A Scandinavian Legend colonizes The Forest City
Fredrik Ǻkesson (Opeth) speaks to the Fraulein Andrea
London, ON. September 21st, 2008
Part of my job at CSCR Fusion Radio involved attending to all sorts of concerts and interviewing various artists, which were then featured on my radio show every Saturday afternoon. This time, my adventures took me to London, the beautiful Forest City; and no, I am not talking about London England, as everyone automatically thinks. London is a mid-size city located in the heart of Southwestern Ontario, just two hours southwest of Toronto.
I met with Fredrik Ǻkesson, a guitarist known from bands like Arch Enemy and Krux. Since May of 2007, Ǻkesson has made part of the official lineup of Swedish Progressive metal Monster, Opeth. As we were sitting on a bench at the Victoria Park, located in Downtown London, right beside the Centennial Hall (which is where they played), he told me about the band, his personal projects and things to come for both himself and Opeth.
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YOURS TRULY: So you were telling me how people in Canada have received your band [Opeth], with such an amazing energy. Tell me what has made you feel so good about the Canadian fans?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: They are very energetic and, I mean, you can definitely tell they are into the gig when we play, that’s like INSANE REALLY! Last night they were singing and it was… magic.
YOURS TRULY: As part of this tour, you performed in Quebec City last night, and you will be performing in London this evening. Will you be playing in any other Canadian cities?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: Yes, we are playing in Vancouver, let’s see, we go to Cleveland tomorrow, then Chicago, then we come back to Winnipeg, and Saskatoon, Edmonton and Vancouver… so yeah, we are playing a lot of shows here.
YOURS TRULY: Have you played in any of those cities before?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: Yeah, I have played in Winnipeg and in Vancouver when I was playing with Arch Enemy before, and also I’ve played in Quebec before with Arch Enemy at the same venue we played last night.
YOURS TRULY: Since May of 2007, which is when you made your entrance to Opeth, how do you think your contributions have influenced the band?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: For me it’s hard, I have problems praising myself. It is up to the listener and the guys of the band really. All I do is my best and maybe the band is a bit more brutal live now, I would like to think this and I just do what I think it’s suitable for the song… yeah.
YOURS TRULY: You had the chance to contribute to Watershed, which is the last album the band has released. From your perspective, how does this album reflect the musical evolution of Opeth comparing it to other works like Damnation and Devastation?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: I think every Opeth record has been put differently; they are a bit different from each other. You can still tell it is Opeth, but I think the new one is slightly more psychedelic and I like it because every song on the new record is very different from each other. It is like they are connected. I think you are supposed to listen to the album, at least the first time, from the beginning to the end. It is more of a journey in a way… I think it was necessary to get directions from the band to make something fresh instead of just putting out a new record to maintain a business. It’s like we did something interesting.
YOURS TRULY: Now that you bring that up, I read somewhere online that some of your fans think that, since the band signed a contract with Roadrunner Records, you were selling out because you were playing more mainstream music. What do you have to say about that?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: I don’t think it’s true. I think the record company didn’t even get the demos from the new record. They didn’t know anything from the new record. They didn’t interfere in the writing process at all. We delivered the done record to them without them interfering with the music at all. I know that is the way Mikael wants it to and we can’t work any other way. We would never obey directions musically-wise. When it comes to art work and all that, it is also very important. Mikael is very involved in that with Travis Smith. Roadrunner is a very good label to be on, I think, they are very professional and they know how to market stuff and set up interviews and all that. I think they are great really. So I would not see it as a sell-out think, because we still have very long songs, our stuff doesn’t go into commercial radio, I wouldn’t say that so… I don’t think it has anything to do with that.
YOURS TRULY: I have noticed, however, that since you have been with Roadrunner, your music has become more commercial, which is great given that more people, who didn't have access to it for whatever reason, will be exposed to your music.
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: Yeah, but I think it really has nothing to do with Roadrunner. It is the way Mikael writes the songs. I think it is just his developmental way of writing songs, so… if people think it is more commercial, they would have to blame Mikael.
YOURS TRULY: I personally don’t. I have always liked the length of your songs
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: Me too. Most people do longer songs. I think the band is just stronger now, and we never know what is going to happen next.
YOURS TRULY: Just out of curiosity, why are the songs so long?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: It’s really a question for Mikael, since I am like the new guy. But I like the long songs, especially to play them live. You don’t get easily bored playing these songs. I was a big fan of Opeth before I joined the band and I like the fact that when you are listening to an Opeth song you never know what is going to happen next. Oh ok, there is a calm part, oh there is a very brutal part from hell or whatever.
YOURS TRULY: You guys are known to have a progressively-heavy sound, and in a matter of seconds you jump into an extremely harmonious melody. How do you manage to switch moods when you are performing live?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: I just play the clean sound button of my pedal [Chuckles]. I think the one that is most critical to change is Mikael because he sings with a growl voice, the metal voice, and then he switches to clean voice, nice voice. That must be the hardest part of it. Generally, we would prefer to have really acoustic guitars during the more clam parts but it’s too complicated because the switches are so fast; it’s the clean part peak then 30 seconds back to heavy and then back to clean. That could be ridiculous to try playing in both acoustic guitar and electric.
YOURS TRULY: What were your contributions to the Watershed record?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: Mikael wrote most of the material, as always, but we co-wrote the track Porcelain Heart together. So I came up with the seek for that song. I had this heavy riff at the beginning of the song and I really like the idea about some calm parts. Mikael kind of arranged the song. Apart from that, I did guitar solos. I think everybody contributed to the atmosphere of the record really, with their individual playing. For instance, when me and Mikael did the guitars, the main heavy rhythm guitars, we recorded two each into each side. Usually one guitar player plays one part and overdoes himself. We didn’t do that. We did more of an old-school thing through the course of the heavy rhythms both of us, so that felt cool to know that we could do that.
