Interview with Mikael Akerfeldt. This transcript was the source material for an article that was published in Unrestrained #16. Blackwater Park is Opeth's fifth album, and it carries on in a similar vein as its predecessor, the amazing Still Life. Opeth's melancholic brand of progressive death metal is adorned with gorgeous acoustic passages, twisted lyrics, and some of the most amazing vocal harmonies in the biz. With the assistance of Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, who assisted with the production, vocals, and instrumentation for Blackwater Park, the album has emerged as yet another jewel in the band's crown. Tate: One thing that I have always appreciated about Opeth is how every album offers change and progression, yet the core sound remains intact. On Blackwater Park, in terms of the songwriting and musicianship, what are some of the flavours that are new to this album, or that have been brought to the forefront? Mikael: I think that the fact that we worked with Steven Wilson - he produced the voice and the guitars - kind of gave us some new opportunities to work with the production side more effectively. We never worked a lot with sound in the past, but for this album we worked very very much with effects on the voice and the guitars, and that really made a difference. We could do stuff with Steven that we would never think of ourselves. So I think that the production side is one of the things that has really improved with this album. We have been producing the last couple of albums ourselves, and we don't really know much about it apart from that we just want to come up with some really good songs. Now we have the good songs, but we also have a very interesting production as well. Tate: How would you say that the production on this one differs from the production on past albums? Mikael: We've never really been that interested in working with different sound effects, because we don't know the technical side and it's too much work. If you ask ordinary producers, it's like, "it can't be done," and everything seems to always be big problems, you know. But working with Steven, everything could be done. We just basically told him what we wanted, and he fixed it. He came up with several good ideas himself, and we came up with some very very weird sounds for the voice and the guitars this time, and that's never really been done before by us. Tate: Beyond the production, Steven Wilson was also involved with voice and piano, correct? Mikael: Yes, and he also did a guitar solo. Tate: What songs was Steven involved in, and what dynamic do you think that he added to those songs? Mikael: Well, we're all huge Porcupine Tree fans, so just to have his voice on the album is a big thing for us. He has a very clean voice, and it's somewhat similar to my voice but also very different. We had a little duet on song number two, "Bleak," which really created a cool feeling. We never really had any guests on an album before. And also he did some harmony for the vocals. He sung harmony vocals with me. And it added some kind of extra element which we never had before, because I have always done all of the harmony vocals myself in the past. And piano, well I can't play the piano very well and he's like...he's such a musical guy, he can basically play all of the instruments there are, you know. And we just asked him to play some piano on a couple of tracks, and it sounded very cool. He's such a musical guy, it's unbelievable. We worked a lot with him. He sang the harmonies for the voice on a couple of the songs and some piano and the guitar solo - obviously you can instantly tell that it is him playing - well, I can anyway, because I know exactly how he sounds. Tate: Do you think that you will probably collaborate more with him in the future? Mikael: Yes, I hope so. We have been talking about it. Maybe if he comes in and does an entire production for the next album. But it depends - it is all a matter of costs and time, if he has the time for it. But I really hope so. We're going to do something together I hope as well - maybe write music for some kind of project or something. Tate: I understand that you will be playing a gig with Porcupine Tree in the near future? Mikael: That's true, we're going to play here in Sweden. It's gonna be cool. It's not as much as Opeth gig as it is a Porcupine Tree gig. They're gonna be on tour, so that's there only Swedish gig. So it's going to be a big thing for me to see them live, and it's an honor for us to play with them. It's going to cross some boundaries as well. We've got many Porcupine Tree fans that have started checking out Opeth, and I hope that many of our fans have started checking out Porcupine Tree as well. Tate: What would you describe as the perfect setting for listening to Blackwater Park? Mikael: Well, it's not a party album, you know. I think that all of our albums should be enjoyed, if I may use that word, in privacy. I think that a lot of our fans hold our music as very personal, if you know what I mean. So I think just to listen while you're alone and really concentrate on the music and not watch television as the same time. That's the way that I prefer to listen to it, anyway. Tate: What kind of feeling or response would you hope that the music of Opeth creates in its audience? Mikael: I don't know, but I hope that people can tell that we are 100% honest with everything that we do. Our music is basically written for ourselves. We don't write for anybody else other than ourselves, and the reaction that we