Mikael Akerfeldt: Yes, we’re doing the Dream Theater tour around the time the album is coming out. We’ve been talking to Mike Portnoy about doing a tour with Dream Theater for a long time. I think it’s going to be awesome. We’ll get at least an hour, which was one of our demands. We’re going to come back and headline on our own, maybe several times, then we’ll be back to playing for two hours.
Has Fredrik played live with the band yet?
Just one show. We had been touring for more than two years and we were off the road. We wanted to do this one gig because it was a festival that was close by in Finland and we wanted to show off the new guy.
Now that you guys are older and have wives and kids, is it more difficult to break away and tour for months at a time?
Yes, of course. I have a daughter and another kid on the way. It’s getting really tough for me to go away. It’s horrible. I love touring, but leaving my family is the worst thing in the world. But I have to do it. I can’t go back to doing something I don’t want to do.
You’ve spent a lot of time touring the U.S. What are some of your favorite and least favorite things about our country?
I like everything. We never spend as much time anywhere else as we do in the U.S. A European tour you do maybe 5 gigs maximum in any country and there you do at least 30. We like it there. We always have a blast playing there. The fans are great. They are loud. And contrary to what many European people.think, I love the food. But I have to watch it so I don’t get fat. After every show there we get pizzas. We like it in the U.S. and are always greeted with great hospitality wherever we do.
You’ve been at this since the ‘80s. What have been some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in the music industry?
It has to be the internet and MP3s. It’s a pretty massive thing for musicians, record labels and fans. I’m old school. I still buy vinyl. I don’t keep up too much with the technology. At the end of the day what I want to do is write good music, and that’s something that never goes out of fashion. It can’t be affected by technology that much. Businesswise, the downloading thing has had a huge impact.
Has downloading negatively impacted Opeth?
I think for a band like us it is pretty good. We have gained more fans and gained sales. Our sales have always gone up with every record, so we aren’t really being affected by the downloading thing. But for big bands like Metallica it has a bigger impact. They are millionaires and the fans don’t see the need to support them. It’s hard for a 16 year old kid to identify with Lars Ulrich and his art collection.
As you look back on Opeth’s catalog, is there any album you think is underrated?
No, I think we got overly hyped on each record. But even though it was well received, I think a record like Damnation should be perceived as much more of a unique record than what I saw. I think it is very odd for a death metal band to record an album like that. That we were able to do it I think deserves a little more recognition than what it got at the time. But it still got great reviews pretty much everywhere.
Who are your favorite Swedish bands?
I don’t really keep track of new bands, but I would have to say bands like Europe and Yngwie Malmsteen. Those were the bands I listened to the most. Bathory was a big band for me, as was Entombed. Katatonia are a great band. We have so many. In the ‘80s there were really only Europe and Yngwie Malmsteen that made a worldwide impact.
What do you think about At The Gates planning to reunite?
We played with them when they did their second show. We played with them several times back in the day. For me I’m not overly excited, to be honest. For people who didn’t see them it’s a great opportunity to see them again. The songs are great and Tomas (Lindberg) is to this day one of the best frontmen in metal. I saw him play in a club with his old band Grotesque, and he was just amazing. That’s one thing I remember about At The Gates. He was so outgoing on stage. You feel the songs just looking at him. He’s great, and I’m sure it’s going to be successful for them. But for me I saw them several times back in the day and it doesn’t matter so much. But I love the band.
