Exclusive: OPETH In-Studio, New Line-Up Photos Available; "It’s Not So Catchy And It’s Not Very Commercial Sounding" Says Mikael Åkerfeldt About New Record
January 30, 2008, 16 years ago
BW&BK; is able to preview a pair of exclusive in-studio photos and a shot of OPETH's new line-up that features Mikael Åkerfeldt (vocals, guitar), Fredrik Åkesson (guitar), Martin Mendez (bass), Martin "Axe" Axenrot (drums) and Per Wiberg (keyboards, mellotron) - click here to view the BW&BK; Gallery.
In other news, BW&BK; scribe Dom Lawson spoke to Opeth leader Mikael Åkerfeldt for an in-depth studio report that will appear in BW&BK;'s first issue of 2008 - #109, out in late February.
An excerpt from the chat follows:
BW&BK;: What exactly does the new Opeth record sound like? Will it be as diverse and extravagant as Ghost Reveries, as mellow and graceful as Damnation or as skull-mincingly heavy as My Arms Your Hearse?
“All I wanted was for it to sound fucking exciting,” states Akerfeldt. “I think that if you listen to the album now, listening in real time, you’ll reach the middle of the album and you can almost hear us moving, changing, going somewhere, but I don’t know exactly where! Usually I use words like ‘really progressive’ and so on, but this time I don’t really know what to say. It’s very extreme in parts and it’s extreme in both directions. It’s not so catchy and it’s not very commercial sounding.”BW&BK;: Although it will be many weeks before most of us get a chance to listen to the new Opeth album in its entirety, Akerfeldt has been eager to play his latest song to those who know him best. Thus far, it seems that reactions could not have been any better.
“The people I’ve played it to have been blown away,” he says. “I played it to Anders and Jonas from KATATONIA, and some label people have heard it, and some friends and my wife. The people that would dare to say so if it was shit! Anders called me up after he heard a version of the master and he said that it was the best album we’ve done. That’s all I need to hear. The fans will obviously be divided but I can’t be bothered about that. That doesn’t really matter. Worrying about that doesn’t change anything.”Recorded at Fascination Street, in Orebro, just south of Stockholm, the titled-but-we’re-not-telling-you-yet new album features seven new Akerfeldt compositions and was produced in collaboration with studio owner Jens Bogren. The first Opeth album to feature the talents of both drummer Martin ‘Axe’ Axenrod and guitarist Fredrik Akesson (ex-Arch Enemy), it’s an album that Mikael Akerfeldt considers to be crucial in the band’s ongoing evolution.
(Photos by Jesper Thorsson)
