What ever happened to Johan Defarfalla ?

thanx antzor and Johan.....very very aweosme job...!!!...very insightful.....though he does coem across as a hmm....less talkative kindda person.......!!!...but yes he was a great part of oepth...that stuff on TBYFW he did...was just brilliant....PEAC EOUT
 
Definitely the most interesting development in the forum for some time, and nothing less than a gold nugget of Opeth lore for the oldskool fans.

Very cool to see that Johan is recognized for the quality work he did during his short time in the band. I for one must say he's probably the reason I'm an Opeth fan; Morningrise was my 1st Opeth album in 98 and the first remarkable aspect I noticed was the bass guitar work. It hooked me into getting some more Opeth records, unfortunately none with him but by then I was totally taken in by Opeth anyway. So he was like the gateway drug :)...
 
Quite interesting for me too. I haven't talked to him since we fired him 10 years ago.

I grant Johan that he was definately a great bass player, but he never wrote music for Opeth, never "altered" riffs as far as I remember. And he clearly forgets that I indeed did write some bass lines and co-wrote some with him. However, the rumour that I wrote all the bass lines is not true. I definately can't remember having said anything like that. Most of the time I simply showed him the riff and we took it from there. Credit's given where credit's due, as they say....

Johan always had a wierd attitude towards the rest of us, almost like he saw himself "above" us musically as he'd been playing for longer, he was older and he had more experience with bands etc. That is one of the reasons why we never got along that great. He was never into death metal at all. He was into fusion music, some classical and I guess general rock music.

Having said that, the years with him was memorable and I never regretted inviting him into the band. He was part of a special era of the band that will never happen again, and his bass playing greatly contributed to those 2 records.

As I said before...quite interesting.
Cheers
Mike
 
Well hi Mike, thanks for paying a visit again! All ok up there?

I guess anybody who has ever been in a band understands the tension it can bring about. A lot of bands fail just because they have different opinions, can't get along or get in fights all the time. Few succeed regardless, and only fewer never have fights at all.

So obviously you had some problems with Johan back then. As I see it, it's nothing "special", even more so because the musical differences were quite big. Please understand, I never meant to "stir up some shit" by asking him about who wrote the riffs. I just felt that information is better than rumours, and Johan never had the chance to "defend" himself against them. So maybe his view on what happened is a bit different than yours, but for me they can totally co-exist with one another. I really respect his playing, but I can also understand your point of view. In the end usually the truth is somewhere in the middle, but I don't need to know exactly. I, as a fan, just choose to appreciate the music, and hereby get more information on how it came about. I just wanted to stop the rumours that Johan didn't write any basslines at all, because it was just not fair. This does not mean I am at all interested in starting a pissing contest about who wrote exactly what riff etc.

Johan indeed made a great contribution to those two records, but still, Opeth is your band Mike. You rock. No doubt about it :) People who feel they have to "choose a camp" however just don't get the point, as far as I'm concerned.

Chuck Schuldiner said:
Support music, not rumours!
Click to expand...
 
This is a wonderful thread.
Personally I have to say that the basslines on Orchid (UTWM, TAIT) was what made me want to listen to the record, and thusly guided me into the vast greatness of those songs.
Kudos, AnTz0r!
 
Demilich said:
I can't believe you guys got in touch with both David Isberg AND Johan! Who the hell can we try to find next? Jesus?
Click to expand...

not Jesus, but i found God!

http://www.titane.ca/concordia/dfar251/igod/main.html

Me:
tell me god, what is the answer to life?
God:
There is not much I can say about it. I have to reach into the Web for that knowledge.
Searching...Searching...Please stand by.
Me:
what is the purpose of life?
God:
To do God's work.
Me:
like what?
God:
For example, gold.
Me:
is gold god's work?
God:
Better not tell you now. Ask John Lennon if it is.
Me:
do you know john lennon?
God:
John Lennon is a cool bot developed by David Maggin.
Me:
do you know about opeth?
God:
That's an interesting question. I'll come back to that in a minute.
Me:
do you listen to any music?
God:
Yes I listen to music a lot, usually from the radio.
Me:
which radio station do you listen to?
God:
The big one, I think.
Me:
is there a small one?
God:
I believe there is one, yes.
Me:
it was fun talking to you.
God:
Is that your opinion?
Me:
yes it is my opinion
God:
Give me a break. Congratulations, emre.
Me:
thank you god
God:
You are quite welcome! GOD rules.
 
Another fascinating thread... thank you.

I must keep checking back more often. It seems that the forum has regained something it had lost a couple of years ago.

The Opeth bassline was the first thing to jump out at me when I was listening to The Apostles In Triumph on the Candlelight Compilation. I had to know who it was and then acquired Orchid immediately (as I remember I got it free from subscribing to Terrorizer at the time!).

At the risk of sentimentality, that was a very important point in the development of my musical appreciation. I personally owe all the band at that time and Lee a huge debt of thanks.
 
I haven't talked to him since we fired him 10 years ago
Click to expand...
I dont see how u had to tell everyoen that AGAIN..!!!...hahaha...poor Johan...

OOOOooo.....Mikael and Johan are at it.....i bet 20 bucks on Mikey........!!!!....i say round 2 and johan is out by a knock out...!!!...alright kids...teh bookies are takin the bets...!!!......ahahah.....PEAC EOUT
 
Wow, it's a good thing that they canned him. I mean...he was a good player and all, but...

Johan said:
I would have created a much tighter band with a better production and less growl song.
Click to expand...
First one is questionable, second one simply untrue (as Opeth's production got better anyways), and third one undesirable.
 
Excellent to hear from both Johan and Mikael's follow up on this. I was certainly curious, thanks to AnTz0r for going the extra step and getting the real scoop.

Very interesting, and quite awesome. This forum still has hope!
 
Det_Nosnip said:
Wow, it's a good thing that they canned him. I mean...he was a good player and all, but...

First one is questionable, second one simply untrue (as Opeth's production got better anyways), and third one undesirable.
Click to expand...

Sup Det. I just made this exact same post in the Opeth thread on MX, and so did you....

but he said he hasn't listened to any Opeth albums since Morningrise, so he wouldn't have known that the production got better. And his idea of "tight" is probably different.
 
Det_Nosnip said:
Wow, it's a good thing that they canned him. I mean...he was a good player and all, but...

First one is questionable, second one simply untrue (as Opeth's production got better anyways), and third one undesirable.
Click to expand...

duder...!!!...this is ure FATHER...!!!...j/k...how u beeb bro...Mark is out too..and Im auditioning 2 drummers..adn 2 guitarists this week....hope it works out..im itching to get back on stage..adn play some live music....lemm eknwo when u in town....we'll go grab a drink (food) or soemthing.........PEAC EOUT
 
This is probably one of the best threads I have ever read. It consists of one of my favorite bass players of all time, and then he answers questions that I have been seeking. Then, the great Mikael Akerfeldt makes a comment.

cheers.
 
great thread, thanks for clearing those things up!
Johan really should get himself a copy of Damnation & Blackwater Park! He would love Damnation, no doubt about that! :)
 
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