Mikael Akerfeldt gives his Opeth record-by-record recap (from "Orchid" to "Ghost Reveries")

Archive #12 goes back to 2005 when Opeth were touring massively in support of the "Ghost Reveries" record. I caught up with Mike Akerfeldt during the second leg of the tour and as most of the interview we did that day is pretty much irrelevant as of today so I just isolated the Opeth discography recap I asked Mike to do in order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut record "Orchid" at the time (this record is now 25 years old and the last one at the time was "Ghost Reveries").
Full article (in french) was featured on Heavy Music : heavymusic.free...
#MikaelAkerfeldt #Opeth #GhostReveries #PRS #Synergy #Orchid #BlackwaterPark #Damnation

[@BlackSailPass_GuitarCovers]

Morningrise (and Orchid, to a lesser extent) are criminally underrated - by critics, fans and even the band themselves. The sound does not 'suck' - it's raw and atmospheric, with a perfect guitar tone. It'll be interesting hearing Black Rose Immortal live in November.

[@gechuzhao2178]

I completely agree, it has always been one of my favorites. Went to see them yesterday in Paris and they nailed it, they've never played that song in its entirety before and it sounded just like the record, unbelievable.

[@soakedbearrd]

The live version of BRI is on KZbin now and they did a FANTASTIC job.

[@alessandromariani99]

Too Black Metal in those two records I think, they improved and perfectioned a prog-death style in Still Life. That's the real Opeth to me.

[@kevinvillalta6168]

I saw them in Costa Rica last month, they played Black Rose Immortal and Under the Weeping Moon, it was fucking beautiful and it sounded heavy af.

[@Irelandunited2012]

Completely agree, Morningrise is my favourite of all time because of the folk elements and progression. Amazing. Mikael seems to be talk a lot about sound production but for me, it's the music and the emotion behind them, the story, the times. It should not just be criticised on the recording quality alone, but it is not my music - who am I to opine.

[@arsonne]

This is such a great interview. I remember when I met Mikael, he was the nicest guy ever. M. Axenrot was there too but wasn't comfortable speaking in English. I brought my CD booklet/cover of Orchid for him to sign and he was telling me about how he went out and bought the flower and photographed it and all that.. Such an honest, down to Earth and nice guy. Absolute legend.

[@michaeldeel1592]

Mikeal took the pic?

[@yigithenden126]

You are so luckyy. I didnt know about the flower wow

[@tristan8823]

He's incredibly honest. I've thought all the same stuff about poor recordings and By The Pain I See In Others being a weak song, and the fact he openly admits that is commendable. I still love all the albums regardless, Still Life is my #1.

[@dragonmasterlance123]

I feel like they tried to stretch it out just because the other tracks were 10+ minutes long. Similar thing with Wreath, great song but there's a good two minutes where I feel nothing really happens.

[@entishmusic]

Surprised to hear this - By The Pain is my favorite song on Deliverance, which is also my favorite Opeth album.

[@bmw_m4255]

Yeah Still life is great

[@kshaddoz4590]

By The Pain I See In Others is weak for small brains

[@dragosudrea6533]

It's so surprising for me whenever I read that. It's my favorite song off the album. I remember listening to the album and beside Deliverance, it stands out the most. It has that Opeth weirdness, with the ominous vocals and atmosphere.

[@biorythmicshifter]

I consider My Arms the best one, they are all exceptionally great but if I had to choose one album it would be that one. There is an intangible atmosphere that separates it from the rest. I like how Mike described it like a particular spirit to it that can’t be replicated. I hear that quality as well. It hits a pretty deep chord in me as do they all. Deliverance is another one that I’ve gravitated more to as well. These are the heavier albums they put out but that’s not really the reason I love them so much, there is a darkness in the sound they haven’t quite recaptured.

[@heavy-music]

Yeah there's something special about Opeth early stuffs !

