Michael Akerfeldt Interview part1

[Eximious94]

6 years old and listened to heavy metal... it was destiny!

[SolSilence]

0 dislikea (Y)

[Helnsinki99]

his name is MIKAEL, not Michael

[666risedeadcult666]

He's a pure fucking GENIUS..

[TheGiferd]

who is the vocalist he is talking about at 4.30?

[ArcturusFan]

Seems like a really cool guy.

[xwolbx]

haha i thought it was funny when he lit up the cigarette and after the guy said, "so what STRUCK you about the [?] demo tape?" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[MetalOfAllOwns]

hah i fucking love it 4:23 .. "i thought venom was fucking shit! you know" hahaa i rofled for a very long time .. that so awsome.. and he still prolly thinks venom is fucking shit.. by the look of it haha... ah man i fukin love akerfeldt haha..

my guitar idol :)

any way to get a hold of some Eruption songs.. i interested in it

[YtseJam16]

Wow... into heavy metal at the age of "seven or eight"

[samadhi5]

Hes just being humble.. he learned to play solos when he was about 3 months old

[Kaleo64]

Hehe, I love how he lights up half way though the interview.

[iMeshug]

lol i just met this man.

[gitarrenfan7]

at a festival???

[BTARD4LIFE]

lucky!!!

[EnriquePage91]

son of a... hahaha just kidding.. I'd kill to meet Åkerfeldt.. Imagine what it'd be like to jam with this old school boy haha

[markrobertsfdsa]

All of these people who are comparing Michael Akerfeldt to any other guitar player is completely missing the point. The music as a package is what matters. Not super flashy solos of how fast the blast beat is. You are all posers who think you have a clue. You dont. I bet not one of you could play the licks that they play, or write like they can. Dont be so quick to judge, "Well he cant play as fast as.." or "Hes not the best guitar player in the band. Please. Get a job or start playing guitar.

[adval25]

I agree. Akerfeldt has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard and a bitter-sweet melancholy sense of song writing (a bit redundant, yes). Anyway I know a good musician when I see one. He's right up there (imo) with Jeff Buckley, St. Vincent, Nick Drake, etc...

[EnriquePage91]

oh yeah baby Nick Drake and Åkerfeldt... nice folky boys

[stemz420]

I think where akerfeldt excels is most definitely writing. If you can shred but you cant write (write like akerfeldt that is) then you still suck. I guess what Im trying to say is akerfeldt is better hands down than 99% of metal players today. Id say he'd give Clapton a run for his money in the slow hand department!

[80smetalchild]

@markrobertsfdsa i hope you dont mind me adding to your comment but, writing these 10 minute songs and actaully making them so they're not boring and every second is pure beauty is my harder than writing a 30 second blazing fast solo that shreds over simple scales.

[Brutal90Death]

@markrobertsfdsa

and besides that, Opeth isn't about fast solos or brutal riffs, but about dark sounding chords and feeling into the music. . . I love death metal, but I have to agree with Akerlfeldt that modern bands suck

[retrograderenegades]

@markrobertsfdsa Wow I completely agree with this statement, what drew me to Akerfeldt (who is my guitar hero) was his versatility, his ability to play lead, rhythm and solos and incorporate bluesy or metal riffs and the ability to convey any emotion through his instrument. Flashy solos always seem to define a great guitarist and it isn't the case for all great guitarists and I think Akerfeldt is a testament to this.

[FirstSnowJ]

Mikael's guitar playing proves that you do not need to be a Jeff Loomis or Chris Broderick clone in order to make amazing music.

[4days2heresy]

scottym2oo4 are you the full quid? How can he not be the best guitarist in opeth, when he can technically only be compared to Åkesson as he is the only other guitarist, and considering Akerfeldt composes all of Opeth's he is by far the better guitarist because unlike some musicians he can play the guitar parts he writes.

[stijnhelsen]

Not true, Akerfeldt and Åkesson both write their parts, and Akerfeldt gives the solo's he doesn't like to play to Åkesson and vice versa.

[vrem]

i saw opeth live and michael made cheesy jokes in between songs. he rules and so does opeth. after the show they served some of Opeth's delight cvause liquid was in our throat

[stormmravenda]

"liquid is in your throat at opeths delight" what does this mean

[vrem]

"opeth's delight" is a type of cheesecake that they make and occasionally serve after shows to fans with backstage passes. the line from the lotus eater was an homage to their delicions desert.