get from fans, and if people think that it is good music, then that's a good side-effect of that. But we really write for ourselves, and I really hope that people can hear that, because that in a way makes the music very honest. We could pretty much still settle for being an unsigned band, because we enjoy just playing together and making music. It's something special for us, and I hope that people can hear that. Tate: When you were writing and recording Blackwater Park, did you have a mental image of how the album as a whole would flow, or did you record the songs first and then concern yourself with arranging them on the album later? Mikael: I had no idea how it would sound. I only had the basic song structures done before we went into the studio, so we kind of left a lot of space to experiment with each of the tracks, and we made up the tracklisting when we mastered the album, so we had basically no idea how it would sound and how the songs would go along with each other. So it was pretty interesting to listen to the entire album when we had mastered it, and that was basically the first time that we knew what we had. Tate: How would you describe the flow of the album? Mikael: I think it has a natural flow. Each song has it's place on the album - they're kind of set up on the album in the perfect way. I think a song like 'Bleak,' that just is a number two song. And 'Blackwater Park' - that is the last track. It just feels complete. So I think that the flow is great. Tate: How would you describe the studio vibe while recording? Mikael: Pretty much laid back, we're very lazy. We sit and drink coffee and smoke lots of cigarrettes for hours and just talk. After a couple of hours, we might suggest that we should start working. So it's very much a relaxed atmosphere. Stress free. And we kind of need that, because if you are going to experiment in the studio, you cannot just go in and put it down, you have to get some inspiration, and it's pretty hard to know when you can expect to get that inspiration - it kind of comes from nowhere. All of a sudden, you feel like, 'yah, should we give it a go and try and record something?' And everybody's, 'yah, why not?' So it's very relaxed. Tate: You said that while recording this album, there was a lot of room for improvisation - what would you say were some of the passages where you improvised in the studio and you were blown away with what you came out with? Mikael: Well, it's not the improvisation in that we recorded things that we didn't know what it would be like. The improvisation on this album was that we pretty much ended up using the first things that we came up with. We always try it out before we recorded. With solos, that is something that you improvise - you can improvise and maybe it sounds good, maybe it sounds bad. But it takes a couple of takes until you nail it. It's not that improvised in the studio, really. It's more a very spontaneous record. It's not that we just played and didn't know what it would sound like. We always have a couple of takes, and we often have to rethink a lot of stuff. But we wanted to keep it spontaneous. Tate: What are some of the songs from Blackwater Park that you are particularly excited about? Mikael: I think all of them have got some new stuff that we haven't done before. But I guess that the "Drapery Falls" and "Blackwater Park" are different. All of them are, if compare them with other albums. But most siginificant is "Blackwater Park," because that is a riff orgy! It's a very nice track to play, and it's super-heavy - I think that it's one of the heaviest tracks that we have ever recorded. "Drapery Falls" is just such a wide song, it has so many different kind of influences in there. Also, I am very satisfied with the production side of that song: what we did with the vocals, the vocal harmonies and stuff like that. And also, especially the beginning of "Dirge For November," it's something that we never done before - it's almost like a singer-songwriter start to that song, and we've never really done that. It's stripped down, it's completely dry, with just acoustic guitar and vocals, and it's something that we have never done before. I always tend to hide somewhat behind effects, but for that track we wanted to keep it in the face of the listener or in the ear of the listener. Tate: I understand that you do nearly all of the songwriting yourself, right? Mikael: Yes, that's true. From Still Life through Blackwater Park, I have been writing basically 100% of the material. Tate: How do you feel that having all of the songs created by a single person has affected Opeth's music? Mikael: Well, it's hard to say. I have always been the main songwriter in the band, since the first record. I think it might be...since I write the music, people may think that it's more my music than the music of a band, but I think that what creates Opeth is what we do in the studio, when we record. I think each and every member of the band has their own personal playing style, and that kind of brings up the level of the songs. The fact that I write the music is nothing special, really. I think that most bands have a main songwriter and in Opeth it's me. It's nothing strange really. Tate: So once you get into the studio there is a lot of room for collaboration? Mikael: Yes, that's it. And none of the other guys in the band complain about that, because obviously they are happy with what I come up with. And they understand what I do, and they feel that they can contribute with their playing. If we would have