I N T E R V I E W

Interview Per Wiberg

Hello Per, thanks for giving some of your time to our webzine AuxPortesDuMetal.com

Hi, nice to meet you

Few questions on keyboards in Death Metal. Kind of unusual mix?

In the late 80s, a band from Florida called Nocturnus was already using keys in Death Metal. Keyboards was however quite common in Black Metal. Opeth has always drawn influences from all over the place. Psychedelic and Progressive metal from the 60s and the 70s as well as Death Metal and Black Metal.

Do you see a turn to more progressive sounds in Opeth since the last two albums?

Not exactly, I think that if you would have put keyboards in the "Blackwater Park" or "Still Life" albums for example, it would be pretty close to what we are doing now. And of course there was lots of keys in "Damnation" so...

Don't you think it's difficult to please the Death Metal fans as well as the Progressive Metal fans?

That makes us unique and draws some people's attention and it's always been Opeth trademark to have these metal bits in their sound. People who like Opeth are used to that

Do you participate yourself in song writting?

No, Michael writes the songs

Opeth song writing is rather dark. Any plans to change this?

Well I cannot say for the future, but I guess it's easier to write from the blues point of view than the happy side. This is true for a lot of musicians, they are more creative when they are not feeling too well.

Speaking about the tour, you guys handle a lot of dates, everyday. Yesterday in Barcelona and tomorrow in Milan, isn't this life style hard to live?

It's definately not for everyone. And I guess that's why people leave bands. In Opeth we are a pretty hard working touring band. We have been out since April now, and next year is going to be more or less the same. But to me, it's stupid to complain about that. If you want to go home, quit and do something else. You know. Noone wants to have people complains.

You could not organise with a lighter agenda?

Yes but that costs a lot of money. That's impossible. We cannot afford that. And also I don't think anyone would be interesting in playing 2 shows and having 2 or 3 days out because once you're out on tour, you are so focused on playing good show, you want to keep it condensed. I prefer.

Do you remember where you have been playing?

Yes. I'm actually pretty good with dates and remembering where we are going and where we have been. I do keep track. There has not been any bad dates on this tour. Everybody is overwhelmed by the fact that so many people come out and see us. It's been a while since we did a proper European Tour and so we feel a good vibe. It's important. If there is s lot of people in the room but noone is into it, it matter that much. You know I'd rather play to 50 people that are into it, so we get some energy

Any plans to release a DVD of this tour?

No, not for this one. No plans for filming anything for quite a while since the last DVD was released a month ago. Possibly when we start touring again next year, that we are going to start filming bits and pieces. But no date set really.

What's your favourite song in this tour setlist?

I'd say "Demon of the Fall"

A few questions on "Watershed", which received a 19.5/20 on our website. Is there a global theme in this album?

No not really. "Ghost Reveries" was lyrically more tight together, but this one is just independent songs.

Nathalie Lorichs sings with Michael on one of the song, "Coil", and the result is great. How did you got in touch with her?

She is actually the drummer's girlfriend and Axe [that's Martin Axenrot] and her they write a lot of music together, and he plays guitar as well.

On this album again Michael wrote all of the songs?

Yes he records demos of what he wrote then we discuss all together and come up wih proposals. We work as a tema then.

In "Lotus Eater", toward the end there is a jazzy piano break. Did you come up with this?

No it was also Michael

You mentionned influence from Black Sabbath. This is particularly true with a song like "Heir Apparent", do you agree?

Black Sabbath is a huge influence for eveyone in the band I guess.

What's the idea behind the strange ending of "Burden"?

It was an idea from James, one of our sound engineer. Michael was playing the guitar and Fredrik was tuning it down while he was playing...

What's your favourite song in the album?

I would say "Heir Apparent". It's a classic haevy Opeth track.

There is also a very nice keyboard solo in "Burden", very 70s style. You wanted that sound?

Well yes, the entire song is almost like a tribute to the classic ballads of the 70s or 60s. It could be Deep Purple or Scorpions you know...

We know Sweden for IKEA and Volvo, why is it that we have so many great metal bands from scandinavia and more precisely Sweden?

It's hard to answer that. You know there has always been a lot of music played in Sweden. Not just metal. There has been a lot of Jazz in the 60s, a lot of vocalist too, specially female vocalist. There is also a very strong traditional folk music as part of people's life in scandinavia. Some of which we find in Opeth by the way. It's been an influence too.

But do you have a lot of band because people like metal music or the other way around?

Well heavy metal and hard rock has always been very very popular in Scandinavia or at least Finland, Norway and Sweden. All those bands like Sabbath, Deep Purple, Huriah Heep, Think Lizzy, Status Quo, all those classic rock bands were huge in those countries. And then it continued with the new wave of British heavy metal, with Maiden, Saxon, many even bigger. Compared to other countries in Europe. So lots of the bands from our generation, grew up listening to Venom, Judas Priest or Maiden.

What about the future? Any time off?

No time off. We don't know when this tour will be finished actually. We are counting on doing heavy touring all of next year. We obviously will change the setlist but last time we were out for "Ghost Reveries", we were out for 19 months qnd I don't think this will be any shorter. if people still want to see us...

Do you have any side project?

Lots. So when we have time off with Opeth, I do play gigs with lots of bands. I work and record with other folks. Record my stuff or their stuff.

Any plans for a new album? Do you have time on tour to write new material?

No it's really hard. I have no idea when there will be a new Opeth album. 2 years from now maybe?

As soon as you finish a gig, you jump in the bus and off you go?

Yes, pretty much. We sleep in the bus. It's hard to write new song in a bus.

Do you still play Guitar Hero to relax?

Actually we don't have it anymore on this tour. I'm personaly not into games that much, but golf is now the big thing in the bus. We play a golf game, and Call of Duty.

Do you have the setlist for tonigh?

Well I do in my head. So we start with "Heir Apparent", then "Grand Conjuration", then "Godhead's Lament" from "Still Life", then "Lotus Eater", "Hope Leaves" then "Deliverance", "Demon of the Fall" then well, that set is about 1 hour and 20 minutes, then if people want us, we will see [They finished with "Drapery Falls"]

Thanks a lot Per and good luck for tonight

Thank you.