This coming Friday, September 6, Swedish progressive metallers OPETH will set sail on Melloboat 2013, a two-day cruise between Stockholm, Sweden and Riga, Latvia featuring performances by a number of progressive cult bands and heavy hitters, including Morgan Ågren (featuring a guest appearance by Devin Townsend), SAGA (Sweden), CRESSIDA, ICECROSS, TRETTIOÅRIGA KRIGET, ÄNGLAGÅRD, PANTA REI 2.0 and BADGE. The cruise will mark OPETH's very last show in support of the band's latest album, "Heritage", which came out in 2011. The group will spend the remaining months of 2013 putting the finishing touches on the writing and recording process for its next studio effort, which will be released sometime next spring. According to OPETH frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt, four songs have already been written for the upcoming CD and three others are in various states of completion. "We've been looking at [tracking the next album at] Rockfield Studios in Wales where QUEEN recorded 'Bohemian Rhapsody', but we haven't made a decision yet," Åkerfeldt tells the Swedish newspaper Expressen. "But it will be an expensive album. There's a lot going on, lots of string arrangements that we haven't had in the past." Will it be heavier or softer than "Heritage"? "Maybe a little bit heavier," Mikael says. "Not death metal heavy, but hard rock/heavy metal heavy. There's also lots of progressive elements and acoustic guitars, but also more sinister-sounding riffs." Who's producing? "I am," Mikael says. "I love the way DIO's 'Holy Diver' sounds, this early-'80s sound where you can still hear the '70s, but the production is heavier. Right now I'm into having a similar production that isn't retro but it still sounds like real instruments and it's heavier than 'Heritage'."

un album où rien ne marque réellement et où pas grand chose ne reste en tête.

Guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH spoke to Decibel magazine about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2011's "Heritage".

"I have about six songs done and another two or three just started," he said, "plus a million ideas that I haven't processed yet. Some songs are simple and stripped-down, while others are epic in the true sense of the word. Business as usual, hopefully with unusual music."

Åkerfeldt also revealed that he plans to enrich at least a few of the new OPETH tracks with strings.

"Some of these things could easily be done with synthetic sounds or effects," he said, "but recording the STORM CORROSION LP with Steven Wilson made me realize what a massive difference it can mean to incorporate the real shit. I'm semi-pretentious in my songwriting and sometimes I go all in. I think it's time for 'all in' with strings and the full monty. Hopefully it won't be a mess."

One of the songs that will appear on OPETH's forthcoming album was previously described by Åkerfeldt as a "crazy rip-off" of Italian prog outfit GOBLIN, which formed in 1972 and ran for ten years before splitting (the band has since reformed).

"It's a jam I came up with during the MASTODON/GHOST tour," he told Decibel, "that we ended up soundchecking. After a few days, you'd hear people in the corridors humming it. It's a fucking hit! But basically it's a not-so-subtle headbanging-type nod in GOBLIN's direction. And to avoid confusion, the song is even called 'Goblin'. My rip-off deteriorates mid-song and becomes fusion-esque darkened prog rock like MAHAVISHNU or ELP (yikes!). But it swings! It really does."

Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal of Metal Assault recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metal Assault: Upon listening to your [forthcoming, as-yet-untitled 11th studio] album, I felt that it has a very similar vibe to your previous release, "Heritage". Would you say it's a continuation of that album in that sense?

Mikael: Yeah, to a certain extent. I mean, it's the next album, so I guess it's closer to that album than, say, the first album. But I'd like to think there's an upgraded sound, and by that I don't mean a modern sound. We were looking at some of the late '70s and early '80s production, and that's what we were going for sound-wise and it's one of the reasons why we ended up recording at Rockfield Studios in Wales, which is a legendary studio where many of our favorite bands recorded. So, musically, I guess you could say it's similar to "Heritage", but I'd like to think it's more hard rock and metal sounding. We also have something new that we didn't have before in certain songs. I don't really know what it is, which I like. I like to either recognize our sound or to hear something completely new, and I think we have both on the new album.

Metal Assault: So, would it be fair to say that people who liked "Heritage", would like this new album as much, or even more?

Mikael: Yeah, I hope so. I hope everybody will like it, of course. I think it's probably a bit easier to get into because it's a bit more melodic. There's definitely more attention to melodies and I wouldn't say it's an easy-listening album at all, but there's more melody than ever before, not just "Heritage". I'm hoping that people who liked "Heritage" will like this one too and also fans who liked the old shit will hopefully like this one as well, and may be some new fans. You never know!

Metal Assault: Right, but I'm sure you're aware that with the musical direction you took on "Heritage", you polarized OPETH fans, to some extent. By now, are you at peace with the fact that some people who like this music and some won't?

Mikael: Yeah, that's always been the case. It wasn't something that happened exclusively for "Heritage". We got that reaction from old albums too when they came out, like "Blackwater Park". A lot of people didn't like that album, and it was the same for "Ghost Reveries" and some of the other albums we've done in the past that are now considered to be some of our best stuff. They got negative feedback when they were released. I think "Heritage" probably took longer to settle in with our fan base because of the fact that it was a different-sounding record for us, but I think it's settled in now. People have warmed up to it with time. I mean, there are still people who hate it, of course, but I think there are people who initially hated it who now love it.

OPETH vient d’annoncer la sortie de son très attendu nouvel album, leur onzième, qui s’intitule “Pale Communion” et sortira le 16 juin.

Produit par Mikael Åkerfeldt en personne et mixé par son collaborateur de longue date Steven Wilson, frontman/guitariste du groupe Porcupine Tree, “ Pale Communion” sera précédé d’un premier extrait intitulé “Cusp of Eternity”, le tout étant en précommande à partir du 6 mai. Les personnes qui précommandent l’album sur le store Itunes recevront le titre “Cusp of Eternity” en téléchargement instantané.

Voici le tracklisting : 1.Eternal Rains Will Come / 2. Cusp of Eternity / 3. Moon Above, Sun Below / 4. Elysian Woes / 5. Goblin / 6. River / 7. Voice of Treason / 8. Faith in Others