In the city to headline the second edition of the Kingfisher Summer Storm Festival 2012 over the weekend, Swedish progressive metal act Opeth spun their magic with their signature metal, classic rock, progressive and folk forms that enthralled the audience at Palace Grounds.
A day before they sent metalheads here into a frenzy, founder and front-man of Opeth, Mikael Åkerfeldt got chatting with MetroPlus .
The first thing that strikes you about him is that for someone who is a powerhouse on stage, Mikael Åkerfeldt is calm and composed off it. “We never have expectations,” he says casually. “We never worry about how many people will turn up at any of our gigs. We're there to do our thing, enjoy ourselves while at it and that's what matters most.”
This is their first time in Bangalore and Mikael says this trip means a lot to them. “We've been to other parts of the world and love every place we go to. I feel this trip will be an enjoyable one on a personal level too. In terms of music, we see a growing market here and we hope to keep returning more often.”
This performance being a part of the “Heritage” (10 studio album) tour, Mikael states: “We have been promoting our new record since September 2011 and though this is a part of the promotion tour we've decided to play a mix of all our hits because we play in North America and in Europe all the time so promoting specific albums there makes sense but here it's different. The idea is to promote the band and not just this particular album.”
“Heritage” departs from Opeth's usual influence from both progressive rock and death metal, and is devoid of growling vocals.
Mikael explains: “We do what we feel is the best thing to do. This time around we were driven to make it a more modern-sounding album. As the songwriting process started, we just knew what this album was going to be like. I was aware that some people were not going to like that there's no growling but we aren't controlled by opinions. We go by passion and intuition.”
About how they know when an album is shaping up, Mikael says: “All we need is that first song. Once I've written and composed it and all of us are unanimously happy with it, the rest of the record just follows.”
Line-up changes have been somewhat of a constant thing throughout the band's history.
Ask Mikael to what degree do players in the band influence the sound of Opeth and he responds: “I do all the writing for the keyboards, the drums, the guitars, the bass and of course the vocals and I give it my best. But it's the different musicians who bring their own personality and style into the album. I can't play like any of them and they just do a wonderful job experimenting and improvising such that Opeth's sound remains fresh and just the way we like it to be.” Opeth are among the most creative metal acts but they have managed to keep their signature sound alive.
“This has been possible because we have found what we want to do and what we know we do best. In fact I should have been born earlier because I have more in common with my idols such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. We don't look for new genres of music but just new music in the same genre and that's what allows for experimentation without drastic alteration.”
With all his songwriting, gigging and touring, Mikael says one of the minuses is that they don't get much time to spend with their families. “I spend all my ‘free time' with my two daughters.” Post the tour, Mikael is looking forward to start writing again.
“I'm at my creative best when I'm alone and when I have nothing on my calendar.”