[@victormiranda4664]

My arms is my favorite too, it’s the most emo 🤣

[@andypike1234]

I love post-2005 Opeth but man, this was such a peak of this band

[@TheSteinbitt]

“Maybe we should end it here”, great insight and reflection. It was their seminal record, it was perfect, but I’m happy their still around:)

[@andreidoanca4262]

wow...interview from when Ghost Reveries was new...and now it's a classic.

[@heavy-music]

Yeah that's true !

[@TheSadistNat1on]

31 years old...did the math last night..tripped me out

[@bmw_m4255]

@@TheSadistNat1on wow you're math is way off

[@TheSadistNat1on]

@@bmw_m4255 what? ha

[@anony-moon]

​@@TheSadistNat1on lmao wtf it's only 19 years old

[@timgonzales2891]

Old opeth has really grown on me. The albums preceding still life. Been listening to them all so much lately

[@TheSadistNat1on]

what does this mean ha

[@BlackSailPass_GuitarCovers]

@@TheSadistNat1on It means he's beginning to believe...

[@finq0997]

Still Life, Orchid and Morningrise are my favorite ones. Harlequin Forest is probably their greatest song, but I absolutely love the raw and slightly blackened sound of their first two albums. Still Life and Ghost Reveries were THE albums that got me into heavier music as a teen and I still regard them as one of Metals greatest records. During the last couple of years, Orchid and Morningrise have grown on me tremendously though, 90's black and death metal in general. There's just a certain sound and atmosphere about those records, that you could not replicate today. Traditional Heavy Metal has become a bit of a thing the last couple of years and it has some really good bands, but nobody can reproduce the black/death 90's of Vinterland, Opeth, MDB, Paradise Lost, early Katatonia, Empyrium, Emperor, Rotting Christ, Amorphis, Immortal and so many more. I just wish I'd listened to all of those records 10yrs earlier.

[@renanmarchet9865]

I remember as a teen in high school, I was discovering the sound of Opeth and a slow passion was building. Once I listened to Harlequin Forest, it felt like in explosion. I dove in deep to their music after that. Opeth is a favorite of mine now. Saw them last night too, what a show! Sad that Axe is no longer with the band but Sami was spot on.

[@sorenbuenneke6434]

Harlequin Forest is without a doubt their best song

[@faultier3215]

what about My Arms your Hearse? I highly agree with the things mikael said about the album, its one of Opeths darkest records and it really has something special. I personally love the vocals on this record too

[@finq0997]

@@faultier3215 unquestionably needs to named in the same sentence as all their other records , you are right.

[@theliberation9061]

This is great - thanks for sharing. :) I've especially always been curious what he thought of Orchid and Morningrise and it's nice to hear he still has an appreciation for them, I have a massive sentiment for those albums.

[@heavy-music]

thanks for listening !

[@PNWTruckCamper]

If only he knew how monumental GR was. And then to see all he did with Watershed, Heritage, Pale Communion and Storm Corrosion

[@guydelusignan4272]

Ive only just realised there is a human figure on the cover of My Arms... its so blended into the dark trees I never saw it on the tiny CD cover.

[@emergentform1188]

MAYH is my fav but so many great albums, like Ghost Riveries, wow.

[@DeadLuckArchives]

Funny, they then went on to make Watershed, which even he admits now was their best and most Opeth~y album. Everything from then on is also great in their own ways, they're unique and different, but Watershed is for sure peak Opeth.

[@subhashxrecord3131]

Hex omega is dope

[@Saosin3333]

Hex Omega is so godly and weirdly Derelict Herds feels like a darker side to Hex Omega

[@kartikxramesh]

Agreed, fav album.

[@dee-taylor]

Watershed is not even close to being the best album. To me, if anything, I can hear the beginnings of stagnation on Watershed, and no surprise the album after it was their drastic, stylistic change. Ghost Reveries in the peak of 'Oldpeth' to me.

