{"id":31203,"date":"2017-01-30T10:00:38","date_gmt":"2017-01-29T23:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=31203"},"modified":"2017-01-29T11:38:09","modified_gmt":"2017-01-29T00:38:09","slug":"fredrik-akesson-opeth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2017\/01\/fredrik-akesson-opeth\/","title":{"rendered":"Fredrik \u00c5kesson of Opeth"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\u201cSome shows are more special than others like in Australia they\u2019re energetic shows and people are getting into it and you can tell that they\u2019re enjoying listening to the music you know. So it\u2019s a great feeling walking on stage, adrenaline. It\u2019s a treat really.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Release: The evolution of OPETH as a band is wondrous, witnessing spine-tingling music which bestrides genres, and an exponential growth in an ever diversifying fan base. OPETH performances are without peer – their live show is a deeply emotional, yet exhilarating experience. From centre stage they create an atmospheric utopia; theirs is truly a unique concert experience, and one not to be missed. If OPETH live deliver at an ever increasing peak, their artistic prowess in the studio is reaching dizzying heights, as will be seen in the sheer majesty of their upcoming album \u2018Sorceress\u2019.<\/p>\n

At home we gave Fredrik a call to talk about the upcoming band\u2019s return to Australia, what fans can expect, playing the Sydney Opera House, new music, old music, and much more\u2026<\/p>\n

Welcome back to May The Rock Be With You, Fredrik, it’s been almost four years since we last chatted, so let’s catch up, how have the last four years been for you and Opeth?<\/strong>
\nWow, four years, I believe we spoke when \u2018Pale Communion\u2019 came out, it\u2019s been great we have the new album \u2018Sorceress\u2019 we\u2019re onto that now we\u2019ve done a couple of tours including the States and Europe and we\u2019re looking forward to coming to Australia again, especially playing the Opera House in Sydney is a big thing for us of course.<\/p>\n

Of course we’re here because you’re heading back to Australia in a couple of weeks, as the catalogue continues to grow, what can fans expect at this run of shows?<\/strong>
\nWell the Sydney show is going to be special, that\u2019s going to be an extra-long show we\u2019re playing the set list usually we try to pick is one song from every album of course we want to promote a couple of extra ones from the latest album \u2018Sorceress\u2019 so we play two or three from \u2018Sorceress\u2019 then we play a song from each album apart from the very first two I believe is because we couldn\u2019t fit it in, but it\u2019s a good mix it\u2019s a pretty heavy set I would say. All the heavy stuff but still some good variation, but the Sydney set is also going to contain like two hours and forty minutes or something like that, with two sets in it, the second part based around the \u2018Damnation\u2019 and \u2018Deliverance\u2019 albums, so because we released the remix of those two and that\u2019s why we\u2019re doing it basically. So we wanted to do these special shows, we did one in New York, and one in Wembley Arena in London, so Sydney is the last one we\u2019re gonna do these shows and it\u2019s not gonna be done anymore.<\/p>\n

And what a venue to be doing it at, how does it feel to be playing a venue as iconic as the Sydney Opera House?<\/strong>
\nYeah it\u2019s amazing there was talk about it last time we came back to Australia, but we weren\u2019t allowed or it wasn\u2019t possible or something like that, but the same booking agency and promoter in Australia made it happen this time and we\u2019re really stoked about it. We\u2019re gonna play songs like \u2018By The Pain I See In Others\u2019 from \u2018Deliverance\u2019 that we never played live before until these special shows so it\u2019s going to be a special night. Fingers crossed. *laughs*<\/p>\n

You must be stoked it sold out in something like two minutes too\u2026<\/strong>
\nThat\u2019s amazing, when we heard that we were just like wow, what\u2019s going on? *laughs* Now we released more tickets because it\u2019s going to be a round stage so we don\u2019t have the curtain in the back, so we haven\u2019t done a show like that so it\u2019s going to be interesting.<\/p>\n

You always get an amazing reaction in Australia, what do you think it is about Opeth that Australians gravitate to that keeps them coming back?<\/strong>
\nWell you guys must have good taste in music *laughs* that was a very pompous answer there. I don\u2019t know since I joined the band, I\u2019ve been in the band almost ten years now and every time I go to Australia it\u2019s like one of the highlights, it\u2019s always been a great support and it\u2019s amazing to be able to come back again and again with a sold out Sydney show and sold out first show in Melbourne, we\u2019re doing two shows in Melbourne now. Also this time we\u2019re playing in New Zealand and we\u2019ve been there once before but that was before I was in the band and am looking forward to that as well. There will be songs played that we\u2019ve never played in Australia before, at least not with me in the band. It\u2019s a different tour, we\u2019re playing in Fortitude Valley and Northbridge, haven\u2019t done that before.<\/p>\n