four songwriters in the band, it would probably be a big mess. Somebody has to be in charge, and in Opeth it happens to be me. Tate: Does the creative process come easily for you, or is it usually something that you have to wrestle with? Mikael: It's different from time to time. I work better if I have some pressure on me. I usually like, a month before we are supposed to be in the studio, that's when I put all of the bits and pieces together. I write arrangements and riffs here and there over a long period of time, but it's not until maybe one or two months before we are supposed to record that I actually put the pieces together. So it depends on the situation. I can only write when I feel like it. I play guitar almost every day, so once in a while I come up with a riff, and I try to memorize it, or do something with it. Tate: The songs that you create tend to be very dark. Would you say that that is an expression of your personality, or is it more your dark side coming out through the music? Mikael: I think that comes out more in the lyrics than the music. Music-wise, I just kind of dig dynamics, and everything that is out of the ordinary. I don't enjoy a simple g chord with some happy singing over it. It has to be somewhat dramatic. But lyrically, especially for this last album, it's more the dark subconscious that contributes to the lyrics. But musically, it's just the style that I prefer. I've never been into happy stuff. I totally despise Blink-42 or whatever it's called, or Green Day. It's like child's play music, and it's not for me. I think that happy music has no soul. Tate: What do you think of some of the metal bands that have attempted to go in a happier direction? Mikael: Well...happy riffs can be good and catchy, but it doesn't evoke the kind of feelings that I look for. I get more feelings from listening to dark, evil, or melancholy music. Happy music just makes me...it kinda passes by without you taking notice. You can spot a catchy riff, of course, but that's as far as it goes. It's not something that is going to change your life. Tate: While Blackwater Park does not seem to be a concept album in the way that your last two albums were, there are some themes running through the music, the lyrics, and the cover - what would you identify as some of the main concepts running through the album? Mikael: I always tend to write about death, because that is my favorite subject and it is so wide. You can write so many different things about it. This time there are some songs which deal with the subject, but also stuff that is kind of strange for being me. I've never kept it really personal before. This is the first time that the lyrics have come out really personal. And that kind of ended up being almost sick and twisted. I found myself lately being more secluded from society, and people in general. I have found myself despising people. I don't like...I have so many suspicions about people, I think that they always have bad intentions. And so often I am proved to be right. My intuition is sharp, very sharp - or I like to think that it is, anyway. I can spot a junkie or a problem-maker from miles away. And I always end up getting in contact with them. It's like I'm a magnet for junkies and for psychos. After a long time of being exposed to strange and idiot people, you get these kinds of feelings inside. And in a way I was lucky to have these feelings, because I was supposed to write lyrics and all of that came out. When I read them afterwards, of course I always spice them up a little bit, to make it more twisted. But when I read it afterwards, even though it was so twisted and sick at times, I could still totally relate to it. And that felt pretty strange, because I'm a very social guy and I'm mostly in a happy state and not hard to get along with, but it's just something that I have got inside. And I think that many people have got it inside - everything that I have talked to and explained this, it's like, 'yes, I have the same feeling.' And it's strange, but after a while, when you get exposed to strange things and strange people, you start to develop some kind of defense inside. And it just keeps me secluded from everything. I don't answer the phones anymore, I don't open the door, I avoid people. Tate: How would you describe the differences between Opeth on record, and Opeth in a live environment? Mikael: Well, live is just like, the energy...it's very hard to explain, but everybody that has been to a metal gig knows that there is some kind of energy that you cannot put your finger on. We still try and perform all of the songs as accurate as we can, and try to remake some of stuff that we recorded on the albums. But I think that the most important part of the live gig is the energy and the connection between the audience and the band. And I think that for us, especially as we have not played that much during the last couple of years, every time that we walk on stage, especially in Milwaukee, there is a tremendous response from the crowd and everybody is so excited. So the fact that we never played much live in the past has made good things for us, because now the anticipation is so high that we always pull of a great gig, and not in terms of us playing perfectly, but it's just that the energy is perfect. Tate: What are some of the difficulties with translating your music from studio to stage? Mikael: Well, it's some obvious things like we sometimes have, like, fifteen overdubs of the guitars, which you can't recreate it live. We try to play everything