"Sexual goat licker! Isn't that one of the ‘best’ stage names ever? I think the band is called Pagan rites and they're (obviously) from Sweden. Why do I tell you this? No reason....we just happened to talk about this band in the cab back from the airport. "That's it folks!! The Watershed world tour is now officially OVER! We finished off with 2 shows in Greece. One in Thessaloniki and one in Athens. Both were great and a worthy finale for a tour that's lasted over 19 months and I'd guess far beyond 200 shows. All over the world. We've played in territories we've never been before. Like Russia & the Middle east. Made a lot of friends, met a lot of psychos, seen some crazy stuff, done some crazy stuff too!
"Endless hours in airports, to the point that we've made friends with bartenders all over the world. ‘Hey, you guys again??’. Endless hours in shuttles, hotels, backstage rooms, backstage (funky) toilets, bars, coffee shops (not me), taxi cabs, buses, bunks, in the gutter!
"I feel....weird! I think I feel good, but I feel shit too! My daughters were waking me up this morning crawling over me, kissing me and hugging me. ‘Daddy's home!’. Melinda asked if I'd stay ‘all the time until Christmas?’. She thinks having me home for 20 days or so is like an eternity. Sad really. Well, I'm setting things straight with a ridicilous amount of presents. I don't know what I'm going to do now. Maybe rest for a week or so and just hang out.
"PRS guitars are going to bring me and Fred over for the Namm fair where I'll introduce my very own signature guitar. Amazing! I have kept my mouth shut on this cause I wasn't sure how things were progressing, but now it seems like the prototype is finished and it's ‘killer’ I hear! Haven't tried it out yet but it's gonna be fucking nice!
"Opeth have the 20th anniversary shows coming up + I think we might do 2 festivals. Bloodbath are doing 5 festivals next Summer. Not really busy at all to be honest in terms of shows. I'll be writing music though...lots of it!
"Anyways, I'm gonna....drink some coffee, so fuck off! Nah, love ya! Thanks for your support guys! We can't thank you enough..."
Showing posts with label 2009. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009. Show all posts
Monday, 7 December 2009
Friday, 13 November 2009
Fredrik Åkesson - Interview by Spiritech (13 Nov 2009)
Swedish progressive metallers Opeth are one unique entity. Having transcended the metal genre, the band draws from a variety of musical inspirations and as a result, now boasts a fan base that covers pockets of almost the entire spectrum of popular music. Following the release of last year's Watershed, the band return to Australia yet again this month for a select series of shows. PyroMusic caught up with guitarist Fredrik Akesson (also known for his stints in Arch Enemy from 2005-2007 and Krux) to discuss the band's incredible success, progressive rock and frontman Mikael Akerfeldt's sense of humour.
Spiritech: Hey Fredrik, how are you doing?
Frederik Akesson: Pretty good. I woke up half an hour ago, enjoying some coffee (laughs).
Spiritech: I understand the band just came off a pretty hefty European tour.
Frederik Akesson: Yeah, we did the tour with Dream Theater, the Progressive Nation tour and then a few days back we played a headline show in Tel Aviv.
Spiritech: Wow - how was the Tel Aviv show?
Frederik Akesson: That was really good actually. There was about 1700 people and that was fun. We basically just flew in and out of the country. The show went fine I think. It actually seemed to be very calm there, but still, we have a lot of crew people and I guess there was more people about people wanting to get home to their families, because we're always touring and you want to spend as much of those off days back home as possible.
Spiritech: You've been touring on Watershed for more than a year now. Are those songs still fresh and exciting to play live?
Frederik Akesson: Yeah, they are actually. And now we've recently started playing some songs that we haven't played before. So we try to change things and mix it up all the time, because then it becomes more fun, you know? And more challenging as well.
Spiritech: What have been some of the highlights of the Watershed tour thus far?
Frederik Akesson: Definitely Australia last time was really, really good. And also the South American tour we did, when we played in Chile, Santiago and those places, that was great, having something like 4500 people on a headlining show, which is the biggest headline show I think Opeth has ever done. They were singing along with the guitar melodies like it was an Iron Maiden show and stuff like that! That was really cool. There's been a lot of fun shows actually. One in Germany when we played, it was really bad weather, just mud everywhere and thunderstorms, but the crowd just went crazy and took their shirts off and jumped around and threw mud at each other. It was pretty far out.
Spiritech: Impressive. Was Swedish progressive-metal ever supposed to become this huge?
Frederik Akesson: I don't know! (laughs) I guess you just do the best you can. But it's really cool, a lot of younger people and also older people like it, instead of what's popular in the charts.
Spiritech: Indeed. Now, Watershed was your first studio album with Opeth. How much songwriting input did you have on this record?
Frederik Akesson: I mean, Mikael Akerfeldt writes most of the stuff, as he's always done. But one song, 'Porcelain Heart', the first video track, that was a track that we co-wrote. I came up with this heavy intro riff and a bit of the verse parts and we kind of collaborated on that for a while and then Mikael arranged the song and came up with the other parts. So that was really cool to at least be on one track. But otherwise, I did the guitar solos and small stuff here and there. And of course I played rhythm guitar on the album.
Spiritech: Do you think you'll have more songwriting input on the next album then?
Frederik Akesson: It entirely depends on how good the songs are. I've already recorded some stuff... it's more of a democratic decision I guess and we're going to listen to everything. In the end a lot of it (is) Mikael calling the shots, but we'll see what happens. It's a bit too early to know yet, but I will definitely try. (I don't have) any lyrics or anything, I don't do that, I will leave that to Mikael. But there are some parts are there, they're not complete songs, but some song sections. We'll see what happens.
Spiritech: Mike is obviously a huge progressive rock fan, especially from the 70s era. Are you of a similar musical mindset?
Frederik Akesson: Yeah, absolutely, but I don't have the same knowledge as him about it. So he got me into some bands. I was a big fan of Rush and listened to King Crimson, you know, Deep Purple and all that stuff, but that's maybe not really progressive rock. And I always liked Cactus. But he got me into Camel for instance and Nick Drake and stuff like that, stuff that I now listen to. He has a great knowledge of music.
Spiritech: Does it happen often that he stumbles on to some rare 70s prog album and then brings it along and introduces it to the rest of the band?
Frederik Akesson: Yeah, we definitely sit around on the tour bus listening to shuffled iPods. Many times he'll be like, "yeah, you've gotta listen to this". Everybody in the band are big music freaks and buy a lot of music. Mikael always collects vinyl on tour, he's a huge vinyl record collector.
Spiritech: You mention being on the tour bus with Mike and on-stage, he presents a very dry sense of humour. Is he like that off-stage as well, such as in the studio?
Frederik Akesson: Absolutely, off-stage too! (laughs) He's very disciplined in a way though and very focused when we work. But I think everybody's very focused when we work, it's not an issue. Still, when we're recording he comes up with some funny thing and Mike can be very, very dry (laughs).
Spiritech: How does he go about telling you something like, "that take wasn't as good as it could have been" or "I didn't like that riff?"
Frederik Akesson: Actually, when I did the guitars for Watershed, Mikael wasn't in the studio at that time. It was very, very smooth and that was cool for me, because I guess he had a lot of confidence that I would pull if off, so to speak, and that everybody knew their parts. At rehearsals and stuff he can be... it's pretty hard stuff, but it's fun, he gets it all back! (laughs)
Spiritech: Great stuff. While Opeth aren't renowned for covers there's a great version of Alice In Chains' 'Would' on the special edition of Watershed. It's a great song but perhaps not one many would expect Opeth to choose over someone like say, King Crimson or Pink Floyd. Why did you go with this track and can we expect more covers in the near future?
Frederik Akesson: I think Mikael thought we should take songs that weren't progressive, like a song from King Crimson or something, (something) that was different from Opeth stuff. So I guess that was one of the reasons and also everybody liked that song. The decisions were made in the studio, right at the end of the recording we rehearsed the songs in the studio. But I remember I wanted to do 'Diary Of A Madman' by Ozzy Osbourne, but that's more of a progressive song. We don't have any other cover versions yet though.
Spiritech: Interesting. What was it like for yourself making the transition from one successful Swedish band in Arch Enemy to another successful act in Opeth?
Frederik Akesson: In a way, it was a bit of a similar situation, but in a way it was not a very similar situation. 'Cause in Opeth I joined for the writing process of Watershed and I was at Mikael's house laying down the guitars and jamming and stuff all the time. But in Arch Enemy I only did touring, I never played on any album. But in this case, I got to play on the album and then do the touring. And therefore you feel like much more a part of it. Also, difference wise it was the music; to learn the style of Mikael's guitar playing and also work on like my acoustic playing and stuff like that. That was a challenge and that was really fun as well.
Spiritech: Since you've moved on from Arch Enemy have you kept in any kind of regular contact with them?
Frederik Akesson: Yeah, absolutely, we have contact. It was kind of funny actually, because the first tour we did on Watershed was the Defenders of the Faith tour, which 'Metal Hammer' did in the UK. That was us and Arch Enemy. We talk sometimes.
Spiritech: Good to hear! Changing topics, the band are making yet another trek to Australia this month. What is it about Australia that just seems to "get" Opeth?
Frederik Akesson: I don't know, but the thing is we're really happy about that. I've played in Australia twice with Arch Enemy also and it's always been the best crowds, the craziest crowds I think. With Opeth, it's amazing that we play bigger and bigger places each time. Opeth music is a bit hard to digest maybe I thought, but it's really cool that people are into it.
Spiritech: That's the incredible thing about Opeth - your music is very melodic, but not easily digestible. Yet you're signed to a huge label and play to huge crowds worldwide and being a metal band that has transcended genres and has fans of all different types of music. What is it about Opeth that has enabled this to happen?
Frederik Akesson: Well, I used to be a big fan of Opeth before I was in the band. I always appreciated it and thought the sound was very original and that the songs were very original. Maybe it has to do with the calm parts versus the aggressive parts I suppose. It's difficult to do long songs that still have... that still connect in a good way, not like it could be many songs glued together, they're not just meant as separate sections. It's difficult to do long songs with a flow within the song. It's hard to explain to this, but maybe you know what I mean (laughs). Maybe it's the variations within the song; that you never really know what's going to happen within the song when you listen to it for the first time.
Spiritech: With such lengthy and complex songs and a reputation for often varying the set list within a tour, is it pretty challenging for you even after a few years in the band to replicate all of them as accurately as possible, especially with such an extensive catalogue to choose from?
Frederik Akesson: Well, we go through the songs before we play a couple of times. I practice the songs a lot so you feel comfortable playing them live. But sometimes it's been like, I have to learn the song like within the day or something, so it can be a bit stressful. But it's just a matter of practicing the songs I think. Plus it's also fun to change the songs around, it's more interesting.
Spiritech: What can Australian fans expect set list wise on the upcoming tour?
Frederik Akesson: A few songs that we never played in Australia before; a very different set list from the last time we were there. We're playing some songs from Ghost Reveries we've never played like 'Harlequin Forest'. Also I think we're playing 'April Ethereal' from the My Arms, Your Hearse record and some good old stuff too as well as some songs from Watershed that we haven't played.
Spiritech: You mentioned that you'd been a long-time fan before joining Opeth. What's your favourite Opeth album and why?
Frederik Akesson: (Laughs) That's a difficult one, but lately I've been listening a lot to Still Life. It's probably the one I had the hardest time to get into from the beginning, but now I listen to it quite a lot. That's probably my favourite right now, but it varies. Ghost Reveries was my favourite for a while; I can't say Watershed because I played on it I guess! (laughs) But in the beginning when I got into Opeth, it was Blackwater Park. That was the first time when I heard Opeth and then I listened to the others.
Spiritech: Nice choice there. Final question - do you have any last words for PyroMusic.net readers?
Frederik Akesson: We are real excited to come over to Australia to play again and it's going to be really cool.
Spiritech: Hey Fredrik, how are you doing?
Frederik Akesson: Pretty good. I woke up half an hour ago, enjoying some coffee (laughs).
Spiritech: I understand the band just came off a pretty hefty European tour.
Frederik Akesson: Yeah, we did the tour with Dream Theater, the Progressive Nation tour and then a few days back we played a headline show in Tel Aviv.
Spiritech: Wow - how was the Tel Aviv show?
Frederik Akesson: That was really good actually. There was about 1700 people and that was fun. We basically just flew in and out of the country. The show went fine I think. It actually seemed to be very calm there, but still, we have a lot of crew people and I guess there was more people about people wanting to get home to their families, because we're always touring and you want to spend as much of those off days back home as possible.
Spiritech: You've been touring on Watershed for more than a year now. Are those songs still fresh and exciting to play live?
Frederik Akesson: Yeah, they are actually. And now we've recently started playing some songs that we haven't played before. So we try to change things and mix it up all the time, because then it becomes more fun, you know? And more challenging as well.
Spiritech: What have been some of the highlights of the Watershed tour thus far?
Frederik Akesson: Definitely Australia last time was really, really good. And also the South American tour we did, when we played in Chile, Santiago and those places, that was great, having something like 4500 people on a headlining show, which is the biggest headline show I think Opeth has ever done. They were singing along with the guitar melodies like it was an Iron Maiden show and stuff like that! That was really cool. There's been a lot of fun shows actually. One in Germany when we played, it was really bad weather, just mud everywhere and thunderstorms, but the crowd just went crazy and took their shirts off and jumped around and threw mud at each other. It was pretty far out.
Spiritech: Impressive. Was Swedish progressive-metal ever supposed to become this huge?
Frederik Akesson: I don't know! (laughs) I guess you just do the best you can. But it's really cool, a lot of younger people and also older people like it, instead of what's popular in the charts.
Spiritech: Indeed. Now, Watershed was your first studio album with Opeth. How much songwriting input did you have on this record?
Frederik Akesson: I mean, Mikael Akerfeldt writes most of the stuff, as he's always done. But one song, 'Porcelain Heart', the first video track, that was a track that we co-wrote. I came up with this heavy intro riff and a bit of the verse parts and we kind of collaborated on that for a while and then Mikael arranged the song and came up with the other parts. So that was really cool to at least be on one track. But otherwise, I did the guitar solos and small stuff here and there. And of course I played rhythm guitar on the album.
Spiritech: Do you think you'll have more songwriting input on the next album then?
Frederik Akesson: It entirely depends on how good the songs are. I've already recorded some stuff... it's more of a democratic decision I guess and we're going to listen to everything. In the end a lot of it (is) Mikael calling the shots, but we'll see what happens. It's a bit too early to know yet, but I will definitely try. (I don't have) any lyrics or anything, I don't do that, I will leave that to Mikael. But there are some parts are there, they're not complete songs, but some song sections. We'll see what happens.
Spiritech: Mike is obviously a huge progressive rock fan, especially from the 70s era. Are you of a similar musical mindset?
Frederik Akesson: Yeah, absolutely, but I don't have the same knowledge as him about it. So he got me into some bands. I was a big fan of Rush and listened to King Crimson, you know, Deep Purple and all that stuff, but that's maybe not really progressive rock. And I always liked Cactus. But he got me into Camel for instance and Nick Drake and stuff like that, stuff that I now listen to. He has a great knowledge of music.
Spiritech: Does it happen often that he stumbles on to some rare 70s prog album and then brings it along and introduces it to the rest of the band?
Frederik Akesson: Yeah, we definitely sit around on the tour bus listening to shuffled iPods. Many times he'll be like, "yeah, you've gotta listen to this". Everybody in the band are big music freaks and buy a lot of music. Mikael always collects vinyl on tour, he's a huge vinyl record collector.
Spiritech: You mention being on the tour bus with Mike and on-stage, he presents a very dry sense of humour. Is he like that off-stage as well, such as in the studio?
Frederik Akesson: Absolutely, off-stage too! (laughs) He's very disciplined in a way though and very focused when we work. But I think everybody's very focused when we work, it's not an issue. Still, when we're recording he comes up with some funny thing and Mike can be very, very dry (laughs).
Spiritech: How does he go about telling you something like, "that take wasn't as good as it could have been" or "I didn't like that riff?"
Frederik Akesson: Actually, when I did the guitars for Watershed, Mikael wasn't in the studio at that time. It was very, very smooth and that was cool for me, because I guess he had a lot of confidence that I would pull if off, so to speak, and that everybody knew their parts. At rehearsals and stuff he can be... it's pretty hard stuff, but it's fun, he gets it all back! (laughs)
Spiritech: Great stuff. While Opeth aren't renowned for covers there's a great version of Alice In Chains' 'Would' on the special edition of Watershed. It's a great song but perhaps not one many would expect Opeth to choose over someone like say, King Crimson or Pink Floyd. Why did you go with this track and can we expect more covers in the near future?
Frederik Akesson: I think Mikael thought we should take songs that weren't progressive, like a song from King Crimson or something, (something) that was different from Opeth stuff. So I guess that was one of the reasons and also everybody liked that song. The decisions were made in the studio, right at the end of the recording we rehearsed the songs in the studio. But I remember I wanted to do 'Diary Of A Madman' by Ozzy Osbourne, but that's more of a progressive song. We don't have any other cover versions yet though.
Spiritech: Interesting. What was it like for yourself making the transition from one successful Swedish band in Arch Enemy to another successful act in Opeth?
Frederik Akesson: In a way, it was a bit of a similar situation, but in a way it was not a very similar situation. 'Cause in Opeth I joined for the writing process of Watershed and I was at Mikael's house laying down the guitars and jamming and stuff all the time. But in Arch Enemy I only did touring, I never played on any album. But in this case, I got to play on the album and then do the touring. And therefore you feel like much more a part of it. Also, difference wise it was the music; to learn the style of Mikael's guitar playing and also work on like my acoustic playing and stuff like that. That was a challenge and that was really fun as well.
