started to look for bands to sing in.
Throughout the years she has sung in several bands, including Astolat and A Mace, the latter alongside Jonatan Jakobsson. One day she stumbled upon an ad by a band looking for a new singer – Emetropia. Impressed by the song “Lord of the Blizzards”, she applied and was instantly welcomed into the band.
Being a skilled lyricist, Lisa is also the reason for the band’s concept album formula. Inspired by topics such as folklore, gothic fiction and horror, as well as having a long lost dream of being an author, she enjoys telling stories through her singing.
Influences
Epica, Nightwish, Freedom call, Placebo, The Gathering, Watain, Dimmu borgir and all things atmospheric, supernatural and dark.
Liam Strand – Songwriting, keyboards, orchestras, vocals
Liam is the main songwriter, keyboardist, orchestral composer, and male vocalist of Emetropia. As the band’s main driving force, he’s a major piece of the puzzle which creates their unique sound.
His interest in music started at the age of seven when he began playing the clarinet for the local orchestra. The clarinet was however, not cool enough for him, as he two years later scrapped the clarinet for the electric guitar. After almost ten years at music school and having dissolved his heavy metal band Never Forget, he once again sought to learn a new instrument, the piano. He then left his hometown Avesta at the age of 19 for Linköping, where he quickly joined the cover band Grayscale as their first keyboardist. Shortly after his arrival Liam wrote their first song, “Lord of the Blizzards”, and so the story of Emetropia had begun.
As a multi-musician and songwriter, Liam also creates 80’s synth pop with Radiohimlen and is the founder of the music production company Oakensource Productions.
Influences
Epica, Stratovarius, Helloween, Freedom Call, Amorphis, Imperial Age
Olle Renius – Lead Guitars
One Christmas long ago, Olle received what turned out to be the greatest present of all time: a copy of Guitar Hero. In itself that might not be more than a simple video game, but it awakened a burning passion for heavy metal music within him. One thing led to another, and ultimately, he ended up founding the band Grayscale – the predecessor of Emetropia – in 2011. Having owned a real guitar for a full six months, it was only natural that he would take the spot as lead guitarist.
In 2014, Olle stumbled upon a live video of Devin Townsend performing “The Mighty Masturbator”, a fateful encounter that positively blew his mind. That was the day Olle realised that the limits for what is musically possible are boundless, and he embarked on a journey into the rabbit hole that is progressive metal, where he still resides to this day.
As one of the founding members, Olle remains a cornerstone of Emetropia, his passion and technical prowess keeping the band going strong after all this time.
Influences
Devin Townsend, Haken, Plini, Dream Theater, Metallica
Jonatan Jakobsson – Rhythm Guitars
It was the night between 16th and 17th July, 2004 when Jonatan saw Iron Maiden’s live recording Rock In Rio on TV and it was like a religious experience for him. Since then he ate, breathed and lived metal. At his father’s suggestion he picked up the bass guitar about a year later and played in a few bands, one of them the medieval themed metal band A Mace (in which Lisa was the lead singer).
After getting tired of commuting several hours for rehearsals with the Gävle based band Astaggad he decided to look for a local band and at the same time change instruments. In early 2018 he posted in a Facebook group for local musicians, Lisa saw it and told him that her band Emetropia was looking for a rhythm guitarist. And thus he was welcomed to the Emetropia family.
Influences
Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Mötley Crüe, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth
Oscar Heikkinen – Drums
After his younger brother decided that the drums at home were not his thing, Oscar first sat down behind the kit at the age of 16. After high school he moved to Linköping from Sunnemo and a year later he got to know Olle through a mutual acquaintance. They spent some time together playing covers as Grayscale until one day, Oscar met Liam through the anonymous student app Jodel.
Oscar quickly learned that his double bass drumming skills, courtesy of his love for melodic death metal and power metal, would prove to be a useful asset. Liam does however, not only write fast drum parts. They sometimes end up more intricate than he realises and it’s Oscar’s job to keep it together. Luckily for Emetropia, he loves the challenge!
Influences
Opeth, Gojira, Porcupine Tree, In Flames, Amorphis, Helloween, Epica
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