Report: Fredrik Akesson Revels In Playing With OPETH
June 4, 2008, 16 years ago
CourierMail.com's Jason Nahrung reports:
On the phone from New York City, Fredrik Akesson sounds like a happy man.
And why wouldn't he be, kicking back with his first beer after playing before thousands of fans at the Terminal 5 club as the new guitarist for top Swedish metal band, OPETH. And he's coming to Australia.
Akesson, from Stockholm, picked up his first guitar at age 12 thanks to the influence of AC/DC and KISS.
"For Those About To Rock was my first album. And then I saw MICHAEL SCHENKER and I thought, you can do that with a guitar? And I enjoyed the new wave of British metal – JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, DIO, OZZY – and I also enjoy the aggressive music, PANTERA and MORBID ANGEL. And also the more mellow guitar players, like Mark Knopfler and David Gilmour."It probably shouldn't surprise, then, that the guitarist who has also played with TALISMAN and ARCH ENEMY has found a natural fit in Opeth.
The band, formed in 1990 and driven by Mikael Akerfeldt, are renowned for their versatile musicianship, mixing genres and utilising acoustic breaks to undermine the metal formula.
"It was amazing to get the phone call from Mikael," says Akesson, who joined in May last year, in time to contribute to the band's ninth album, Watershed."I was a huge fan of Opeth. While I played in Arch Enemy, I never played on a record, so I feel a part of Opeth. It was exciting and challenging, learning the old songs.
"Challenging is good because it leads to development. I feel it has broadened my guitar playing.
"Opeth is a band I could grow old in."
Read the full report at The Courier-Mail.
