OpethIn a recent interview, Opeth mastermind Mikael Åkerfeldt has some simple advice for fans who have not appreciated his shift away from his death metal roots on the band's latest album, Heritage:
“You don't like it, that's fine, but don't be a cunt.”
He is in part referring to experiences on their last jag to Oz, where some fans responded to his lack of death metal-style vocals by heckling for “fucking death metal” or growling during quieter moments. More generally, some listeners have taken the band's appropriation of a gentler 70s aesthetic as a betrayal of what they had come to see represented by the name Opeth.
Åkerfeldt , however, expresses respect for his fans but is unwavering in his belief that he gets to choose the direction of his artistic vision – not the fans.
“People seem to be provoked by the fact that I didn't scream. Which I think is a bit silly… I don't expect everyone to like everything that we do. But to say it's not Opeth, it's not right. It's wrong, because it is Opeth,” he laughs. “If it says Opeth on the record and a song is on there, then it's Opeth.”
Read the full interview here.
