exclusive opeth interview!!! :)

hey mikael!! i didnt know you posted on here!! nice one ..
what you say about the "faked anxiety" is totally true .. i recently did an interview and i was asked about what really makes me listen to a band .. and that was exactly what i was putting .. the main bands that really strike a chord with me are the ones who you can tell arent plastic and/or pushed into sounding a certain way, and ones that do every damn note from the heart, no matter what style, be it punk,metal or electronica or anything ..

"a day in the life" is a classic example, the beatles got me into music when i was 4. i saw "yellow submarine" film, and even then it was more than just a cartoon to me, and to this day that film still means a hell of a lot, the beatles were geniuses..

mikael - what did you think about the interview as a whole? .. i mean, we are still learning what we are doing, so any advice would be great .. maybe we could do another one further down the line?

gleemonex - hey there, i been looking out for you online .. you got any more art or writing for us? .. you been doing much recently??
 
hmm, not a bad interview.

"M: Oh yes, though I don't know the first thing about time signatures in theory, there's a number of new arrangements that are definitely not in the old 4/4. The new stuff (especially for the heavy album) is the most complex stuff I've ever written. I like to mix the weird with the simple, always have and I think this "passion" will be more distinct on the upcoming material"

hmmm... in terms of time signatures the new album wouldnt have to be very advanced in order to be more complex. Maybe he should take those theory lessons...

as usual, i dont know what to think about the new album, it will be a suprise indeed.

Theres so many things i wish they would do for the next album. I hope the clean album has varying production... i hope they use more odd time signatures.... i hope all their music is less riff based (read the "Bach was a fatass" thread :p )... etc etc

Will be interesting to see what areas they improve, and whether they let any more areas become overlooked.
 
Cool, Mikael himself posted here.

Mikael, great post, and I agree with you that feeling is the most important aspect in music, and probably the one thing that nu metal is lacking on the most (most of the nu metal bands are gimmicky, and crank out songs that no one will remember in five years for that exact reason - no feeling).

I respect that you don't like to compare talent, but at that same time, I gotta say as a guitarist, you destroy the crap out of pretty much every nu metal guitarist out there, primarily because of your mastery of mutiple styles. Playing acoustic is very different than playing electric most of the time, and you are brilliant playing either. And, vocally, you're amazing for the same reason (different styles, and you've got a great voice for death, and clean).

It's cool that you're modest, though.
 
I just can't get past how bands like that all sound like each other. There's just nothing new. Korn actually has a unique sound, but the 14- year-old-angsty-kid lyrics always turn me away.

Actually though, I think Staind's songs are based on real life troubles they had. And they have a few good songs, but I'm becoming unable to stand the "radio metal" sound now the same as I can't stand the "radio rock" sound. The only popular metal bands that I've heard that I think stand out are SoaD and Tool.
 
My outlook (personal opinion) is that it all just bores me. Anything I hear on the radio, anything hyped or NU just instantly bores the living shit out of me. It's uninspired generic crap... bands are being forged by the industry to load in the $$$ and that's all it's about... and hearing what you have said before (Mikael) I'm glad that you won't be going down that path.... eternal respect to you for that. \m/.
 
i agree with most of whats said recently .. the only trap not to fall into with the nu metal / radio metal etc .. is not to just dispose of it before giving it a good listen first, cos then thats just being judgemental and hypocritical really .. and you cant TRULY judge something until you've listened probably ..

i will be honest, i am a massive slipknot fan, pretty much the only band in that entire scene i like, all i did with them was ignore the hype at first, and not even listen to them .. and then got a copy of the cd and was like "wow" .. cos they are actually a talented band, especially compared to bands like staind, puddle of shite, nickelback, adema and all those kinda bands...

generally MOST of it is uninspired, or rather uninspiring, but dont dismiss it til you actually listen to it, cos occasionally (very occasionally i know) a really cool song pops out that you wouldnt expect to like ..