Spiritech: Since you've moved on from Arch Enemy have you kept in any kind of regular contact with them?
Frederik Akesson: Yeah, absolutely, we have contact. It was kind of funny actually, because the first tour we did on Watershed was the Defenders of the Faith tour, which 'Metal Hammer' did in the UK. That was us and Arch Enemy. We talk sometimes.
Spiritech: Good to hear! Changing topics, the band are making yet another trek to Australia this month. What is it about Australia that just seems to "get" Opeth?
Frederik Akesson: I don't know, but the thing is we're really happy about that. I've played in Australia twice with Arch Enemy also and it's always been the best crowds, the craziest crowds I think. With Opeth, it's amazing that we play bigger and bigger places each time. Opeth music is a bit hard to digest maybe I thought, but it's really cool that people are into it.
Spiritech: That's the incredible thing about Opeth - your music is very melodic, but not easily digestible. Yet you're signed to a huge label and play to huge crowds worldwide and being a metal band that has transcended genres and has fans of all different types of music. What is it about Opeth that has enabled this to happen?
Frederik Akesson: Well, I used to be a big fan of Opeth before I was in the band. I always appreciated it and thought the sound was very original and that the songs were very original. Maybe it has to do with the calm parts versus the aggressive parts I suppose. It's difficult to do long songs that still have... that still connect in a good way, not like it could be many songs glued together, they're not just meant as separate sections. It's difficult to do long songs with a flow within the song. It's hard to explain to this, but maybe you know what I mean (laughs). Maybe it's the variations within the song; that you never really know what's going to happen within the song when you listen to it for the first time.
Spiritech: With such lengthy and complex songs and a reputation for often varying the set list within a tour, is it pretty challenging for you even after a few years in the band to replicate all of them as accurately as possible, especially with such an extensive catalogue to choose from?
Frederik Akesson: Well, we go through the songs before we play a couple of times. I practice the songs a lot so you feel comfortable playing them live. But sometimes it's been like, I have to learn the song like within the day or something, so it can be a bit stressful. But it's just a matter of practicing the songs I think. Plus it's also fun to change the songs around, it's more interesting.
Spiritech: What can Australian fans expect set list wise on the upcoming tour?
Frederik Akesson: A few songs that we never played in Australia before; a very different set list from the last time we were there. We're playing some songs from Ghost Reveries we've never played like 'Harlequin Forest'. Also I think we're playing 'April Ethereal' from the My Arms, Your Hearse record and some good old stuff too as well as some songs from Watershed that we haven't played.
Spiritech: You mentioned that you'd been a long-time fan before joining Opeth. What's your favourite Opeth album and why?
Frederik Akesson: (Laughs) That's a difficult one, but lately I've been listening a lot to Still Life. It's probably the one I had the hardest time to get into from the beginning, but now I listen to it quite a lot. That's probably my favourite right now, but it varies. Ghost Reveries was my favourite for a while; I can't say Watershed because I played on it I guess! (laughs) But in the beginning when I got into Opeth, it was Blackwater Park. That was the first time when I heard Opeth and then I listened to the others.
Spiritech: Nice choice there. Final question - do you have any last words for PyroMusic.net readers?
Frederik Akesson: We are real excited to come over to Australia to play again and it's going to be really cool.
Monday, 2 November 2009
Mikael Åkerfeldt / Mike Portnoy - French interview by Rémy Turpault (02 Nov 2009)
Réunir les grands patrons du metal progressif n'était pas chose aisée. C'est donc avec un plaisir tout particulier que nous nous sommes entretenus avec deux monstres sacrés qui, avec leurs formations respectives, font vibrer nos tympans depuis tant d'années.
Progressia : En cette journée peu commune où Paris accueille le Progressive Nation, comment définiriez-vous le rock ou le metal progressif? Quel serait votre définition en quelques mots?
Mike Portnoy : Je dirais que le terme « progressif » se réfère à des groupes qui osent prendre des risques, créer des ponts ou combiner différents styles et influences.
Tu proposes ici une définition très élargie du genre avec des groupes très variés...
Mike : Lorsque l'on pense « progressif », les premiers groupes qui viennent en tête sont ELP ou Genesis. Maintenant, il suffit de regarder les groupes de cette tournée : Opeth, Big Elf, Unexpect. Pour moi, ils ne se ressemblent pas du tout, ils proposent des choses vraiment très différentes et toutes progressives à leur manière. Je pense que c'est la définition précise du terme.
J'imagine que vous avez souvent l'occasion de discuter de vos opinions et influences communes en musique. Quel serait le pont entre vos deux groupes par exemple?
Mikael Åkerfeldt : Mike et moi discutons souvent des groupes que nous aimons et nos goûts communs vont du metal jusqu'à la pop psychédélique des années soixante...
Mike : Le point commun entre Opeth et Dream Theater est l'utilisation de metal et de progressif. C'est d'ailleurs le terme « metal progressif » qui est couramment employé. Dream Theater a toujours eu deux penchants, l'un tourné vers Yes ou Pink Floyd, et l'autre orienté vers Metallica ou Iron Maiden. A l'écoute d'Opeth, j'entends également du son heavy, du psychédélique, et du prog' mélodique. C'est une des ressemblances bien que nos musiques restent extrêmement différentes. Même avec nos influences communes que sont la musique des sixties, des seventies, le metal et le thrash, nos musiques ont pris des directions bien distinctes.
Mikael : Tout dépend de la manière dont tu emploies ces influences. Nous les avons exploité différemment, même si j'ai plus d'affinité avec Dream Theater qu'avec le reste de la scène metal car ce sont des musiciens ouverts d'esprit.
Aujourd'hui, vous êtes deux des plus importants groupes du genre sur l'un des plus gros labels indépendants de metal. Pensez vous que cet univers musical connu pour être un brin conservateur évolue dans le sens où il accepte davantage des éléments progressifs?
Mike : La signature de Dream Theater, Opeth, et maintenant Porcupine Tree avec Roadrunner Records prouve que ce genre possède bel et bien un public. Comparé aux artistes les plus populaires du moment, nous restons bien entendu underground. Nous avons toutefois prouvé qu'il existe une importante audience pour notre musique.
Mikael : J'ai pensé à la signature du contrat que le label le faisait pour gagner en crédibilité, après avoir été accusé de produire des artistes hyper mainstream. Ensuite Dream Theater et Porcupine Tree nous ont rejoints... puis Lynyrd Skynyrd ou Kiss qui ne sont pas vraiment des groupes progressifs, mais c'est cool de voir un tel label prendre ce genre de risques.
Mike : Même les groupes les plus metal de leur catalogue tels que Megadeth, Machine Head ou Trivium sont composés de bons musiciens qui cherchent toujours à se dépasser et à écrire de longs morceaux.
Mikael : Certains d'entre eux, oui. Selon moi, Roadrunner Records a toujours été un excellent label. D'ailleurs leur division européenne possède depuis ses débuts un panel de groupes fantastiques comme Mercyful Fate ou Obituary.
Mikael, quel est pour toi le meilleur morceau de Dream Theater?
Mikael : Quand j'ai découvert le groupe, j'ai été stupéfait par la richesse de leur musique qui me rappelait Genesis, Yes et King Crimson que j'écoutais depuis peu à l'époque. Je ne m'intéressais pas vraiment aux groupes comme Watchtower ou Fates Warning, mais quand Dream Theater est arrivé avec son deuxième album, et le single « Pull Me Under », je les ai trouvés formidables. C'étaient des musiciens contemporains qui s'inspiraient de la musique des années soixante-dix. Le premier titre que j'ai dû entendre sur Images & Words était « Under the Glass Moon » dont j'adore le premier riff! (qu'il chantonne)
Mike : On tentait de jouer du Deep Purple en plus heavy avec ce gros son d'orgue Hammond...
Mikael : Et il y a ce solo! Quand je l'ai écouté pour la première fois, je me suis dit « euh... ouais, il est plutôt bon! » (rires). Je connais les albums suivants sur le bout des doigts, notamment Awake. Je suis également amoureux de « Peruvian Skies » avec ce superbe son de Rhodes...
Mike : Un morceau qui mélange bien nos influences Pink Floyd et Metallica...
Mikael : J'ai toujours suivi leur carrière. Ils sont devenus l'un de mes groupes préférés et le sont toujours aujourd'hui.
Et Mike, quel est ton morceau préféré d'Opeth?
Mike : J'ai souvent dit que mon morceau favori était « The Baying of the Hounds ». Je pense même que c'est mon morceau de la décennie. Si je ne devais écouter qu'un morceau d'Opeth, celui-là a tous les éléments distinctifs du groupe : l'orgue puissant, le son des années soixante-dix, des riffs death metal et quelques passages progressifs très mélodiques. Beaucoup de leurs morceaux contiennent des tas d'idées différentes, mais celui-là est particulièrement excellent.
Mikael : Mike me demande sans arrêt de la jouer. (rires)
Mike : C'était dans le contrat s'il voulait faire la première tournée du Progressive Nation! (rires)
Comment définiriez vous votre rôle en tant que leader dans vos groupes respectifs?
Mikael : Question difficile. Je pense que je suis entêté et ça découle forcément sur le groupe de manière positive ou négative. Je veux juste passer un bon moment et faire de la bonne musique, c'est aussi simple que cela. J'ai néanmoins toujours le dernier mot et je décide de ce qui est bon ou pas pour Opeth. Il doit bien y avoir quelqu'un pour faire face à toute la dimension business et tous ces éléments dont on se fiche pas mal et qui n'ont pas grand chose à voir avec la musique. Il y a aussi des gens qui travaillent pour toi et qui dépendent de toi, ce qui rend tout ça bien merdique parfois. Dans tous les cas, nous sommes juste cinq gars qui faisons de la musique et c'est bien ce qui compte.
J'imagine que c'est la même chose pour toi, Mike?
Mike : C'est un peu différent car je ne suis pas l'unique compositeur. Dans Opeth, Mikael écrit tout de A à Z. Dans Dream Theater, même si je dirige le groupe, nous élaborons la musique tous ensemble même si James est un peu en retrait. Il existe donc une notion de partage, un processus créatif entre nous quatre. Je produis ensuite l'album avec John Petrucci. Une fois le disque terminé, je m'occupe de tout. Du merchandising à l'artwork, en passant par les premières parties de nos tournées, les official bootlegs, les fan clubs, etc. A priori, les autres sont heureux que je m'occupe de tout ce bordel parce ça fait partie de ma personnalité. Ils sont plus passifs et se foutent de la setlist ou de l'ordre des morceaux sur les disques, ils ont confiance en mes décisions qui ne concernent pas directement notre écriture en commun. J'ai ce tatouage qui signifie « c'est bon d'être roi, et ça craint d'être roi ». (sous l'oeil amusé de Mikael, il relève sa manche et montre un tatouage représentant deux visages d'un roi sur une carte à jouer : l'un porte des lunettes de soleil et arbore un sourire satisfait, l'autre pleure) C'est génial d'être celui dont on reconnait le travail, mais tu es aussi celui qui se prend tous les reproches.
Mikael : Si quelqu'un qui part du groupe, c'est de ta faute.
Mike : Tu n'imagines pas combien de fois on m'a reproché que John Myung n'ait plus écrit de paroles en quinze ans, alors que je n'y suis pour rien! Lorsqu'un problème est lié à l'une de mes décisions, j'en prends l'entière responsabilité. En revanche, tu deviens naturellement la cible pour tout ce qui arrive.
Quels sont vos priorités lorsque vous composez un morceau?
Mikael : Je n'en ai pas vraiment, je veux juste être bon dans ce que je fais. Je veux y prendre du plaisir et je ne me soucie pas de m'imposer quoi que ce soit ou de contenter les fans.
Mike, à propos de certains disques, tu as déclaré avoir une idée prédéfinie de la direction musicale avant même de commencer l'écriture... Est-ce habituel de procéder ainsi pour Dream Theater?
Mike : Tout dépend des albums. Parfois, le groupe ou moi-même avions décidé à l'avance du propos. Par exemple, pour Train of Thought, nous voulions proposer une musique franchement heavy. Scenes From a Memory était un concept album donc nous savions clairement le chemin que nous empruntions. Parfois, comme pour les deux derniers albums, nous avons surtout laissé les choses se faire d'elles-mêmes. On donnera toujours la priorité aux parties instrumentales. Au début de la composition d'un disque, on écrit sans se soucier du reste. Et lorsque l'on a deux ou trois morceaux, on essaie de voir ce qui manque à l'album dans son ensemble en trouvant un point d'équilibre.
Le succès a-t-il changé votre façon d'appréhender ou de concevoir votre musique?
Mikael : Peut-être effectivement. Si tu suis toutefois juste ton instinct, et que ce que tu composes te plait, il y a une chance que ça parle aussi à quelqu'un d'autre. Difficile de ne pas subir la pression extérieure car il est inévitable que les gens parlent de ton travail et attendent ton prochain album.
Quel est le meilleur souvenir de votre carrière?
Mikael : Notre meilleure mélodie? [NdlR : Mikael a compris « melody » au lieu de « memory »]
Mike : Non, ton meilleur souvenir. Mais pour la mélodie, c'est sans doute celle-ci! (il chantonne le début de « The Lotus Eater »)
Mikael : Et pour Dream Theater, ça doit ressembler à ça. (il imite une partie de shred - rires généraux)
Mike : Cette partie que tu chantes au début de « The Lotus Eater » me fait toujours penser à ce vieux standard : (il chantonne) « Feelings, Nothing More But Feelings... ».
Mikael : Je l'ai en fait empruntée à un vieux disque de folk. Bref, revenons en aux meilleurs souvenirs...
Mike : Je donne toujours la même réponse parce que c'est la vérité : lorsque nous avons joué au Radio City Music Hall pour notre vingtième anniversaire avec un orchestre [NdlR : ce concert est documenté sur le DVD Score]. C'était une soirée spéciale à tous les niveaux.
Mikael : Pour nous, c'était pendant cette tournée lorsque nous avons joué à Stockholm au Hovet, là où j'ai vu tous ces groupes mythiques comme Judas Priest ou Iron Maiden. Nous étions tout tellement excités à l'idée d'y jouer. Pourtant, lorsque tu arrives sur les planches, tu te dis « Ouais, bon, c'est juste une scène comme les autres ». (rires)
Et votre moment le plus embarrassant sur scène?
Mikael : C'est assez facile. Nous en avons eu beaucoup, le premier qui me vient toutefois à l'esprit a eu lieu pendant le Progressive Nation à Miami, durant notre interprétation de « The Baying of the Hounds ». J'ai vu des gens qui commençaient à se marrer. J'ai commencé à me demander ce qui se passait, à me dire que j'avais peut-être la bite à l'air (rires). Lorsque je me suis retourné, je me suis rendu compte qu'un rideau immense était tombé. Du coup Per [NdlR : Wiberg, claviers] et Axe [NdlR : Martin Axenrot, batterie] étaient derrière et on ne voyait que leurs pieds!
Mike : Je crois qu'on peut voir ça sur YouTube!
Mikael : On a eu une pause de vingt ou vingt cinq minutes, le temps de réparer tout ça. On nous a annoncé que le set ne serait pas raccourci pour autant, et pendant que nous attendions dans l'aile, on se disait que les gens nous attendaient et qu'on reviendrait de manière glorieuse. En remontant sur scène, la foule avait l'air de dire « Oh, encore eux? ». (rires)
Mike : Pendant le dernier concert de la tournée, alors qu'ils jouaient « The Drapery Falls » je me suis amusé à monter et baisser le rideau pendant leur set pour les embêter. (rires)
Et toi Mike, quel est ton moment le plus embarrassant?
Mike : Tout ce que tu as pu voir dans Spinal Tap est vrai, ça arrive forcément un moment ou un autre. J'ai été bloqué dans le bus de tournée, je suis tombé de quelques scènes... Le pire qui a pu nous arriver selon moi - et j'en fais encore des cauchemars - était dans une salle au Texas, nous étions encore dans les loges et ne savions pas que la musique d'introduction pour « A Change of Seasons » venait d'être lancée. Elle s'est terminée alors que nous étions en train de courir en panique vers la scène!
Mikael : Ca m'est arrivé une fois alors que j'étais en train de chier : « Tiens, je reconnais cette musique... » (rires).
Quel est votre avis sur l'évolution du marché de la musique, avec d'une part l'essor du téléchargement légal, et de l'autre le retour du vinyl et la mode des éditions spéciales?
Mikael : Je ne télécharge pas, je ne sais même pas comment faire et je fais partie de ces gens qui aiment posséder l'objet physique. Je pense que ça a eu de bonnes comme de mauvaises conséquences. On fait avec, ce n'est pas comme si on pouvait y faire quelque chose ou arrêter de jouer parce que les gens téléchargent. D'une certaine manière, je pense que c'est bénéfique pour les groupes qui souhaitent tourner, d'ailleurs, il y a de plus en plus de concerts. Je ne peux pas dire pour autant que je soutiens le téléchargement. J'adore ce come back du vinyle et les éditions collectors si c'est concret évidemment, pas uniquement une nouvelle couleur du CD. J'aime avoir des bonus, des démos, des photos, des vidéos...
Vous êtes tous deux de grands collectionneurs. Quel est le disque de votre collection qui a pour vous la plus grande valeur sentimentale?
Mikael : La première chose qui me vient à l'esprit est le premier Bathory, avec un bouc sur la pochette. Juste un bouc! (Mike se marre). Sur la première édition, le bouc était jaune, c'est super dur à trouver. Je l'ai acheté pour une bouchée de pain, j'aurais pu le revendre une fortune, mais je l'adore et le conserve bien précieusement.
