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Interviews : Opeth (Fredrik Åkesson) – 13/11/09

By on November 16, 2009

imgOpeth1

As the onslaught of Swedes visiting Australia continues another heavyweight in the metal scene prepares to descend upon us. It only seems like yesterday that Opeth were scheduling their last Australian tour in promotion of their latest release Watershed, but alas they are back down under yet again. Whilst enjoying what is to be a short lived break before heading back out on the road, guitarist Fredrik Åkesson took the time to talk to Metal Obsession about the upcoming shows, video games and fatalities.

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Fredrik AkessonMetal Obsession: Opeth will be playing some shows in Australia later this month, can you tell us what made you decide to return so soon after your last shows promoting Watershed.
Fredrik Åkesson: The demand has been huge, very big, so this is the last round of the Watershed tour and we played three tours in America so why not play two tours in Australia, because we have a big following in Australia, so I think the fans want it so they got it. One other big thing is that we really like to play in Australia, the worst thing is the travelling, quite a long flight back home.

MO: What is it you like most about touring Australia?
FA: Nice weather and the crowds are usually very good.

MO: It was announced that Contrive were specially selected as the support act for the Australian leg of your tour, can you tell us a bit about how you came to this decision?
FA: They’re fans of us and have been for a long time and they play good metal music, we figured why not.

MO: So you were already fans of the band itself?
FA: Yeah, actually I haven’t heard them that much so I am more excited about hearing them. They’re really good, but I heard some stuff and I really liked it.

MO: Have you heard any Australian metal bands recently that have taken your interest?
FA: Yeah AC/DC.

MO: I mean more local acts that aren’t quite so high profile, do you try to check out any bands while you are touring?
FA: I try to, but usually we don’t have so much time as it’s only maybe one or two shows and I try to check out a few songs but I can’t think of anything on the top of my mind right now.

MO: What are your favourite Opeth songs to play live and are there any that you don’t play that you would like to?
FA: Yeah we haven’t played Blackwater Park for a while and I like to play that song, but now I think it’s really fun to play a track called The Leper Affinity, that’s fun. Another is Harlequin Forest from Ghost Reveries, its fun, but we try to change and vary the set list from tour to tour.

MO: Do you find you receive a better response from the older material opposed to the newer or vice versa?
FA: I think the new songs come across really good live, they don’t come across less popular than the older songs, so that’s really fun. Now on this tour we have started playing Hex Omega from Watershed and it’s good for the bigger shows, it’s a bit doomy at the end.

MO: What kind of a set list can fans expect?
FA: Well now we get to play a longer set so we are going to change up the set list quite a lot and play some songs we have never played in Australia before.

MO: How was it coming into an already established band? How has the transition been?
FA: It’s been going really good I would say, now I have been with them about 2 and a half years now and we’ve been like a really solid unit but it’s been going pretty smooth. Off course I wasn’t used to doing as much interviews because there has been a lot of interest, I came from a similar situation before when I was with Arch Enemy, but I got to join the band before we recorded Watershed and the tour and after that I have been more part of the band. But you know I always had to practice a lot on the Opeth style, I was a big fan of the band before then.

MO: Do you feel that you have brought anything new to the band since coming aboard?
FA: I hope so, the guys think so and that’s great. I mainly focus and do what I think is best for the songs for the other guys and try to keep it within that frame. Opeth

MO: I read that some of the guys were involved in a car crash mid October, you weren’t on the bus though were you?
FA: No me and Mikael and Axe all went back home for a couple of days but the other guys and the crew guys were. There was the shock as the bus got broken but there was this guy, he was on the freeway in like a small car and this guy was gunning on the lane in the opposite direction and purposely flew in front of the bus and died. So it was a shock when we got back, everyone was shocked.

MO: Playing in a very active band such as Opeth do you still have time to explore other side projects?
FA: Not that much cause we have been very busy, but I try to record a lot of stuff back home but the only other side project now is Krux, the doom metal band I have, but Opeth is the main priority, absolutely.

MO: How long do you think you will continue to play in bands etc?
FA: I mean look at Ronny James Dio, you know he is still doing it, as long as I can I will do it.

MO: So no plans to stop anytime soon?
FA: Absolutely not.

MO: Do you take your wife and son on the road with you?
FA: Sometimes, its difficult because my wife has work and my son has school you know.

MO: Will they be coming down to Australia?
FA: I tried to this time actually but we have shows a few days after in Greece, so it doesn’t work out with the schedule. It was actually the initial plan to go down to Australia and have a vacation with family but then the shows in Greece came up unfortunately. That’s what is good about travelling with a band, its good to try and vacation at the same time.

MO: The Lotus Eater is set to feature on the new PSP Saints Row game, are you a fan of video games?

FA: Yeah absolutely, I try to play but don’t have much time, I just play the Grand Theft Autos and I want to buy this new game, Call Of Duty, it’s a really great game.

