"It is with sadness I announce that Opeth and I are going separate ways after almost 16 years. The decision has been the toughest I've ever..."
"It is with sadness I announce that Opeth and I are going separate ways
after almost 16 years. The decision has been the toughest I've ever
made but it is the right one to make at this point in my life.
The
reason behind this is that I feel that I simply have lost some of the
enthusiasm and inspiration needed to participate in a band that has
grown from a few guys playing the music we love to a world-wide
industry. The love of music has always been, and still is, our motive,
but I personally have lost something along the way. The massive amount
of touring has taken its toll. Opeth has worked extremely hard to get
where we are right now and in order to persist and maintain the quality
of the music, it is necessary that we continue to work hard and always
stay focused. But in doing so, it means that we nowadays spend 18 or 19
months on the road and I don't feel the same enthusiasm for the
upcoming world tour that I have felt earlier. I have come to a point
where I realize I won't be able to give the band 100%, and from both
sides this will not be good enough for what Opeth stands for. I will
always love playing, listening to, and living music, but I will do it
differently from now on.
These years has easily been the best
of my life and I will always cherish the memory of what we have
experienced together. I would like to thank the band, our management,
record label people, all the bands I've made friends with for
everything. Most of all, I would like to thank the fans from the depth
of my heart for the support throughout the years.
I wish Mikael, Martin, Per and Axe all the best and I am confident they will continue doing the greatest music in the world!"