[@BlackSailPass_GuitarCovers]

@@dee-taylor +1. A lot of people call 'Heritage' the beginning of the end, but for me it's always been 'Watershed'. They sounded tired and bored. I own every Opeth album up to Ghost Reveries, but couldn't bring myself to buy a copy.

[@NIIVES]

I'd say Blackwater Park is the quintessential and overall most appreciated Opeth album, backed by Ghost Reveries and Watershed which I actually come back to more often than Blackwater. But honestly, Damnation will always be my personal favorite record of them. It's perfect.

[@KalosPVP]

Damnation is truly perfect from beginning to end.

[@babylemonade2868]

You are right about damnation and they improved sonically when Steven Wilson started producing them

[@OfficialArthusamakh]

I pretty much get all he's saying. I thought of a best of setlist if Opeth were to do a final tour playing a song of each album one day. I'm not very sure about my picks for the MAYH, Heritage and Sorceress records though. 1. The moor 2. Under the weeping moon 3. Chrysalis 4. Heir apparent 5. Moon above, sun below 6. Harlequin forest 7. Blackwater park [short break] 8. To bid you farewell 9. I feel the dark 10. Hope leaves 11. Allting tar slut [encore] 12. When 13. Deliverance

[@dragonmasterlance123]

Alternatively, do a backwards chronological order set like what Rush did. Having the closer be Forest of October would be pretty wild.

[@mohammadkyani8114]

I would choose these:The Apostle in Triumph/To Bid You Farewell/Demon of the Fall/Moonlapse Vertigo/Bleak/Deliverance/In My Time of Need/Harlequin Forest/Heir Apparent/Devil's Orchard/Cusp of Eternity/Sorceress/Heart in Hand

[@MattiasWalc]

And now that is a reality :D 1 song from each album for the 30th anniversary tour October 2021, and we get to vote for the setlist

[@gandalf8216]

The lack of love for The Baying of the Hounds is, to me, unfortunate.

[@theopinson3851]

Interesting how candid he was.

[@michaeldeel1592]

Wym

[@IamMichaellucifer13]

The 1st 5 albums are just amazing, regardless.

[@babylemonade2868]

Damnation and heritage are my favourites and I’d love another storm corrosion album

[@soakedbearrd]

I love morningrise :-(

[@stevemuzak8526]

But Mikael is right about the sound of that album. It's bad. I hope that they remaster it one day.

[@thomaszampino6369]

The recording is bad but black rose immortal and to bid you farewell are masterworks

[@BlackSailPass_GuitarCovers]

The sound is raw and atmospheric, with a perfect guitar tone. Controversial maybe, but it's my favourite production out of all their albums.

[@lolman6916]

@@stevemuzak8526 and now they’ve released remasters for the first 3 albums

[@ryanforsythe8923]

@@stevemuzak8526 just got remastered fyi! Sounds way better.

[@ernestoleighton3067]

I understand people who love Watershed but in my feelings, Opeth was never the same after Ghost Reveries. It's interesting how he felt after this record, as if he had done all he wanted. For an artist it might be a struggle, because, if you reached your peak, what else is left? For me it kind of explains why he got drained of ideas after Watershed and became so experimental. And it makes me look at the later albums with a different, more respectful approach.

[@cheekofnut]

I agree, but I think their changing style was really present on Ghost Reveries as well. There' something a little bit more straightforward about the ideas presented on that record, not that that's a bad thing. A little bit more commercial. Easily digestible. The folksier elements get lost a bit, the riffs are more 'THIS IS A RIFF,' as opposed to the manic and despondent feeling of Still Life and BWP. BWP has a soulful element that I really miss in their sound. They still retain melodicism, of course, but of the heavier records the light parts feel more straightforward, in a way that's hard to describe.

[@ToRMeNToR84]

There is NOT ONE bad Opeth song/track. Every album is a masterpiece.

[@schattepoezel8541]

Slither?

[@bretmorris830]

@@schattepoezel8541 Not even close to bad.