Mike : Je ne suis plus un grand collectionneur de vinyles comme l'est Mikael. Ma vinylothèque est constituée d'albums procurés pendant les années soixante et soixante-dix quand j'étais enfant.
Mikael : Tu es plus intéressé par la musique, c'est ça? (rires)
Mike : Quand j'étais gamin, je possédais une grosse collection avec des centaines d'albums, mais à l'adolescence, ma maison a été infestée par des termites, et toute ma collection de K à P a été mangée. Désormais, ma collection va seulement de A à K et de P à Z. Du coup, il me manque tous mes Kiss, Metallica et Led Zeppelin ! Si je devais ressortir un seul album de ma discothèque qui me rappelle des souvenirs, ce serait « Satanic Majesty's Request » des Rolling Stones, avec sa pochette originale en 3D. Les gens détestent cet album, mais c'était mon préféré des Stones, et ça l'est toujours sûrement aujourd'hui.
Pour finir, avez-vous des questions à vous poser l'un à l'autre?
Mike : Je voulais savoir si vous pouviez nous jouer « The Baying of the Hounds » ou « Burden » aujourd'hui, s'il te plait?
Mikael : Non, pas aujourd'hui. (rires)
Progressia : En cette journée peu commune où Paris accueille le Progressive Nation, comment définiriez-vous le rock ou le metal progressif? Quel serait votre définition en quelques mots?
Mike Portnoy : Je dirais que le terme « progressif » se réfère à des groupes qui osent prendre des risques, créer des ponts ou combiner différents styles et influences.
Tu proposes ici une définition très élargie du genre avec des groupes très variés...
Mike : Lorsque l'on pense « progressif », les premiers groupes qui viennent en tête sont ELP ou Genesis. Maintenant, il suffit de regarder les groupes de cette tournée : Opeth, Big Elf, Unexpect. Pour moi, ils ne se ressemblent pas du tout, ils proposent des choses vraiment très différentes et toutes progressives à leur manière. Je pense que c'est la définition précise du terme.
J'imagine que vous avez souvent l'occasion de discuter de vos opinions et influences communes en musique. Quel serait le pont entre vos deux groupes par exemple?
Mikael Åkerfeldt : Mike et moi discutons souvent des groupes que nous aimons et nos goûts communs vont du metal jusqu'à la pop psychédélique des années soixante...
Mike : Le point commun entre Opeth et Dream Theater est l'utilisation de metal et de progressif. C'est d'ailleurs le terme « metal progressif » qui est couramment employé. Dream Theater a toujours eu deux penchants, l'un tourné vers Yes ou Pink Floyd, et l'autre orienté vers Metallica ou Iron Maiden. A l'écoute d'Opeth, j'entends également du son heavy, du psychédélique, et du prog' mélodique. C'est une des ressemblances bien que nos musiques restent extrêmement différentes. Même avec nos influences communes que sont la musique des sixties, des seventies, le metal et le thrash, nos musiques ont pris des directions bien distinctes.
Mikael : Tout dépend de la manière dont tu emploies ces influences. Nous les avons exploité différemment, même si j'ai plus d'affinité avec Dream Theater qu'avec le reste de la scène metal car ce sont des musiciens ouverts d'esprit.
Aujourd'hui, vous êtes deux des plus importants groupes du genre sur l'un des plus gros labels indépendants de metal. Pensez vous que cet univers musical connu pour être un brin conservateur évolue dans le sens où il accepte davantage des éléments progressifs?
Mike : La signature de Dream Theater, Opeth, et maintenant Porcupine Tree avec Roadrunner Records prouve que ce genre possède bel et bien un public. Comparé aux artistes les plus populaires du moment, nous restons bien entendu underground. Nous avons toutefois prouvé qu'il existe une importante audience pour notre musique.
Mikael : J'ai pensé à la signature du contrat que le label le faisait pour gagner en crédibilité, après avoir été accusé de produire des artistes hyper mainstream. Ensuite Dream Theater et Porcupine Tree nous ont rejoints... puis Lynyrd Skynyrd ou Kiss qui ne sont pas vraiment des groupes progressifs, mais c'est cool de voir un tel label prendre ce genre de risques.
Mike : Même les groupes les plus metal de leur catalogue tels que Megadeth, Machine Head ou Trivium sont composés de bons musiciens qui cherchent toujours à se dépasser et à écrire de longs morceaux.
Mikael : Certains d'entre eux, oui. Selon moi, Roadrunner Records a toujours été un excellent label. D'ailleurs leur division européenne possède depuis ses débuts un panel de groupes fantastiques comme Mercyful Fate ou Obituary.
Mikael, quel est pour toi le meilleur morceau de Dream Theater?
Mikael : Quand j'ai découvert le groupe, j'ai été stupéfait par la richesse de leur musique qui me rappelait Genesis, Yes et King Crimson que j'écoutais depuis peu à l'époque. Je ne m'intéressais pas vraiment aux groupes comme Watchtower ou Fates Warning, mais quand Dream Theater est arrivé avec son deuxième album, et le single « Pull Me Under », je les ai trouvés formidables. C'étaient des musiciens contemporains qui s'inspiraient de la musique des années soixante-dix. Le premier titre que j'ai dû entendre sur Images & Words était « Under the Glass Moon » dont j'adore le premier riff! (qu'il chantonne)
Mike : On tentait de jouer du Deep Purple en plus heavy avec ce gros son d'orgue Hammond...
Mikael : Et il y a ce solo! Quand je l'ai écouté pour la première fois, je me suis dit « euh... ouais, il est plutôt bon! » (rires). Je connais les albums suivants sur le bout des doigts, notamment Awake. Je suis également amoureux de « Peruvian Skies » avec ce superbe son de Rhodes...
Mike : Un morceau qui mélange bien nos influences Pink Floyd et Metallica...
Mikael : J'ai toujours suivi leur carrière. Ils sont devenus l'un de mes groupes préférés et le sont toujours aujourd'hui.
Et Mike, quel est ton morceau préféré d'Opeth?
Mike : J'ai souvent dit que mon morceau favori était « The Baying of the Hounds ». Je pense même que c'est mon morceau de la décennie. Si je ne devais écouter qu'un morceau d'Opeth, celui-là a tous les éléments distinctifs du groupe : l'orgue puissant, le son des années soixante-dix, des riffs death metal et quelques passages progressifs très mélodiques. Beaucoup de leurs morceaux contiennent des tas d'idées différentes, mais celui-là est particulièrement excellent.
Mikael : Mike me demande sans arrêt de la jouer. (rires)
Mike : C'était dans le contrat s'il voulait faire la première tournée du Progressive Nation! (rires)
Comment définiriez vous votre rôle en tant que leader dans vos groupes respectifs?
Mikael : Question difficile. Je pense que je suis entêté et ça découle forcément sur le groupe de manière positive ou négative. Je veux juste passer un bon moment et faire de la bonne musique, c'est aussi simple que cela. J'ai néanmoins toujours le dernier mot et je décide de ce qui est bon ou pas pour Opeth. Il doit bien y avoir quelqu'un pour faire face à toute la dimension business et tous ces éléments dont on se fiche pas mal et qui n'ont pas grand chose à voir avec la musique. Il y a aussi des gens qui travaillent pour toi et qui dépendent de toi, ce qui rend tout ça bien merdique parfois. Dans tous les cas, nous sommes juste cinq gars qui faisons de la musique et c'est bien ce qui compte.
J'imagine que c'est la même chose pour toi, Mike?
Mike : C'est un peu différent car je ne suis pas l'unique compositeur. Dans Opeth, Mikael écrit tout de A à Z. Dans Dream Theater, même si je dirige le groupe, nous élaborons la musique tous ensemble même si James est un peu en retrait. Il existe donc une notion de partage, un processus créatif entre nous quatre. Je produis ensuite l'album avec John Petrucci. Une fois le disque terminé, je m'occupe de tout. Du merchandising à l'artwork, en passant par les premières parties de nos tournées, les official bootlegs, les fan clubs, etc. A priori, les autres sont heureux que je m'occupe de tout ce bordel parce ça fait partie de ma personnalité. Ils sont plus passifs et se foutent de la setlist ou de l'ordre des morceaux sur les disques, ils ont confiance en mes décisions qui ne concernent pas directement notre écriture en commun. J'ai ce tatouage qui signifie « c'est bon d'être roi, et ça craint d'être roi ». (sous l'oeil amusé de Mikael, il relève sa manche et montre un tatouage représentant deux visages d'un roi sur une carte à jouer : l'un porte des lunettes de soleil et arbore un sourire satisfait, l'autre pleure) C'est génial d'être celui dont on reconnait le travail, mais tu es aussi celui qui se prend tous les reproches.
Mikael : Si quelqu'un qui part du groupe, c'est de ta faute.
Mike : Tu n'imagines pas combien de fois on m'a reproché que John Myung n'ait plus écrit de paroles en quinze ans, alors que je n'y suis pour rien! Lorsqu'un problème est lié à l'une de mes décisions, j'en prends l'entière responsabilité. En revanche, tu deviens naturellement la cible pour tout ce qui arrive.
Quels sont vos priorités lorsque vous composez un morceau?
Mikael : Je n'en ai pas vraiment, je veux juste être bon dans ce que je fais. Je veux y prendre du plaisir et je ne me soucie pas de m'imposer quoi que ce soit ou de contenter les fans.
Mike, à propos de certains disques, tu as déclaré avoir une idée prédéfinie de la direction musicale avant même de commencer l'écriture... Est-ce habituel de procéder ainsi pour Dream Theater?
Mike : Tout dépend des albums. Parfois, le groupe ou moi-même avions décidé à l'avance du propos. Par exemple, pour Train of Thought, nous voulions proposer une musique franchement heavy. Scenes From a Memory était un concept album donc nous savions clairement le chemin que nous empruntions. Parfois, comme pour les deux derniers albums, nous avons surtout laissé les choses se faire d'elles-mêmes. On donnera toujours la priorité aux parties instrumentales. Au début de la composition d'un disque, on écrit sans se soucier du reste. Et lorsque l'on a deux ou trois morceaux, on essaie de voir ce qui manque à l'album dans son ensemble en trouvant un point d'équilibre.
Le succès a-t-il changé votre façon d'appréhender ou de concevoir votre musique?
Mikael : Peut-être effectivement. Si tu suis toutefois juste ton instinct, et que ce que tu composes te plait, il y a une chance que ça parle aussi à quelqu'un d'autre. Difficile de ne pas subir la pression extérieure car il est inévitable que les gens parlent de ton travail et attendent ton prochain album.
Quel est le meilleur souvenir de votre carrière?
Mikael : Notre meilleure mélodie? [NdlR : Mikael a compris « melody » au lieu de « memory »]
Mike : Non, ton meilleur souvenir. Mais pour la mélodie, c'est sans doute celle-ci! (il chantonne le début de « The Lotus Eater »)
Mikael : Et pour Dream Theater, ça doit ressembler à ça. (il imite une partie de shred - rires généraux)
Mike : Cette partie que tu chantes au début de « The Lotus Eater » me fait toujours penser à ce vieux standard : (il chantonne) « Feelings, Nothing More But Feelings... ».
Mikael : Je l'ai en fait empruntée à un vieux disque de folk. Bref, revenons en aux meilleurs souvenirs...
Mike : Je donne toujours la même réponse parce que c'est la vérité : lorsque nous avons joué au Radio City Music Hall pour notre vingtième anniversaire avec un orchestre [NdlR : ce concert est documenté sur le DVD Score]. C'était une soirée spéciale à tous les niveaux.
Mikael : Pour nous, c'était pendant cette tournée lorsque nous avons joué à Stockholm au Hovet, là où j'ai vu tous ces groupes mythiques comme Judas Priest ou Iron Maiden. Nous étions tout tellement excités à l'idée d'y jouer. Pourtant, lorsque tu arrives sur les planches, tu te dis « Ouais, bon, c'est juste une scène comme les autres ». (rires)
Et votre moment le plus embarrassant sur scène?
Mikael : C'est assez facile. Nous en avons eu beaucoup, le premier qui me vient toutefois à l'esprit a eu lieu pendant le Progressive Nation à Miami, durant notre interprétation de « The Baying of the Hounds ». J'ai vu des gens qui commençaient à se marrer. J'ai commencé à me demander ce qui se passait, à me dire que j'avais peut-être la bite à l'air (rires). Lorsque je me suis retourné, je me suis rendu compte qu'un rideau immense était tombé. Du coup Per [NdlR : Wiberg, claviers] et Axe [NdlR : Martin Axenrot, batterie] étaient derrière et on ne voyait que leurs pieds!
Mike : Je crois qu'on peut voir ça sur YouTube!
Mikael : On a eu une pause de vingt ou vingt cinq minutes, le temps de réparer tout ça. On nous a annoncé que le set ne serait pas raccourci pour autant, et pendant que nous attendions dans l'aile, on se disait que les gens nous attendaient et qu'on reviendrait de manière glorieuse. En remontant sur scène, la foule avait l'air de dire « Oh, encore eux? ». (rires)
Mike : Pendant le dernier concert de la tournée, alors qu'ils jouaient « The Drapery Falls » je me suis amusé à monter et baisser le rideau pendant leur set pour les embêter. (rires)
Et toi Mike, quel est ton moment le plus embarrassant?
Mike : Tout ce que tu as pu voir dans Spinal Tap est vrai, ça arrive forcément un moment ou un autre. J'ai été bloqué dans le bus de tournée, je suis tombé de quelques scènes... Le pire qui a pu nous arriver selon moi - et j'en fais encore des cauchemars - était dans une salle au Texas, nous étions encore dans les loges et ne savions pas que la musique d'introduction pour « A Change of Seasons » venait d'être lancée. Elle s'est terminée alors que nous étions en train de courir en panique vers la scène!
Mikael : Ca m'est arrivé une fois alors que j'étais en train de chier : « Tiens, je reconnais cette musique... » (rires).
Quel est votre avis sur l'évolution du marché de la musique, avec d'une part l'essor du téléchargement légal, et de l'autre le retour du vinyl et la mode des éditions spéciales?
Mikael : Je ne télécharge pas, je ne sais même pas comment faire et je fais partie de ces gens qui aiment posséder l'objet physique. Je pense que ça a eu de bonnes comme de mauvaises conséquences. On fait avec, ce n'est pas comme si on pouvait y faire quelque chose ou arrêter de jouer parce que les gens téléchargent. D'une certaine manière, je pense que c'est bénéfique pour les groupes qui souhaitent tourner, d'ailleurs, il y a de plus en plus de concerts. Je ne peux pas dire pour autant que je soutiens le téléchargement. J'adore ce come back du vinyle et les éditions collectors si c'est concret évidemment, pas uniquement une nouvelle couleur du CD. J'aime avoir des bonus, des démos, des photos, des vidéos...
Vous êtes tous deux de grands collectionneurs. Quel est le disque de votre collection qui a pour vous la plus grande valeur sentimentale?
Mikael : La première chose qui me vient à l'esprit est le premier Bathory, avec un bouc sur la pochette. Juste un bouc! (Mike se marre). Sur la première édition, le bouc était jaune, c'est super dur à trouver. Je l'ai acheté pour une bouchée de pain, j'aurais pu le revendre une fortune, mais je l'adore et le conserve bien précieusement.
Mike : Je ne suis plus un grand collectionneur de vinyles comme l'est Mikael. Ma vinylothèque est constituée d'albums procurés pendant les années soixante et soixante-dix quand j'étais enfant.
Mikael : Tu es plus intéressé par la musique, c'est ça? (rires)
Mike : Quand j'étais gamin, je possédais une grosse collection avec des centaines d'albums, mais à l'adolescence, ma maison a été infestée par des termites, et toute ma collection de K à P a été mangée. Désormais, ma collection va seulement de A à K et de P à Z. Du coup, il me manque tous mes Kiss, Metallica et Led Zeppelin ! Si je devais ressortir un seul album de ma discothèque qui me rappelle des souvenirs, ce serait « Satanic Majesty's Request » des Rolling Stones, avec sa pochette originale en 3D. Les gens détestent cet album, mais c'était mon préféré des Stones, et ça l'est toujours sûrement aujourd'hui.
Pour finir, avez-vous des questions à vous poser l'un à l'autre?
Mike : Je voulais savoir si vous pouviez nous jouer « The Baying of the Hounds » ou « Burden » aujourd'hui, s'il te plait?
Mikael : Non, pas aujourd'hui. (rires)
Monday, 26 October 2009
Mikael Åkerfeldt - Interview by C.B. Liddell (26 Oct 2009)
In late 2009, I conducted a telephone interview with Mikael Akerfeldt, the leader of Opeth. He was in Italy and I was in Saitama. The entire interview lasted about twenty-five minutes. Here are the first twenty minutes or so, with an exceptionally high “y’know count” both by the interviewee (65) and the interviewer (11). I guess we really hit it off.
MA: Yes.
CBL: Hello.
MA: Hello.
CBL: Is that Mikael Akerfeldt?
MA: Yes.
CBL: Hello. This is Colin Liddell.
MA: OK.
CBL: I’m phoning from Japan.
MA: Yes.
CBL: From the International Herald Tribune Asahi Shimbun.
MA: I know, but weren’t you supposed to call 12:30?
CBL: Well, yeh, but there was a problem, eh, with, eh, with giving me your number. I didn’t get your number until about an hour ago then since then I’ve been phoning a few times and there’s been no answer, so there’s been a bit of a mix up somewhere.
MA: Yeh.
CBL: Is it OK to speak now?
