Mikael Ã…kerfeldt – Opeth

Every time there’s a change in the lineup, do you find yourself starting from scratch or do you just pick up from where you left off?

In a way you do start from scratch, especially if you change members like we did. We had Peter [Lindgren, former guitarist] in the band from the beginning, pretty much. And obviously, when he left that was a big blow to me personally, but not so much on a musical level. That didn’t require us to stop and rethink and say, “What the fuck do we do now? How can we replace him?” It was just a matter of Fredrik learning the songs and that was never a problem. Musically, a member leaving never set us back – on a creative level – to be honest. And I don’t want to put anyone down, but, it’s been like, we always got that guy replaced with a guy who fits the band better.

But does it happen that someone’s quit the band and you’re thinking, “I don’t know where the music will go from here?”
Yeah, I never know. We’re in a situation now where literally no one in the band can leave; no one is allowed to leave [laughs]. If they were to come and tell me, “Look I’m leaving,” I’d be like “No, no you can’t.” But member changes happen for a reason. At least that’s been the case with our band. It’s not like one day they wake up and leave. It’s been a long time coming for Peter and [Martin] Lopez [former drummer].

But that doesn’t set me back really, because I’m a musician regardless. I can’t halt my own interest in music because some guy I’m playing with, all of a sudden doesn’t want to play together with us anymore. If that affects my whole view of what I want to do with my life, my perception of music and our music and stuff then I’m just like, “you’re on your own now.”

I’m sorry, I don’t like lineup changes; I hate them to be honest, because it requires adjustments, there’s a lot of questions from fans, all of a sudden we suck because that guy is not in the band and I’m like, “What can I do?” But it’s not like it’s not the same band anymore. The band is the same, the music remains intact, it’s just who’s playing it that’s changed. I just want people to listen to the music and stop thinking about who the fuck is playing it. I like to think Opeth as being, in a way, bigger than its members, because we’ve had so many members [come and go]. As far as I’m concerned all the lineup changes have only affected the band positively and never in a negative sense. But I also understand the fans’ point of view because with my favourite bands, someone leaves and I’m like, “I don’t like that new guy, they suck now.” And it’s all like in the eyes of the beholder, you know.

A lot of the older fans complain that the brutality has all but gone out of Opeth. Does Mikael now give his all to Bloodbath [side project]? Has the brutality moved to Bloodbath? Is Opeth just going to be more and more progressive?

[Laughs] Well, I’m pretty sure we’re going to remain somewhat of a progressive band but Bloodbath, I don’t waste much energy on that because I don’t write for them. I just sing. With Opeth, I don’t want to push it. I always have – because I’m a metalhead at heart – and I always want to come out with heavy, brutal albums because it’s cool, if you know what I mean. But I’m also a musician and I’ve come to realise that I can’t push myself or force myself into one musical direction because it simply doesn’t work. It’s going to come out half-assed, you know, if I just made a heavy record for the sake of having a new brutal record because we’re a metal band. But I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t make anyone happy. It has to be honest and once it’s time for a really really heavy record again, then we’ll have a record. But with that said, I think there’re parts of this album that’s heavier than anything else I’ve written. ”˜Heir Apparent,’ some parts of ”˜Lotus Eater,’ and parts of ”˜Hessain Peel’ is as heavy as Deliverance.

There are also all these heavy metal fans who say Opeth is not really all that heavy because they mix growling vocals with clean ones and that’s just not as brutal as a lot of other bands”¦

Well, for me, some of the most brutal music I know is not heavy metal. Musically, it’s like an attack on your senses. In most cases, I find the bands on the contemporary metal scene are all either brutal or just really fast and it’s all so bloodless. There’s no real purpose behind it and for me, I’ve been listening to heavy metal all my life and I don’t get impressed by heaviness anymore. I listen to stuff and think, “Wow, that’s heavy,” and two minutes later, “wow, it’s still heavy,” but is it something else? I guess what I’m trying to say, without sounding like an asshole, is that we go for a slightly more profound sound than just being heavy. I think we could probably do a record like that but like I said, it has to be a natural thing, otherwise it’d just suck.

Opeth has a fairly large fan base in India. Any India plans on the horizon?

I’m pretty sure there’s a strong scene everywhere in the world. We would love to come. I can’t confirm that we’ll be coming for sure, but we are definitely talking about it. And actually, we could have confirmed a gig but that would have been on Dec 23, so we couldn’t do it. But it has been pushed forward but we’re talking about it now. So I guess you can expect to see us there in the near future.

So when you get on stage in front of all these screaming fans, what exactly is going through your head as you go into a song?

Hopefully, nothing. If I start thinking I will fuck up. Sometimes I do think, “Okay, this is the next change,” but I have to get those thoughts out of my mind because, it’s going to really put you off. You can’t think like “What the fuck is the next lyric, I can’t remember it now, what is it?” I will forget it, but if I just play with an empty head and just have a good time, I think better. And sing better. And I remember the lyrics and it looks cool too [smiles]. Sometimes you’re thinking of something that happens in the crowd. We’ve had things thrown at us and I get really really angry and I can’t stop thinking about the coward who did it. Well I won’t beat around the bush if that happens, I’d just walk off. If they’re throwing stuff at me I’m not going play anymore. Fuck that. I want to beat that guy to death [evil laugh].

You toured extensively for your previous album, Ghost Reveries. Will you be touring for Watershed as extensively?

We’re gigging all of this year and the next year so I guess we’re going to end around Christmas-time, 2009. That’s more than a year and a half on the road.

Your family doesn’t mind?

Yeah, they mind, but I work for my freedom. We work and when we’re done we have a year, a year and a half off with no work so I can be with my kids all that time.

Do you find your priorities have changed, now that you’re a parent?

Not really, not so much. My priorities changed, oddly enough, when I had my kids, and I wanted to be at home more, but, on the contrary, I’m away more because I’m the supporter of my family. I’m working for my family. I love playing shows, I really love it, but I wouldn’t do it if I couldn’t support my family doing that. Not as much anyway. Because now that’s my main priority – I want my kids to have a good life. I’d want to be a musician regardless, but if it didn’t support my family I couldn’t do it.

So do your daughters, Melinda and Mirjam, have an opinion on your music?

Well they do actually. Melinda is four and Mirjam will be one in October so she’s too young for it but Melinda likes Opeth, Kiss, Twisted Sister and Pippi Longstocking, those are her idols. Oh and she likes a band called The Poodles that were in the Eurovision song contest and she said that The Poodles are better than Opeth.