Mikael Akerfeldt talks on heavy music and violence!

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painergrey

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Jul 15, 2004
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Mikael Akerfeldt and other 73 musicians (see the list of participants below) did discuss about the possible connection between Heavy Music and Violence.
Take a look:

http://www.imhotepzine.com/heavyviolence

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Agnete M. Kirkevaag (Madder Mortem)
Al Atkins (Original singer of Judas Priest - A.N.D. - Lion - Janus)
Albert Bouchard (Blue Oyster Cult - Brain Surgeons)
Alex Skolnick (Alex Skolnick Trio - Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Savatage - Testament)
Andy LaRocque (King Diamond, Illwill, Death)
Ben Granfelt (Wishbone Ash - Guitar Slingers - Gringos Locos)
Bernie Marsden (Whitesnake - UFO - Wild Turkey - The Snakes - Company Of Snakes - Hammer)
Bob Daisley (Black Sabbath - Ozzy Osbourne - Rainbow - Living Loud)
Bob Welch (Fleetwood Mac - Paris - Solo)
Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge - Travers & Appice - Cactus - King Kobra)
Casey Orr (The Burden Brothers - Rigor Mortis - Gwar - The Hellions - Ministry)
Charlie Benante (Anthrax)
Chris Hillman (The Byrds - The Desert Rose Band - The Flying Burrito Brothers)
Chuck Keller (Ares Kingdom, Vulpecula)
Dan Lorenzo (Hades - Non Fiction)
Dan Zimmerman (Gamma Ray - Freedom Call - Easy Livin')
Dave Evans (Original singer of AC / DC - Rabbit)
Dave Fridmann (Producer - Weezer - Jane's Addiction - The Flaming Lips - Chumbawamba)
Derek Sherinian (Solo - Planet X - Dream Theater - Alice Cooper - Kiss)
Douglas Grean (Producer / Musician - Scott Weiland - Velvet Revolver - Sheryl Crow - The Doors)
Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister)
Erik Turner (Warrant)
Erol Unala (Celtic Frost - Apollyon Sun)
Evan Foster (Boss Martians)
Gene Hoglan (Strapping Young Lad - Dark Angel - Death - Old Man's Child - Testament)
Gizz Butt (The Prodigy - The More I See - Janus Stark)
Guy Marchais (Suffocation)
Harley Flanagan (Cro-Mags)
Jack Endino (Skin Yard - Produced Nirvana, Mudhoney, Bruce Dickinson, Soundgarden)
Jason Hager (Shenoah - Chimaira)
Jeff Watson (Night Ranger - Mothers Army)
Jens Johansson (Stratovarius - Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Dio - Mastermind)
Jizzy Pearl (Ratt - Adler's Appetite - Love / Hate)
Joe Lynn Turner (HTP - Deep Purple - Rainbow)
Joey Belladonna (Belladonna - ex-Anthrax)
Joey Tafolla (Solo - Jag Panzer - Michael Sweet - Tyrese)
John Cummings (Mogwai)
John Kalodner (Aerosmith - Foreigner - Iron Maiden - Black Crowes - Cher - Berlin - Simon & Garfunkel - Slayer - Elton John - Journey - Abba - Phil Collins - Genesis - Santana - Manowar - Sixpence None The Richer - Steve Vai - Joe Satriani - Chicago - Bon Jovi --- Note from the editor: I will just stop listing. Now I understand why he is usually credited as "John Kalodner: John Kalodner")
John Bush (Anthrax - Armored Saint)
John Cummings (Mogwai)
Jonas Björler (The Haunted - At The Gates)
Jørn Lande (Jorn – Masterplan, ex-Ark, ++)
Larry Marciano (Franky Perez & The Highway Saints - Seth Horan - David Peters)
Lars Ratz (Metalium)
Lupus Thunder (Bloodhound Gang)
Matt Bissonette (Joe Satriani - Ringo Starr - Brian Wilson)
Matthew 'Froj' Frodsham (Death By Decibels)
MetalGeorge (The Accursed)
Metal Mike Chlasciak (Painmuseum - Halford - Testament)
Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth)
Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity)
Miron (Tvangeste)
Neil Turbin (ex-Anthrax - Kuni)
Nick (Murphy's Law)
Nina C. Alice (Skew Siskin)
Paul Di'Anno (ex-Iron Maiden - Di'Anno - Killers - Battlezone)
Peter Lyse Hansen (HateSphere)
Philip Bynoe (Ring Of Fire - Steve Vai - Genius - Jennifer Corday)
Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear - Gamma Ray)
Rick Vito (Fleetwood Mac - John Mayall)
Robert Vigna (Immolation)
Sandy West (The Runaways - Sandy West Band)
Schmier (Destruction - Headhunter)
Stefan Karasavas (Varathron)
Steve Smyth (Nevermore - Testament - Dragonlord - Vicious Rumours)
Steve Vai (Frank Zappa - Alcatrazz - Whitesnake - David Lee Roth - G3)
Tim Donahue (Solo - Madmen & Sinners)
Tom S. Englund (Evergrey)
Tommy Shaw (Styx)
Tonny Harnell (TNT - Westworld - Morning Wood)
Tracy G (Dio - Draven - Swift Kick - Rags)
Ty Dennis (The Doors of the 21st Century)
Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath - Axis - Dio - John Lennon - Rick Derringer)
Wino (Probot - The Obssessed - Spirit Caravan - St. Vitus)
Zak Stevens (Circle II Circle - Savatage)
 
This is a cool subject heres what Mike said

Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth)
Official Site – www.opeth.com