MA: How long is it going to take, d’you think?
CBL: Probably about fifteen twenty minutes.
MA: OK, that’s cool. Hold on a second. Thank you.
[pause]
MA: OK, I’m sorry. I was sleeping. We had a rough night.
CBL: I see, so, eh, right now are you, eh, going around touring?
MA: Yeh, we’re out on a tour called Progressive Nation with Dream Theater.
CBL: Yeh.
MA: Big Elf and a band called Unexpect, which is basically an initiative from Mike Portnoy, the drummer from Dream Theater put this together. So we’re just basically winding down. We only have another – let’s see – three shows before we’re finished.
CBL: Right, where are you at the moment?
MA: Right now we’re in Bologna in Italy.
CBL: Aha, so… where did you just play?
MA: Ah, we played Rome last night.
CBL: So, how was that? Did anything interesting happen?
MA: Ah, we’ve been to Italy many times and it’s always been pretty good for us here, and especially Rome, eh, which for some reason we’ve neglected – many times we come to Italy we haven’t had shows there for some reason, but it’s always great. And yesterday’s show, I think, was one of the best of the tour for me personally.
CBL: So, what went right?
MA: Ah, it’s just y’know I think it’s more in your head to be honest y’know like the way you play. We’re so picky these days that if there’s one mistake that I hear the show is more or less ruined, y’know what I mean?
CBL: Yeh.
MA: Which is horrible, but it’s also, yeh, the interaction with the crowd when everything just clicks and you feel like. y’know. it’s like a... I don’t know... some, y’know, magic. It’s always good and it’s always good fun to play the shows but sometimes it’s not as fun as other times, y’know.
CBL: The article I’m doing about you is to prepare, eh, for your coming to Japan.
MA: Yeh.
CBL: And I’m wondering, em, how often you’ve been to Japan and what are your impressions eh so far?
MA: We haven’t been that many times. We’ve only been twice. We played the Loud Park festival in 2006 and went to 3 or 4 shows last year and it was amazing, y’know. I’ve been hearing so much about playing in Japan and just being there as a tourist y’know It’s been [garbled] and myself and when we finally made it over it was fantastic, y’know. So well arranged, everything so professional and they take really good care of you once you’re there y’know, and the fans are really nice and respectful, the food is awesome, and y’know, its y’know, I think Tokyo and Osaka are y’know it felt a bit like it’s on a different planet if y’know what I mean. It’s so different from Stockholm but I loved it, y’know, I loved it.
CBL: Yeh, eh any problems coming to Japan cos I mean, eh, a lot of, eh, you’ve got tattoos and a lot of the band members have got tattoos and like in certain establishments people with, eh, tataoos, eh, can scare or freak people out?
MA: Ah we didn’t see anything of that, y’know, I’m sure, y’know, like most metal and rock bands today get tattoos. I think, I don’t think that represents that much of a problem. We certainly didn’t hear anything about that. They they took great care of us to be honest and obviously some nights we got really drunk and obnoxious but and it was, y’know, they didn’t seem to be that irritated with us, y’know.
CBL: Do you remember what sort of places you were going to, eh, for drinking?
MA: Well, we went to a couple of different restaurants and also in, ah, in, ah, we went to – what’s it called? – the Rock Rock, the Rock Rock bar in, ah, is it Osaka, Nagoya? I can’t remember, but I was just there I had a few beers, y’know, and it’s just one of those places that apparently you’re supposed to go to, eh, but otherwise we sat in the cafe in the hotel and had a couple of beers.
CBL: Right. Now you you’ve obviously got quite a long career and, y’know, in that time there’s been quite a lot of line up changes and is this sort of something that, eh, gets associated with, eh a lot of hard rock or heavy metal bands – these continuous line up changes – em, so could you maybe tell me a little bit about that? What’s been going on with all the line up changes and, eh, how about the line up now? Ha, have you finally settled on a, y’know, very solid line up?
MA: Well, I like to think we have, y’know, but since we’ve had many line up changes I don’t take anything for granted, but as for the five guys who are in the band now, we’re, we’re, y’know, get along great we play great. It sounds better than ever. And it just no denying, y’know, it’s just so much better sounding when we play live to be honest. And in the past, y’know, I think most of the line up changes have, y’know, been happening because people change, y’know. People don’t want to do this anymore because they get new ideas they, y’know, it’s a risky type of business, I mean, y’know, for many years we didn’t make a penny, which obviously presents a problem if you’ve got bills to pay and rent and shit like that and food of course, y’know. Um, so, I think some of the group members who have been in the band simply didn’t have it in them to be musicians on this level...
CBL: Yeh, um, I was looking at the DVD that’s, eh, connected to the Watershed, uh, LP, and I got the impression that you, you’re a relatively kind of normal creative guy and you’ve surrounded yourself with these very kind of intensely focused musicians now, like, you’ve got a very good drummer, eh, the keyboardist is very good at what he does – everybody’s sort of very technically proficient and very, very focused and almost autisticly so, and you’re in the middle of all that.
MA: Yeh, I know but that’s, y’know, that’s… It’s basically what I’ve been looking for. [garbled] me both as a player and a songwriter have developed during the years and some of the guys have been in the band but they didn’t develop, if you know what I mean. They didn’t push themselves to the next level.
CBL: You mean they didn’t develop as musicians or creatively?
MA: Both. Well, mostly as musicians, y’know, because I want all the guys in the band – even though I write most of the songs, y’know, almost everything – I want the guys to take their positions, to take charge of their positions and do it, y’know, as if, y’know, it’s position, if you know what I mean. I don’t interfere, y’know, It’s what they know much better than me. That’s always what I’ve been looking for. I just want to present the songs and obviously some of the songs are quite advanced to play I guess but, y’know, em, I think I’ve always wanted to surround myself with great musicians, but people that are better than me if you know what I mean.
CBL: Yeh, in terms of technical proficiency.
MA: Yeh, so I can just relax and concentrate on the thing, y’know, more or less. And it just feels so safe playing with a drummer like Axe and with Mendez and Frederick and Per. It’s just never... I can always kind of just lean back and enjoy the ride if you know what I mean, when we play live; when in the past, there’s always been ups and downs. You’re not sure where the one is and, y’know, everything’s a bit more chaotic, y’know, and now it’s just, y’know, everybody’s in charge of their own position in the band I think.
CBL: Yeh. This is, this is something that a lot of people who don’t really know about heavy metal are actually quite surprised at that, y’know, you have to be very, very precise about what you’re doing and there’s very little room for mistakes or... And there’s almost... Like when you’re performing there’s very... there’s almost no improvisation, yeh?
MA: No, we don’t improvise much, and if we are improvisation, its specific that we have made like ‘OK this minute or two in this song, we improvise a little bit, y’know, in the key of whatever.’ But, generally, we try to play the songs as close to the album versions if you know what I mean, and we’ve become very, very picky, as I’ve said. We record all the performances and listen back to them after the show and the difference between what we think is a good show and a bad show is so small that you can barely hear it, you know what I mean?
CBL: Yeh. Yeh...
MA: Which is strange, I guess.
CBL: Yeh, maybe, you notice it a lot more than the audiences, I guess.
MA: Yeh, we all have like – especially on this tour – we all have some like the in-ear monitors if you know what that is. Basically we have a little like a thing in your ear and that’s your monitor. That’s what you hear and everything’s so close and dry, and if somebody plays a bum note it really, y’know, shines through if you know what I mean.
CBL: Yeh.
MA: Eh, right now we’re extremely picky. It’s just a... if you want to play a more or less flawless show.
CBL: Yeh, but isn’t that kind of... doesn’t that work against the basic ethos of rock, which is supposed to be this kind of rebellious, eh, wild experience for a lot of people, and you’re completely the opposite of that because you’re so focused, so precise – mistakes are just not allowed, y’know what I mean? It’s just a... There’s a paradox there, isn’t there?
MA: There is, and we’re completely ‘unrock’ in that sense, but it’s not like mistakes are not allowed. It’s just that they really, y’know, affect you in a negative way when you hear them so clearly.
CBL: Mmh…
MA: If you know what I mean. And it affects your self-confidence, like if I sing a bum note, and ‘oh my god, the next vocal line I’ll have to concentrate more’ and you become like more nervous and less relaxed if you know what I mean.
CBL: Yeh. So it affects the whole feeling that you generate and emit?
MA: I think if you were to put an ear monitor on a band like – I don’t know – to make an extreme example like the Sex Pistols. They would go fucking hell, we have to shape up, y’know.
CBL: Yaha, so it’s a lack of awareness?
MA: Yeh, I think it is because we thought we were good before and we were just talking about this the other night, eh, me and my bass player. We’re like why don’t we ever like – so rarely these days – why don’t we ever go offstage and like... The band would absolutely kill us. And I said well it’s because every night [garbled] and in the past we were so shit in comparison to what we are now, but if we made a halfway decent gig it sounds so awful if you know what I mean, but now the level of our performance is so high that it’s… I don’t know... It’s been evened out into… I don’t know, something that doesn’t, y’know, you never feel like you did really perfect a perfect show.
CBL: Yes, this… So you’ll never be perfect?
MA: Yeh.
CBL: Yeh, now, um, I noticed that, yeh, one of the songs on, on Watershed, the song Burden, eh, I think near the end you kinda like detune the guitars, and so you’re kinda like purposely introducing a kinda element of, eh, bad playing in a sense, aren’t you?
MA: Yeh, but that was like just a little production feature [garbled] and that’s like, even though I’m telling you that we’re perfectionists on stage – and that’s probably the case – but that’s not something we want to. We really kinda lose people. I’m not… Like, I don’t yell at anyone if they play bad or anything, and I still think, um, y’know, we still have it in us, y’know. It’s not like we are a slick band in that sense, y’know – still love the ugly when it comes to music, and the chaotic, I still love it, if you know what I mean, but y’know in its place. I don’t want it like going on all the time. I want to [static] and that’s just an example of that, that we have this beautiful slick sentimental ballad and basically I just felt like we should destroy it a little bit by doing that detuning of the guitar at the end.
CBL: Yeh, so it’s sort of controlled chaos?
MA: Yeh, Yeh exactly.
CBL: Yes, cos this is, ah, something I get a sense of from your music is y’know, y’ y’do have em… The music has a lot of amplitude, y’know, you do have very quiet acoustic and melodic bits and you have this, the kinda growly, eh, singing and the kind of, em, really heavy thrash style juxtaposed with each other, and that kind of creates a feeling of chaos in the audience, but from your side it’s very controlled isn’t it?
MA: It is, y’know, and that’s basically I think for, for a person who’s never heard us before , never heard…I don’t know if I can really mention any bands…Like if you see us for the first time – you never heard the band, I’m sure it could be a pretty, em, odd experience, y’know, and you’re like, ‘What the fuck is this? What’s going on?’ But that’s just the result of our influences and we’re… We started out being a metal band and during the years we just picked up all these different influences from other styles of music, and today basically the metal that we write is generated by inspiration that we got from non-metal music.
CBL: So who’s been a big influence on you in sort of changing your course in that way?
MA: Well personally I… Obviously all those metal bands that I’ve [garbled] me to play the guitar and all that stuff but when I write I rarely listen to metal. It’s mostly… I listen to…um, um, I’m really much into psychedelic music like Sixties.
CBL: So, so, what’re you listening to recently, or the last few days?
MA: Well the last few days, well, I don’t know, I’ve been listening to all sorts of things like, like, now, what’s playing before I fell asleep was a girl called Sheila McDonald, from… I think she was Irish, like a singer-songwriter from Ireland.
CBL: Or Scottish, yeh.
MA: Yeh, might be Scottish. I listen a lot to Miles. I listen a lot to the Zombies, they’re one of my favourite bands.
CBL: Sorry?
MA: The Zombies.
CBL: Oh yeh.
MA: And, y’know, like the progressive rock from the 70s as well, and, y’know, everything, like Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen, and Tim Buckley’s an idol of mine, Joni Mitchell, and just very much into…
CBL: It’s just sort of shocking to hear these names, really, y’know, really…
MA: Oh yeh!
CBL: Like Nick Drake and so on, yeh, and the, y’know, obviously, you start the last album Watershed with a very kind of, em, low-key, gentle number as well, and then the, y’know, that just… People probably think they’ve bought the wrong album, y’know, what I mean?
MA: Yes, but, y’know, that’s what I like about it. We’ve been going for 20 years now and I don’t want people to feel like they know where they have us, if you know what I mean. They can never have us in their pocket like…they buy an album and it’s a hundred percent safe that they’re gonna love it, if you know what I mean. I wanna, I want it to be unpredictable, not unreliable when it comes to the quality of the music, but unpredictable if you know what I mean.
CBL: Yeh.
MA: And I think we have a good chance of being a band like that because of the fact that we have so much of that rare influence.
CBL: Yeh, eh, but also there is a lot of aggression and energy and anger in, in, ah, heavy metal, and I’m sure that when you were a lot younger you probably felt like that. How about now? Do you still have that kind of, that kind of rage feeling inside?
MA: No I don’t and maybe it’s, y’know, maybe the music is my outlet that I’m not so very, y’know, like a eclectic pretentious person who would say that’s certainly the case but, em, I don’t get like [garbled] or anything or like… I’m a very calm person, and it might be because I have the music as an out for all the negative emotions, but, y’know, I put positive emotions into the music too, y’know, and, um, I wouldn’t say like I was … if it wasn’t for the music that I’d be killing people, y’know…
CBL: Yeh, but there’s this kinda, y’know, often people think that Swedish people are quite gentle, nice people, but obviously there is also a kind of dark side as well isn’t there?
MA: Yeh, I guess so. We have one of the highest suicide rates and that kind of stuff, but I really wouldn’t know. Sweden for me has always been a regular, like the most normal country on the planet if you know what I mean. There’s nothing really abnormal about Sweden as a whole. It’s just, y’know, everything’s working, everybody’s minding their own business, y’know, and that kind of stuff but…
CBL: It sounds boring.
MA: Yeh, a little bit.
CBL: That can irritate people too, can’t it?
MA: Probably, y’know, and that’s the thing that a lot of people who move abroad… It’s something we call the “Jantelagen,” which basically means that you shouldn’t be happy with your job.
CBL: So, what’s that expression again?
MA: “Jantelagen.”
CBL: “Yank de large?”
MA: “Jantelagen” is what we say. I don’t really know where it comes from, but basically you shouldn’t think your something if you know what I mean.
CBL: Yeh, so you shouldn’t think you’re something. You shouldn’t be too full of yourself, like that?
MA: Exactly. They hate that. Swedish people hate that, y’know, It really – how do you say – sticks like it burns, like for people to see… For Swedish people to see, like, a Swedish person going abroad and making a great success with music or something you love to do it, it’s lots of jealousy. You’re supposed to be working your ass off in the factory and you’re gonna be grumpy and you’re gonna be drunk on the weekend, y’know, and...
CBL: Very similar to my native Scotland I have to say, yeh.
MA: Well, I would guess, y’know.
MA: Yes.
CBL: Hello.
MA: Hello.
CBL: Is that Mikael Akerfeldt?
MA: Yes.
CBL: Hello. This is Colin Liddell.
MA: OK.
CBL: I’m phoning from Japan.
MA: Yes.
CBL: From the International Herald Tribune Asahi Shimbun.
MA: I know, but weren’t you supposed to call 12:30?
CBL: Well, yeh, but there was a problem, eh, with, eh, with giving me your number. I didn’t get your number until about an hour ago then since then I’ve been phoning a few times and there’s been no answer, so there’s been a bit of a mix up somewhere.
MA: Yeh.
CBL: Is it OK to speak now?
MA: How long is it going to take, d’you think?
CBL: Probably about fifteen twenty minutes.
MA: OK, that’s cool. Hold on a second. Thank you.
[pause]
MA: OK, I’m sorry. I was sleeping. We had a rough night.
CBL: I see, so, eh, right now are you, eh, going around touring?
MA: Yeh, we’re out on a tour called Progressive Nation with Dream Theater.
CBL: Yeh.
MA: Big Elf and a band called Unexpect, which is basically an initiative from Mike Portnoy, the drummer from Dream Theater put this together. So we’re just basically winding down. We only have another – let’s see – three shows before we’re finished.
CBL: Right, where are you at the moment?
MA: Right now we’re in Bologna in Italy.
CBL: Aha, so… where did you just play?
MA: Ah, we played Rome last night.
CBL: So, how was that? Did anything interesting happen?
MA: Ah, we’ve been to Italy many times and it’s always been pretty good for us here, and especially Rome, eh, which for some reason we’ve neglected – many times we come to Italy we haven’t had shows there for some reason, but it’s always great. And yesterday’s show, I think, was one of the best of the tour for me personally.
CBL: So, what went right?
MA: Ah, it’s just y’know I think it’s more in your head to be honest y’know like the way you play. We’re so picky these days that if there’s one mistake that I hear the show is more or less ruined, y’know what I mean?
CBL: Yeh.
MA: Which is horrible, but it’s also, yeh, the interaction with the crowd when everything just clicks and you feel like. y’know. it’s like a... I don’t know... some, y’know, magic. It’s always good and it’s always good fun to play the shows but sometimes it’s not as fun as other times, y’know.
CBL: The article I’m doing about you is to prepare, eh, for your coming to Japan.
MA: Yeh.
CBL: And I’m wondering, em, how often you’ve been to Japan and what are your impressions eh so far?
