Opeth's latest studio album, Heritage, is a major departure for the band, leaving behind the death growls and savagely heavy riffing that have been among their sonic trademarks for most of their career, in favor of a more complex, rhythmically supple and progressive sound. This has left many fans somewhat surprised and confused.
Musicians do a lot of interviews, and frequently answer the same questions over and over again for each magazine or website they speak to. This can change a lot, though, when the artist is talking to a fellow musician.
Opeth's two guitarists, Mikael Åkerfeldt and Fredrik Åkesson, were interviewed by Premier Guitar's Chris Kies at Experience PRS in Stevensville, Maryland on September 24. They took part in an onstage Q&A with audience members, and Mikael let a young boy come up and play his guitar; this interview, during which the two men describe their custom Paul Reed Smith guitars and the pedals they use on tour in detail, took place afterward.
Our friends at Roadrunner UK recently shot a two-part interview with Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt and Fredrik Åkesson in the label's London offices. The two men discussed the recording of the band's latest CD, Heritage, in detail; in this clip, they talk about the presence of special guest musicians like percussionist Alex Acuna and flute player Bjorn J:son Lindh, among other things.
Opeth's latest studio album, Heritage, is a major departure for the band, leaving behind the death growls and savagely heavy riffing that have been among their sonic trademarks for most of their career, in favor of a more complex, rhythmically supple and progressive sound. This has left many fans somewhat surprised and confused.
MetalInjection.net has posted a gallery of photos from Opeth's recent two-night stand at Webster Hall (check out our own photos here, and watch a video of Opeth soundchecking prior to the first night's show here). Their entire gallery of nearly 50 shots is at this link. Opeth are currently on the road supporting their latest album, Heritage; visit our tour page to find a show near you!.
Opeth are from Sweden, but they tour all over the world, which means they frequently have to handle band business - whether negotiating with promoters or talking to fans - in a language not their own. In a spirit of cross-cultural cooperation, guitarist Fredrik Åkesson recently sat down with us to translate some useful phrases, covering situations many touring bands encounter, into Swedish, for the next time foreign acts come through his homeland.
GuitarWorld.com has posted a major interview with Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt, in which he discusses the change in the band's sound on their brand-new CD Heritage, the other bandmembers' contributions to the music, and much more. Regarding the progressive, sometimes even jazzy sound on Heritage, Åkerfeldt says, "The initial idea was actually to do a modern-sounding... almost like a continuation of Watershed.
Opeth were recently in New York to play two shows at Webster Hall, in support of their new album Heritage. (We've got photos from the second night here, and video of their soundcheck on the first day here.) Also on the first night - Wednesday, September 21 - guitarist Fredrik Åkesson gave an interview to myMag, which has been split into two parts and can be seen below.
Welcome,
