Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt (; born 17 April 1974)Mikael Åkerfeldt
, Opeth – Official Website, Retrieved 3 June 2012 is a Swedish musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...

band

Opeth Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal/rock band from Stockholm, formed in 1990 by lead vocalist David Isberg. The group has been through several personnel changes, including the replacement of every original member; notably Isberg in 1992. Mikael ...

, and the former vocalist of

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

supergroup

Bloodbath Bloodbath is a Swedish death metal supergroup from Stockholm, formed in 1998. The band has released six full-length albums, two EPs and two DVDs depicting their performances at Wacken Open Air (in 2005) and Bloodstock Open Air (in 2010). The gro ...

. He was also guitarist for the "one-off" band

Steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

, and is part of the collaboration

Storm Corrosion Storm Corrosion was a musical collaboration between Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metal band Opeth and Steven Wilson, an English solo artist and frontman of the progressive rock band Porcupine Tree. Åkerfeldt and Wilson began a long ...

with

Steven Wilson Steven John Wilson (born 3 November 1967) is an English musician. He is the founder, guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield, Storm Corrosio ...

. Åkerfeldt is known for his

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

-influenced songwriting style and his frequent use of both clean

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

and growled vocals. Åkerfeldt was ranked #42 out of 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time by ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original art ...

'', and #11 among "The Top 25 Modern Metal Guitarists" on

MetalSucks MetalSucks is a heavy metal music-themed news website. The site features reviews, interviews, information on latest metal releases and blog-like posts from the writers, most notably Vince Neilstein and Axl Rosenberg. History The site was foun ...

Career

A native of

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Mikael Åkerfeldt was the vocalist for Eruption, a death metal band that he formed in 1987 at 13 years old. After Eruption came to an end in 1989, he joined Opeth, ostensibly as a keyboardist. When their original bassist left Opeth two years later, Åkerfeldt replaced him as bassist; Isberg then assumed guitar duties. When Isberg left Opeth three years later, Åkerfeldt replaced him as the vocalist. Åkerfeldt performed the death vocals on Katatonia's album ''

Brave Murder Day ''Brave Murder Day'' is Katatonia's second full-length album, released on 1 August 1996 by Avantgarde Music. The album created a new guitar position with Fredrik Norrman's input and features growled vocals by Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth. The or ...

'' and their EP ''

Sounds of Decay ''Sounds of Decay'' is a three-song EP released by Katatonia in 1997. The front cover is a screenshot of a decrepit god, taken from the movie '' Begotten''. There is an unreleased version of this EP on which Fred Norrman recorded. The band had ...

''. Åkerfeldt revealed in September 2009 that he is contemplating recording a singer-songwriter acoustic solo album. However, in 2014 he expressed the view that he didn't have the need for a special solo project and that he can put pretty much anything into Opeth. In an interview on STIM magazine, he revealed that one of the highlights of his career was Opeth's performance at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

. In 2020, Åkerfeldt was approached by director Jonas Åkerlund to compose the soundtrack for the swedish six-part Netflix series ''

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...

'', released in May 2022. It is his first foray into film scoring.

Influences

Åkerfeldt is a collector of obscure 1970s rock and heavy metal albums. He also tends to show his influence from these obscure bands, making reference to them in Opeth album titles such as ''

Blackwater Park ''Blackwater Park'' is the fifth studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth. It was released on March 12, 2001 in Europe and a day later in North America through Music for Nations and Koch Records. The album marks the first collaboratio ...

'', ''

Still Life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, m ...

'' and ''

My Arms, Your Hearse ''My Arms, Your Hearse'' is the third full-length studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth, released in August 1998. It was the band's first album to be released simultaneously in Europe, through Candlelight Records, and in the United ...

'', as well as songs such as "Master's Apprentices" and "Goblin". He is also influenced extensively by

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, the musician

Ritchie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guitar ...

Magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natural sa ...

and its founder Christian Vander, and

Hideki Ishima is a Japanese musician, known primarily for his work with Flower Travellin' Band and for creating the sitarla instrument. A guitarist and sitar player for nearly forty years, he now exclusively plays the sitarla, an instrument he invented in 2 ...