[mooseface13]

Cheese cake? Fuck yeah! Metal + Cheesecake = Pure awesome

[IloveAlexisBledel689]

He's a genius!

[scottym2oo4]

For chops and technicality, he's not even the best guitarist in Opeth. But I'll take his playing over pretty much anyone else on earth. And his vocals. And compositions, for that matter.

[Sturyon]

Opeth is Progressive Death Metal, Bloodbath is old school Death Metal. They only have growled vocals in common, but other than that they can't be compared. Both are awesome, though.

[Mfunn]

i dont understand why bloodbath is always compared to opeth, this is not at all the same style of music, bloodbath is much much more brutal, i prefer bloodbath ~~

STAY SICK

[LolYouBlockedMe123]

I love improvised grindcore.

[RogerDamen]

"venom i think is fucking shit!" agreed

[metallic1slim]

opeth rocks!!

[METALHEADExtreme]

Lets avoid of talkin about religion

[Crow667]

1. Fuck Jesus

2. Michael Åkerfeldt is a very talented musician

3. The interviewers sucks balls, he kept interupting him

[WalClaypool]

avoid the religious badmouthing please. but the other 2 things i do agree with you about.

[rcurzon21]

Anyone know where I can find information about this "Mephisto demo tape of The Apostle" they are talking about?

[mushroomman8]

SUCK MY GUTS AND LICK MY HEART!!!

[missbravo91]

bloodbath is badass!!

[rcurzon21]

How do you spell "Mefisto"? I am trying to look for what they were talking about the demo of "Mefisto" and I can't find it. Anyone know about this?

[BlooBeluga]

mephisto, i believe.

[666COB]

greatest vocalist and guitarist ever...Opeth is fuckin gods

[RSRop0]

Opeth are indeed my favorite band of all time.. but.. to say he's the greatest guitarist of all time is pretty ridiculous. He may just be one of the best metal vocalists ever though.

[666COB]

well in my opinion i like his guitar work the most of any guitarist, NO ONE is actually the greatest guitarist around, its just the opinion of who said they were

[kyle122388]

i agree with you. michael is such a fantastic player. he doesn't have to shred to sound amazing.

[BoM45]

agreed, hes great at writing and all, but hes not even remoteley close to the best guitarist of all time, hes not even the best guitarist from his town in sweden.

[EnriquePage91]

being a good guitarist goes way beyond playing.... he might not be technically the best, but he's got some great inspiration, breaking some dogmas and stuff.. i'd say he's the best boy Stockholm has done in a long time.. or at least among the bests

[codebabe]

i'd agree...the biggest thing is composition and phrasing.

[EnriquePage91]

@codebabe

totally... which equals feeling

[codebabe]

yeah man. and that isnt to say akerfeldt's techinque isn't great. he doesn't have a ton of speed, but he plays scales that are quite difficult, has killer vibrato, and never makes mistakes. Their performance at the roundhouse in london shows that. Mistake free. I can't find a single one.

[markrobertsfdsa]

@codebabe Except when he becomes the biggest douche bag and tells the audience to applaud louder for him. Talk about being humble.

[codebabe]

@markrobertsfdsa pretty sure he's joking about that.lol but it does look douchey.

[mjonas10]

His name is Mikael,not Michael. It´s a big difference,it´s pronounced Meekhael

[SoundgardenReunion]

and don't forget the "Halo" that appears over the A in Akerfeldt! :)

[EnriquePage91]

Å

oh yeah ;)

[Dallo61]

Mike akerfeldt is my idol,my favorite guitar player ever

[silverstaralchemist]

Yay for his grandma!! lol if it weren't for her...the world wouldn't be the same 0_0

[hellchi90]

HAHAHAHAHAHHAAH

"...and i thought...ok...we are the faster band in the world"

HAHAHAHAHAH

i love him...

[cyclonechamber]

This man is my hero.

[ETMadScientist]

LOL...WTF guys...he lit up a cigarette, i didnt think anyone with such a voice could smoke. does he smoke pot?

[indigenoussounds]

LOL "I thought Venom was fucking shit!"

[whao30]

the interviewer sounds like tookie lol

[andrewcubbie]

This is an awesome interview, thanks for putting this up.

[JohnDemolition]

which band does he mention in this? Mephisto or Melphisto? because i don't know of any bands like that.

[Dungarth]

*Mefisto