OPETH's MIKAEL ÅKERFELDT Pays Tribute To HEAVY LOAD's RAGNE WAHLQUIST

OPETH's Mikael Åkerfeldt has paid tribute to Ragne Wahlquist, guitarist and vocalist for HEAVY LOAD, who died earlier this month at the age of 69.

On Wednesday (January 8),Mikael took to the OPETH social media to write: "RAGNE WAHLQUIST, 1955-2025. REST IN PEACE. It is with heavy heart we say farewell to HEAVY LOAD frontman/singer/guitarist Ragne Wahlquist. As I'm writing this I haven't been fully able to fathom this terrible loss. I first met Ragne during one of the infamous kubb-tournaments (hosted by Peder & Ewa. Thank you!) together with his brother (and HEAVY LOAD drummer) Styrbjörn Wahlquist.

"Ragne was a marvelous character. Witty, sharp, poetic, determined and just a superb and inspiring person and musician. He a friend I lament I didn't have the time to get to know better. I texted with the brothers on new years day wishing them both a 'happy new year' and got a 'thanks' and a beautiful poem back from Ragne. Little did I know that was the last I was ever going to hear from him. I (on behalf of OPETH) extend our warmest condolences to Styrbjörn and the rest of the Wahlquist family as well as to his friends and fans.

"HEAVY LOAD are Sweden's first Heavy Metal band and also contributed to the scene outside of their own music by operating Thunderload studios. Ragne also authored the two epic books 'The Wahlgaard Saga Pt 1 & 2'. A project I know he was incredibly fond and proud of, and is well worth investigating. Ragne (nor Styrbjörn) never compromised with anything related to his artistry and creativity. Despite the hardship that comes with this stance in the commercial world of music and art, it certainly demands ones respect.

"I experienced this determination when Ragne and Styrbjörn kindly invited me over to Thunderload studios to hear a rough mix of their latest masterpiece 'Riders Of The Ancient Storm'. It was incredible! Just to sit there and eat cinnamon rolls and drink coffee with these two legends of heavy metal would have been well (or more than) enough for me. But to then get a pre-release listening to their first record since 1983!? It was awesome to the point of absurdity. The brothers were so proud (as they should be). They treated me with such respect and warmth that day (and every other time we met). I will never forget it.

"Ragne's music will surely continue to shake the very foundations of Valhalla! He will be sorely missed!"

According to SVT, Ragne and his younger brother Styrbjörn were in the middle of recording HEAVY LOAD's fifth album at the time of Ragne's death. The intention is to complete the album and to carry the band forward.

It is generally believed that HEAVY LOAD was the band that started the Swedish wave of heavy metal in the middle of the 1970s — their first album was released in 1978. They are also considered to be the first Viking metal band in the world.

HEAVY LOAD was established in Stockholm during the grim winter of 1974-1975 by the two brothers Ragne (vocals, guitars and keyboards) and Styrbjörn (vocals and drums). The vision and the passion of the Wahlquist brothers was always the kernel of the band's audacious drive; its drive to venture out on musical journeys and to spread their music to the world. The Viking heritage has been an important source of inspiration ever since their childhood. The brothers' emotional connection to people of a remote past, people with whom they share everlasting human challenges, was destined to find an outlet in their music. As a consequence, the brothers merged 1970s hard rock with Viking settings and sentiments, resulting in the band's distinctive style of music and lyrics: Viking metal — a style which came to inspire later bands in Sweden and elsewhere.

HEAVY LOAD released its first album, "Full Speed At High Level", during an era when the Swedish media and record industry claimed that hard rock was dead and that the band was doomed to fail. The Wahlquist brothers' vision has always been the core of what HEAVY LOAD was all about. So after expanding the band with a second guitarist, they founded their own recording facility, the famous Thunderload Studios, along with their own label, Thunderload Records. On their own label, they released timeless classics such as "Metal Conquest" (1981),"Death Or Glory" (1982) and "Stronger Than Evil" (1983) by HEAVY LOAD.

In 2023, HEAVY LOAD released a 40th-anniversary comeback album, "Riders Of The Ancient Storm". "Stronger Than Evil" was also made available to stream on Spotify for the first time, including six bonus tracks from the 2018 album reissue.

At their Thunderload recording facility, the Wahlquist brothers recorded CANDLEMASS's legendary debut album "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus", along with LPs from HAMMERFALL and Yngwie Malmsteen.