The lazy journalist, the music nerd and the interactive interview.
What do you have to ask Opeth? This band throws masterpieces like self-exploding martyrs in Afghanistan, and everyone wants to know everything about the band these last years. And if you’re still hungry for more trivial information about the band, you can also check out their exhaustive autobiographical diary on their website. Nevertheless, ‘Watershed’ is their ninth masterpiece in a row (their tenth if you count their live album ‘The Roundhouse Tapes’ as well) and once again an open application for album of the year, so that’s a good excuse to bore the band with another questionnaire. Every chance to meet the band is something I MUST do. But I had no energy to ask the same questions about the same things. I had also no time for a depth interview – the time schedules are tight, extremely tight – so I had to come up with a compromise that’s fun for all three sides: the band, the reader and me. I think I found it by bringing along nine albums, which all have something to do with Opeth and/or their last album. Whether it’s a mutual (song) title, a musical influence, a band one of the Opeth guys used to play in, a band they toured with: it’s all possible. I covered the names of the bands and the album titles to make it a little contest for the guys. To make this interview also interactive with you, the reader, you can see here the same covered album sleeves to make a wild guess by yourself. In the interview you will read some hints, but not the answer. Just click on the album sleeve if you want to know what we are talking about., I didn’t think it would be a difficult test, because I didn’t only have new guitarist Fredrik Åkesson (ex-Arch Enemy) in front of me, but also main man Mikael Åkerfeldt. And Mikael is a very talkative guy and also known for his nerd-like musical knowledge. So, there I went without any questions, but with only a handful of CD’s. Easy does it.
This interview without questions takes place at the American Hotel, a chic hotel at Leidse Square in the heart of Amsterdam and very close to the famous venues Paradiso and The Milky Way. The original plan was to take the interview in the lobby, but the restaurant is closer to the bar, so it’s an obvious choice to relocate the interview. Mikael and Fredrik are on a two-week trip through Europe, just to talk over and over again about their brand new masterpiece. This is their tenth day, but it doesn’t look like they’re fed up answering the same questions, although Fredrik looks a little bit tired. But I think that has more to do with the time of the interview (in the morning, not really rock stars’ favourite time of the day) than a sore throat and an overheated brain. That would be rather strange as well, because during this interview it’s mainly Mikael who does the talking. That isn’t a big surprise, he’s the metal nerd after all! When I tell the guys what I want to do and hand over the pile of CD’s, Mikael tells he did a contest with Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) yesterday as well. “He slaughtered me,” says Mikael with a smile. “It was a questions-quiz about new(er) prog, like Yes’ ‘Going for The One’ and that kind of stuff. Stuff that I can’t remember listened to. But man, he was insane. You saw it, right Fredrik?” Fredrik confirms: “He was insane. He knew the answers before the questions.”
At this point Mikael took over the interview (which has not even started yet) and grabs the albums willingly. By the look of his eyes I see that this ain’t gonna be a difficult contest for him, so he can easily forget the frustration of Steve’s slaughtering. Mikael decides the rank of the albums randomly and starts with the one that isn’t chosen by random, but purposely chosen to be the first one:
Mikael shows the sleeve to Fredrik and you can hear Fredrik’s brain thinking. He tries: “Eh… Katatonia? Or is it Tool?” I give him a rather useless hint by saying it’s from a very old guy. Mikael helps Fredrik out: “You don’t own this record. I kept looking for you, but I couldn’t find one so far. It’s ‘The Drift’, the legendary ‘The Drift’”. Mikael speaks the words slowly with great respect and admiration. “Oh really? I’ve never seen it,” Fredrik confesses. “So this is the record you played to me?” Mikael tells: “We were probably drunk and on tour. When you are on tour, you tend to wanna shock people a little bit. So when we were on tour I put it on quite a couple of times actually, just to disgust people with it.” But how did you come across this album? This guy was quite popular in the sixties, but you won’t expect from him to make this type of music these days. Let alone the fact that it’s a favourite album from a metal musician. “It’s an unique album. But I’m also a big fan of his crooner sixties years. Especially ‘Scott 3’ is massive. All his sixties works, and even his seventies work with the reunion with “his brothers” were great. For instance his album ‘Night Flight’, which contains heavy metal guitar solos with crooner vocals. Awesome! And I love ‘Tilt’ (1995), which was his previous album. So when this came out in 2006, I obviously wanted to buy it. But I didn’t expect this in a million years. It’s probably not the best one to start with, because it’s a very hard one to crack. And the lyrics make up a lot of things for this album as well. Things about the mistress of Mussolini or about Elvis and his dead twin brother. He also made a new album for a ballet, ‘And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go To The Ball?’ [Mikael knows the album title by heart], but that album is basically unlistenable. Unless you’re in a certain state of mind.” You revealed in previous interviews that ‘The Drift’ was an influential album for making ‘Watershed’. But in what way? I can’t hear it. Mikael: “The first riff I wrote was the first riff in ‘Heir Apparent’, which sounds basically like [Mikael growls deep and intense] “BRRGGGLLLLL”! I wanted to make a metal-type version of this record. That was the initial idea. But during the writing process, I went into a different direction. It’s impossible to do it anyway. I can not get into his head. It’s simply one of a kind.” So in fact ‘Watershed’ is a metalized, but failed copycat of ‘The Drift’. “Yeah, and you know: I was actually asked to be in a documentary about him [’30 Century Man’- EDS]. Throughout the years I’ve been talking about him and his music, and the producers of the film heard about ‘this metal guy’ and they didn’t have that kind of angle to the documentary. They have guys like Radiohead and David Bowie, but they didn’t have a metalhead. So they contacted our management, but at that time they were already in the final editing status, so eventually I didn’t end up being in the film. But it would have been awesome. So I’m a big fan and I wanted to copy that album, but it was impossible.”
“That’s an easy one,” says Mikael. Also Fredrik knows: “I can tell you who he is.” And Fredrik’s right. I deliberately brought this live album with me, instead of ‘Bridge Of Sighs’ (which album title is covered by Opeth on the limited edition of ‘Watershed’), because I thought that was too easy. Mikael’s showing off: “This live album is recorded in Stockholm in… 1974, I think.” [February 1975, EDS] Fredrik reacts surprised: “It’s in Stockholm?” “Yeah, but that picture is not in Stockholm, but the show is recorded in Stockholm. It’s a great show. I think it’s a mix from the first two albums.” Fredrik: “I never really listened to him, I was more into Frank Marino and Johnny Winter, which I am listening to since I was seventeen. Until you introduced me to his ‘Bridge Of Sigh’s album, shortly before we decided to record the song title. It’s more rock-based than Frank and Johnny, but it’s great. I really discovered him now and I want to buy his CD’s. Is this live album your favourite album from him, Mikael?” “No, my favourite ones are ‘Bridge Of Sighs’ and ‘From The Earth Below’. The first one (‘Twice Removed From Yesterday’) is really good too. His first three albums are my favourites, but I like this one too. Before that he was in Procul Harum, but I think he really play kinda flourish once he became a solo player, even though he has always been a good player. His first three solo albums are unique and also his playing is unique, even though you can definitely hear big Jimi Hendrix influences. And I love the singer, James [Dewar]. The connection is that we obviously did the cover of ‘Bridge Of Sighs’. He was introduced by me by Jonas from Katatonia actually, my best friend. His dad was a big fan, so Jonas grew up with the ‘From The Earth Below’ record. So Jonas introduced me to his music with that album, which is basically like doom [Mikael starts “singing” an extremely slow drum pattern]. His blues is REALLY heavy. Then I kinda continue, looking for the albums he made before that album. I become a big fan and I guess we put ourselves in a position with the covers that we wanted to step out of our natural habitat. Doing something that is not obvious. And covering this song was putting ourselves out of our element in a way, because I wanted to sing on this song more like a “rock dude”.” Fredrik: “Mikael discovered a new way of singing.” “Yeah, I was kinda forced to. I like guys like Coverdale, Paul Rogers, Dio, James Dewar, guys with a raspy voice. I wanted to sing like that and I kinda HAD to sing like that. I think my vocals in our version are even a bit harsher, because it’s more like screaming. But it sounds pretty good.” I tell Mikael that I actually wanted to bring another album with me, but that I don’t have in my collection. And that is… Roxette’s ‘Joyride’. Mikael and Fredrik start laughing. The reason is that Opeth covered two other songs for the limited edition of ‘Watershed’, which are ‘Would?’ from Alice In Chains and "Den Ständiga Resan" (sung in Swedish) by Marie Fredriksson, the former lead singer of Roxette! “Have you heard her solo album?” asks Mikael me. I haven’t. “It’s really good actually. It’s very dark music. So, next one!”