MA: We haven’t been that many times. We’ve only been twice. We played the Loud Park festival in 2006 and went to 3 or 4 shows last year and it was amazing, y’know. I’ve been hearing so much about playing in Japan and just being there as a tourist y’know It’s been [garbled] and myself and when we finally made it over it was fantastic, y’know. So well arranged, everything so professional and they take really good care of you once you’re there y’know, and the fans are really nice and respectful, the food is awesome, and y’know, its y’know, I think Tokyo and Osaka are y’know it felt a bit like it’s on a different planet if y’know what I mean. It’s so different from Stockholm but I loved it, y’know, I loved it.
CBL: Yeh, eh any problems coming to Japan cos I mean, eh, a lot of, eh, you’ve got tattoos and a lot of the band members have got tattoos and like in certain establishments people with, eh, tataoos, eh, can scare or freak people out?
MA: Ah we didn’t see anything of that, y’know, I’m sure, y’know, like most metal and rock bands today get tattoos. I think, I don’t think that represents that much of a problem. We certainly didn’t hear anything about that. They they took great care of us to be honest and obviously some nights we got really drunk and obnoxious but and it was, y’know, they didn’t seem to be that irritated with us, y’know.
CBL: Do you remember what sort of places you were going to, eh, for drinking?
MA: Well, we went to a couple of different restaurants and also in, ah, in, ah, we went to – what’s it called? – the Rock Rock, the Rock Rock bar in, ah, is it Osaka, Nagoya? I can’t remember, but I was just there I had a few beers, y’know, and it’s just one of those places that apparently you’re supposed to go to, eh, but otherwise we sat in the cafe in the hotel and had a couple of beers.
CBL: Right. Now you you’ve obviously got quite a long career and, y’know, in that time there’s been quite a lot of line up changes and is this sort of something that, eh, gets associated with, eh a lot of hard rock or heavy metal bands – these continuous line up changes – em, so could you maybe tell me a little bit about that? What’s been going on with all the line up changes and, eh, how about the line up now? Ha, have you finally settled on a, y’know, very solid line up?
MA: Well, I like to think we have, y’know, but since we’ve had many line up changes I don’t take anything for granted, but as for the five guys who are in the band now, we’re, we’re, y’know, get along great we play great. It sounds better than ever. And it just no denying, y’know, it’s just so much better sounding when we play live to be honest. And in the past, y’know, I think most of the line up changes have, y’know, been happening because people change, y’know. People don’t want to do this anymore because they get new ideas they, y’know, it’s a risky type of business, I mean, y’know, for many years we didn’t make a penny, which obviously presents a problem if you’ve got bills to pay and rent and shit like that and food of course, y’know. Um, so, I think some of the group members who have been in the band simply didn’t have it in them to be musicians on this level...
CBL: Yeh, um, I was looking at the DVD that’s, eh, connected to the Watershed, uh, LP, and I got the impression that you, you’re a relatively kind of normal creative guy and you’ve surrounded yourself with these very kind of intensely focused musicians now, like, you’ve got a very good drummer, eh, the keyboardist is very good at what he does – everybody’s sort of very technically proficient and very, very focused and almost autisticly so, and you’re in the middle of all that.
MA: Yeh, I know but that’s, y’know, that’s… It’s basically what I’ve been looking for. [garbled] me both as a player and a songwriter have developed during the years and some of the guys have been in the band but they didn’t develop, if you know what I mean. They didn’t push themselves to the next level.
CBL: You mean they didn’t develop as musicians or creatively?
MA: Both. Well, mostly as musicians, y’know, because I want all the guys in the band – even though I write most of the songs, y’know, almost everything – I want the guys to take their positions, to take charge of their positions and do it, y’know, as if, y’know, it’s position, if you know what I mean. I don’t interfere, y’know, It’s what they know much better than me. That’s always what I’ve been looking for. I just want to present the songs and obviously some of the songs are quite advanced to play I guess but, y’know, em, I think I’ve always wanted to surround myself with great musicians, but people that are better than me if you know what I mean.
CBL: Yeh, in terms of technical proficiency.
MA: Yeh, so I can just relax and concentrate on the thing, y’know, more or less. And it just feels so safe playing with a drummer like Axe and with Mendez and Frederick and Per. It’s just never... I can always kind of just lean back and enjoy the ride if you know what I mean, when we play live; when in the past, there’s always been ups and downs. You’re not sure where the one is and, y’know, everything’s a bit more chaotic, y’know, and now it’s just, y’know, everybody’s in charge of their own position in the band I think.
CBL: Yeh. This is, this is something that a lot of people who don’t really know about heavy metal are actually quite surprised at that, y’know, you have to be very, very precise about what you’re doing and there’s very little room for mistakes or... And there’s almost... Like when you’re performing there’s very... there’s almost no improvisation, yeh?
MA: No, we don’t improvise much, and if we are improvisation, its specific that we have made like ‘OK this minute or two in this song, we improvise a little bit, y’know, in the key of whatever.’ But, generally, we try to play the songs as close to the album versions if you know what I mean, and we’ve become very, very picky, as I’ve said. We record all the performances and listen back to them after the show and the difference between what we think is a good show and a bad show is so small that you can barely hear it, you know what I mean?
CBL: Yeh. Yeh...
MA: Which is strange, I guess.
CBL: Yeh, maybe, you notice it a lot more than the audiences, I guess.
MA: Yeh, we all have like – especially on this tour – we all have some like the in-ear monitors if you know what that is. Basically we have a little like a thing in your ear and that’s your monitor. That’s what you hear and everything’s so close and dry, and if somebody plays a bum note it really, y’know, shines through if you know what I mean.
CBL: Yeh.
MA: Eh, right now we’re extremely picky. It’s just a... if you want to play a more or less flawless show.
CBL: Yeh, but isn’t that kind of... doesn’t that work against the basic ethos of rock, which is supposed to be this kind of rebellious, eh, wild experience for a lot of people, and you’re completely the opposite of that because you’re so focused, so precise – mistakes are just not allowed, y’know what I mean? It’s just a... There’s a paradox there, isn’t there?
MA: There is, and we’re completely ‘unrock’ in that sense, but it’s not like mistakes are not allowed. It’s just that they really, y’know, affect you in a negative way when you hear them so clearly.
CBL: Mmh…
MA: If you know what I mean. And it affects your self-confidence, like if I sing a bum note, and ‘oh my god, the next vocal line I’ll have to concentrate more’ and you become like more nervous and less relaxed if you know what I mean.
CBL: Yeh. So it affects the whole feeling that you generate and emit?
MA: I think if you were to put an ear monitor on a band like – I don’t know – to make an extreme example like the Sex Pistols. They would go fucking hell, we have to shape up, y’know.
CBL: Yaha, so it’s a lack of awareness?
MA: Yeh, I think it is because we thought we were good before and we were just talking about this the other night, eh, me and my bass player. We’re like why don’t we ever like – so rarely these days – why don’t we ever go offstage and like... The band would absolutely kill us. And I said well it’s because every night [garbled] and in the past we were so shit in comparison to what we are now, but if we made a halfway decent gig it sounds so awful if you know what I mean, but now the level of our performance is so high that it’s… I don’t know... It’s been evened out into… I don’t know, something that doesn’t, y’know, you never feel like you did really perfect a perfect show.
CBL: Yes, this… So you’ll never be perfect?
MA: Yeh.
CBL: Yeh, now, um, I noticed that, yeh, one of the songs on, on Watershed, the song Burden, eh, I think near the end you kinda like detune the guitars, and so you’re kinda like purposely introducing a kinda element of, eh, bad playing in a sense, aren’t you?
MA: Yeh, but that was like just a little production feature [garbled] and that’s like, even though I’m telling you that we’re perfectionists on stage – and that’s probably the case – but that’s not something we want to. We really kinda lose people. I’m not… Like, I don’t yell at anyone if they play bad or anything, and I still think, um, y’know, we still have it in us, y’know. It’s not like we are a slick band in that sense, y’know – still love the ugly when it comes to music, and the chaotic, I still love it, if you know what I mean, but y’know in its place. I don’t want it like going on all the time. I want to [static] and that’s just an example of that, that we have this beautiful slick sentimental ballad and basically I just felt like we should destroy it a little bit by doing that detuning of the guitar at the end.
CBL: Yeh, so it’s sort of controlled chaos?
MA: Yeh, Yeh exactly.
CBL: Yes, cos this is, ah, something I get a sense of from your music is y’know, y’ y’do have em… The music has a lot of amplitude, y’know, you do have very quiet acoustic and melodic bits and you have this, the kinda growly, eh, singing and the kind of, em, really heavy thrash style juxtaposed with each other, and that kind of creates a feeling of chaos in the audience, but from your side it’s very controlled isn’t it?
MA: It is, y’know, and that’s basically I think for, for a person who’s never heard us before , never heard…I don’t know if I can really mention any bands…Like if you see us for the first time – you never heard the band, I’m sure it could be a pretty, em, odd experience, y’know, and you’re like, ‘What the fuck is this? What’s going on?’ But that’s just the result of our influences and we’re… We started out being a metal band and during the years we just picked up all these different influences from other styles of music, and today basically the metal that we write is generated by inspiration that we got from non-metal music.
CBL: So who’s been a big influence on you in sort of changing your course in that way?
MA: Well personally I… Obviously all those metal bands that I’ve [garbled] me to play the guitar and all that stuff but when I write I rarely listen to metal. It’s mostly… I listen to…um, um, I’m really much into psychedelic music like Sixties.
CBL: So, so, what’re you listening to recently, or the last few days?
MA: Well the last few days, well, I don’t know, I’ve been listening to all sorts of things like, like, now, what’s playing before I fell asleep was a girl called Sheila McDonald, from… I think she was Irish, like a singer-songwriter from Ireland.
CBL: Or Scottish, yeh.
MA: Yeh, might be Scottish. I listen a lot to Miles. I listen a lot to the Zombies, they’re one of my favourite bands.
CBL: Sorry?
MA: The Zombies.
CBL: Oh yeh.
MA: And, y’know, like the progressive rock from the 70s as well, and, y’know, everything, like Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen, and Tim Buckley’s an idol of mine, Joni Mitchell, and just very much into…
CBL: It’s just sort of shocking to hear these names, really, y’know, really…
MA: Oh yeh!
CBL: Like Nick Drake and so on, yeh, and the, y’know, obviously, you start the last album Watershed with a very kind of, em, low-key, gentle number as well, and then the, y’know, that just… People probably think they’ve bought the wrong album, y’know, what I mean?
MA: Yes, but, y’know, that’s what I like about it. We’ve been going for 20 years now and I don’t want people to feel like they know where they have us, if you know what I mean. They can never have us in their pocket like…they buy an album and it’s a hundred percent safe that they’re gonna love it, if you know what I mean. I wanna, I want it to be unpredictable, not unreliable when it comes to the quality of the music, but unpredictable if you know what I mean.
CBL: Yeh.
MA: And I think we have a good chance of being a band like that because of the fact that we have so much of that rare influence.
CBL: Yeh, eh, but also there is a lot of aggression and energy and anger in, in, ah, heavy metal, and I’m sure that when you were a lot younger you probably felt like that. How about now? Do you still have that kind of, that kind of rage feeling inside?
MA: No I don’t and maybe it’s, y’know, maybe the music is my outlet that I’m not so very, y’know, like a eclectic pretentious person who would say that’s certainly the case but, em, I don’t get like [garbled] or anything or like… I’m a very calm person, and it might be because I have the music as an out for all the negative emotions, but, y’know, I put positive emotions into the music too, y’know, and, um, I wouldn’t say like I was … if it wasn’t for the music that I’d be killing people, y’know…
CBL: Yeh, but there’s this kinda, y’know, often people think that Swedish people are quite gentle, nice people, but obviously there is also a kind of dark side as well isn’t there?
MA: Yeh, I guess so. We have one of the highest suicide rates and that kind of stuff, but I really wouldn’t know. Sweden for me has always been a regular, like the most normal country on the planet if you know what I mean. There’s nothing really abnormal about Sweden as a whole. It’s just, y’know, everything’s working, everybody’s minding their own business, y’know, and that kind of stuff but…
CBL: It sounds boring.
MA: Yeh, a little bit.
CBL: That can irritate people too, can’t it?
MA: Probably, y’know, and that’s the thing that a lot of people who move abroad… It’s something we call the “Jantelagen,” which basically means that you shouldn’t be happy with your job.
CBL: So, what’s that expression again?
MA: “Jantelagen.”
CBL: “Yank de large?”
MA: “Jantelagen” is what we say. I don’t really know where it comes from, but basically you shouldn’t think your something if you know what I mean.
CBL: Yeh, so you shouldn’t think you’re something. You shouldn’t be too full of yourself, like that?
MA: Exactly. They hate that. Swedish people hate that, y’know, It really – how do you say – sticks like it burns, like for people to see… For Swedish people to see, like, a Swedish person going abroad and making a great success with music or something you love to do it, it’s lots of jealousy. You’re supposed to be working your ass off in the factory and you’re gonna be grumpy and you’re gonna be drunk on the weekend, y’know, and...
CBL: Very similar to my native Scotland I have to say, yeh.
MA: Well, I would guess, y’know.
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Fredrik Åkesson - Interview by Chris Cope (22 Oct 2009)
With Swedish metallers Opeth recently touring with prog overlords Dream Theater, Chris Cope caught up with axeman Fredrik Akesson to talk about his role in the band and why Scandinavia creates so many big, bad metalheads.
It’s nearly show-time at the final UK show of the tour, and we’re enlisted with the task of taking the burly, hairy man out of his cosy dressing room for a chat. Thankfully Fredrik doesn’t mind standing about in the cold wasteland of boxes and gear behind the stage. It’s extremely dark. Hope he doesn’t bite…
Hello Fredrik. Are you happy to be a part of the 2009 Progressive Nation European tour?
Yeah absolutely, it’s going really good. This is the last show in the UK and the reception has been really good. We’re playing bigger crowds than we usually do – we’ve never done an arena tour before in Europe.
Do you prefer playing these bigger shows or the smaller, intimate ones?
I like the 1000 people, smaller club shows as well. You have a better connection with the crowd, but I like festivals too. Bit of a different world, but you can’t live without either of them.
Do you feel pressured playing before frenetic fretboarders Dream Theater?
Not really, because our music styles are very different. Every band on the bill sounds very different. We don’t have as many solos, even though I like to play stuff like that. We have solos but it’s not that type of shreddy playing. I was a bit nervous before the first show we played in America with them as we hadn’t done a tour with them before, but now you know the guys it’s different. You were like, “Oh shit, it’s Dream Theater. Those guys can play really well, I’d better play well tonight too.” It’s inspiring in a way as well to hear John Petrucci playing backstage. It makes you want to practice even more.
Is he a bit of a role model to you at all?
I wouldn’t say that. I’ve grown up with other guitar players but I’ve always admired his skills. I listened a bit to the first two Dream Theater records when I was younger but I’ve never really studied his style or learnt whole Dream Theater songs but I have watched some clips of his guitar instructional video.
And as a guitar player are you more into speed playing?
I try and have a diverse style. If I want to play something fast and more metal then I’ll pull that off, but there’s also more spacey stuff like Dave Gilmour and Mark Knopfler, slower stuff, more feel based. The most important thing to me when it comes to solos is that it suits the song well. I try to make solos that are within the song rather than making make solos to show off. When I was a kid I always practised playing fast, when I was 16/17, and then I got into looser players. It’s important to know a bit of the old school style of playing, not just the ‘woo woo’ playing [he proceeds to play air guitar].
Do you think bands like Dream Theater are a bit too showy offy?
No, absolutely not. It’s progressive rock and they do what they do and it’s their thing. I like it. It’s fun, and it’s a lot of solos but it’s a cool part of the show. With other bands you might get bored of the solos but here it’s always interesting to check them out.
Are you settling in well as the newest member of Opeth?
I’ve been in the band more than two and a half years, so I feel like I’ve grown into the band very well.
Did you feel the pressure to begin with?
Yeah, absolutely. Opeth fans are quite picky as well. It is also challenging music to play, the songs are very long and contain a more finger style of playing. I had played a bit of that before but not to that extent. Mikael [Akerfeldt] has a bit of his own technique with his finger style so I had to learn a lot about his way of playing guitar. That was really good though cause I feel that it has broadened my guitar playing.
Do you and Mikael Akerfeldt complement each other well?
I think so. We listened to a couple of the live shows from this tour and it sounded really tight together. Our sounds are different as well, so I guess you get a fatter sound too.
I read that you were friends with Opeth before you joined?
I’ve played with them before when I was in Arch Enemy. We did a tour together in America, on the Gigantour with Megadeth, but I knew Mikael a little bit before that, we had hung out at festivals and stuff and I knew he liked my guitar playing. Six or seven years ago we’d talked about jamming together but it never really happened.
Were you a fan of the band then?
Yes, huge fan.
How much of a challenge was it to step in and play the songs?
Yeah, though you just had to practice. I went over a lot to Mikael’s house and sat down and played guitar together. It was important to get all the details down – I’m very picky with details and stuff. Now I’m really anxious to do a new record, although we’re gonna have a bit of a break after this.
Did you have much input on Watershed?
It was fun because I joined the band in the beginning of the writing process. I’ve written some guitar parts here and there but we co-wrote one song together, ‘Porcelain Heart’, which was the first single, so that was flattering to have a part in a song. We’ll see what happens next time.
What do you feel that you bring to Opeth?
It’s hard for me to say. If I’m happy and the guys in the band are happy with what I do then that’s my first goal. I have problems judging myself or praising myself. I would like to contribute something, but I like to have respect of the old songs too and play them the way it was.
How do you think the Opeth of 2009 compares to the Opeth of say 5-10 years ago? Is the band hitting a peak?