"There's definately no connection between violence and heavy music. It's still very rare with things like this. It's definately more common within the hiphop/rap scene...an' that music isn't really that extreme. The problem is a growing amount of sheer lunatics with guns. A very unhealthy combination if you ask me"
 
interesting... a lot of rap lyrics directly and explicitly describe and encourage criminal activity of all kinds... not to mention the "example" set by the image and lives of rap artists.
i'm not terribly familiar with all the different metal genres, but it seems that the majority of lyrics don't really do that--seems more about inward anger and so forth...
it seems also that metal is more cathartic... that is, it seems that one gets rid of anger and frustration through listening to and playing metal. (not to mention the sanctioned and controlled violence of moshing...)
i've met too many very mellow dudes who play incredibly "violent" sounding music to not feel that this is true. (i mean they like to be a little rowdy, drink and screw, but, hey, who doesn't?!?! :headbang: )
i mean, look at akerfeldt! he's a goof-ball. :) i get the impression that none of the opeth dudes is a violent type. their lyrics and behavior certainly wouldn't make one believe so.
anyway, we'll still have to hear from the religious right and other stupid twats who react to what they "hear" and don't understand or know anything about the artists or the scene...
more's the pity.
 
Vai's statement surprised me.

but my favorite: from Douglas Grean

Was John Lennon's music violent? Didn't he break up the Beatles? Wasn't he shot and killed by a mad man?
His music was about as non-violent as you can get. I think that what happened to Dime was an isolated incident by a very mentally ill person who probably stopped taking his medication and then did something insane. I think that violence in music and art is a healthy thing. I think it helps people express feelings and emotions that would otherwise have no outlet and could cause more problems if not released in a positive safe way. Every time some violent event happens that has anything to do with music the right wing moral majority always tries to blame it on the music. It's been happening to rock and roll for years. It's their impotent little witch hunt. It always leads nowhere.
 
Ha! some of the names on the list are amusing. Derek Sherinian? Joe Lynn Turner? I was just thinking about when Yngwie had him do vocals on some terrible album. Funny!

Anyway, when everyone realizes that human beings are violent animals, we will have a lot less interviews like this to read.
There exists very little evidence that anything causes violent behavior. The reason for such a paucity of support is that violence is integral to the human experience. Nothing causes it, it's already there. YOU'RE responsible!
 
The most funny names to see there are Lupus Thunder (BLOODHOUND GANG), hahaha... and Evan Foster (Boss Martians)...
my favorite statements are the ones from John Bush, Albert Bouchard, and yep... Evan Foster
 
painergrey said:
The most funny names to see there are Lupus Thunder (BLOODHOUND GANG), hahaha... and Evan Foster (Boss Martians)...
my favorite statements are the ones from John Bush, Albert Bouchard, and yep... Evan Foster
Click to expand...

Dude how could you forget Jizzy Pearl? :erk:
 
Guy Marchais (Suffocation)

I think that growing up in a small town with only two ways out could also led to violence. A kid that grows up in a small town usually can't stand it there, so they look forward to one of two things: play football or join the military. The boys usually play football because they are brainwashed and forced from a young age by their parent's to play sports and stay out of trouble... ha, that's bullshit! And the girls are usually pressured to be in beauty pageants and/or become cheerleaders. Once they go through that shit they see there are only two ways out: go to college, where they will be away from home for the first time so they celebrate their freedom by endless drinking and partying (in other words they chose to go to college just to get away from home, and not to better their education) or join our "great military" to quote travel the world? Tell these kids the truth! Join the military and you can sometimes get the chance to kill innocent people and be forced by some suit in Washington to do things against your will. When by the way those same politicians would never think of sending their own kids to the military that they proclaim is a great direction for young lives to go in. I don't think this about all kids from small towns, but I do think this does happen to a lot out of small town kids. As for the thing about Darrell and this kid that shot him and music... it has NOTHING to do with the music. That kid had a mental problem. That's why he did what he did.

Did Clinton get a blowjob because he was an evil and bad politician? No, he did it because he was horny. Did Bush send all our troops to Iraq to get killed because he was trying to fight the war on terrorism and catch Osama? NO! He sent our troops to die for OIL and MONEY! Did that kid kill Darrell because of the music? How dumb does that sound? NO! He did it because he was crazy and an asshole.

I only met Darrell Abbott once in my life, backstage at a Pantera show, and there was nothing violent about him or his music at all. I think his music was fun. It was heavy and raw, like the type of person I think Darrell was. It was fun to listen too, like he was backstage. He was just a normal guy playing the style of music he and many others love. If I remember my history correctly, wasn't there once a guy that parents despised simply because of the way he moved his hips, and drugs led to his death. I guess his music forced the drugs upon him and that is what ultimately led to his death. So there you have it, fifties music creates overdosing drug users and addicts, so don't listen to fifties music. Metal creates violent killers, so be careful what you listen to because we are all just sheep and don't have minds of our own. Or do you suppose people are who they are and will be who they are no matter what. You can't blame every act of violence or addiction on what a person has in their CD player. No style of music is going to twist someone's arm to do something they didn't want to do. And that's it. I could go on forever about this shit. Without religion there would be no war, and without war there would be no religion. So let's get rid of them both and just be human. And don't get me wrong about our military, I support our military to protect and defend this country. I do not support politicians using our military to invade other countries for their own personal needs and greed, but nevertheless I do support our troops in Iraq.

good points there
 
^Guy Marchais sounds a bit miffed. He vastly overgeneralizes small town American life. How about inner-city, poor, disenfranchised neighborhoods?
 
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