Like a rose with poison-tipped thorns, Opeth combines striking beauty with sinister danger in a manner that is compelling, hypnotic, and threatening at the same time. Complex songwriting techniques cascade through every passage in a procession of uninterrupted songwriting brilliance, allowing for a mixture of heaviness and melody to permeate Opeth’s music that provides for a truly mind-expanding extreme metal experience. Opeth’s latest album, My Arms, Your Hearse, is a concept album in the fine tradition of King Diamond and Edge of Sanity’s Crimson, a compelling ghost story put to the highly technical musical machinations that have allowed Opeth to cut for itself a very unique niche. The music is a complex tapestry of blistering guitar riffs and death vocals that are strategically lined next to tender acoustic interludes and passionately clean vocals. Opeth is regarded in my book as one of the most satisfying bands in extreme metal, and My Arms, Your Hearse is an outstanding album that continues to garner a disproportionately large amount of playing time in my stereo since its release in late summer 1998. Below is an interview with Mikael Akerfeldt, the confident and highly-talented guitarist and vocalist of Opeth. How would you describe Opeth's progression over the years? In what ways do you feel that My Arms, Your Hearse differs from your past albums? First up, we have practically a new band, [with the addition of] two new members. Also, we recorded at Fredman instead of at Unisound. I reckon that these facts are reflected somewhat on the album, which is our most aggressive work yet. I was shattered when Anders left the band, but now I feel that weīve moved on to greater things. My Arms, Your Hearse really seems to bring Opeth full circle, using the progressive song structures from your last album, but without sacrificing the power of the riffs, which have grown much heavier and more brutal - would you agree with this? What factors led to these changes? I donīt know, really. The material I wrote just ended up this way. I knew a lot of people wanted a second Morningrise, but that was not what we wanted at all. I want Opeth to be an unpredictable band, but still no fucking assholes turning commericial. I think MAYH was an album that had to be made in order for us and our fans to understand what we are capable of. It broadened our style even more. I guess weīre looking for the perfect combination of mellow stuff and heavy fucking duty metal riffing. I canīt say if this is THE album, but it sure as hell got me thinking. As the lyrics were written first, followed by the music, can it be assumed that the increasing heaviness of the music is a reflection of the lyrical themes? Do you think that Opeth will continue in this direction in the future? Iīve written the larger part of the next album, and I know that weīll have some furiously aggressive stuff, yes, but I also reckon that the next album will have our most mellow parts yet. The music wonīt be based on the lyrics this time, although I have started working on them too. Itīs going to be another concept actually. What does the title, My Arms, Your Hearse, symbolize in relation to the concept behind the album? The album is somewhat of a ghost story with music. Itīs about the death of things, trying to affect people from the other side, and even trying to bring the living with you. Hence the title, which wasnīt really my idea. I found it on a record by an old folk band called Comus. The entire line was "As I carry you to your grave, my arms your hearse", and that pretty much sums up the meaning of the album. Unfortunately, my promo copy of your CD came without lyrics, although I understand that My Arms, Your Hearse was written as a concept album - can you give some details on the story behind this album? How does it progress over the course of nine songs? Itīs a tale of death, almost a requiem. I came up with a story of a young man dying too soon, being stuck in this world as a ghost. Trying to grasp and hold on to his earthly habitat, without much success Iīm afraid. I basically had a simple story that I altered into my style of writing which is anything but simple. I donīt like obvious things, I actually prefer the listener to judge for himself [or herself]. Maybe Iīve done a line that means horseshit to me, while it could mean life or death to another. What are some of the difficulties with writing a concept album? Were there any concept albums released by other bands that Opeth found particularly useful in referencing when writing the music for this album? Iīve had the idea for a long time, basically since the Abigail album by King Diamond came out which was when I started playing myself. I reckon [that] a concept album will demand your attention more that an ordinary album [would]. The hard task is to have the music describing the moods. But, this is everyday stuff for a band like us, since thatīs the only thing we do. This way, we do it the way itīs meant to be, at least for Opeth. How has Opeth's songwriting evolved since your beginnings in 1990? I canīt compare Opeth 1990 to Opeth 1999, it is such a major difference. I wrote the material then as well, but I wasnīt the open-minded person I am today. I was into black metal like Bathory and Mefisto, and wanted evil music only. When I was turned on to progressive music my views changed drastically. Then we found our own style. I think we started writing music for Orchid in 1991, and back then everyone was doing either death metal or no metal at all. We were honestly one of the first "harmony lead" bands. We did a show with At The Gates, just after theyīd done the Gardens of Grief promo tape. They were the first really melodic death metal band, and of course they made a great impact on me, [as] did Therion at that time. I guess Opeth came from that, taking the best of every style. How has response been to My Arms, Your Hearse so far? Have you noticed any difference between the response of the industry, and the response of the fans? Itīs