Yeah, that’s what the other guys are saying at least. I feel that the band is developing still after each record. There’s a development from Ghost Reveries to Watershed, and it’s important that every album has their own little theme or style – doesn’t feel like any other album, although we like to still maintain the old more black elements. I don’t think we’ll step away from that more, although maybe some people thought we did on Watershed. But we’re definitely not going in a softer direction, it’s just the way the songs came out.
So you’re definitely not going more melodic?
I don’t think so. There have always been melodies in Opeth, from the first album. There’s calm acoustic parts, more foresty parts. Every heavy Opeth song I suppose has a calmer moment as well, which I guess is a very important part of Opeth’s songs and dynamics.
Do you think your heavier moments go down well with this sort of prog rock crowd?
Yeah I think so. A lot of Dream Theater fans might not like it, especially the growl vocals. In America they were a bit more restricted when we toured with them, but now even Dream Theater use a bit of growl in some songs. Mike Portnoy is like [makes a sound like a tiger and pulls an odd-looking face].
Do you like Dream Theater?
Yeah I think they’re really great musicians, all of them.
And do you like their songs?
I used to listen to them when I was younger, but I’ve listened to the new album and the first song was cool – the other stuff I need to listen to more. Maybe I’m not into the softer stuff, but they’re doing with own thing and I really respect that. It’s cool that their music can draw almost arena crowds. Touring with them has been a cool collab…collaboration. I’m Swedish [he says, before making another funny noise and gesturing about language difficulties].
One last question. Why do you think Scandinavia is such fertile ground for metal bands?
I guess it’s so dark there all year, you have the summer with three months with sunshine but that’s about it. You just sit at home and play, or at least that was it for me I guess. Also, when I was there, young bands got support from some organisations for rehearsal rooms and they could borrow vocal PAs and amps. I don’t know how it works today but there was some governmental organisations were pretty good on that, which was important.
We’ve got to go as the whispered excitement of the opening band’s arrival lingers in the air. Fredrik well wishes, but it’s only then that Thrash Hits realises we forgot to ask him just how he gets his hair so voluminous. Maybe next time.
It’s nearly show-time at the final UK show of the tour, and we’re enlisted with the task of taking the burly, hairy man out of his cosy dressing room for a chat. Thankfully Fredrik doesn’t mind standing about in the cold wasteland of boxes and gear behind the stage. It’s extremely dark. Hope he doesn’t bite…
Hello Fredrik. Are you happy to be a part of the 2009 Progressive Nation European tour?
Yeah absolutely, it’s going really good. This is the last show in the UK and the reception has been really good. We’re playing bigger crowds than we usually do – we’ve never done an arena tour before in Europe.
Do you prefer playing these bigger shows or the smaller, intimate ones?
I like the 1000 people, smaller club shows as well. You have a better connection with the crowd, but I like festivals too. Bit of a different world, but you can’t live without either of them.
Do you feel pressured playing before frenetic fretboarders Dream Theater?
Not really, because our music styles are very different. Every band on the bill sounds very different. We don’t have as many solos, even though I like to play stuff like that. We have solos but it’s not that type of shreddy playing. I was a bit nervous before the first show we played in America with them as we hadn’t done a tour with them before, but now you know the guys it’s different. You were like, “Oh shit, it’s Dream Theater. Those guys can play really well, I’d better play well tonight too.” It’s inspiring in a way as well to hear John Petrucci playing backstage. It makes you want to practice even more.
Is he a bit of a role model to you at all?
I wouldn’t say that. I’ve grown up with other guitar players but I’ve always admired his skills. I listened a bit to the first two Dream Theater records when I was younger but I’ve never really studied his style or learnt whole Dream Theater songs but I have watched some clips of his guitar instructional video.
And as a guitar player are you more into speed playing?
I try and have a diverse style. If I want to play something fast and more metal then I’ll pull that off, but there’s also more spacey stuff like Dave Gilmour and Mark Knopfler, slower stuff, more feel based. The most important thing to me when it comes to solos is that it suits the song well. I try to make solos that are within the song rather than making make solos to show off. When I was a kid I always practised playing fast, when I was 16/17, and then I got into looser players. It’s important to know a bit of the old school style of playing, not just the ‘woo woo’ playing [he proceeds to play air guitar].
Do you think bands like Dream Theater are a bit too showy offy?
No, absolutely not. It’s progressive rock and they do what they do and it’s their thing. I like it. It’s fun, and it’s a lot of solos but it’s a cool part of the show. With other bands you might get bored of the solos but here it’s always interesting to check them out.
Are you settling in well as the newest member of Opeth?
I’ve been in the band more than two and a half years, so I feel like I’ve grown into the band very well.
Did you feel the pressure to begin with?
Yeah, absolutely. Opeth fans are quite picky as well. It is also challenging music to play, the songs are very long and contain a more finger style of playing. I had played a bit of that before but not to that extent. Mikael [Akerfeldt] has a bit of his own technique with his finger style so I had to learn a lot about his way of playing guitar. That was really good though cause I feel that it has broadened my guitar playing.
Do you and Mikael Akerfeldt complement each other well?
I think so. We listened to a couple of the live shows from this tour and it sounded really tight together. Our sounds are different as well, so I guess you get a fatter sound too.
I read that you were friends with Opeth before you joined?
I’ve played with them before when I was in Arch Enemy. We did a tour together in America, on the Gigantour with Megadeth, but I knew Mikael a little bit before that, we had hung out at festivals and stuff and I knew he liked my guitar playing. Six or seven years ago we’d talked about jamming together but it never really happened.
Were you a fan of the band then?
Yes, huge fan.
How much of a challenge was it to step in and play the songs?
Yeah, though you just had to practice. I went over a lot to Mikael’s house and sat down and played guitar together. It was important to get all the details down – I’m very picky with details and stuff. Now I’m really anxious to do a new record, although we’re gonna have a bit of a break after this.
Did you have much input on Watershed?
It was fun because I joined the band in the beginning of the writing process. I’ve written some guitar parts here and there but we co-wrote one song together, ‘Porcelain Heart’, which was the first single, so that was flattering to have a part in a song. We’ll see what happens next time.
What do you feel that you bring to Opeth?
It’s hard for me to say. If I’m happy and the guys in the band are happy with what I do then that’s my first goal. I have problems judging myself or praising myself. I would like to contribute something, but I like to have respect of the old songs too and play them the way it was.
How do you think the Opeth of 2009 compares to the Opeth of say 5-10 years ago? Is the band hitting a peak?
Yeah, that’s what the other guys are saying at least. I feel that the band is developing still after each record. There’s a development from Ghost Reveries to Watershed, and it’s important that every album has their own little theme or style – doesn’t feel like any other album, although we like to still maintain the old more black elements. I don’t think we’ll step away from that more, although maybe some people thought we did on Watershed. But we’re definitely not going in a softer direction, it’s just the way the songs came out.
So you’re definitely not going more melodic?
I don’t think so. There have always been melodies in Opeth, from the first album. There’s calm acoustic parts, more foresty parts. Every heavy Opeth song I suppose has a calmer moment as well, which I guess is a very important part of Opeth’s songs and dynamics.
Do you think your heavier moments go down well with this sort of prog rock crowd?
Yeah I think so. A lot of Dream Theater fans might not like it, especially the growl vocals. In America they were a bit more restricted when we toured with them, but now even Dream Theater use a bit of growl in some songs. Mike Portnoy is like [makes a sound like a tiger and pulls an odd-looking face].
Do you like Dream Theater?
Yeah I think they’re really great musicians, all of them.
And do you like their songs?
I used to listen to them when I was younger, but I’ve listened to the new album and the first song was cool – the other stuff I need to listen to more. Maybe I’m not into the softer stuff, but they’re doing with own thing and I really respect that. It’s cool that their music can draw almost arena crowds. Touring with them has been a cool collab…collaboration. I’m Swedish [he says, before making another funny noise and gesturing about language difficulties].
One last question. Why do you think Scandinavia is such fertile ground for metal bands?
I guess it’s so dark there all year, you have the summer with three months with sunshine but that’s about it. You just sit at home and play, or at least that was it for me I guess. Also, when I was there, young bands got support from some organisations for rehearsal rooms and they could borrow vocal PAs and amps. I don’t know how it works today but there was some governmental organisations were pretty good on that, which was important.
We’ve got to go as the whispered excitement of the opening band’s arrival lingers in the air. Fredrik well wishes, but it’s only then that Thrash Hits realises we forgot to ask him just how he gets his hair so voluminous. Maybe next time.
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Mikael Åkerfeldt - Interview by Christopher Porter (27 May 2009)
AFTER BEING AROUND for nearly 20 years, Opeth can still claim to have never heard a statement like this: "Uh, guys, mmmmmm yeaaaah, I don't know if that funky chromatic keyboard solo in the middle of the otherwise death-a-licious 'Lotus Eater' tune really fits."
"Never said anything like that," laughed Mikael Akerfeldt, the main man behind the Opeth mind meld of prog-rock, folk music and Swedish death metal. "We never even had a record label executive tell us, 'Guys, we don't hear a single.' ... I think record label people, as personal lovers of music, they're as jaded with the metal scene as many other fans are. They're likely to get excited by a funky part in the middle of 10-minute death-metal song. ... When Roadrunner heard ['The Lotus Eater'] they said, "That's really cool." But the label never advised us. ... Besides, we've been around for almost 20 years now, so why should we take advice now?"
Opeth shouldn't, which is why they're able to create labyrinthine songs such as "The Lotus Eater" from 2008's all-over-the-map headtrip "Watershed." It's a stunningly diverse album, almost to the point of distraction, but give it enough spins and the CD's intense and immense artistry becomes the focus of your ears' attention, not its restless changes. Akerfeldt spoke to Express about the influence of Dream Theater on Opeth, concept records, whether a "Metalocalypse" character is based on him and the suicide of an ex-girlfriend who inspired three of the bleaker tracks on "Watershed."
» EXPRESS: Last time you played D.C. you were opening for Dream Theater. Were they ever an influence on Opeth?
» AKERFELDT: We started with death metal and moved on to a hybrid of everything else; there were never as into extreme music, so we come from completely different backgrounds. But they were very influential to me in the early days of this band. Basically, I was looking for a new and contemporary band playing something more intricate, and in the early days there weren't many of those bands around. I was mostly listening to older bands like Yes and Genesis and King Crimson and those types of bands, and once I discovered Dream Theater it was a bit of a revelation for me because they were mixing metal with influences from the '70s. So, it's fair to say they were a pretty big influence in the early days.
» EXPRESS: I've heard you say "Watershed" isn't a concept record, but had I never heard you say that, I would be convinced it is one.
» AKERFELDT: It has the flow of a concept record — and in a way it's not a concept record but in another way it is. They lyrics are about my own experiences this time around and how I've changed since I became a dad. It just changed me completely, like I got a new set of eyes. But it's not a fictional story like a generic concept record; it's not about a character. Before you become a dad, you never figure how it's going to change you, but it does; it's the same with everyone I talk to who has kids. This new chamber of emotions opens up that you didn't really know existed before — and all of the sudden you're sitting in front of the television crying because of the things going on in the world. [Laughs]
» EXPRESS: Some of the songs that mention children are quite dark. Is this you expressing fear for them?
» AKERFELDT: In a way they are, but some of those songs you're referring to — like "Hessian Peel" [and] "Hex Omega" — they were inspired by a [former] girlfriend who committed suicide while I was in the studio. ... She had a son who was the same age as my oldest daughter, so it was a pretty big source of inspiration to me to write about that; I ended up writing three songs.
» EXPRESS: Does her family know you wrote these songs about her?
» AKERFELDT: I never really talked about it, to be honest. I haven't mentioned it at all in interviews. We weren't in touch anymore. We were together for a couple of months, and I always kept track of what she was doing and that she became a mother. But when we were together, she always had really deep problems. I think she was on Lithium and she was very depressed; she was always like that. I always heard what was happening with her because my mother and her mother were friends — they worked at the same place. ... And there was never any good news, but when I heard she had her kid I was really happy about that and hoping that she'd pull together, if not for herself then for her kid. Next thing you know she was dead. She was a very complex person.
» EXPRESS: How much of "Watershed" was written while you were in the studio?
» AKERFELDT: We've done a few albums [2002's "Deliverance" and "Damnation"] where we basically just went into the studio with nothing and wrote everything in the studio. But it got to the point where it was a little bit too much work for me, and I became mentally and physically ill doing it that way. ... Those two albums almost killed off the band, to be honest, but luckily we had a few cool songs come out of it. ... I thought it was a very cool idea before we started on [two records at once], but afterward I was like, "Never again." ... So, for the last two albums [including 2005's "Ghost Reveries"], I did most of the writing in my house. ... Strangely enough, my idea for the next album is to do a Mastodon-type of project. A totally blown-out-of-proportion triple-album [laughs]. I dunno why. An epic album.
» EXPRESS: But you haven't started writing it yet?
» AKERFELDT: I'm one of those guys who can't really write on the road, and we've been on tour for a year now and we'll be touring until early next year and then we'll go on a break and I'll start writing. But I'm feeling the itch to write now. ... If I get an idea, I'll record it onto my cell phone, but generally I don't have the inspiration on tour. It's a completely uncreative way of life.
» EXPRESS: Finally, have you seen "Metalocalypse" yet and can you confirm that the character Toki Wartooth is based on you?
» AKERFELDT: I've seen it. I don't think he looks anything like me, but that's what a lot of bands are telling me. I didn't know the cartoon or the band or anything, then all the sudden I get this MySpace message from somebody called Toki Wartooth, and it looked like an official type of thing. But he was writing in a very weird language, like a cross between English and a Germanic language, but all switched around. And I kept thinking, "What the fuck's wrong with this guy?" I kept asking, "Who is this?" And he kept saying, "It's Toki! It's Toki!" So, I never knew who it was e-mailing me; he just pretended to be this character all the time. Eventually I asked him, "I hear you're me, basically." And that guy said, "Yes." I can't say for sure, but that's what the guy told me. I've seen it now; I got the DVD from a fan. But I don't think he looks like me; his mustache doesn't look like mine. ... I thought it was quite funny, though I haven't watched the whole thing. But if the guy is based on me, I'm quite honored.
"Never said anything like that," laughed Mikael Akerfeldt, the main man behind the Opeth mind meld of prog-rock, folk music and Swedish death metal. "We never even had a record label executive tell us, 'Guys, we don't hear a single.' ... I think record label people, as personal lovers of music, they're as jaded with the metal scene as many other fans are. They're likely to get excited by a funky part in the middle of 10-minute death-metal song. ... When Roadrunner heard ['The Lotus Eater'] they said, "That's really cool." But the label never advised us. ... Besides, we've been around for almost 20 years now, so why should we take advice now?"
Opeth shouldn't, which is why they're able to create labyrinthine songs such as "The Lotus Eater" from 2008's all-over-the-map headtrip "Watershed." It's a stunningly diverse album, almost to the point of distraction, but give it enough spins and the CD's intense and immense artistry becomes the focus of your ears' attention, not its restless changes. Akerfeldt spoke to Express about the influence of Dream Theater on Opeth, concept records, whether a "Metalocalypse" character is based on him and the suicide of an ex-girlfriend who inspired three of the bleaker tracks on "Watershed."
» EXPRESS: Last time you played D.C. you were opening for Dream Theater. Were they ever an influence on Opeth?
» AKERFELDT: We started with death metal and moved on to a hybrid of everything else; there were never as into extreme music, so we come from completely different backgrounds. But they were very influential to me in the early days of this band. Basically, I was looking for a new and contemporary band playing something more intricate, and in the early days there weren't many of those bands around. I was mostly listening to older bands like Yes and Genesis and King Crimson and those types of bands, and once I discovered Dream Theater it was a bit of a revelation for me because they were mixing metal with influences from the '70s. So, it's fair to say they were a pretty big influence in the early days.
» EXPRESS: I've heard you say "Watershed" isn't a concept record, but had I never heard you say that, I would be convinced it is one.
» AKERFELDT: It has the flow of a concept record — and in a way it's not a concept record but in another way it is. They lyrics are about my own experiences this time around and how I've changed since I became a dad. It just changed me completely, like I got a new set of eyes. But it's not a fictional story like a generic concept record; it's not about a character. Before you become a dad, you never figure how it's going to change you, but it does; it's the same with everyone I talk to who has kids. This new chamber of emotions opens up that you didn't really know existed before — and all of the sudden you're sitting in front of the television crying because of the things going on in the world. [Laughs]
» EXPRESS: Some of the songs that mention children are quite dark. Is this you expressing fear for them?
» AKERFELDT: In a way they are, but some of those songs you're referring to — like "Hessian Peel" [and] "Hex Omega" — they were inspired by a [former] girlfriend who committed suicide while I was in the studio. ... She had a son who was the same age as my oldest daughter, so it was a pretty big source of inspiration to me to write about that; I ended up writing three songs.
» EXPRESS: Does her family know you wrote these songs about her?
» AKERFELDT: I never really talked about it, to be honest. I haven't mentioned it at all in interviews. We weren't in touch anymore. We were together for a couple of months, and I always kept track of what she was doing and that she became a mother. But when we were together, she always had really deep problems. I think she was on Lithium and she was very depressed; she was always like that. I always heard what was happening with her because my mother and her mother were friends — they worked at the same place. ... And there was never any good news, but when I heard she had her kid I was really happy about that and hoping that she'd pull together, if not for herself then for her kid. Next thing you know she was dead. She was a very complex person.
» EXPRESS: How much of "Watershed" was written while you were in the studio?
