OPETH's MIKAEL KERFELDT: 'I'm A Slave To BLABBERMOUTH.NET'

April 27, 2008

Phil Freeman of Metal Edge magazine (web site) recently conducted an interview with OPETH mainman Mikael kerfeldt and the group's new guitarist Fredrik kesson (KRUX, ex-ARCH ENEMY, TALISMAN). A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On how Fredrik has been accepted by the OPETH fans:

kesson: "They've [the fans] been quite nice. I don't read the band's forum every day. Once in a while, I read some stuff. For me, the most important thing is to do the best I feel I can do for myself. Then if people like it or not, it's up to them. I understand picturing a band with its original lineup, a fan will always have that picture, and it's disturbing when a new guy comes in. But life goes on. All I can do is do my best, that's the way I see it."

On how OPETH is a good fit for Fredrik not only musically, but geographically as well:

kesson: "We [all] live in Stockholm, so it's easy to rehearse and everything. When I played with ARCH ENEMY, I was the only one living in Stockholm and they lived six hours' drive south. And I feel more integrated, more a part of this group. I was playing Chris' [Amott] parts in ARCH ENEMY, and I never got to record with them. Of course, the music is very different here, too, and I find that thrilling."

On the change in OPETH's sound on the new album, "Watershed":

kerfeldt: "I think you can hear that the band is changing and going somewhere. Which to me was a little bit of a revelation. It's not that different to what my personal taste is, and what my idea of OPETH has always been, but it's different.

"Having two such strong figures as Peter [former OPETH guitarist Peter Lindgren] and Lopez [former OPETH drummer Martin Lopez] not be in the band anymore has influenced the music and the lyrics, I think. And on top of that, my head's changed a lot since I had my kids. You see things differently. Musically, I think there's a wider gap between the ugly and the beautiful this time. But I can't say I prefer one or the other. I want everything, you know. And I have a tendency to want to destroy beautiful things, if you know what I mean."

On whether Mikael cares what the fans think:

kerfeldt: "When I write music, I want it to be completely devoid of any outside interference. At the end of the day, I still have to say that we did what we wanted to do. But I also in some strange way am seeking approval from the outside. And if they slag me off, I say, 'Oh, fuckin' idiots. They don't know shit.' If they praise me, I still think, 'Oh, fuckin' idiots.'

"I'm a slave to Blabbermouth. [Laughs] I have to check it out. And if there's something about OPETH, or about me, I have to see whatever shit people are writing. And I kind of dismiss the praise and go for the negative. And sometimes I get pissed off and I have to write something back, and obviously that's when I lose."

Metal Edge's entire interview with OPETH can be found in the magazine's June 2008 issue, available on newsstands now.

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