our most successful album so far in every way. Itīs been on Top 10 lists for 1998 [all over the place], and I reckon the sales surprised many people as well. We are getting some respect for what we do. Even the big magazines like Kerrang and Metal Hammer are treating us with some respect and not their ordinary ways. You once commented that Opeth has been a bit of an underrated band - with recent accolades from both fanzines and mainstream metal magazines, how does it feel to have your work finally being acknowledged? When writing your next album, will you feel any pressure to outdo what has been accomplished with My Arms, Your Hearse? We are still an underrated band! I donīt mind too much. I canīt expect everyone to like us, but it bugs me that the music is not the first [priority] any more. It has become too much image if you ask me. I know that our supporters donīt care about that. They like us because of our music and nothing else. That means a lot to us. With the next album I donīt feel any pressure at all, as I already know we have a worthy follow-up. You see, Iīve already done most of the material, and itīs going to be a magnificent record. What would you say is the driving force that inspires you to continually stretch in new directions? In what way has your appreciation for diverse forms of music like 70s progressive rock affected Opeth's sound? It has helped broaden our musical views a lot. And we have never once stopped and thought about what weīre actually doing. We donīt care about trends, we have been around with death, black, speed, harmonic, power - all kinds of metal - and it hasnīt left a trace on us that wasnīt there when we started. We were laughed at, people couldnīt understand that I wore flairs and listened to other music than death metal. A couple of years later, the 70īs revival came rolling [along]. Now it has turned into some 80īs revival which is disgusting. I donīt like this power-metal boom at all as the music is mostly shite. After all, it has been done before - whatīs so special about it? Could we go over your past releases, and you identify your thoughts or memories on them? a) Orchid - Debut album, debut recording. Only fond memories! b) Morningrise - We were stressed and the band was cracking at the seams. Still, we managed to make a great album. c) My Arms, Your Hearse - Nervous and excited. There was a point when I didnīt want to do this album, but now Iīm glad we did! I understand that you are already preparing to enter the studio in 1999 to begin recording your new album - what is the new material sounding like? Do you have any song titles that you could provide? Itīs going to be our most complex work...also, we plan to fill the entire CD with music, 74 minutes. So far, the material has turned out to be very strange and weird. It will be a very melodic album with a very, very dark, sick and twisted undertone. It will be a very mellow album at times, with merely silent touches upon the strings and skins. It will be aggressive in the very sense of the word. It will be an Opeth record by all means. Some [song] titles: "Face of Melinda," "Serenity Painted Death," and "The Willow Tree." Do you listen to your own music? If so, what sort of reaction do you get from it, as somebody that participated in its creation? Of course I do! I am not a member while Iīm listening, I am just a fan that absolutely adores Opeth. Mostly I listen with great pleasure, but other times I get a feeling of disgust and have to turn it off immediately. I donīt know why. Is your songwriting a reflection of your personality, or a release for your dark emotions? It has to be a reflection of me, I couldnīt see it any other way. Iīm being carried away while Iīm writing. It means so much to me. Iīve got to make it right - there is no time for mistakes or confusion. And I am very vulnerable about it - I take no crap, no advice, no nothing. I started this thing [Opeth], and I’m sure as hell gonna end it as well! In what ways do you feel that Opeth challenges the stereotypes associated with today's extreme metal scene? We are everything the other bands are not. We are 100% honest, we wonīt fool you. We donīt hide behind make-up. We are not cool or trendy. Basically, I think we just enjoy to play music like the way it was meant to be. Our image is our music, the music is like us. Twisted, fucked-up and nice! How do you feel about genre categories and labels applied to music (such as death, black, thrash, power, progressive, etc.)? Do you feel that they force music to be perceived in a certain way and unnecessarily categorize both the bands and the fans, or do you feel that they are a necessary evil? I see [that] itīs best for both us and our fans that we have the "metal" tag. Whether itīs death, black or whatever, [it] doesnīt matter. But since we are a metal band at heart, I reckon our albums has to be found in that selection. I think labeling is impossible when it comes to Opeth, but if I had to chose, Iīd say progressive metal, because itīs most accurate. Is there any aspect of Opeth's sound or lyrics that tends to get overlooked or misinterpreted? Everything really apart from my screaming voice. Most people seem to like that. What would you say has been the most exciting point in your musical career, to date? Recording of Orchid. European tour with Cradle of Filth, or now when we are about to sign with Peaceville. At the end of the day, what would you hope that a heavy metal fan would get out of an Opeth album? What I get when I listen to Sad Wings of Destiny by Priest. Itīs from 1976 and it still pisses on everything. I want our albums to be timeless, you know. What do you see in the future for Opeth and heavy metal in general? I donīt care much about the genre itself as I reckon most of the good bands today are non-metal bands. For Opeth I hope that weīll go out on tour soon, and also that the fourth album will be the mindblower that Iīve been boasting about in this interview.

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