My Interview with Fredrik Ǻkesson (Opeth) - London, ON. September 21st, 2008

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.

5 AWESOME Metal Workout Songs

Greetings Legions,

For the record: I am still undergoing reverse culture shock at the moment and, as a result aside from working, all I do is hibernate like an almost fossilized polar bear in the Arctic Pole. Staying physically active has become a challenge, where motivation and I are constantly playing hide and seek, and guess what? I have rarely won… At this point I have to take advantage of any opportunity available to leave my house. That act, in itself, comprises more physical activity than anything I can do at the Fraulein Cave (I work in it, I plan my stuff in it, I eat in it, I sleep in it, I read in it, I poorly attempt to play guitar in it, etc., etc.).

Yesterday, as I was talking to my friend Ghoul from Servus Obscurus, he was informing me about the possible covers that his band may consider doing, among which Carpathian Forest’s The Angel and the Sodomizer came up. Even though, and thanks to him, I have CF’s entire discography, I had been rather disconnected from my Metal side, since I discovered that over 70% of my music collection is solely Black freakin’ Metal. Don’t get me wrong, I love it and I am all pro-Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam, but seriously this feeling of overwhelm triggered my anti-radicalism antibodies, which make no exceptions when too much is a bit TOO MUCH!  Either way, I had a serious chat with my antibodies and explained that Black Metal and radicalism go waaaay back and are always walking side-by-side, like those couples you see walking at the beach holding hands during summer evenings. Thus, being radical at times is not always that bad. Then we agreed that Black-Thrash beats all, upon this principle, we made peace and I proceeded to reunite with my long lost Black Metal collection.

I mentioned to my buddy Ghoul that this song would be great to work out to, which gave me that one excuse to drag me out of the Fraulein Cave: EUREKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!  After finishing work at around 7pm (which thanks to the whole DST, looks more like a sunny 5pm to me), Yours truly jumped into the car and drove to the gym ready to sweat like Nattefrost probably does (and why wouldn’t he? He certainly likes pissing and letting people know…). I jumped into the elliptic machine and rocked the heck out of it but less than 5 minutes later, the song was done and I was not only sad but didn’t have a beat to follow. Fortunately, I am prepared for this kind of situation and I have a backup plan: A playlist called Gym – Metal. 

From last night’s work out session, I became inspired and decided to share with the readers of this humble blog, 5 great Metal songs to work out to. Here we go:

1.    The Angel and the Sodomizer -  Carpathian Forest

Once again, Black-Thrash beats all! This song is great for jogging at a steady pace, as the tempo does not fluctuate much. I find it rather motivating, making me run as fast as I can while trying to keep my Metal posture:

(A.K.A.Making Abbath's face)

2.    Battalions – I

And speaking of the devil, Mr. Abbath is one to know how to make some great tunes. Yours truly is a huge fan of his project “I”, and even though Battalions is not my favorite song from the Between Two Worlds record, it is one heck of a tune to keep you focus while exercising. Quite frankly, if you fail to do so you will feel that you are letting down Abbath and he will probably haunt you down Norwegian Style.

Them Norwegians don't like screwing around....

3.    Dios Vuelto Miseria- Amducia

Enough of Black Metal for now. If you want a heck of a workout and really feel that you are doing something with your life, music with electronic influences is always a safe bet and for the Metal Lover, adding heavier beats and aggressive vocals will always be a bonus. Amducia is a band I came across during Fusion Radio years, while doing Distortion and scouting the shit out of Latin American talent. Even though they may not be very well known in North America, let me tell you that they are pretty notorious within the EBM scene at the Modern Mecca of the genre: Germany, alongside bands like Blutengel, God Module, Combichrist, and their fellow Mexican mates, Hocico with its projects: Rabia Sorda, Dulce Liquido and Tristesse de la Lune.

4.    Eyeless – Slipknot

They had me at the D&B intro. Then, the song becomes like a quest that needs to be progressively conquered. You want to sweat? Well, this song is for you! Half way to the song (at: ♫It’s all in your head, it’s all in my head, YEAH! ♫), you can take a bit of a break and continue jogging the heck out of that treadmill. The song is so intense that it even slows down at the end (30s before it finishes), inviting you to please cool down before you die of a heart attack. Trust me, slipknot wants you back the next day for more intense sprinting.

You don't want to upset Clown, do you now?

5.    Shroud of Urine – Exodus

It was about time I introduced some real Thrash to this routine. Quite frankly, I stopped questioning myself about how these songs manage to gather energy I didn’t even think I had. I could be dying of exhaustion, and yet if this song comes up it’s like downing three cans of Red Bull and a pound of Pop Rocks!

Red bull + Pop Rocks = This.

And the list goes on and on and on. I could have even included Run to the Hills by Iron Maiden, but I’ll leave that for another inspirational time at the gym. The moral of this story is that Metal will never let you down, particularly at times where monotony takes over your life. If you haven’t accepted Metal in your heart, this may be the time to do so before one of Jehovah’s Witnesses knocks on your door and convinces you of something else (you never know…).  For that, I pledge allegiance to the Legions of Incredible Metal, Kamen.