» AKERFELDT: We've done a few albums [2002's "Deliverance" and "Damnation"] where we basically just went into the studio with nothing and wrote everything in the studio. But it got to the point where it was a little bit too much work for me, and I became mentally and physically ill doing it that way. ... Those two albums almost killed off the band, to be honest, but luckily we had a few cool songs come out of it. ... I thought it was a very cool idea before we started on [two records at once], but afterward I was like, "Never again." ... So, for the last two albums [including 2005's "Ghost Reveries"], I did most of the writing in my house. ... Strangely enough, my idea for the next album is to do a Mastodon-type of project. A totally blown-out-of-proportion triple-album [laughs]. I dunno why. An epic album.
» EXPRESS: But you haven't started writing it yet?
» AKERFELDT: I'm one of those guys who can't really write on the road, and we've been on tour for a year now and we'll be touring until early next year and then we'll go on a break and I'll start writing. But I'm feeling the itch to write now. ... If I get an idea, I'll record it onto my cell phone, but generally I don't have the inspiration on tour. It's a completely uncreative way of life.
» EXPRESS: Finally, have you seen "Metalocalypse" yet and can you confirm that the character Toki Wartooth is based on you?
» AKERFELDT: I've seen it. I don't think he looks anything like me, but that's what a lot of bands are telling me. I didn't know the cartoon or the band or anything, then all the sudden I get this MySpace message from somebody called Toki Wartooth, and it looked like an official type of thing. But he was writing in a very weird language, like a cross between English and a Germanic language, but all switched around. And I kept thinking, "What the fuck's wrong with this guy?" I kept asking, "Who is this?" And he kept saying, "It's Toki! It's Toki!" So, I never knew who it was e-mailing me; he just pretended to be this character all the time. Eventually I asked him, "I hear you're me, basically." And that guy said, "Yes." I can't say for sure, but that's what the guy told me. I've seen it now; I got the DVD from a fan. But I don't think he looks like me; his mustache doesn't look like mine. ... I thought it was quite funny, though I haven't watched the whole thing. But if the guy is based on me, I'm quite honored.
Saturday, 16 May 2009
Mikael Åkerfeldt - Interview by Kate Heath (16 May 2009)
In the battle between the gods of heavy metal, Opeth’s frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt stands undefeated. After taking the once heavily-rooted death metal Scandinavian band on a musical journey that would rival the river Styx for bordering the lines between this world and the next with their transcendent sound, Opeth has hit shore once more with Watershed—arguably their most challenging work to date. Since the 2008 departures of drummer Martin Lopez and guitarist Peter Lindgren, Opeth has found a fit with Martin Axenrot and ex-Arch Enemy guitarist Fredrik Åkesson, respectively. Below, myMag had the privilege of speaking to Mikael Åkerfeldt about new beginnings and old ties…
It’s been pretty good. All the shows we have done so far, let’s see, eight shows so far, they’ve all been pretty good.
How have you liked touring with Enslaved?
Well, I’ve known about them. We were on the same label like one hundred years ago. I’ve always known about them and I’ve always liked their music. It felt like a good fit for this tour to have them with us. They’re good people.
Generally, when they finish their set they go to the local bar and have beers or whatever. When we’re finished, they’re too drunk to hang out with.
So what does your band usually do after the show then?
We don’t party that much. We generally take a shower and then go to the bus and have a beer. It’s not very happening, touring life. When you’re our age, you know…I’m 35-years-old and my party days are behind me. I just want to work.
Not maybe so much in a new direction, but they adapted really fast to our style. Their background is pretty far off from what we’ve been doing musically, so it was good to see them adapting so fast to our style. It really contributes to the songs. I wouldn’t say that they changed the musical direction that much. It was more like me trying to milk their capabilities. It just really worked.
The first show we did with Fredrik was weird - not to have Peter there of course, after 17 odd years or whatever. But it really didn’t take long until I felt like it is business as usual. I think we sound better now than we ever did.
I think I learned a little bit of everything. I learned a little bit about songwriting after having written music for nine albums. Like the actual recording process, I learned loads about that. Also touring life, it’s a little bit kind of shallow looking. You go on stage and have a couple of beers. That’s basically what you do. There’s a lot of things that I’m not particularly interested in, you know, on the business side. You’re pushed; you’re kind of forced into becoming interested in it. It’s a day’s work. You know, I’m doing this to support my family as well.
It’s one of those collaborations that has just worked for 10 years now. He really understands what I’m saying. We’re on the same wavelength. I give him some ideas of what I want and he kind of nails it. I get lots of offers from other art people. From what I’ve seen, he’s the best for us.
It’s the Led Zeppelin reference. It’s leftover from the demo recordings I did. I was working with the song in my home studio; I wanted something for that part. I sang that line “My sweet Satan” off the top of my head. I didn’t really think about it, then reversed it and voila! It’s like, that’s what I wanted. I figured that once we went into the studio to write everything for real, I’d just write a good lyric and we would use that instead. We tried a different one, but it didn’t sound good in reverse. It didn’t have the musical kind of ring that I wanted, so we used that one on the demo, which is an obvious reference to Led Zeppelin. It really was not like a nod to them or anything. It was just like that’s what came out. It might as well been like, “I’m driving my Volvo.” So it didn’t really matter what I said. When I hear it, when it comes out in reverse, that’s what matters.
(Laughs) Yeah, I should…
It depends really. I’ve worked in all sorts of different ways in the past. In many ways it comes down to the demo stages, like the early stages of writing a song and what type of equipment I’m using. Some of the recording stuff I’ve had in the past has been so f*cking shitty that it’s impossible for me to finish a song. So I end up with bits and pieces that I have to piece together in the end. For the last album I bought like a Pro Tools, which made it so much easier for me to start working on a song and finish for the day and continue the next day. While in the past, if I was going to continue what I worked on the day before, I had to work from scratch. Now it’s just easier for me, it was quicker too. Once I start writing, I’m very disciplined. The song kind of tends to write itself in a way, so I work fast. In the end it comes down to the help I have, what type of equipment I have. So for this last album I just started from the beginning of the song and built from there.
On tour, I tend to feel very lonely on tour. So I want to listen to stuff that reminds me of home.
You’re on your third tour in support of Watershed. How’s the road treating you so far?
It’s been pretty good. All the shows we have done so far, let’s see, eight shows so far, they’ve all been pretty good.
How have you liked touring with Enslaved?
Well, I’ve known about them. We were on the same label like one hundred years ago. I’ve always known about them and I’ve always liked their music. It felt like a good fit for this tour to have them with us. They’re good people.
Do you guys hang out after the show?
Generally, when they finish their set they go to the local bar and have beers or whatever. When we’re finished, they’re too drunk to hang out with.
So what does your band usually do after the show then?
We don’t party that much. We generally take a shower and then go to the bus and have a beer. It’s not very happening, touring life. When you’re our age, you know…I’m 35-years-old and my party days are behind me. I just want to work.
Watershed is the first studio album with Martin and Fredrik. Do you feel like their addition to the band has helped you push you in a new direction with Watershed?
Not maybe so much in a new direction, but they adapted really fast to our style. Their background is pretty far off from what we’ve been doing musically, so it was good to see them adapting so fast to our style. It really contributes to the songs. I wouldn’t say that they changed the musical direction that much. It was more like me trying to milk their capabilities. It just really worked.
How has it been to perform with them live?
The first show we did with Fredrik was weird - not to have Peter there of course, after 17 odd years or whatever. But it really didn’t take long until I felt like it is business as usual. I think we sound better now than we ever did.
Watershed is your ninth studio album. You guys have come a long way between different band members and different music explorations. What experiences over the band’s career do you feel like have shaped you the most?
I think I learned a little bit of everything. I learned a little bit about songwriting after having written music for nine albums. Like the actual recording process, I learned loads about that. Also touring life, it’s a little bit kind of shallow looking. You go on stage and have a couple of beers. That’s basically what you do. There’s a lot of things that I’m not particularly interested in, you know, on the business side. You’re pushed; you’re kind of forced into becoming interested in it. It’s a day’s work. You know, I’m doing this to support my family as well.
Like your other albums before, Travis Smith designed the cover art for Watershed. What is it about his work that speaks to you personally and helps communicate the feeling of your music?
It’s one of those collaborations that has just worked for 10 years now. He really understands what I’m saying. We’re on the same wavelength. I give him some ideas of what I want and he kind of nails it. I get lots of offers from other art people. From what I’ve seen, he’s the best for us.
The song "Hessian Peel" contains a backwards recorded verse - "My sweet Satan..."Were you paying homage to Led Zeppelin their verse in “Stairway To Heaven”?
It’s the Led Zeppelin reference. It’s leftover from the demo recordings I did. I was working with the song in my home studio; I wanted something for that part. I sang that line “My sweet Satan” off the top of my head. I didn’t really think about it, then reversed it and voila! It’s like, that’s what I wanted. I figured that once we went into the studio to write everything for real, I’d just write a good lyric and we would use that instead. We tried a different one, but it didn’t sound good in reverse. It didn’t have the musical kind of ring that I wanted, so we used that one on the demo, which is an obvious reference to Led Zeppelin. It really was not like a nod to them or anything. It was just like that’s what came out. It might as well been like, “I’m driving my Volvo.” So it didn’t really matter what I said. When I hear it, when it comes out in reverse, that’s what matters.
I think you should put “driving my Volvo” on the next album…
(Laughs) Yeah, I should…
When you’re writing a song, are there certain elements that you go in with that you know you want to shape the song around, or are these messages and references that are so key to your style something that you weave in later?
It depends really. I’ve worked in all sorts of different ways in the past. In many ways it comes down to the demo stages, like the early stages of writing a song and what type of equipment I’m using. Some of the recording stuff I’ve had in the past has been so f*cking shitty that it’s impossible for me to finish a song. So I end up with bits and pieces that I have to piece together in the end. For the last album I bought like a Pro Tools, which made it so much easier for me to start working on a song and finish for the day and continue the next day. While in the past, if I was going to continue what I worked on the day before, I had to work from scratch. Now it’s just easier for me, it was quicker too. Once I start writing, I’m very disciplined. The song kind of tends to write itself in a way, so I work fast. In the end it comes down to the help I have, what type of equipment I have. So for this last album I just started from the beginning of the song and built from there.
With such an eclectic music taste such as yours, I’d love to know some of the music you’ve listened to while out on tour.
On tour, I tend to feel very lonely on tour. So I want to listen to stuff that reminds me of home.
Monday, 5 January 2009
Martin Mendez - Interview by Richard G. (05 Jan 2009)
The triumphant victory ride through metal land just does not seem to end for the mighty Opeth. Ever since their international breakthrough in 2001 via the brilliant ‘Blackwater Park’ album, the star of these Swedish progmetal giants has been on the rise, culminating in their latest creative highlight earlier this year, ‘Watershed’. When the band visits our country at the end of November for a sold out show and when the opportunity arises to talk with bassist Martin Mendez, who is in the band longest apart from main man Akerfeldt, yours truly does not have to think long what to do. Filled with enthusiasm and a long list of questions (much too long for the allotted twenty minutes), I take place across a Mendez who has just woken up and who is far from sharp and talkative. With some effort I manage to distil the interview below from the sleepy brain of the bassist.
How is the tour going so far? What was the best show? For you personally, what makes a show a good show?
Good! We have had some good shows in the UK. And the London show was especially good. We played Shepherd Bush, the same venue that we recorded our first DVD Lamentations, so it was nice to see all those people again. And it was there that we used the big projection screens for the first time as well. Unfortunately we will not have them up tonight, since the stage is too small.
Ok, that’s too bad! So for you personally, what constitutes a good show?
I guess the most important thing is that we play well. I mean, we don’t do much onstage besides playing, so obviously that has to go well. We have never been the kind of band that goes running all over the stage. That requires a totally different vibe from what we are offering on stage, I think.
And how does it feel to have a legendary band like Cynic warming up the crowds for you guys? Have you seen them perform? How did you like it?
Yeah, that’s great! They are really cool guys. And all of us have of course been fans for a long time, so that’s cool. Every night I see bits and pieces of their show, but unfortunately not much.
For the people who have seen Opeth dozens of times already, are there any set list surprises on this tour? How many of the new tracks are you playing? Which of the new tracks do you enjoy performing live most?
Well, we are playing more or less the same songs, since we did not have much time to prepare for this tour. We have rehearsed enough material for two hours, but mostly we play for just an hour and a half. So we have to make some choices, as always. We are playing two songs off of the latest album ‘Watershed’: ‘The Lotus Eater’ and ‘Heir Apparent’.
Earlier this year you also toured with Dream Theater, how was that? Did you feel overwhelmed at any time by their skills? And did you pick up some new tricks from John Myung?
Yeah, that tour was a lot of fun. The Dream Theater guys were really cool guys, we did not meet that much, but they were alright. But no, we were not scared at all, hehe, it is a totally different style of music that they play, so that’s ok. With respect to Myung, it was really hard to get in touch with him. I just met him once during the entire tour, the rest of the time he was on his own or playing behind stage, I don’t know. So there was actually not that much contact, but they were really cool guys nevertheless.
I noticed that for the biggest part of 2008, no actually for the biggest part of probably each year, you guys are on the road, touring all over the place. What kind of strain does that put on your life? Is it harder for you now that you have become a family man this year?
Well you know, of course it is difficult. It is a really strange kind of life, but at the same time this is what we want to do. So we really want to enjoy the moment while it lasts. I knew that becoming a father would make it a bit harder, obviously I’m missing my son a lot, but at the end of the day it is worth it I guess. And at the end of the tours my family can usually join us, you know.
At the moment you are apart form Mikael the member who has been part of Opeth longest. Since the ‘My Arms Your Hearse’ album. Obviously the sound of the band has progressed and evolved quite a bit since then. How has your bass playing sound and style grown since then?
Well I guess it has obviously grown better; I have been learning a lot playing with Mikael all those years. It is hard to give an example of anything specific that I have learnt. I just feel that my skills have been improving over the years, but I do not know exactly what, where how and why.
Do you ever wonder how on earth Opeth managed to achieve the status it has, despite the experimental non-standard music that you play?
I don’t know, I guess it is just good music that we produce! People were probably getting tired of hearing the same kind of three-minute songs all of the time, so they start searching for something different. Which we have to offer for them.
Earlier this year you guys of course released your ninth studio album ‘Watershed’. Almost half a year later, how do you look back on the album? How do you feel about the material now?
Well, I don’t listen to it as much as I did before, but I am still very happy with the album. I think it is one of our best, by far. Everyone in the band is playing at the best level they have ever been playing, the compositions are better, the sound is better. Everything together is better!
You have done two videos for ‘Watershed’: ‘Burden’ and ‘Porcelain Heart’, which are two tracks that probably are the least metal. Why these two tracks? What do you think of the videos?
Yeah, they are the least metal tracks, but they are also the shortest songs. So that is the main reason. And we had to go out and edit any song we would do anyway, so these songs would have to be edited the least. If we were to take a long song, it was going to be a disaster. Of course there are still fans who are a bit angry because we edited the songs, but for us it is the only way to do it. If We want our video to be played, we have to do it like this. No one is going to play a ten minute video on television, so there would then be no point in doing it at all, actually.
And how important do you actually think that the medium of a video clip is for a band like Opeth?
It is not the most important aspect of the band at all. It is of course a good way to reach out to new people, but we have never been the video-type band.
For the biggest part of your career, you have played together with Martin Lopez. It’s been two and a half years since his departure. How do you look back on the period in Opeth without him? How is he doing by the way?
Well, in the first place, everybody is of course very happy with Axe (Martin Axenrot, the new drummer, RG). He is a different, but awesome drummer who is as good as Lopez was, I think. His drumming style is simply very different from Lopez’s. At the moment Lopez is actually doing really good, his health is a lot better.
According to you, how has the Opeth sound gained from the addition of Axenrot?
I think it is very difficult to explain it, but on the ‘Watershed’ album Axenrot has really shown that he is capable of playing a lot of different styles, and that’s just great. And his blast beats are, of course, a new element within the sound of the band which we did not have before.
In a few words, what is the best thing about playing together with Axenrot?
He is just really, really tight, but he still has a lot of groove while being tight, so that is excellent. People think he is a robot, so that probably says enough.
And about playing with Per Wiberg, Fredrik Akesson and finally Mikael Akerfeldt?
Per just really knows how to play keyboards in a metal band, you know. He is a really good musician and it really is an honour to play with him. Plus I really like the extra touch to Opeth’s sound that his playing has been giving ever since he was added. I think the older songs, from the albums before he was with us, now sound really better live. As for Fredrik, he is one of the best guitar players I have ever seen. He has good technique and can play really, really fast but at the same time he does it with good taste as well. There is still a lot of feeling in it as well, so he simply is the best! And Mikael, it has now been eleven years that I have been playing with him and it really is such an honour to play with such a great composer and guitarist. I am just happy to be playing with al of these guys, you know!
I saw that he sometimes teases you on stage with the fact that you cut your hair. I would like to end this interview with you giving the chance to say something nasty about him for a change.
Nah, I don’t really care about him doing that. And that’s also not the reason that I am growing my hair again, hehe. I just had to cut it back then, because I was tired of it and it had gotten really dirty from all the touring.
Ok, I see the RoadRunner lady giving me my signal, so thanks a lot for your time and to end this interview. Do you perhaps have any last words for our readers?
I would just like to thank everyone for their support. And especially the Dutch crowds, of course, because this was the first show in the tour that sold out! Thanks again and see you soon!
How is the tour going so far? What was the best show? For you personally, what makes a show a good show?
Good! We have had some good shows in the UK. And the London show was especially good. We played Shepherd Bush, the same venue that we recorded our first DVD Lamentations, so it was nice to see all those people again. And it was there that we used the big projection screens for the first time as well. Unfortunately we will not have them up tonight, since the stage is too small.