Both Fredrik and Mikael know the sleeve in a split second. “You must have read my diary on our website,” asks Mikael rhetorically. “At first the title of our new album was the same as the name of this band, but I actually liked the word because of the film from Roman Polanski. When I mentioned this title to my friend Jonas, he sended me pictures of nice forests with in the middle of it this artwork and the word. [chuckles] Well, he showed me this title didn’t fit for an Opeth album. When I came out with ‘Watershed’, it was obvious that it was a better name for the album.” Opeth used to name their albums after other band names, but this time it hasn’t got anything to do with artists like… K.D. Lang, who released also an album called ‘Watershed’ this year? Mikael promptly reacts: “No no, not K.D. Lang.” Or maybe the song ‘Watershed’ from Mark Hollis (ex-Talk Talk)? Mikael reacts more enthusiastically now: “Actually… yes. I did take it from him, although I wasn’t really aware of it at the time. It happens to be my favourite song from his album [‘Mark Hollis’, 1998]. Even though I usually steal titles here and there, sometimes it happens only afterwards. That I say “yeah, that’s right”. But this album here in front of us, is obviously very influential for grindcore/death metal, but not so much for Opeth. I have the album of course; I bought it when it was released. I listened to this and also to the first couple of Napalm Death records back in the days, and I guess I was interested in the brutality in the music. But musically… well, I can’t say that I put this one on when I need some inspiration. But I still have it, I still play it on occasion and I would never sell it. It’s a cool album.” Then Mikael grabs the next album.
“This is interesting, because this is something I don’t recognize.” Maybe Fredrik knows? Fredrik: “I’m thinking, but…” He turns the CD over and looks at the song titles. Maybe they give a clue? But all that follows is a long, big silence. Finally Mikael starts to deduct. “I’m looking at the record label [Black Dragon]… it’s the same as Candlemass… and Exxplorer. But this, I really don’t recognize. What do you say the album title is? ‘Graceful Inheritance’? Nope, I have no idea.” When I say the band name (which is the same as one of the song titles on ‘Watershed’), Mikael and Fredrik are surprised. “Oh really? I do know about another band that’s called like this, but they’re from the sixties and from Ireland. The first word of the band name is also slightly different: ‘Eire’. I don’t know this one.” ‘Is it good?” asks Fredrik. I tell him it’s good melodic heavy metal from the mid eighties [our Lords Of Metal chief Horst thinks it’s even a brilliant piece of progmetal avant la lettre, long before Dream Theater]. It’s obvious that Mikael can’t stand it he didn’t know this one; because with the unbelief in his voice he says for the fourth time that he never heard it. “I didn’t know about these guys, to be honest. But I did know about the sixties record, and I do have a copy of that one. And in a way I guess I took the song title from them.” I tell the guys that I actually wanted to bring an album cover with me that has some connection with the song ‘Porcelain Heart’, because that’s the only Opeth-song on the new album that isn’t written by Mikael alone, but together with Fredrik. But I couldn’t find any album that has a connection with this song title. Mikael: “Fredrik gave me with that first riff in ‘Porcelain Heart’ a vision about the song. We wrote the song three times and rewrote it. It hasn’t got the right feeling. But it was the first riff that was kept all the time.” Fredrik: “We were messing with the verse a bit. It was originality quite different. I guess I came up with the seed for the song.” Mikael agrees: “Fredrik started with that riff and that set the tone. I knew that the first version of the song wasn’t the right one. It flowed and it was good arranged and everything, but it just wasn’t it, you know. And now it is.” I get the feeling that this album is even more influenced by 70s prog and its atmosphere than previous Opeth albums. Previous Opeth albums have more rhythms, grooves and riffs, this album floats and flows more on atmospheres. Mikael: “I think in a way you’re right. Especially on the ‘Ghost Reveries’ album we used more rhythm-based guitar playing, and the riffs were maybe more rhythm based. But I think that ‘Watershed’ is very much of a groove album. It has various kinds of grooves, even a little funk riff on ‘The Lotus Eater’. There are a lot of things going on, but overall I think it’s a much more diverse album.” I hear some minor criticism that Opeth play a lot in six eighth tempos. “Oh yeah, we love that,” Mikael confesses, “it just kept my riffs flowing. We got known for that, we are actually called ‘The Sixt Eighth Band”. But we do have some four fours on this one [chuckles].” Fredrik joins in: “Yeah, there’s a little bit less six eighth on this record. It’s more diverse.” Mikael takes the next album.