I got to have my first Opeth live experience in 2015 and I get it, there was just an atmosphere and entertaining, what do you take with you every night after performing live?<\/strong>
\nWell you do a lot of shows but before you go on stage you feel like \u2018whoa, how are we going to be able to pull this off?\u2019 then as soon as you get up there it may be clich\u00e9d saying this but you get inspiration from the crowd, you get power from the crows *laughs* definitely. Some shows are more special than others like in Australia they\u2019re energetic shows and people are getting into it and you can tell that they\u2019re enjoying listening to the music you know. So it\u2019s a great feeling walking on stage, adrenaline. It\u2019s a treat really.<\/p>\n

On the album, ‘Sorceress’ has been out now for a few months, how has it been since the record release?<\/strong>
\nVery good I believe, we did the tour in America started off there, did a show with Black Sabbath in California in San Bernardino and it was amazing to be a part of the OzzFest thing, Sabbath played their last show in California. Then the American tour and the reception was very good I believe it was a lot of people at the shows and we played some venues we\u2019ve never played before like Radio City Music Hall in New York, that was amazing and then we did the European run and that was a great run too. We got number one in Germany and we\u2019ve never had that before, so happy with the reception it\u2019s been really good and some of the old school fans really dig this album as well. I don\u2019t follow everything on the internet so I might be wrong but the live shows have been great let\u2019s put it that way. Also as a band I think we\u2019ve developed even more, we play really good together and even Mikael said that after a show that we\u2019ve never been this good before so that\u2019s great to hear after all his work. I believe we just try to notch it up each time, every album, every tour, everybody\u2019s still practicing on their own and also the fact that we\u2019ve played a lot of shows together all the details just click, I love the feeling when we\u2019ve done ten shows together on tour and you don\u2019t really have to think anymore, everything just flows.<\/p>\n

You mentioned before, but coming in to your tenth year with the band rather than ask what you feel has changed, what is the one thing that you feel has stayed the same within your decade in Opeth?<\/strong>
\nWell the ambition to get better and better, that\u2019s one thing, always trying to branch out and try new stuff is something that\u2019s been consistent since I played on \u2018Watershed\u2019 I believe and it\u2019s probably been there with Opeth since the very first album, well it has been if I look at it objective. Every album from the band is quite different from each other but still a thread through them all I believe.<\/p>\n

What has the band got planned for the rest of the year?<\/strong>
\nQuite a lot of shows to do, after Australia we have a month off then we go to South America, we do three or four shows in Mexico, then Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, and back home for a while then we do a couple of week tour with some festivals in The U.S. again, so getting back for a shorter tour with Gojira and Devin Townsend Project, and we\u2019re playing in Colorado at a place called Red Rocks and really looking forward to that, it\u2019s outdoors, so many live DVD\u2019s been done there, looking forward to it, I always watched the Indians and Cowboys movies when I was a kid and that\u2019s the right environment. *laughs*<\/p>\n

Is there something you haven’t yet had the chance to do being in Opeth that you want to tick off the list?<\/strong>
\nWell the Opera House is definitely one of them, that\u2019s a biggie, but I wouldn\u2019t mind playing Madison Square Garden but we\u2019re not that big yet I believe, but maybe someday.<\/p>\n

Lastly, let’s look ahead to the future, finish this sentence for me, by the end of 2017 Opeth want to…<\/strong>
\ntake a break *laughs* or focus on a new album, or we don\u2019t really know if there\u2019s going to be any more touring, we don\u2019t have a schedule for that yet.<\/p>\n

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OPETH Tour Dates: February 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thursday 2nd – Auckland<\/strong>, Powerstation
\nSaturday 4th – Brisbane<\/strong>, Tivoli Theatre
\nMonday 6th – Sydney<\/strong>, Opera House – Sold Out<\/strong>
\nTuesday 7th – Melbourne<\/strong>, 170 Russell
\nWednesday 8th – Melbourne<\/strong>, 170 Russell (2nd<\/sup> and final Melbourne Show)<\/strong>
\nFriday 10th – Adelaide<\/strong>, Thebarton Theatre
\nSaturday 11th – Perth<\/strong>, Metro City\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tickets: ON SALE NOW<\/strong><\/p>\n

From: http:\/\/www.metropolistouring.com\/opeth<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Essential Information<\/strong><\/h2>\n

From:<\/strong> Stockholm, Sweden<\/p>\n

Band members:<\/strong> Mikael \u00c5kerfeldt (Vox, guitars), Martin Mendez (bass), Martin Axenrot (drums), Fredrik \u00c5kesson (guitars), Joakim Svalberg (keys)<\/p>\n

Website:<\/strong>\u00a0 http:\/\/www.opeth.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Latest release:<\/strong> Sorceress \u2013 (Out Now \u2013 Nuclear Blast)<\/p>\n

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