[@sweetnoises512]

Ok but nephente

[@ToRMeNToR84]

​@@sweetnoises512 Wut? Intro may be a bit long to start up, but it's still a good track.

[@tt1147]

I agree, they don't have any bad songs but they have become rather bland since Mikael ditched the growls. They got rid of what made them so unique.

[@peesnlav]

Great interview! Thanks for the upload

[@flatterswhite]

"How the fuck did I think of that stuff?"

[@shadowcrimson6232]

Morningrise's sound has a charm in it for me idk

[@BlackSailPass_GuitarCovers]

The sound is raw and atmospheric, with a perfect guitar tone. Controversial maybe, but it's my favourite production out of all their albums.

[@puttu_racing]

@@BlackSailPass_GuitarCovers It's just the same as Orchid but better

[@BlackSailPass_GuitarCovers]

@@puttu_racing True.

[@evelynfx9530]

i could listen to him talking for hours and hours

[@Bonesgrip]

Why they're not considering to remix/remaster Morningrise then? Why have they stopped rehearsing? Why didn't he wrote Deliverance and Damnation beforehand?

[@greenfilly]

Probably lost the masters lol

[@Magani79]

i had the same questions popping up lol

[@sultanalkhader1630]

They should

[@toprak3479]

My Arms, Your Hearse deserves a remaster more than Morningrise to be honest. I'd like to see that.

[@philip863]

@@toprak3479 totally. I much prefer MAYH over morningrise

[@gteagle2004]

Morningrise is my No. 1

[@shujima0666]

Still Life ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@frenchiesfrankieandhenry]

Blackwater Park is probably the best metal song ever written.

[@toplel_]

imagine thinking that

[@ElHombretheman]

@@toplel_ Name better ones

[@paulpv7]

Master of Puppets, Lateralus, Octavarium, Holy Wars and Angel of death are good as well

[@toplel_]

@@ElHombretheman Find on your own.

[@nassera]

Morningrise + Still Life, don't need the rest

[@Cheximus]

6:43 Ha! Maybe we should end it here... mmm...!

[@u11113901]

No!

[@jirikrajnak9047]

ironically, i like deliverance the most.

[@kramalerav]

How he felt about Morningrise is what I think about My Arms, Your Hearse: fantastic songs, but I really dislike the production sound on that one. The CD that I own contains the two bonus tracks of the Iron Maiden and CF cover songs. Love Opeth but I loathe those two covers.

[@giovanni21mas]

I agree, I’ve always had a problem with Morningrise’s sound

[@u11113901]

Interesting, I always feel the sound is very bad on "My Arms, Your Hearse", never on Morningrise. BRI and TBYF is on top 5 for me.

[@theliberation9061]

I actually don't, I think it's really good in its own, raw way. I am often sceptical about such things, but given the means and budget they likely had, it's great - guitars are clear and sharp, bass is clearly audible without raping your eardrums (Sorceress, I am looking at you), and it has that "dark forest" feel to it that gives it a unique atmosphere.

[@BlackSailPass_GuitarCovers]

'Morningrise' has one of my favourite Metal productions, hands down. The acoustic and electric guitar tones...

[@Gamont]

what does he says about morningrise? what did they get to the recording session? a what?

[@CoNoR231297]

A lute

[@Gamont]

@@CoNoR231297 I didn't knew the name in english, that's why I couldn't understand... ty

[@metalkicker23]

When he said "maybe we should end it here" on ghost rev.. oof

[@egorsozonov7425]

Heritage is their best. Heritage 2 when?

[@Mark-kr5go]

Black Opeth Best Opeth Orchid 🤘🤘🤘

[@metalheadwrestling5928]

Still Life is their best album. No debate.

[@IvyTeaRN]

MAYH, sorry

[@Heliosphan33]

That’s just your worthless opinion

[@BlackSailPass_GuitarCovers]

There's always room for debate.

[@azloii9781]

Lol how is playing a lute pretentious?

[@meshzzizk]

Yep, Morningrise is the best Opeth album