YOURS TRULY: After Watershed, what are Opeth’s projects to come in the near future?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: Near future is just touring and touring and touring… After this North America and Canada tour, we go to do a headline European tour. We’ll play in the UK and in Scandinavia and in most parts of Europe. It is going to end on December 17th in our home town, Stockholm. Then we have Christmas break, and then we have January off and then tour again. We are going to go to India, we are going to go to Dubai, and also we are going to Russia, some of the old soviet territories like Slovenia, Latvia and maybe we will do a Scandinavian tour. Also, we are going to go to South America for our first time
YOURS TRULY: I was about to ask you that, when is that planned?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: It is not super confirmed, but it is before the summer, maybe April or May. I can’t promise anything but I will have it confirmed, or else people are going to get pissed. I have seen the dates to the gigs so it’s going to happen, we said yes to it, so it’s going to happen.
YOURS TRULY: What can we expect about tonight’s show?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: We play a couple of songs from the new record. We are playing Lotus Eater and the two heaviest tracks and then we play some golden oldies. We play a long set, about two-hour set. Also High on Fire is opening it up for us tonight. They are a really cool band.
YOURS TRULY: What is your opinion about them [High on Fire]?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: I really like them. I really like Matt Pykes’ energy. He is very into it. He is for real that guy. He is a real rock-and-roller.
YOURS TRULY: Are you guys also playing with them in Europe, or only on the North American tour?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: Only on this tour. When we do the European headline tour, we have Cynic opening up for us, which is kind of cool.
YOURS TRULY: More on the personal side of your projects, you have been with Arch Enemy, with Talisman and Krux. What are your next projects, as a soloist?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: I am trying to do my own record. That is the goal I have always had, like an instrumental-metal-guitar record. So, I am planning to do that, I have a lot of ideas recorded. I try to work on songs now when we are on tour. I have my laptop with the studio with me, but it’s hard to get really focused when you are on the road, but I have tried. I actually recorded a riff yesterday, so that’s a start. So I will try to do that whenever time allows.
YOURS TRULY: Are you planning to go back to any of the other bands?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: No, I still play with Krux, but everybody I have played from Krux is very busy. Candlemass and Jörgen and Peter used to be very busy with Entombed, but now they are not in that band anymore. So Krux is more of a project band, I would say. We will probably do another record next year during Christmas time. So, that is the only band I am still going to continue to play with.
YOURS TRULY: And Opeth, of course…
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: Yeah, Opeth is of course my main priority. For me it’s the perfect band to be in because I was a big fan and the guys are really cool to hang out with. We have really lots of time and we have a good laugh. It’s like a little family on the road, with the crew and everything. That’s very important if we are going to do as much touring as we do. It’s important that we do not get any pricks…
YOURS TRULY: You seem to be having a really good time so far
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: Yes, absolutely!
YOURS TRULY: What is your most memorable concert?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: Hmm… actually, this summer we played at a festival in Milan, Italy. I think it was called Evolution Festival. We were playing right before In Flames; we were the second on top of the list. When we walked up the stage at the last cord, it started raining heavily. Then, as soon as we got into our dressing room, which was like a little tool shed they put up for us, it started to haling, you know, like these snowballs, ice balls, and I am not over telling this… they were this BIG! (He tries to show me how big there were and apparently they were huge. Think of a pin-pong ball… yes, something like that) People could have died. It was for ten minutes just PAH PAH PAH PAH PAH, so In Flames had to cancel. It was like a natural catastrophe. Also another gig we played this summer in Germany was Rocking Park. Lots of times we played this summer, we had storms and thunder volts… just quite metal. When you look down the stage and you see lightings going over the sky, you know. I like it. It could be dangerous and you have all these people standing in Germany totally soaked in rain and mud and it was so insane. A lot of people left but there were like 3 or 4 thousand hardcore fans that were crazy jumping around in the mud. It was cool!
YOURS TRULY: Quite the environment for a metal show, eh?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON:Yeah, I mean it triggers yourself on your own stage. You get mad!
YOURS TRULY:
Unfortunately, most of the venues in Toronto are covered. We have like the Molson Amphitheater, but even if it rains, you will not have people swimming in rain…
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: But still in Canada, the audiences are so crazy! You really don’t need the rain [Chuckles].
YOURS TRULY: I have seen concerts like that before, even back in my home country, when I was in Colombia…
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: Oh, we are going to Colombia on this South American tour.
YOURS TRULY: People really love you down there! You have a huge fan-based population in South America
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: It is strange, and everybody in Opeth is surprised. I am quite new in the band, but it is about time we go there and play.
YOURS TRULY: You guys, as a band, have never been there…
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: I have been in South America touring with Arch Enemy. We played in Chile, Argentina and Brazil and Mexico, but that was before. It was really cool, I liked it.
YOURS TRULY: Were you expecting that much welcoming from the Latin American people?
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: I think. I have a feeling that they will go crazy, because when I played there with Arch Enemy it was crazy, too.
YOURS TRULY: Arch Enemy is very well-recognized and so is Opeth. Although the population is predominantly Spanish-speaking, they love yours music and I am certain that they wish for you to go…
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: I am looking forward to going back there.
YOURS TRULY: I want to thank you for talking to me today Fredrik,
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: My pleasure.
YOURS TRULY: And I look forward to seeing you at tonight’s concert most definitely,
FREDRIK ǺKESSON: Cool! Thanks for talking to me.
