Mikael Åkerfeldt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mikael Åkerfeldt
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Åkerfeldt with Opeth in 2024
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| Background information | |
| Born | 17 April 1974 Stockholm, Sweden |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1987–present |
Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt (born 17 April 1974) is a Swedish musician. He is best known as the main singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the progressive metal band Opeth. He also sang for the death metal supergroup Bloodbath. Mikael was a guitarist for the band Steel and worked with Steven Wilson in a project called Storm Corrosion.
Mikael Åkerfeldt is famous for his unique songwriting style. It mixes progressive rock sounds with heavy metal. He often uses two very different vocal styles. One is a clear, deep singing voice, and the other is a rough, growled voice. He has been recognized as one of the top heavy metal guitarists.
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Mikael's Music Journey
Mikael Åkerfeldt grew up in Stockholm, Sweden. When he was just 13 years old, in 1987, he started a death metal band called Eruption. After Eruption broke up in 1989, he joined Opeth. At first, he played the keyboard.
A few years later, Opeth's original bass player left. Mikael then took over on bass guitar. Later, when the lead singer left, Mikael became the main vocalist for Opeth. He has been with the band ever since.
Mikael also provided the "death growl" vocals for the band Katatonia on their albums Brave Murder Day and Sounds of Decay.
In 2009, Mikael thought about making a solo acoustic album. But by 2014, he felt he could put all his musical ideas into Opeth. He didn't need a separate solo project. One of his favorite moments was when Opeth performed at the Royal Albert Hall. This is a very famous concert hall.
In 2020, a director named Jonas Åkerlund asked Mikael to write music for a Netflix TV series. The show was called Clark. It came out in 2022. This was Mikael's first time writing music for a TV show.
Who Inspired Mikael?
Mikael Åkerfeldt loves collecting old rock and heavy metal albums from the 1970s. He often gets ideas from these less-known bands. He even named some Opeth albums after them, like Blackwater Park and Still Life.
He is also greatly influenced by jazz music. Other musicians and bands that inspire him include Ritchie Blackmore, Magma, and Hideki Ishima.
When asked what album made him love metal music, Mikael often mentions The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden. He also likes Lick It Up by Kiss. He often says that Black Sabbath's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is his favorite heavy metal album ever. He also considers Judas Priest's Sad Wings of Destiny to be a top metal album.
Mikael's Life Outside Music
On August 15, 2003, Mikael Åkerfeldt married his girlfriend, Anna. They had their first daughter, Melinda, in 2004. Their second daughter, Mirjam, was born in 2007. Mirjam even spoke some words on a song from Opeth's 2024 album. In 2016, Mikael shared that he had gone through a divorce.
Mikael is good friends with Steven Wilson. Steven is the leader of the band Porcupine Tree, which is one of Mikael's favorite bands. Steven also helped produce several Opeth albums. Mikael is also friends with Mike Portnoy, the drummer from Dream Theater, and Jonas Renkse from Katatonia. Mikael does not follow any religion and considers himself an atheist.
Mikael's Musical Gear
Mikael Åkerfeldt mostly uses PRS guitars. He even has his own special PRS guitar model. He also uses guitars from other brands sometimes, like Gibson and Jackson.
Electric Guitars Mikael Uses
- PRS SE Mikael Åkerfeldt Signature Guitar
- PRS P24 (Antique White)
- PRS Custom 24 (Tortoiseshell flame top)
- PRS Custom 24 (Blue Flame Top)
- PRS Custom 24 (Black Quilt)
- PRS Custom 24 (Black)
- PRS SC 245 (Black Cherry)
- PRS 22 fret Modern Eagle (Grey Flame Top)
- PRS Modern Eagle Single Cut 24 Fret (Wine Flame Matte Top)
- PRS Custom 22 12-String (Black)
- PRS Singlecut (Black Quilt)
- PRS Starla (Vintage Cherry)
- Gibson Flying V ('67 Reissue)
- Gibson Les Paul Standard V.O.S. (Tobacco Sunburst)
- Gibson SG Standard 1961 Reissue
- Fender Stratocaster 1975 (Black)
- Fender Stratocaster 1972 Reissue (Natural)
- Jackson RR USA Model
- B.C. Rich Mockingbird (Black)
Acoustic Guitars Mikael Uses
- Martin (with Fishman Pickup)
- Martin 00016GT
- Takamine 12 String
- Seagull (with Fishman Pickup)
- Martin 000-28
- Amalio Burguet 3am (cedar top)
- Landola CT/2/w
Amps Mikael Uses
- Marshall Vintage Modern 2466
- Laney GH100L with cabinet
- Laney VH100R
- Laney VC30
- Fender 1000 Rocpro
- Fractal Audio Axe-FX Ultra preamp / effects processor
- Marshall JCM900
Music Mikael Has Released
With Opeth
- Orchid (1995)
- Morningrise (1996)
- My Arms, Your Hearse (1998)
- Still Life (1999)
- Blackwater Park (2001)
- Deliverance (2002)
- Damnation (2003)
- Lamentations (2003)
- Ghost Reveries (2005)
- The Roundhouse Tapes (2007)
- Watershed (2008)
- In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall (2010)
- Heritage (2011)
- Pale Communion (2014)
- Sorceress (2016)
- In Cauda Venenum (2019)
- The Last Will and Testament (2024)
With Katatonia
- Brave Murder Day (1996) – sang harsh vocals
- Sounds of Decay (1997) – sang harsh vocals
- Discouraged Ones (1998) – sang backing vocals
- Tonight's Decision (1999) – helped with vocal production
With Bloodbath
- Breeding Death (2000, EP)
- Resurrection Through Carnage (2002)
- The Wacken Carnage (2008, CD/DVD)
- Unblessing the Purity (2008)
- The Fathomless Mastery (2008)
Other Projects
- With Edge of Sanity: Crimson (1996)
- With Steel: Heavy Metal Machine (1998, EP)
- With Storm Corrosion: Storm Corrosion (2012)
Solo Work
- Clark (Soundtrack From The Netflix Series) (2022, OST Album) – composed the music
Guest Appearances
Mikael Åkerfeldt has also appeared as a guest musician on many other albums:
- Ayreon: Sang on The Human Equation (2004).
- Candlemass: Sang one song on their 20-year anniversary DVD.
- Devin Townsend: Sang on the song "Stand" from Deconstruction.
- Dream Theater: Spoke a part in "Repentance" on their album Systematic Chaos (2007).
- Edge of Sanity: Provided vocals and guitar on Crimson (1996).
- Ghost: Played acoustic guitar on "Helvetesfönster" from Prequelle (2018).
- Ihsahn: Performed on the song "Unhealer" from angL (2008).
- OSI: Sang lead vocals on "Stockholm" for their album Blood (2009).
- Porcupine Tree: Sang backing vocals and played a guitar solo on songs from Deadwing (2005).
- Roadrunner United: Sang on the song "Roads" for the Roadrunner United: The All-Star Sessions album.
- Soilwork: Sang on the title track of A Predator's Portrait.
- Steve Hackett: Sang on "Supper's Ready" from Genesis Revisited II (2012).
Images for kids
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Mikael Åkerfeldt with Opeth in 2024
See also
In Spanish: Mikael Åkerfeldt para niños
