Formed in 1990, the Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth will play two shows in Brazil in April. The first is at Monsters of Rock , in Allianz Parque , on the 19th , with Stratovarius , Savatage , Queensrÿche , Europe , Scorpions and Judas Priest . The second takes place on the 21st, at Espaço Unimed , with Savatage .
Opeth is promoting their newest album, The Last Will And Testament, the band's fourteenth studio album. The album has been well-received by critics and fans. Released in November 2024, the project tells the story of a very wealthy and conservative patriarch whose will is read, revealing several family secrets.
Wikimetal spoke with guitarist Fredrik Åkesson , who has been in the band since 2007 and has released six studio albums and two live albums with Opeth.
Check out the full interview:
Opeth's Fredrik Åkesson speaks to Wikimetal
Wikimetal: Opeth has a very strong fanbase in Brazil. How would you describe the experience of playing for a Brazilian audience, and how important is this Monsters of Rock for Opeth?
Fredrik Åkesson: We've never played Monsters of Rock before, or any other festival of that magnitude in Brazil. As a child, I dreamed of playing Rock in Rio , which is probably one of the biggest festivals in the world. I've had the pleasure of playing Monsters of Rock before, I was there a few years ago, maybe you don't know, with Candlemass . So, I played Monsters of Rock with Kiss as the headliner, Scorpions too. Who else was there? Helloween , Doro , Symphony X … I filled in for Lars in Candlemass and played the whole show.
So, it will be really cool to return to Monsters of Rock two years later, but with my main band this time, Opeth. I saw the stadium, and it's huge, you know? For us, it's like taking a step forward. It's a good way to reach a lot of people who don't know the band. We have an opportunity to play for a larger audience than we're used to. It's a good thing. We were discussing how we have an hour-long setlist and we want to show various sides of the band, choosing the right songs to create all the elements that involve Opeth to put together a great show.
The importance of Monsters of Rock for Opeth
WM: What's it like for Opeth to share the stage with other legendary bands like Judas Priest, Scorpions, and Europe? Do you have any kind of relationship or history with the other bands that will be performing at the festival?
Fredrik Åkesson : Judas Priest is one of the best bands for me, Scorpions too. And Europe, I come from the same neighborhood as them. They're ten years older than me, but I was lucky enough to play with John Norum , I wrote songs for his solo albums, we've jammed a lot playing guitar together, so we're great friends.
And of course, Joey is on our new album too, so there's that Swedish connection. It's cool to spend time with those guys, they're friends of ours, of course. But playing with Judas Priest for me, it's like… [ Rob ] Halford , you know, he's one of the great legends of metal. It's a great honor for us to play with these classic bands.
The setlist for the shows in Brazil
WM: Are you preparing something special for the setlist at the Brazil show, considering the importance of the event and the Brazilian audience?
Fredrik Åkesson : Well, since our new album, The Last Will and Testament, was released and we did a three-week tour a few weeks ago and played at least four songs from the new album, I think we'll play at least three songs from the new record. Even though we have an hour-long setlist, we'll play several classics.
We'll start rehearsing next week and we'll try to map out what we think fits well for this show. We'll probably try to focus on an intense setlist. Since our main shows are long shows and Mikael [ Åkerfeldt ] talks a lot – I wouldn't call him a stand-up comedian, but sometimes he gets relaxed on stage – we might have to compact things a bit at these festivals because we have these things, but with Mike you never know. He might talk a lot or not, we'll see what happens.
Opeth's relationship with Brazil
WM: Opeth has played in Brazil before. Do you have any memorable stories or experiences from your previous visits here? What's it like interacting with Brazilian fans?
Fredrik Åkesson : They're always super cool. They support us a lot and we really like that. I remember the last time we played there, I don't remember the name of the venue in São Paulo, but I remember we took the elevator to the VIP area, we could see the line forming. It was pretty incredible to see how many people were there, there were lots of signs. You have to pinch yourself sometimes. [One minute] you're on the subway in Sweden and suddenly you're in São Paulo seeing this line forming, you can't believe they're there to watch your show, so it's very unbelievable. This time we're really looking forward to doing this great show, so that's it, I hope everything goes well.
Barbecue and Caipirinha
WM: Besides the shows, do you have any interest in or connection to Brazilian culture? Like drinks, food, or even music?
Fredrik Åkesson : Ah, yes! Caipirinha is a Brazilian drink, isn't it?
WM: Yes! It's Brazilian. With lemon, ice, and cachaça.
Fredrik Åkesson : I like that one. Cachaça, yes, with a shrimp on top. There's also "rascaria," the steakhouses, how do you pronounce it?
WM: Steakhouse.