-Stay Metal-

Fraulein Andrea MMXII

Bon retour au Canada: Goatwhore and Lock Up in Toronto

Greetings Legions,

First, and foremost, Happy New Year MMXII! May all your dreams come true - or not J (Sorry, I just realized that this is my first post of the year, and thus one's got to start with the right foot). Moving on, Yours truly is pleased to report some serious metal activity, once again, from Canadian grounds. I have been back in the country for less than a month, and yet it seems that there have been shows going on every single day - Jesus "Give-my-pocket-a-break" Christ! Given that, at the moment, I happen to be on a rather tight budget (due to my high addiction to excellent times in Colombia), I see myself forced to pick only one show per month. In February, the winner by default was, LOCK UP and my beloved GOATWHORE. Well, at first, this spot was reserved for Dark Funeral and Inquisition, but given that they canceled their North American tour (or postponed it until further notice, for that matter), I was pleased to replace them with the above show. Yes, I know there are tons of other shows but under my watch Kittie will never be an option, I have already seen In Flames and no, I will not pay to see Trivium. I'm not a big fan of neither Iced Earth nor Machine Head and Eww Suicide Silence! Hope that answers any possible suggestions.

As always, it was a pleasure to see New Orleans’ Goatwhore, a band that has been making incredible music circa 1997. This was my third time seeing them and so far, I have absolutely no concerns. The first time I had the chance to watch them LIVE was when their album Carving out the Eyes of God came out (2009). They were touring with the guys from Daath and Abigail Williams (Daath = awesome! A.W= Not so awesome…). The second time I saw Goatwhore was when they opened for the Almighty Watain at the Opera House. Here is where they completely stole the show and made the Almighty Watain look not so Almighty after all. Their set was the Black Metal equivalent of a children's lullaby, or at least seemed like one, given that around midnight, I fell asleep to the point that I almost banged my head against one of the rails at the Opera House. Maybe the show was not as boring after all and I was simply drained from all the head banging I did through the Goatwhore set, either way c’est la vie and as we all know: Shit happens, period.

I was thrilled about having this band welcome me back into the Canadian metal scene and, as mentioned before, I was not disappointed. Even though the venue was not packed, the crowd roared to songs like The Black Art of Deception, Carving out the Eyes of God and, a favorite of Yours truly: Apocalyptic Havoc. For those of you who have not been fortunate enough to be baptized by the Love of the Goat, I urge you to please listen to the following song:

Given that images speak louder than words, here is a sample of what took place at the Annex Weckroom that evening. Sometimes it is incredibly difficult to capture good shots at this venue due to the awful lighting setup. . Either way, la-voilà:

Furthermore, this experience would have not been completed if it had not been for Lock Up. Mind you, having the pleasure to see one of Grindcore’s supergroups is an absolutely priceless experience for various reasons:

1. Their sound

2. All the artists that have contributed to the greatness of Lock Up

3. Their trajectory

4. Shane Embury (from bands such as Benediction, Napalm Death and Brujeria, among others)

5. At the Gate's Tomas Lindberg

6. Pentagram's and Criminal's Legacy: Mr. Anton Reisenegger (Latin American pride All the way!)

7. Encore Shane Embury 

8. Nicholas Barker (you may remember him from bands like Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Brujeria, and Old Man’s Child, among others)

9. Did I forget to mention NICHOLAS Freakin’ BARKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!!!!?

Lock Up is the musical epiphany of what a S’more with some maple syrup would be: Simply perfect. Not only are they phenomenal musically speaking, they also have an almost ethereal line-up and they rock big time while on stage (Oh, trust me, that last aspect is not always a given).

One is able to appreciate life’s simplest pleasures, especially when one gets to see some of one’s more idolized musicians sharing the same stage, at the same time. Unfortunately for me, and for the rest of mankind inhabiting the Arctic Circle, Mr. Shane Embury did not play this time, which shattered my heart completely. Yet, Nicholas Barker's presence acted like Home Hardware’s strongest super glue, and by the time the band started its set, I was a happy camper. Songs like Brethren of the Pentagram, Accelerated Mutation and Slaughterous Ways entertained the audience, as Mr. Lindberg controlled the atmosphere with his insane energy. The word I would use to describe this whole experience would be “rewarding”. 

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen inconveniences, I was forced to leave the venue before the band entered their Grand Finale. Still, I had a marvelous time and I am glad to have been able to support them this time. I will see you again once you convince Shane to come say hello to us Maple Lovers :). 

Oh, and before I forget I will leave you with some of the shots I captured while I could:

If you have not had the opportunity to submerge in a Lock Up experience, first of all, you have been missing out. However, since we are not here to judge anyone, here is my Lock Up recommendation for you, fellow Metal Head who are dying to get an overdose of some serious Grindcore:

-Stay Metal-

MM Fraulein Andrea MMXII