MO: I remember when first hearing Porcelain Heart from Watershed I thought it had a lot of classic Opeth sounding riffs etc and was surprised to see you had co-wrote that song with Mikael, do you think you will have more opportunities to write for the next album or will Mikael continue to do the majority of the writing?
FA: He will probably do most of it but I worked with him on a few ideas, but I already have a couple of things planned that he already likes. I guess it all comes down to when he’s written his songs and what kind of direction he wants to take for the next album.

opet_fred

MO: Any ideas so far for the next album?
FA: Well we want to do a really dark album and we will see where the music takes us I guess. It is going to happen hopefully when the shows are done and Mikael is back home and can be focused. But I have a small set up at home so I try to record as much as possible.

MO: Do you know when you will be getting back into the studio?
FA: We are going to hopefully at the end of next year. But maybe November or something, its not confirmed yet but I guess it depends on how the writing process goes along.

MO: Can you tell us a bit about that process?
FA: Mikael demoed the songs at his house, so then drums, keyboard parts and then bass and I came over and put some guitar solos down and other small stuff you know and we also worked on some other ideas that would end up on the album. But then the album was very well demoed so everybody knew their parts so then we rehearsed for maybe 3 weeks I think, for 4 or 5 days a week, then entered the studio and everybody knew the songs very good and all the album was sequenced so that it should be the right order and the recording went down really smooth actually.

MO: Do you have an interest in any particular styles of music that would be surprising to your fans or is it strictly metal?
FA: Well I listen to some other stuff but I am a metal head of course, but I try to listen to some other stuff, 70’s stuff. In Australia we talk about Tommy Emmanuel because he is awesome. But I try to get into some other stuff that’s not metal.

MO: Just to keep a fairly eclectic taste in music?
FA: Yeah absolutely, and it’s also fun to play with the guys from Opeth cause everybody has really interesting musical tastes and they listen to a lot of music. I mean with Mikael his collection of records, vinyl collection, is amazing, so he introduced me to some stuff like Camel and stuff like that.

MO: That pretty much concludes the interview, any last words?
FA: Well we are really excited to come back to Australia and we are really looking forward to it so hopefully the fans will be happy with the set list.

MO: Thanks for the taking the time to talk to us and we’ll see you at the shows when you come back out.
FA: My pleasure, thank you very much, take care.

Band: Opeth
Date: 13/11/09
Origin: Sweden
www.opeth.com
www.myspace.com/opeth

Interviewer: Holly McBride
Interviewee: Fredrik Akesson (Guitar)

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OPETH AUSTRALIAN TOUR w/ Contrive

Nov 22nd – The Tivoli, Brisbane, 18+
www.ticketek.com.au

Nov 23rd – Enmore Theatre, Sydney, 18+
www.ticketek.com.au

Nov 25th – Palace, Melbourne, 18+
www.ticketek.com.au

www.opeth.com
www.myspace.com/opeth
www.contrive.com.au
www.myspace.com/contriveaustralia


As the onslaught of Swedes visiting Australia continues another heavyweight in the metal scene prepares to descend upon us. It only seems like yesterday that Opeth were scheduling their last Australian tour in promotion of their latest release Watershed, but alas they are back down under yet again. Whilst enjoying what is to be a short lived break before heading back out on the road, guitarist Fredrik Akesson took the time to talk to Metal Obsession about the upcoming shows, video games and fatalities.

Opeth will be playing some shows in Australia later this month, can you tell us what made you decide to return so soon after your last shows promoting Watershed.

The demand has been huge, very big, so this is the last round of the Watershed tour and we played three tours in America so why not play two tours in Australia, because we have a big following in Australia, so I think the fans want it so they got it. One other big thing is that we really like to play in Australia, the worst thing is the travelling, quite a long flight back home.

What is it you like most about touring Australia?

Nice weather and the crowds are usually very good.

It was announced that Contrive were specially selected as the support act for the Australian leg of your tour, can you tell us a bit about how you came to this decision?

They’re fans of us and have been for a long time and they play good metal music, we figured why not.

So you were already fans of the band itself?

Yeah, actually I haven’t heard them that much so I am more excited about hearing them. They’re really good, but I heard some stuff and I really liked it.

Have you heard any Australian metal bands recently that have taken your interest?

Yeah AC/DC.

I mean more local acts that aren’t quite so high profile, do you try to check out any bands while you are touring?

I try to, but usually we don’t have so much time as it’s only maybe one or two shows and I try to check out a few songs but I can’t think of anything on the top of my mind right now.

What are your favourite Opeth songs to play live and are there any that you don’t play that you would like to?

Yeah we haven’t played Blackwater Park for a while and I like to play that song, but now I think it’s really fun to play a track called The Leper Affinity, that’s fun. Another is Harlequin Forest from Ghost Reveries, its fun, but we try to change and vary the set list from tour to tour.

