Mikael Åkerfeldt

Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt (Template:IPA;<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> born 17 April 1974)<ref name="Mikael Åkerfeldt">Mikael Åkerfeldt Template:Webarchive, Opeth – Official Website, Retrieved 3 June 2012</ref> is a Swedish musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for the progressive metal band Opeth. A former vocalist for the death metal supergroup Bloodbath, he was also the guitarist for the "one-off" band Steel, and a member of the collaboration Storm Corrosion with Steven Wilson.

Åkerfeldt is known for his progressive rock-influenced songwriting style and his frequent use of both clean baritone and growled vocals. He was ranked #42 on Guitar WorldTemplate:'s list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and #11 among "The Top 25 Modern Metal Guitarists" on MetalSucks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Career

Åkerfeldt with Opeth at Wacken Open Air in 2006.

A native of Stockholm, Mikael Åkerfeldt was the vocalist for Eruption, a death metal band he formed in 1987 at the age of 13.<ref>"History of Opeth, Chapter I" Template:Webarchive Opeth Official Website, Retrieved 12 February 2012</ref> After Eruption disbanded in 1989, he joined Opeth, initially as a keyboardist. When their original bassist left Opeth two years later, Åkerfeldt replaced him on bass, and Isberg then assumed guitar duties. When Isberg left Opeth three years later, Åkerfeldt took over as the lead vocalist.

Åkerfeldt performed the death vocals on Katatonia's album Brave Murder Day and their EP Sounds of Decay.

In September 2009, Åkerfeldt revealed he was contemplating recording a singer-songwriter acoustic solo album.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, in 2014, he expressed the view that he did not feel the need for a special solo project, noting that he could put pretty much anything into Opeth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In an interview with STIM magazine, he revealed that one of the highlights of his career was Opeth's performance at the Royal Albert Hall.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2020, Åkerfeldt was approached by director Jonas Åkerlund to compose the soundtrack for the Swedish six-part Netflix series Clark, which was released in May 2022. This marked his first foray into film scoring.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Influences

Åkerfeldt is a collector of obscure 1970s rock and heavy metal albums.<ref name="teamrock">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="katatonia"/> He also draws influence from these obscure bands, making references to them in Opeth album titles such as Blackwater Park, Still Life, and My Arms, Your Hearse, as well as in songs like "Master's Apprentices" and "Goblin." He is also heavily influenced by jazz, the musician Ritchie Blackmore,<ref name="Mikael Åkerfeldt"/> Magma and its founder Christian Vander,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Hideki Ishima.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

When asked about the album that "made him a metalhead," Åkerfeldt answered that it was probably The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden, but he also mentioned Lick It Up by Kiss.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In another interview, he stated that he usually cites Black Sabbath's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath as the best (and his favorite) heavy metal album of all time. He has also considered Judas Priest's Sad Wings of Destiny to be his favorite metal album.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Personal life

On 15 August 2003, Mikael Åkerfeldt married his longtime girlfriend, Anna.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2004, Anna gave birth to their first daughter, Melinda.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The couple had their second daughter, Mirjam, in 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She delivered spoken words on track #1 of Opeth's 2024 album The Last Will and Testament. In 2016, Åkerfeldt revealed in an interview with The Quietus that he had gone through a divorce.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Åkerfeldt is known to be friends with Steven Wilson, the frontman of one of his favorite bands, Porcupine Tree, who also produced the Opeth albums Blackwater Park, Deliverance, and Damnation; Mike Portnoy, drummer of Dream Theater (who is featured in their music video for "Wither"); and Jonas Renkse of Katatonia.<ref name="katatonia">Template:Cite web</ref> He is also presumed to be the basis for the character Toki Wartooth from the popular cartoon Metalocalypse, as revealed in an interview with Ultimate Guitar.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Åkerfeldt does not practice any religion and considers himself an atheist.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Equipment

Åkerfeldt has almost exclusively used PRS guitars since the Deliverance/Damnation era and has his own signature model.<ref name="prsGuitar">Template:Cite web</ref> He also occasionally uses guitars by a variety of other brands, including Gibson and Jackson.<ref name="equipment">"www.opeth.com"[1] Template:Webarchive[2] Template:Webarchive[3][4][5] Template:Webarchive[6] – various "Equipment" pages on the official Opeth website</ref>

Electric guitars

Åkerfeldt uses the following electric guitars, according to the Opeth website.<ref name="equipment"/>

1. PRS SE Mikael Åkerfeldt Signature Guitar
2. PRS P24 (Antique White)
3. PRS Custom 24 (Tortoiseshell flame top)
4. PRS Custom 24 (Blue Flame Top)
5. PRS Custom 24 (Black Quilt)
6. PRS Custom 24 (Black)
7. PRS SC 245 (Black Cherry)
8. PRS 22 fret Modern Eagle (Grey Flame Top)
9. PRS Modern Eagle Single Cut 24 Fret (Wine Flame Matte Top)
10. PRS Custom 22 12-String (Black)
11. PRS Singlecut (Black Quilt)
12. PRS Starla (Vintage Cherry)
13. Gibson Flying V ('67 Reissue)
14. Gibson Les Paul Standard V.O.S. (Tobacco Sunburst)
15. Gibson SG Standard 1961 Reissue
16. Fender Stratocaster 1975 (Black)
17. Fender Stratocaster 1972 Reissue (Natural)
18. Jackson RR USA Model
19. B.C. Rich Mockingbird (Black)