This is a difficult one. I actually wanted to show you another album from this band, which is called ‘Scatology’, which means something like ”a fetish for poo.” The guys chuckle, but they haven’t got a clue. “That’s a dick!” says a mildly shocked Mikael, pointing at the heart of the artwork. “Disco Hospital…” mumbles Mikael, reading the song titles. “I don’t recognize it.” The main man behind this band has passed away a couple of years ago, and his name was John (or Jhon) Balance. Fredrik hasn’t got a clue either and gives up: “I don’t know what it is.” They started out like a industrial/gothic-kinda band, but evolved into a more atmospheric, dark ambient kinda band. “No, I don’t know what it is.” It’s the first song of your new album. “Ah, okay! Well, that makes sense. I don’t own any of their albums. I’ve heard a lot about them, but I never really listened to them. I don’t know what they sound like. I like the sleeve.” But that song with the same name as this band and that opens the album in a rather unusual but brilliant way, is that your way of trying to pay tribute to Led Zeppelin’s ‘The Battle Of Evermore’, including Sandy Denny? “Yeah, maybe,” smiles Mikael. “I think it’s a good way to suck the listener into the album. It doesn’t matter if you’re metalhead or not. I think it’s a song that anyone can appreciate. Also, the song would have drowned anywhere else on the album. We were sceptical when we decided to put it as the first song on the album, because we thought ‘Heir Apparent’ should be the first song. You usually wanna come out like ‘all guns blazing’, but after a while everybody kinda opened up to the idea and we finally all agreed on putting this mellow song at the beginning. The girl on the record is Nathalie Lorichs and she’s the fiancée of our drummer Axe[nrot]. I know her as long as I know Axe. She’s a young girl and a great singer. She’s not a professional singer, but I think she wants to be. We’re not gonna play this song live, unless she’s with us. But if that gonna happen?”
In the meantime – because we were already running out of time, Mikael shows Fredrik the next sleeve. Mikael knows it (of course), but Fredrik is cracking his brain to find the right band. “Accept? Eh…. Root?” Mikael gives him a hint: “It’s a Dutch band.” But Fredrik gives up: “I don’t know them.” Mikael tells him the answer. “The connection is that we did a gig with them, early on. I think it was our third gig with Opeth that we shared the stage with them [and the very first one with Peter Lindgren, Fredriks predecessor, EDS]. I think they just released this album when we played together.” “So it’s death metal?” asks Fredrik. “Yep, one of the early ones. From the same era as Gorefest and Pestilence, but a bit more brutal.” “I met them recently when they played at a festival with Gorefest,” Fredrik recalls. Mikael: “I remember Erik [Daniels], the guitar player, that he had a little wooden box and inside it he had his effect pedals. It was just like [Mikael starts growling very indistinctive and brutal], but I was really impressed, because I had a very simple, shitty pedal at the time. I wouldn’t say they were a massive influence for us, but playing with a band like them - which is a band that just got a record out and they were a kind of international band in a way – I thought it was big. And Martin van Drunen was a singer I really liked. Or screamer, whatever you calls it… He’s definitely one of my vocal influences. I love Pestilence! [Martin also sang in Pestilence, EDS] The second Pestilence album, ‘Consuming Impulse’ is one of my favourite albums and I value them higher than this band, even though they’re really good as well. They actually recorded some live songs from the show we did with them, which are released on ‘Crush The Cenotaph EP’."
