Career
In 1979 changed its name to and Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson collaborated with some lyrics and managed the band with Guðni Rúnar Agnarsson. The same year they contacted Svavar Gestsson from label SG-Hljómplötur and showed him two tracks. After getting a record deal they started to record their debut album in January 1980 until February when they took a break during which the band was influenced by the new wave and started to experiment with their music
The recording sessions were resumed in September, with new material which brought about certain concern within the label.
The album was named Þagað í Hel (Silenced to Death) and was released in December 1980. had some promotional gigs and were joined by guitarist Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson. By early 1981 Jóhannes decided to leave the band so that he could continue with his aeronautical studies and Elín left the band soon after.
Magnús became the leading singer and guitarist Þorsteinn Magnússon joined the band. In 1998, record label Spor released a compilation Civil Defense titled Nælur, which contained three songs by, including “En”, from Þagað í Hel, which became into the only song reissued because the remaining tracks of this album were lost in a fire at the Tóntækni studios a few years after the debut album was released.
In February 1978, after finishing high school at Menntaskólinn við Sund, Jóhannes started to take flight lessons at Flugtak.
In December 1980 he withdrew from to focus on his studies and obtained the commercial flying license and the flight instructor license. He started to work at Flugtak for two years, and later as a flight instructor for Hnit Consulting Engineers. He has been flying for the company Icelandair, since February 1983.
Jóhannes Helgason is married to Unnur Einarsdóttir and has two sons: Helgi (1982), and Atli Jóhannesson (1988).