Fredrik Åkesson : Correct, churrascaria. We've been a few times, but I don't go before the show because you can barely move after going to restaurants like that, it's too much food. It's very heavy, it's something that when you think of Brazil, those restaurants are one of the things that come to mind, churrascaria. But I've never been able to travel there to see the nature, and that, of course, is a big part of Brazil. I hope I can someday. There are also the dangerous animals.
WM: You guys are always here for shows and tours, so there's never any free time.
Fredrik Åkesson : Yes, it's like a monkey in a cage, stuck in a hotel room, just saying hi to a few fans and going to a few restaurants. That's it, you know?
Featuring Joey Tempesta and Ian Anderson
WM: As you mentioned, Joey Tempest from Europe participated in the last album, as did Ian Anderson. How did the idea for these collaborations come about?
Fredrik Åkesson : Joey was having lunch at Mikael's house and he had this session for "Paragraph 2," and he asked Joey to sing a little, and they went down to the studio, and he was just shouting, actually singing a little differently than he's used to, Mikael said. At the time the lyrics weren't finished, so Joey had to record later at his studio in London, which is where he lives. And the idea of Ian [ Anderson ]. We tried to bring him in before, on the Heritage , but he couldn't, and this time Mikael knew his son who is also his mentor, James. And that was the connection, since the new album The Last Will And Testament is a concept album, Ian plays the role of the patriarch, the father, the narrations throughout the album are the father in the story.
Pro bono collaborations
Also, all the different voices, Mikael's guttural vocals, the clean vocals, are more theatrical vocals, and Joey's vocals are basically his father's, so… you know… for us to have Ian doing these narrations, we don't even know when the rehearsals for these songs started, it was something that happened a little later. For us it was a perfect combination. Having him play that role.
Ian… he didn’t even charge for it, he did it for free, Tempest too, he said: “no need”. And also the most important fact is that Ian played a little flute on the album, because it’s incredible how he improvises when he plays the flute, it’s so musical. He played flute right before I played a solo on “Paragraph 4”, and when I recorded the solo, I didn’t know he was going to record the flute, that was a great bonus, I had to pinch my arm, I’m playing a solo right after Ian Anderson. (laughs)
The latest album
WM: The Last Will & Testament is one of Opeth's darkest albums. Did you face any challenges during the songwriting and recording process?
Fredrik Åkesson : Well, we went back to Rockfield , as you know, for the third time, which is a… home studio in Wales, it's basically a farm, it's a good environment to focus, without distractions. No, I think… everything… the drums were recorded well in advance, and I loved the sound of the drums in the studio, it was very grounded, powerful, very distinct, not that clicky sound of the modern sound type, which I'm not… I'm not a big fan of, it sounds too synthetic to me. But… I mean, we had some minor disagreements in the studio, but that's natural, things can get difficult at those times, but I think overall, everything flowed well during the recording.
The part where I did some backing vocals, I had… it’s in the documentary, something with my voice, it sounded like (high-pitched noises), it seemed like a curse, in my own way, but things like that are funny, you know? But I think overall it was a smooth recording, but we did our homework properly beforehand, we rehearsed a lot, everyone knew their parts, you know? I think that’s very important, everyone takes their responsibilities and learns everything, so that you don’t have to think about your parts in the studio, you have to have a minimum of muscle memory in your DNA, it’s good… it’s good advice, to focus more on sounds, you know? Comparing different types of tones, guitars and whatever.
The inspiration for The Last Will & Testament
WM: Can you talk about some of the inspirations behind this album?
Fredrik Åkesson : Well, Mikael writes most of the stuff, but he was inspired by arguments in wills and wishes, with very wealthy families. Slightly inspired by a TV series called… what's it called again? A rich family… I forgot the word, but anyway, things like that. The album isn't really… it's not really about the arguments, it's more the father speaking through his will and revealing various secrets to his siblings, and there are many twists, things they didn't know when he was alive, some dark things, you know? There were robberies, betrayals by companions and a new… a new sister they didn't know about, things like that. Oh… Succession is the name of the series, I remember.
The future of Opeth
WM: After this tour and the success of The Last Will and Testament , what are Opeth's plans for the future? Are you already working on new material?
Fredrik Åkesson : No, actually not. We have plans, but this year is full of tours, and part of next year will also have a lot of touring, so I'd say that next year, after the summer, maybe, we'll be thinking about something new.
WM: What would you like to say to the Brazilian fans who are eager to see Opeth at Monsters of Rock ?
Fredrik Åkesson : Well, we're excited, and we'll also be doing a second show with Savatage, an extra show, which is really cool, so we'll be there for two shows this time in Brazil… In São Paulo, we hope to see you there and it's going to be very exciting, you know, playing with these legends, Judas Priest, Scorpions Europe, Savatage, and for me, coming back for the second time, as I said. Two years ago I was there, you know? And we hope a lot of people will come to see us, people who have never seen us before too.
READ ALSO: Opeth guitarist Fredrik Åkesson reveals details about his solo project.