:)

im still happy that mikael actually replied to our thread ..

hey mikael, what did you think to the interview? to say we are still learning... it seems a lot of people have enjoyed it though, its been seen nearly 500 times already, only been up about 5 days .. and ive had so many emails saying its really cool, lots of good comments on here, and a decent response on our forum
 
Well I have to say:

a) Massive thanks again to Paulio for getting the interview :)
b) Huuuuuuuuge thanks to Mikael for replying and inspiring... if you read this again, I'm the chappy that managed to meet you all at the Cockpit in Leeds on 31st May 2002 3 hours before my 21st birthday.... thankyou!!!
c) I have a huge happy feeling going on that you lot all enjoyed the questions and stuff that Simon and I asked Opeth... this is the first time I've seen the interview cos I don't have a computer at the mo... it's wicked that so many people replied and seemed to have enjoyed the read!!

Right, I'm off to try and listen to April Ethereal again.... :)
 
a) no probs, was thinking about you and simon as soon as it was agreed, i thought you guys would do a better interview for opeth than i would, even though im a huge fan for a lot of years, but you guys are obsessives!!

b) .. that was so cool, ive never seen you look so happy, still to this day i hear strains of "i met opeth"

c) i feel really inspired that so many people were into the words spoken and took some time to check it out, gives me the reason to keep on chasing things like this :)

you lot rule!
 
:eek: Mikael posted!! That is awesome...

...I havn't read all the replies to this thread (I did read Mikaels though, hehe) and I know I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said, but cool interview, thanks Paul:)
 
There are so many bands out there that they have to give me something more than just a "good performance" or execution of their songs...who gives a fuck about that anymore? I want songs that breaks my world, even the lousiest player can have a heart burning so intense for the music that he or she can put all the Malmsteens and Vai's out there to shame.

FINALLY! Someone I love and admire agrees with me on this particular subject, all my prog snob friends get on me when they come watch my band play, cuz when I get into a song, or when I play a solo its not perfect like when I first write it. I think an emotional performance speaks 1000000000 more times than a flawless one, and I get into my music big time, I escape into it...So who gives a shit if I bended the note out of pitch at the end of the scale run? And I perfectly agree with the last sentence. My firend whom I went to Berklee with is an astounding player, hes 3 yrs older than me and he can dooo so damn much with the guitar...but like I think my playing is superior, cuz I feel no soul in his playing, its so cold, and my heart "burns" more for music, and it shows...

one a side note, the one thing that seperates Vai from alot of "shredders" is that he really does live breathe and shit music, the man bleeds guitar...its so obvious in the way he plays, and the way he speaks.

well thanks Mike for showing me some musicians out there think like I do.
 
I agree... Vai is passionate... it's his kind of music and it's great.. I don't always like to listen to it but it's still very creative solo guitar stuff and the man certainly loves doing it...

and I of course agree about the fabricated angst bands.. soo annoying
 
okay, not far to go

OPETH Set Release Date For Fothcoming CD -

OPETH's as-yet-untitled new album, which is currently being recorded at Nacksving/Maestro Music studios with producer Fredrik Nordström, is scheduled for a worldwide release on October 28th, with an extensive tour to follow.

As previously reported, OPETH are planning on issuing two separate CDs several months apart—one heavy, one mellow. The heavy CD will be typical OPETH with all its ingredients, including mellow parts, while the "mellow" CD will have more laid-back material.

OPETH are tentatively planning on issuing the second of the new CDs on March 15th, 2003.

In other news, the limited-edition, deluxe two-CD version of OPETH's Blackwater Park CD (containing additional music and video footage not available on the original version) is now officially out of print following its release last week.




thats the news on the new album there :) ..
by the way, mate, about hammering moss, email me at tangaroa@rawnerve.freeserve.co.uk then i have it in my inbox and it serves as a reminder then, and i can let you know all the help we can give :) .. cheers mate
 
Tsk, tsk.

Anyway, if we can stop with the purely subjective (and therefore pointless) Staind voice debate for a moment (the guy is not trying to be a technical vocalist anyway)...

"The new stuff (especially for the heavy album) is the most complex stuff I've ever written. I like to mix the weird with the simple, always have and I think this "passion" will be more distinct on the upcoming material." - Mikael

Damn. It just keeps getting better. Opeth will NEVER sell out.

Satori