Ok, that’s too bad! So for you personally, what constitutes a good show?
I guess the most important thing is that we play well. I mean, we don’t do much onstage besides playing, so obviously that has to go well. We have never been the kind of band that goes running all over the stage. That requires a totally different vibe from what we are offering on stage, I think.
And how does it feel to have a legendary band like Cynic warming up the crowds for you guys? Have you seen them perform? How did you like it?
Yeah, that’s great! They are really cool guys. And all of us have of course been fans for a long time, so that’s cool. Every night I see bits and pieces of their show, but unfortunately not much.
For the people who have seen Opeth dozens of times already, are there any set list surprises on this tour? How many of the new tracks are you playing? Which of the new tracks do you enjoy performing live most?
Well, we are playing more or less the same songs, since we did not have much time to prepare for this tour. We have rehearsed enough material for two hours, but mostly we play for just an hour and a half. So we have to make some choices, as always. We are playing two songs off of the latest album ‘Watershed’: ‘The Lotus Eater’ and ‘Heir Apparent’.
Earlier this year you also toured with Dream Theater, how was that? Did you feel overwhelmed at any time by their skills? And did you pick up some new tricks from John Myung?
Yeah, that tour was a lot of fun. The Dream Theater guys were really cool guys, we did not meet that much, but they were alright. But no, we were not scared at all, hehe, it is a totally different style of music that they play, so that’s ok. With respect to Myung, it was really hard to get in touch with him. I just met him once during the entire tour, the rest of the time he was on his own or playing behind stage, I don’t know. So there was actually not that much contact, but they were really cool guys nevertheless.
I noticed that for the biggest part of 2008, no actually for the biggest part of probably each year, you guys are on the road, touring all over the place. What kind of strain does that put on your life? Is it harder for you now that you have become a family man this year?
Well you know, of course it is difficult. It is a really strange kind of life, but at the same time this is what we want to do. So we really want to enjoy the moment while it lasts. I knew that becoming a father would make it a bit harder, obviously I’m missing my son a lot, but at the end of the day it is worth it I guess. And at the end of the tours my family can usually join us, you know.
At the moment you are apart form Mikael the member who has been part of Opeth longest. Since the ‘My Arms Your Hearse’ album. Obviously the sound of the band has progressed and evolved quite a bit since then. How has your bass playing sound and style grown since then?
Well I guess it has obviously grown better; I have been learning a lot playing with Mikael all those years. It is hard to give an example of anything specific that I have learnt. I just feel that my skills have been improving over the years, but I do not know exactly what, where how and why.
Do you ever wonder how on earth Opeth managed to achieve the status it has, despite the experimental non-standard music that you play?
I don’t know, I guess it is just good music that we produce! People were probably getting tired of hearing the same kind of three-minute songs all of the time, so they start searching for something different. Which we have to offer for them.
Earlier this year you guys of course released your ninth studio album ‘Watershed’. Almost half a year later, how do you look back on the album? How do you feel about the material now?
Well, I don’t listen to it as much as I did before, but I am still very happy with the album. I think it is one of our best, by far. Everyone in the band is playing at the best level they have ever been playing, the compositions are better, the sound is better. Everything together is better!
You have done two videos for ‘Watershed’: ‘Burden’ and ‘Porcelain Heart’, which are two tracks that probably are the least metal. Why these two tracks? What do you think of the videos?
Yeah, they are the least metal tracks, but they are also the shortest songs. So that is the main reason. And we had to go out and edit any song we would do anyway, so these songs would have to be edited the least. If we were to take a long song, it was going to be a disaster. Of course there are still fans who are a bit angry because we edited the songs, but for us it is the only way to do it. If We want our video to be played, we have to do it like this. No one is going to play a ten minute video on television, so there would then be no point in doing it at all, actually.
And how important do you actually think that the medium of a video clip is for a band like Opeth?
It is not the most important aspect of the band at all. It is of course a good way to reach out to new people, but we have never been the video-type band.
For the biggest part of your career, you have played together with Martin Lopez. It’s been two and a half years since his departure. How do you look back on the period in Opeth without him? How is he doing by the way?
Well, in the first place, everybody is of course very happy with Axe (Martin Axenrot, the new drummer, RG). He is a different, but awesome drummer who is as good as Lopez was, I think. His drumming style is simply very different from Lopez’s. At the moment Lopez is actually doing really good, his health is a lot better.
According to you, how has the Opeth sound gained from the addition of Axenrot?
I think it is very difficult to explain it, but on the ‘Watershed’ album Axenrot has really shown that he is capable of playing a lot of different styles, and that’s just great. And his blast beats are, of course, a new element within the sound of the band which we did not have before.
In a few words, what is the best thing about playing together with Axenrot?
He is just really, really tight, but he still has a lot of groove while being tight, so that is excellent. People think he is a robot, so that probably says enough.
And about playing with Per Wiberg, Fredrik Akesson and finally Mikael Akerfeldt?
Per just really knows how to play keyboards in a metal band, you know. He is a really good musician and it really is an honour to play with him. Plus I really like the extra touch to Opeth’s sound that his playing has been giving ever since he was added. I think the older songs, from the albums before he was with us, now sound really better live. As for Fredrik, he is one of the best guitar players I have ever seen. He has good technique and can play really, really fast but at the same time he does it with good taste as well. There is still a lot of feeling in it as well, so he simply is the best! And Mikael, it has now been eleven years that I have been playing with him and it really is such an honour to play with such a great composer and guitarist. I am just happy to be playing with al of these guys, you know!
I saw that he sometimes teases you on stage with the fact that you cut your hair. I would like to end this interview with you giving the chance to say something nasty about him for a change.
Nah, I don’t really care about him doing that. And that’s also not the reason that I am growing my hair again, hehe. I just had to cut it back then, because I was tired of it and it had gotten really dirty from all the touring.
Ok, I see the RoadRunner lady giving me my signal, so thanks a lot for your time and to end this interview. Do you perhaps have any last words for our readers?
I would just like to thank everyone for their support. And especially the Dutch crowds, of course, because this was the first show in the tour that sold out! Thanks again and see you soon!
Thursday, 1 January 2009
Martin Mendez - Interview by Jeff/FreakyMarge (01 Jan 2009)
Marge : - Hello Martin ! We were at Hellfest and Milano this summer what did you do since that day?
Martin: Well we've been in a lot of festivals this summer and we've been in Australia, Japan and United States. We toured a lot…
Jeff: - How it's going on so far?
Really good!
Jeff: - And you met a lot of people I suppose…
Ho yeah a lot!
Marge: - When you started to record Watershed, what did you feel? What did you feel at the beginning of the recording?
Well the recordings are always stressful, this not the best part in a career I think. But this time we had time to rehearse and play the new songs. We had like a month between the recording to rehearse with the whole band and try different things and learn the songs. So this time it was more easy in some way to record this one.
Marge: - Did you have a precise image of the final product when you started it?
No not really… Well this one was more clear maybe because Mike makes demos before and we knew what to do before that we start the recording. We usually go to the studio when the songs are not finished but this time it was ready before so…
Marge: - During your whole career, what surprised you most and what didn't you expect?
Hoo it's hard to say! [laughs] But you know, we're just here and we play in front of a lot of people, that's probably the most surprising thing for me...
Marge: - And what represents the fact on being on stage for you?
Hoo that's the best part I think. Because on stage you forget everything else, you really enjoy being there. The rest is just pain in the ass… Well you know that's why we are here!
Marge: - And what do you think of the audience? Do you think that we all have something in common in all the countries?
Hum, that's pretty all the same everywhere and that's good thing I think! Maybe that it was stronger in some countries before, but now it's like heaven everywhere, that's good sign really.
Marge: - What is the biggest price you need to pay to be a musician?
Well the biggest price… Well we all have families you know, with children and that's probably the worst to be far away of them. You miss your family, your home and you don't have a lot of time with them…
Jeff: - Well Leo of Pain Of Salvation…
Ho yeah the drummer, I know him!
Jeff: - Well he told us the other day that it's not easy to live outside of his home country without old friends etc…
Hoo yeah this is not the best change... It's a different country, a different language a different culture it's not easy definitely... It takes time and you have to be strong. I was pretty close a lot of time to say "fuck this thing, I will come back to my country" but you know, you have to believe and love in what you do and with time it just comes. But Sweden is really different especially for someone like me who comes from South America...
Jeff: - Do you go there a lot?
Well something like 3 times a year... I try to go there as much as I can but it's a long trip...
Marge: - What do you think of the Metal scene nowadays? Do you feel close of some bands or far from most of them?
Well I met a lot of bands during touring and festivals and it's pretty cool! But for the music I'm not so interested by the new scene because I think that there are not so many good bands like in the past... But still, people are cool and try to do good music so it's cool...
Marge: - Give us the best qualities of the musicians of your band!
Hoo of our band? Well you know they're all good musicians and they love music. I think that many bands have lost "friendship" because of star system but we're not really like that. I really like these guys and their music and they're all becoming better and better. I'm really proud to play with these guys.
Jeff: - I think that Opeth is more and more Progressive if I can use this word to describe your music. Do you all wish to follow this way and something even more complex in the future?
Well I don't think that we see music in that way. We don't try to think about it, it's just like that. We don't want to be more extreme or Progressive we just want every time to do something different. And now that's sound good for us! We're not a band who wants to show something. But we try to be different yes.
Jeff: - Do you already have maybe some future songs in your mind?
No not really yet...
Jeff: - So you're just touring and focusing on that?
Yes absolutely. And we will see what will happen later.
Jeff: - And so, how does Mikael works? Can he write songs on tour too or just at home then?
Yes he just works at home. You know it's a kind of stressful life on tour. So it's not easy for him…
Jeff: - But what about you? Because we all know that he writes the songs but what about you? Don't you have ideas, riffs etc?
Well no, Mikael is the one who write the music and it does it alone. Of course when we rehearse we can all come with ideas but it comes to write the songs that's his business!
Jeff: - Wouldn't you write your own songs one day and have your own project?
Well why not of course! But about Mikael we all have a lot of respect toward him because he created the band. But you know Fred came with some melodies for Watershed… If one day I find something great I will bring it to the band of course but for now I'm just in the band and keep my place.
Jeff: - About your label, what are the differences to work with a giant like Roadrunner Records?
They're doing a good job with the promotion but that's the only thing they do. For other things we work with our manager. But it's a big and good label which does good work really so it helps a lot the band.
Jeff: - And I suppose that they help a lot to "conquer" the US market right?
Yeah true! And that's really good! Of course the label helps us there in some way. But we had the chance to be "strong" there since the first day that we came to play in USA. It seems that a lot of people there were interested by our music. The band has a good fanbase there since the beginning.
Jeff: - And so what are the differences now? You probably sell more CDs...
Yeah probably but about the label beside helping us to do good promotion, and it works because we're on a lot of printed magazines there, they don't do a lot of other things.
Marge: - When you play the new songs, do you feel something different than when you play the old ones?
Not really because if you wanna play old songs you have to rehearse and if you don't have time to do that it's always hard to play it. It's the same than with new songs. Now it's coming because we played them a lot but you have to work. Though the new stuff are hard to play because they're more technical but I think that when it becomes like a routine it just means that you get it and you don't feel shaky anymore!
Marge: - To finish, do you have a question that you would like us to ask you? Or maybe a question that you don't want to hear?
(It was really noisy and Martin didn't hear correctly the question)
What person I would like to hear? Michael Jackson!!! [laughs]
Marge: - No [laughs] Not a person but a question... But that's a good question too... [laughs]
Jeff: - With what artists would you want to play?
Marge: - Well probably Michael Jackson [laughs]
Yes! Michael Jackson is a perfect answer [laughs].
Marge: - But so, what about the question?
I don't know... maybe something about the symbolic of the music for me... but hey you did a good job anyway! [laughs].
Jeff & Marge: - Thx for your answers Martin and have fun tonight!
Thanks guys! It will be great for sure!
Martin: Well we've been in a lot of festivals this summer and we've been in Australia, Japan and United States. We toured a lot…
Jeff: - How it's going on so far?
Really good!
Jeff: - And you met a lot of people I suppose…
Ho yeah a lot!
Marge: - When you started to record Watershed, what did you feel? What did you feel at the beginning of the recording?
Well the recordings are always stressful, this not the best part in a career I think. But this time we had time to rehearse and play the new songs. We had like a month between the recording to rehearse with the whole band and try different things and learn the songs. So this time it was more easy in some way to record this one.
Marge: - Did you have a precise image of the final product when you started it?
No not really… Well this one was more clear maybe because Mike makes demos before and we knew what to do before that we start the recording. We usually go to the studio when the songs are not finished but this time it was ready before so…
Marge: - During your whole career, what surprised you most and what didn't you expect?
Hoo it's hard to say! [laughs] But you know, we're just here and we play in front of a lot of people, that's probably the most surprising thing for me...
Marge: - And what represents the fact on being on stage for you?
Hoo that's the best part I think. Because on stage you forget everything else, you really enjoy being there. The rest is just pain in the ass… Well you know that's why we are here!
Marge: - And what do you think of the audience? Do you think that we all have something in common in all the countries?
Hum, that's pretty all the same everywhere and that's good thing I think! Maybe that it was stronger in some countries before, but now it's like heaven everywhere, that's good sign really.
Marge: - What is the biggest price you need to pay to be a musician?
Well the biggest price… Well we all have families you know, with children and that's probably the worst to be far away of them. You miss your family, your home and you don't have a lot of time with them…
Jeff: - Well Leo of Pain Of Salvation…
Ho yeah the drummer, I know him!
Jeff: - Well he told us the other day that it's not easy to live outside of his home country without old friends etc…
Hoo yeah this is not the best change... It's a different country, a different language a different culture it's not easy definitely... It takes time and you have to be strong. I was pretty close a lot of time to say "fuck this thing, I will come back to my country" but you know, you have to believe and love in what you do and with time it just comes. But Sweden is really different especially for someone like me who comes from South America...
Jeff: - Do you go there a lot?
Well something like 3 times a year... I try to go there as much as I can but it's a long trip...
Marge: - What do you think of the Metal scene nowadays? Do you feel close of some bands or far from most of them?
Well I met a lot of bands during touring and festivals and it's pretty cool! But for the music I'm not so interested by the new scene because I think that there are not so many good bands like in the past... But still, people are cool and try to do good music so it's cool...
Marge: - Give us the best qualities of the musicians of your band!
Hoo of our band? Well you know they're all good musicians and they love music. I think that many bands have lost "friendship" because of star system but we're not really like that. I really like these guys and their music and they're all becoming better and better. I'm really proud to play with these guys.
Jeff: - I think that Opeth is more and more Progressive if I can use this word to describe your music. Do you all wish to follow this way and something even more complex in the future?
Well I don't think that we see music in that way. We don't try to think about it, it's just like that. We don't want to be more extreme or Progressive we just want every time to do something different. And now that's sound good for us! We're not a band who wants to show something. But we try to be different yes.
Jeff: - Do you already have maybe some future songs in your mind?
No not really yet...
Jeff: - So you're just touring and focusing on that?
Yes absolutely. And we will see what will happen later.
Jeff: - And so, how does Mikael works? Can he write songs on tour too or just at home then?
Yes he just works at home. You know it's a kind of stressful life on tour. So it's not easy for him…
Jeff: - But what about you? Because we all know that he writes the songs but what about you? Don't you have ideas, riffs etc?
Well no, Mikael is the one who write the music and it does it alone. Of course when we rehearse we can all come with ideas but it comes to write the songs that's his business!
Jeff: - Wouldn't you write your own songs one day and have your own project?
Well why not of course! But about Mikael we all have a lot of respect toward him because he created the band. But you know Fred came with some melodies for Watershed… If one day I find something great I will bring it to the band of course but for now I'm just in the band and keep my place.
Jeff: - About your label, what are the differences to work with a giant like Roadrunner Records?
They're doing a good job with the promotion but that's the only thing they do. For other things we work with our manager. But it's a big and good label which does good work really so it helps a lot the band.
Jeff: - And I suppose that they help a lot to "conquer" the US market right?
Yeah true! And that's really good! Of course the label helps us there in some way. But we had the chance to be "strong" there since the first day that we came to play in USA. It seems that a lot of people there were interested by our music. The band has a good fanbase there since the beginning.
Jeff: - And so what are the differences now? You probably sell more CDs...
Yeah probably but about the label beside helping us to do good promotion, and it works because we're on a lot of printed magazines there, they don't do a lot of other things.
Marge: - When you play the new songs, do you feel something different than when you play the old ones?
Not really because if you wanna play old songs you have to rehearse and if you don't have time to do that it's always hard to play it. It's the same than with new songs. Now it's coming because we played them a lot but you have to work. Though the new stuff are hard to play because they're more technical but I think that when it becomes like a routine it just means that you get it and you don't feel shaky anymore!
Marge: - To finish, do you have a question that you would like us to ask you? Or maybe a question that you don't want to hear?
(It was really noisy and Martin didn't hear correctly the question)
What person I would like to hear? Michael Jackson!!! [laughs]
Marge: - No [laughs] Not a person but a question... But that's a good question too... [laughs]
Jeff: - With what artists would you want to play?
Marge: - Well probably Michael Jackson [laughs]
Yes! Michael Jackson is a perfect answer [laughs].
Marge: - But so, what about the question?
I don't know... maybe something about the symbolic of the music for me... but hey you did a good job anyway! [laughs].
Jeff & Marge: - Thx for your answers Martin and have fun tonight!
Thanks guys! It will be great for sure!
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