the people hear on the album. Like if we have a strong melody line with the guitar and the vocals, that is what you are going to hear live. But some of the parts in the background, obviously we can't play them live. And we don't want to cheat and have some tape recorders or Cds playing stuff, or a keyboard player. It's just going to be the four of us trying to recreate the songs as good as we can. So far nobody has really complained. Everybody, especially for the last couple of gigs that we have done, is so into the event itself, that you almost think that they can't hear what you are playing, they are just so happy to see you. We could have played 'Victim of Changes' of Judas Priest, and they probably would have thought that it was a great Opeth track. So I think that we are in a good position right now, and I hope that we don't screw up. Tate: What is the weirdest show that you have played, or the strangest touring experience that you have had? Mikael: Well, we haven't toured that much, we have only done one European tour, and it was weird every day because we were out with Cradle of Filth. But the Milwaukee Metalfest was pretty weird as well. We didn't bring any instruments or anything, and they said that they would fix everything that they wanted before the gig. But like an hour before, nothing of the things that we requested was there, so we had to ask our support band - I think it was Grey Skies Fallen - we had to ask them if we could borrow their stuff. And we got a couple of old stratocasters to play. I was pretty used to it because I have a stratocaster at home, but Peter wasn't used to it. So it was equipment that we didn't really know how it worked. But it's always like that. If you have very bad conditions, that's always where you pull of the best gigs. But if you have everything settled out for you, that's when you fuck up. Tate: You get too comfortable, I guess. Mikael: Yes! I don't know why! We did a gig in Germany, a festival, and everything was cool. We had a nice luxurious hotel room and we had beer and we had everything, and all of our gear was there as well. Great stage, great sound, but we just couldn't play - we played like fucking shit. Maybe it's best for us to have a really, really bad time on the road, so maybe we can pull of a few decent gigs. Tate: How would you describe the band's stage persona? Mikael: We try to put on a show, we do as good as we can....I think that many people mistake us for being roadies or something, because we always put together our gear ourselves, and wave to the audience, so a lot of people think that we are roadies and we just start playing and it's just the four of us - it's no theatrical shows or bombs or naked women or blood or pig heads or anything, just the four of us playing the songs - and that's all that it takes. And that's what people want to see, I think. They don't want to see some long intro with some coffins or us coming out with snakes around or something - it's just going to be the four of us doing our thing. Tate: Could you talk about the reissues of your albums - what do you think of the final package? Mikael: I didn't like it - it looks like shit, I think. It's sad, it's like a testament to our history and it looks like shit, you know. We got this offer from Candlelight because they wanted to put out these albums for whatever reason - and by whatever reason I mean money reasons, because they wanted to make a little bit more money. And we do make money as well, so for us it's not a bad thing in a way...but I feel bad for the fans because if you are a diehard Opeth fan you obviously want to go out and get these reissues because of some of the pictures which have never been published before and the bonus tracks, but for the money of a CD today, I don't think that it's really worth it. It's for the new fans, basically, because the old original albums have been deleted, so these reissues are what's going to be there. So if a fan discovers us with Blackwater Park and he's going to go back and buy the old albums, he is going to get the reissues. But the whole idea of reissuing an album after four years or less, it doesn't make sense to me. I think it's cool when Black Sabbath reissue CDs of their stuff with lyrics and stuff, because those lyrics are twenty years old - but after four years and putting out reissues? I don't know. It's not a ripoff business because people can still decide whether they want it or not Tate: It's a money grab though. Mikael: Yes, it is. I shouldn't complain, because I will get some money from it, but it's not me. I've never been about sucking money out of the fans. So my advice is not to go out and buy it. But if you don't have the first albums, that's what you're going to get anyways, so then it's cool. But for those that have been with us from the beginning, and already have them, it doesn't make sense to go out and buy the reissue for some shitty rehearsal from '92. Tate: How close are the members of Opeth outside of the musical environment? Do you spend much time together when not writing / recording / rehearsing / playing live? Do you hang out often? Mikael: Well, not that often. We try to keep apart when we're not touring or recording. When we are in the studio, we kind of live...It's almost like you ask your bandmates to bend over, you know. So we just try and keep apart when we're not doing things with the band. But occasionally we meet, it's usually...me and Peter hang out, we have parties together. We kinda meet up. And the two Martins, they live pretty