Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt (born 17 April 1974) is a Swedish musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for the progressive metal band Opeth. A former vocalist for the death metal supergroup Bloodbath, he was also the guitarist for the "one-off" band Steel, and a member of the collaboration Storm Corrosion with Steven Wilson. Åkerfeldt is known for his progressive rock-influenced songwriting style and his frequent use of both clean baritone and growled vocals. He was ranked #42 on Guitar World's list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time, and #11 among "The Top 25 Modern Metal Guitarists" on MetalSucks.

Career

A native of Stockholm, Mikael Åkerfeldt was the vocalist for Eruption, a death metal band he formed in 1987 at the age of 13. After Eruption disbanded in 1989, he joined Opeth, initially as a keyboardist. When their original bassist left Opeth two years later, Åkerfeldt replaced him on bass, and Isberg then assumed guitar duties. When Isberg left Opeth three years later, Åkerfeldt took over as the lead vocalist. Åkerfeldt performed the death vocals on Katatonia's album Brave Murder Day and their EP Sounds of Decay. In September 2009, Åkerfeldt revealed he was contemplating recording a singer-songwriter acoustic solo album. However, in 2014, he expressed the view that he did not feel the need for a special solo project, noting that he could put pretty much anything into Opeth. In an interview with STIM magazine, he revealed that one of the highlights of his career was Opeth's performance at the Royal Albert Hall. In 2020, Åkerfeldt was approached by director Jonas Åkerlund to compose the soundtrack for the Swedish six-part Netflix series Clark, which was released in May 2022. This marked his first foray into film scoring.

Influences

Åkerfeldt is a collector of obscure 1970s rock and heavy metal albums. He also draws influence from these obscure bands, making references to them in Opeth album titles such as Blackwater Park, Still Life, and My Arms, Your Hearse, as well as in songs like "Master's Apprentices" and "Goblin." He is also heavily influenced by jazz, the musician Ritchie Blackmore, Magma and its founder Christian Vander, and Hideki Ishima. When asked about the album that "made him a metalhead," Åkerfeldt answered that it was probably The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden, but he also mentioned Lick It Up by Kiss. In another interview, he stated that he usually cites Black Sabbath's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath as the best (and his favorite) heavy metal album of all time. He has also considered Judas Priest's Sad Wings of Destiny to be his favorite metal album.

Personal life

On 15 August 2003, Mikael Åkerfeldt married his longtime girlfriend, Anna. In 2004, Anna gave birth to their first daughter, Melinda. The couple had their second daughter, Mirjam, in 2007. She delivered spoken words on track #1 of Opeth's 2024 album The Last Will and Testament. In 2016, Åkerfeldt revealed in an interview with The Quietus that he had gone through a divorce. Åkerfeldt is known to be friends with Steven Wilson, the frontman of one of his favorite bands, Porcupine Tree, who also produced the Opeth albums Blackwater Park, Deliverance, and Damnation; Mike Portnoy, drummer of Dream Theater (who is featured in their music video for "Wither"); and Jonas Renkse of Katatonia. He is also presumed to be the basis for the character Toki Wartooth from the popular cartoon Metalocalypse, as revealed in an interview with Ultimate Guitar. Åkerfeldt does not practice any religion and considers himself an atheist.

Equipment

Åkerfeldt has almost exclusively used PRS guitars since the Deliverance/Damnation era and has his own signature model. He also occasionally uses guitars by a variety of other brands, including Gibson and Jackson.

Electric guitars

Åkerfeldt uses the following electric guitars, according to the Opeth website.

Acoustic guitars/Steel string

Åkerfeldt uses the following acoustic guitars, according to the Opeth website.

Acoustic guitars/Classical nylon

Amps

Åkerfeldt uses the following amps, according to the Opeth website.

Discography

With Opeth

With Katatonia

With Bloodbath

With Edge of Sanity

With Steel

With Storm Corrosion

As a Soloist/Composer

Appearances