. When asked what the album was that 'made him a metalhead', Åkerfeldt answered that it was probably '' The Number of the Beast'' by

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

, but also mentioned ''

Lick It Up ''Lick It Up'' is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Kiss. Before its 1983 release, the band members appeared on MTV without their trademark make-up. It was the first public appearance without make-up by the band, and their first ...

'' by

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

. In a different interview he stated that he usually cites

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

's ''

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath ''Sabbath Bloody Sabbath'' is the fifth studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in November 1973. It was produced by the band and recorded at Morgan Studios in London in April to October 1973. The writing process for t ...

'' as the best (and favourite) heavy metal album of all time. He also has considered

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...

's ''

Sad Wings of Destiny ''Sad Wings of Destiny'' is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 23 March 1976 by Gull Records. It is considered the album on which Judas Priest consolidated their sound and image, and songs from it su ...

'' as his favourite 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. In 2016, in an interview with ''The Quietus'', Åkerfeldt revealed he had gone through a divorce. Åkerfeldt is known to be friends with

, the frontman of one of his favorite bands,

Porcupine Tree Porcupine Tree are an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. During an initial career spanning more than twenty years, they earned critical acclaim from critics and fellow musicians, developed a cult following, and became ...

, who also produced the Opeth albums ''

'', ''

Deliverance ''Deliverance'' is a 1972 American survival thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman, and starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox, with the latter two making their feature film debuts. The screenplay was adapt ...

'' and ''

Damnation Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment and torment in an afterlife for actions that were committed, or in some cases, not committed on Earth. In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, citizens would recite th ...

'';

Mike Portnoy Michael Stephen Portnoy (born April 20, 1967) is an American musician who is primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. In September 2010, Portnoy announced his departur ...

, former drummer of

Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of the ...

(who is featured in their music video for

Wither The withers is a part of the back of a horse, dog or other quadruped. Withers or Wither may also refer to People * Withers (surname), several notable people *Withers A. Burress (1894–1977), American soldier *Wither (comics), fictional character ...

); and

Jonas Renkse Jonas may refer to: Geography * Jonas, Netherlands, Netherlands * Jonas, Pennsylvania, United States * Jonas Ridge, North Carolina, United States People with the name * Jonas (name), people with the given name or surname Jonas * Jonas, one of ...

Katatonia Katatonia are a Swedish heavy metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström. The band started as a studio-only project for the duo, as an outlet for the band's love of death metal. Increasing popularity led them to ...

. He is also presumed to be the basis for the character

Toki Wartooth Dethklok is a fictional melodic death metal band featured in the Adult Swim animated television series ''Metalocalypse''. The first official Dethklok album was released on September 25, 2007, entitled ''The Dethalbum''. The album debuted at nu ...

from the popular cartoon ''

Metalocalypse ''Metalocalypse'' is an American adult animated television series, created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, which premiered on August 6, 2006, followed by a musical one-hour special, '' Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem'', on October 27, 201 ...

'', as divulged in an interview with

Ultimate Guitar Ultimate Guitar (Ultimate Guitar USA LLC), which is also known as Ultimate-Guitar.com or simply UG, is an online platform for guitarists and musicians. Its website and mobile application provides guitar tablature catalogues and chord sheets. UG ...

. Åkerfeldt doesn't 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 as well, including

Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...

and

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

."www.opeth.com"
http://www.opeth.com/component/k2/item/64-deliverance-equipmen

http://www.opeth.com/component/k2/item/65-blackwaterpark-equipmen

http://www.opeth.com/component/k2/item/46-damnation-equipmen

– various "Equipment" pages on the official Opeth website

Electric guitars

Åkerfeldt uses the following electric guitars, according to the Opeth website. # 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 Gibson Flying V, Flying V ('67 Reissue) # Gibson Les Paul Standard V.O.S. (Tobacco Sunburst) # Gibson SG Standard 1961 Reissue # Fender

Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously ...

1975 (Black) # Fender Stratocaster 1972 Reissue (Natural) # Jackson RR USA Model # B.C. Rich Mockingbird (Black)

Acoustic guitars/Steel string

Åkerfeldt uses the following acoustic guitars, according to the Opeth web site. #

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...

(with Fishman Pickup) #

00016GT # Takamine 12 String #

Seagull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...

