TheGauntlet.com recently spoke with OPETH mainman Mikael Åkerfeldt, in which they discuss the band's latest live release The Roundhouse Tapes, the departure of band members, the album the band is currently working on, who will produce the upcoming album, what bands he is (or isn't) impressed with at the moment, and much more. An excerpt follows:

TheGauntlet.com: The Roundhouse Tapes contain a lot of old material. With the departure of two members of the band, was the release of this live CD a way to close the door and open a new one with the new lineup?

Mikael: "Peter is still on that one, but it is his last release with Opeth. As for Axe obviously he'd been with us for a while now and I think it was good to show the fans who haven't yet seen us live that he can play the older songs great as well. That release definitely feels like the end of an era in a way, but I don't see it as a negative thing really. We are as strong or stronger now than we've ever been."

TheGauntlet.com: When Martin Lopez 'officially' left the band in May, were you surprised?

Mikael: "Both yes and no. He'd been feeling bad for a while and had dropped off a full US tour plus cancelled a few previous gigs as well, so it was really for the best that he left. He was not fit to play in a touring band like ourselves at that point. However, I think he's a fantastic drummer, but his health really made it impossible for us to function properly. Now we don't have any problems whatsoever. I never wanted him to leave, I have been meaning to keep the band intact since

we started but it's just been impossible as people change, views change. All I want is that everyone is into the stuff we're doing and that they're ready to work. There's a big difference between being a musician and a touring musician. It's certainly not a lifestyle that anyone could cope with. Everyone in the band is into what we do and have realized that we're a touring band with the fucking world as our platform."

TheGauntlet.com: The album the band is currently working on will be the bands first without two key members, both Peter and Martin. Is it refreshing or a hindrance working with 'new blood?'

Mikael: "Yes it is. There's a reason why Lopez and Peter were in the band in the first place, and that is because we clicked on a musical level. But that is no lifelong guarantee. Especially since myself and Lopez worked great together, almost on a telepathic level, but Axe and I have a great working relationship building up between me as a songwriter and him as a drummer. He's got a natural talent that can grow in this band and he's enjoying every moment, and so am I. He's just amazing! Fredrik (Åkesson) and myself have been jamming quite a lot and he's also a fantastic musician, definitely much more of an exact type of player than myself, but I think he's learned from me also."

Head to this location to read the interview in its entirety.