far away from here so it's not that often...but we talk on the phone, they call me up every now and then asking for news, and stuff like that. So we still keep in contact, it's not like we hate each other - there's no Richie Blackmore / Ian Gillan stuff...yet. Tate: Do you listen to your own CDs often? Mikael: Yes, sometimes I do. Every time I light up a cigarrette, I feel like listening to Opeth, I don't know why. I listen to Blackwater Park occasionally. The old albums I don't listen to that much any more. But Blackwater Park, it's the most recent album and you still enjoy listening to it. But it's not...if you compare...have you heard of a band from Finland called H.I.M.? Tate: I don't think so [okay, okay, this interview was done quite a while ago!!] Mikael: They're getting pretty big in Europe. They did a cover of "Wicked Game" from Chris Isaac, they're kind of like this goth metal band, just to mention this story about listening to your own music. Me and Jonas from Katatonia, we were in London and we stayed at this hotel, and we got the room next to this band, H.I.M. And we could hear through the wall that they were cranking their own album, singing along at the top of their voices, all of them - and that's not very humble I think (laughs). But you have to respect them for being fans of their own music, I guess, but that's not as far as I would go. Tate: Do you tend to be your own worst critic? Mikael: No, I mean people think that we're perfectionists or something, but we're not - we're sloppy. We don't...when I do a take, playing rhythm guitars, if I do mistake, I always check if somebody else noticed - if they didn't, I don't say anything. And I think it's the case with all of us in the band, but nobody knows about it, because nobody mentions it, because you don't want to do another take, you just want to go back to your coffee and your cigarrette. Tate: You want me to print that? Mikael: (laughs) Why not! But I'm not critical. The only thing that I want to be perfect is the overall feeling of the record. And so far, I think that we have achieved that with each record. They are perfect for what they are, and the feeling is perfect because that is what we want to achieve. But playing-wise, there is loads of mistakes in there. Tate: You've also lent your voice to a lot of other projects over the years, the most recent to a Soilwork track... Mikael: Yes, people are asking me a lot about that. But it's in one song, just a couple of lines, and you can barely hear it because there are so many other voices there. But I did sing a little bit on the album, but you can barely tell that it's me. Tate: Have you known them for a long time? Mikael: No, no. Fredman Studios, it has two mixing rooms now, so they can have two bands in there at the same time. So they were recording their new album in there at the same time as us, so we didn't know each other before, but they were really really nice guys. We got along very well, we had a very good time. Went out bowling and got pissed together. Really cool guys. And they are really good players as well - both bowling and guitars. Tate: Now you are also good friends with and have lent your voice to Katatonia as well. Any memories from that? Mikael: It's a long time ago. Brave Murder Day, that was done a couple years ago. I don't remember much from the actual recording, I just went down to the studio one night and did the vocals, and they liked it and it sounded cool so they asked me to do it for their miniCD, The Sounds of Decay, so I did that as well. But, they're my best friends, so if they need help of course I am going to help them. Tate: I got the impression from an interview that I read that you and Jonas have been through similar situations at similar times.... Mikael: Yes, I didn't have anywhere to live a couple of years ago. I ended up living at his place, he's got a little one room apartment and I slept on the couch for a couple of months. We just met poverty together and we had our share of hard times. I know Jonas, he's my best friend in the world, so we talk every day and meet up several times a week. It's me and him having been through some poor times, nothing special - we're getting use to it now. I think that every musician that's in a band and concentrating solely on the music is going to end up being super-poor sometimes. I'm still poor, but I've gotten used to it. There is some kind of magic feeling about being poor. I almost like it. You get some good memories in a way. I remember that I didn't have any food, my freezer was completely empty. After I stayed with Jonas, I got this little apartment, but I didn't have any money for food. I asked Jonas, 'do you have any food? Can I come over and eat?' And he was like, 'yah, I've got some chocolate powder.' (Laughs) But sometimes it went to extremes. We didn't have any food and we had some serious debts. I had to borrow money from my parents and stuff. But it's just a way of life. Tate: What goals do you hope to accomplish with Blackwater Park? Mikael: I think that the album in itself is a goal. We don't think in terms of goals, like I'm going to be a special guest at the Oscars. We just want to have a good time and play the music that we love, and that in itself is a goal, I think. Obviously, it would be cool to have a limousine outside waiting twenty-four hours a day, but it's not going to happen. So I'm just happy to be able to make music, make some money, buy some food occasionally, and have a good time.

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