Mikael, with an mild sarcastic tone: “I think this one Fredrik should take home.” Fredrik in an equally sarcastic mood: “I think Mikael knows what the band is.” “Of course I know what the band is. No, I don’t peek, I just want to take out the booklet and see if there’s a picture of Fredrik in it.” Fredrik: “It was the first album I did with them. I was just nineteen years old.” He takes a glimpse look at his photograph and mumbles: “I almost look the same, except for the beard. But it was really amazing; it was my first record with a professional band. They were much older than me. So how I end up playing in this band? Well, my wife that I have now knew their guitarist Marcel Jacob a bit. Through her Marcel heard a demo I made, and I was asked to do an audition. I was pretty excited, because this band used to play with Yngwie Malmsteen, who was a huge influence for me back then. Later on I found out that I wanted to play more metal and that this band was a bit too “pop” for me. I’m still proud for the guitar solos on this album, but I don’t follow the band anymore. They’re back together you say? Well, I didn’t know that they still exist. I was asked to help the band for a tour they did a couple of years ago, but I said no. I want to do stuff that I can stand up for it. I like the guys and they’re great musicians, but musically we’re very estranged.”
While the Roadrunner lady demonstratively ticks on her watch, Mikael shows this album sleeve to Fredrik. “This is one is too easy for me,” says Mikael to Fredrik. Fredrik is guessing: “It’s an old record.” “Yeah, and it’s a great one.” After a long silence from Fredrik, Mikael starts to hum one of the songs. While Fredrik thinks, I ask Mikael what the reason was to re-release their sole Peaceville album ‘Still Life’ on a double CD/DVD last March. “Basically we got approached by Peaceville. They wanted to do a 5.1-version of the album. And… I love 5.1! When we went through the tapes, we figured out they need a lot of touching up. It was a lot of work, but it was worthwhile. ‘Still Life’ is still one of my favourite records. I always wanted to have a remix of the album, because there was so much reverb on the recordings. Some of the things you cannot hear, and there were some dropouts as well. So I was really happy to be able to do a remake. Gave it another chance.”
A few years ago I also made a little contest for Mikael, but then with prog music from Holland. His knowledge about Dutch prog music was impressive, especially considering he’s from Sweden and playing in a metal band. One of the real and most collectible gems in the history of Dutch prog music that we didn’t discuss back then, is the psych folk album from this dude called Ton Vlasman. While we were wrapping up, I was curious if he knows it, but as soon as I picked the CD-reissue out of my bag, Mikael shouts enthusiastically: “Yeah, I bought that one last week. Yup, on vinyl. The original release.” So you must have a lot of money in your back pocket, Mikael. Or, not anymore! “Well, it wasn’t that expensive actually, because it didn’t have the poster or whatever it’s coming with. I think I paid something like 150 euro. Yeah, a bargain!” Then it was really time to know my place, and that wasn’t in front of the Opeth gents anymore.
That leaves me with one other album I wanted to show them, although I think it was the easiest one for Mikael. This seventies band is a huge influence for Mikael, and this year a dream came true for Mikael: Opeth shared the stage on a festival on The Melloboat, which was also the very first gig of this band in 34 years! Do you know them?
All in all, Mikael didn’t know only two of the albums, which is a pretty high, but predictable score. And Fredrik? Well… Fredrik let his guitar speaks for him, that’s what he’s good at!
No comments:
Post a Comment