Opeth proud of experimental sound

Opeth’s Fredrik Akesson says it’s ‘cool’ that the band were able to change their sound as not many groups are able to do the same.

He joined the band in 2008 during the writing process of Watershed which featured Mikael Akerfeldt’s screaming vocals. And he says while he was happy to play their old style of music, he’s proud of the way their sound has evolved.

He tells Guided By Metal: “I got to do the death metal thing before the change. But when we took that decision to change it up a bit on Heritage, it took me a while to get used to. But I think it was a cool thing that we did that, because it’s kind of bold.

“Not many bands can experiment as much as we do, and we’re a bit fortunate in that way.”

And Akesson responds to those who have criticised their decision to change their sound.

He continues: “Maybe some people think we’ve turned our backs to the more extreme metal, but we haven’t, because if you go see us live, it’s a big part of the Opeth sound.

“There’s still nine albums with those elements in it. So the set list we’re playing now is quite brutal – and Mikael’s ‘death’ voice is even more evil now.”

He adds: “So we like to play it. It’s not about that. It’s just about the creative side. Mikael, who is the main writer, wants to do something different. He hates the idea of repeating himself.

“I think he took the extreme metal thing to what he thought was a peak for a while and then he needed to do something different.”

Opeth have announced they’ll play 2005 album Ghost Reveries in its entirety at a one-off gig at the London Palladium on October 18.

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.