Defenders of the Faith, the side project of Christofer Johnsson, founder and main composer of the Swedish symphonic metal titans Therion has released the new single “Snakebite Passion Play” featuring Therion band members. The song is a tribute to the 80s band Girlschool. It is one of the first female bands in the world of heavy metal. In the 90s, at first, Paradise Lost started to introduce the female vocals as an interesting element of metal music. Later, The Gathering started using female vocalists. Next, they appeared in the choruses of the album “Theli” of Therion. Later, with Nightwish and Within Temptation, the female vocalist formula began to establish itself as a successful band formation. In the 1980s, Girlschool was the first all-female rock and heavy metal band.

“Snakebite Passion Play” is a tribute to the ex and now members of Girlschool and to the memory of the late vocalist Kelly Johnsson. The lead vocals are performed by Kristina Vega (ex-Cobra Spell), who brings more rock emotion and sound to the composition.

Meanwhile, Therion will have a 40-year anniversary in 2027, and they are already invited to take part at several festivals – Masters Of Rock in the Czech Republic, Hell Bells Festival in Poland, Time To Rock Festival in Sweden, and Leyendas Del Rock in Spain.