Acoustic guitars/Steel string

Åkerfeldt uses the following acoustic guitars, according to the Opeth website.<ref name="equipment"/>

1. Martin (with Fishman Pickup)
2. Martin 00016GT
3. Takamine 12 String
4. Seagull (with Fishman Pickup)
5. Martin 000-28

Acoustic guitars/Classical nylon

1. Amalio Burguet 3am (cedar top) Template:Citation needed
2. Landola CT/2/w

Amps

Åkerfeldt uses the following amps, according to the Opeth website.<ref name="equipment"/>

1. Marshall Vintage Modern 2466
2. Laney GH100L with cabinet
3. Laney VH100R
4. Laney VC30
5. Fender 1000 Rocpro
6. Fractal Audio Axe-FX Ultra preamp / effects processor
7. Marshall JCM900

Microphones

1. Shure

Discography

With Opeth

• Orchid (1995)
• Morningrise (1996)
• My Arms, Your Hearse (1998)
• Still Life (1999)
• Blackwater Park (2001)
• Deliverance (2002)
• Damnation (2003)
• Lamentations (2003)
• Ghost Reveries (2005)
• The Roundhouse Tapes (2007)
• Watershed (2008)
• In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall (2010)
• Heritage (2011)
• Pale Communion (2014)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Sorceress (2016)
• In Cauda Venenum (2019)
• The Last Will and Testament (2024)

With Katatonia

• Brave Murder Day (1996) – harsh vocals
• Sounds of Decay (1997) – harsh vocals
• Discouraged Ones (1998) – backing vocals, co-production on vocals
• Tonight's Decision (1999) – additional vocal production
• Brave Yester Days (2004) – harsh vocals (on disc 2: tracks 1–6), additional vocal production (on disc 2: tracks 6–9)
• The Black Sessions (2005) – backing vocals, co-vocal production

With Bloodbath

• Breeding Death (2000, EP)
• Resurrection Through Carnage (2002)
• The Wacken Carnage (2008, CD/DVD)
• Unblessing the Purity (2008)
• The Fathomless Mastery (2008)
• Bloodbath over Bloodstock (2011, DVD)

With Steel

• Heavy Metal Machine (1998, EP)

With Storm Corrosion

• Storm Corrosion (2012)

As a Soloist/Composer

• Clark (Soundtrack From The Netflix Series) (2022, OST Album) (including clean jukebox-like fore-/background vocals from track 28)

Appearances

• Ayreon: Åkerfeldt sings the parts of "Fear" in The Human Equation, the 2004 release.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Candlemass: Åkerfeldt performs vocals for one song on the Candlemass 20-year anniversary DVD.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Devin Townsend: Åkerfeldt appeared as a guest vocalist for Deconstruction. He sings on the song "Stand".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Dream Theater: Åkerfeldt performs a spoken word part in "Repentance" on their 2007 album Systematic Chaos.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also sang the second verse of the same song on its first live performance, during the Progressive Nation 2008 tour.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> During the same tour, he also performed the growled part of the song "A Nightmare to Remember" with the band live.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
• Edge of Sanity: Åkerfeldt provided vocals and guitar parts in Edge of Sanity's 1996 album Crimson, and also wrote lyrics for a song on Infernal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Ghost: Prequelle (2018) – acoustic guitar on the instrumental track "Helvetesfönster".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Horrified: Åkerfeldt growls a few words on "Avatar of the Age of Horus" off of their Deus Diabolus Inversus album.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Katatonia: Åkerfeldt sings on the 1996 album Brave Murder Day, and the three-song EP Sounds of Decay, released 1997.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also performs backing vocals on the album Discouraged Ones and was the vocal producer on Tonight's Decision.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Ihsahn: Åkerfeldt performs on the song "Unhealer" from the 2008 album angL.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• OSI: Åkerfeldt performs lead vocals on the track "Stockholm" for OSI's 2009 album, Blood.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Porcupine Tree: Åkerfeldt sings backing vocals on "Deadwing", "Lazarus", "Shesmovedon" and "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here" and plays a guitar solo on "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here" on the 2005 album Deadwing.
• Roadrunner United: Åkerfeldt performs vocals on the song "Roads" alongside Type O Negative keyboardist Josh Silver on the Roadrunner Records 25th Anniversary album Roadrunner United: The All-Star Sessions.
• Soilwork: Åkerfeldt performs vocals on the title track of the album A Predator's Portrait.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Steve Hackett: Genesis Revisited II (2012) – vocals on "Supper's Ready".

External links

• Biographies of Unique Musical Figures on LEBmetal.com
• Template:IMDb name
• Opeth official website