Do you find you receive a better response from the older material opposed to the newer or vice versa?

I think the new songs come across really good live, they don’t come across less popular than the older songs, so that’s really fun. Now on this tour we have started playing Hex Omega from Watershed and it’s good for the bigger shows, it’s a bit doomy at the end.

What kind of a set list can fans expect?

Well now we get to play a longer set so we are going to change up the set list quite a lot and play some songs we have never played in Australia before.

How was it coming into an already established band? How has the transition been?

It’s been going really good I would say, now I have been with them about 2 and a half years now and we’ve been like a really solid unit but it’s been going pretty smooth. Off course I wasn’t used to doing as much interviews because there has been a lot of interest, I came from a similar situation before when I was with Arch Enemy, but I got to join the band before we recorded Watershed and the tour and after that I have been more part of the band. But you know I always had to practice a lot on the Opeth style, I was a big fan of the band before then.

Do you feel that you have brought anything new to the band since coming aboard?

I hope so, the guys think so and that’s great. I mainly focus and do what I think is best for the songs for the other guys and try to keep it within that frame.

I read that some of the guys were involved in a car crash mid October, you weren’t on the bus though were you?

No me and Mikael and Axe all went back home for a couple of days but the other guys and the crew guys were. There was the shock as the bus got broken but there was this guy, he was on the freeway in like a small car and this guy was gunning on the lane in the opposite direction and purposely flew in front of the bus and died. So it was a shock when we got back, everyone was shocked.

Playing in a very active band such as Opeth do you still have time to explore other side projects?

Not that much cause we have been very busy, but I try to record a lot of stuff back home but the only other side project now is Krux, the doom metal band I have, but Opeth is the main priority, absolutely.

How long do you think you will continue to play in bands etc?

I mean look at Ronny James Dio, you know he is still doing it, as long as I can I will do it.

So no plans to stop anytime soon?

Absolutely not.

Do you take your wife and son on the road with you?

Sometimes, its difficult because my wife has work and my son has school you know.

Will they be coming down to Australia?

I tried to this time actually but we have shows a few days after in Greece, so it doesn’t work out with the schedule. It was actually the initial plan to go down to Australia and have a vacation with family but then the shows in Greece came up unfortunately. That’s what is good about travelling with a band, its good to try and vacation at the same time.

The Lotus Eater is set to feature on the new PSP Saints Row game, are you a fan of video games?

Yeah absolutely, I try to play but don’t have much time, I just play the Grand Theft Autos and I want to buy this new game, Call Of Duty, it’s a really great game.

I remember when first hearing Porcelain Heart from Watershed I thought it had a lot of classic Opeth sounding riffs etc and was surprised to see you had co-wrote that song with Mikael, do you think you will have more opportunities to write for the next album or will Mikael continue to do the majority of the writing?

He will probably do most of it but I worked with him on a few ideas, but I already have a couple of things planned that he already likes. I guess it all comes down to when he’s written his songs and what kind of direction he wants to take for the next album.

Any ideas so far for the next album?

Well we want to do a really dark album and we will see where the music takes us I guess. It is going to happen hopefully when the shows are done and Mikael is back home and can be focused. But I have a small set up at home so I try to record as much as possible.

Do you know when you will be getting back into the studio?

We are going to hopefully at the end of next year. But maybe November or something, its not confirmed yet but I guess it depends on how the writing process goes along.

Can you tell us a bit about that process?

Mikael demoed the songs at his house, so then drums, keyboard parts and then bass and I came over and put some guitar solos down and other small stuff you know and we also worked on some other ideas that would end up on the album. But then the album was very well demoed so everybody knew their parts so then we rehearsed for maybe 3 weeks I think, for 4 or 5 days a week, then entered the studio and everybody knew the songs very good and all the album was sequenced so that it should be the right order and the recording went down really smooth actually.

Do you have an interest in any particular styles of music that would be surprising to your fans or is it strictly metal?

Well I listen to some other stuff but I am a metal head of course, but I try to listen to some other stuff, 70’s stuff. In Australia we talk about Tommy Emmanuel because he is awesome. But I try to get into some other stuff that’s not metal.

Just to keep a fairly eclectic taste in music?

Yeah absolutely, and it’s also fun to play with the guys from Opeth cause everybody has really interesting musical tastes and they listen to a lot of music. I mean with Mikael his collection of records, vinyl collection, is amazing, so he introduced me to some stuff like Camel and stuff like that.

That pretty much concludes the interview, any last words?

Well we are really excited to come back to Australia and we are really looking forward to it so hopefully the fans will be happy with the set list.

Thanks for the taking the time to talk to us and we’ll see you at the shows when you come back out.

My pleasure, thank you very much, take care.

Å