(with Fishman Pickup) #

000-28

Acoustic guitars/Classical nylon

# Amalio Burguet 3am (cedar top) # Landola CT/2/w

Amps

Åkerfeldt uses the following amps, according to the Opeth web site. # 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

Discography

With Opeth

* ''

Orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

'' (1995) *''

Morningrise ''Morningrise'' is the second studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth. It was released on 24 June 1996 in Europe by Candlelight Records and on 24 June 1997 in the United States by Century Black. The recording sessions took place at ...

'' (1996) *''

'' (1998) *''

'' (1999) *''

'' (2001) *''

'' (2002) *''

'' (2003) *''

Lamentations The Book of Lamentations ( he, אֵיכָה, , from its incipit meaning "how") is a collection of poetic laments for the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. In the Hebrew Bible it appears in the Ketuvim ("Writings") as one of the Five Megillot ...

'' (2003) *''

Ghost Reveries ''Ghost Reveries'' is the eighth studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth. It was released on 29 August 2005. It was their first album after signing with Roadrunner Records, and first album since ''Still Life'' (1999) to not be produ ...

'' (2005) *''

The Roundhouse Tapes ''The Roundhouse Tapes'' is the second live album and video by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth. The CD was recorded on 9 November 2006 and was released on 23 October 2007 in the US, on 5 November in Europe, and on 20 November in the rest of ...

'' (2007) *'' Watershed'' (2008) *''

In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall ''In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall'' is a live double album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth. The DVD was recorded on 5 April 2010. It was released on 20 September 2010 in Europe and on 21 September 2010 in the rest of the world ...

'' (2010) *''

Heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today ** Cultural heritage is created by humans ** Natural heritage is not * Heritage language Biology * Heredity, biological inheritance of physical c ...

'' (2011) *'' Pale Communion'' (2014) *'' Sorceress'' (2016) *''

In Cauda Venenum ''In Cauda Venenum'' (Latin for "Poison in the tail") is the thirteenth studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth, released on 27 September 2019 through Moderbolaget and Nuclear Blast. It was released in two versions: a Swedish-language ...

'' (2019)

With Katatonia

* ''

'' (1996) – harsh vocals * ''

'' (1997) – harsh vocals * ''

Discouraged Ones ''Discouraged Ones'' (stylized ''discøuraged ønes'') is the third full-length album by Katatonia, released on 27 April 1998. This is the only Katatonia album with bassist Micke Oretoft. It is also their last release with Jonas Renkse on drums; ...

'' (1998) – backing vocals, co-production on vocals * ''

Tonight's Decision ''Tonight's Decision'' is the fourth full-length album by Katatonia, released in 1999 by Peaceville Records. It was reissued in 2003 with two bonus tracks. Background Around this time, the band were being influenced less by metal and more by ...

'' (1999) – additional vocal production * '' Brave Yester Days'' (2004) – harsh vocals (on disc 2: tracks 1–6), additional vocal production (on disc 2: tracks 6–9) * ''

The Black Sessions ''The Black Sessions'' is the second compilation album by Swedish heavy metal band Katatonia, released on February 21, 2005, through Peaceville. The compilation includes hit songs, B-sides and rarities recorded on the band's previous studio alb ...

'' (2005) – backing vocals, co-vocal production

With Bloodbath

* ''

Breeding Death ''Breeding Death'' is the first EP by Bloodbath. It was released on 8 February 2000 by Century Media Records. Release ''Breeding Death'' was initially released on 8 February 2000 on Century Media Records and re-released on CD in 2006 with two bo ...

(2000, EP) * ''

Resurrection Through Carnage ''Resurrection Through Carnage'' is the debut studio album from Swedish death metal group Bloodbath. It was released on November 12, 2002, on Century Media Records. It is the only album to feature Dan Swanö on drums, as he later switched to ...

'' (2002) * ''

The Wacken Carnage ''The Wacken Carnage'' is a CD/DVD set of death metal band Bloodbath at a very rare live appearance recorded on 5 August 2005 at the Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany. At that time, this live appearance was presented as the only Bloodbath show ...

'' (2008, CD/DVD) * ''

Unblessing the Purity ''Unblessing the Purity'' is the second EP by Swedish death metal band Bloodbath. It was released on March 10, 2008, on Peaceville Records. It is their first release since ''Resurrection Through Carnage'' to include Mikael Åkerfeldt on vocals. ...

'' (2008) * ''

The Fathomless Mastery ''The Fathomless Mastery'' is the third full-length album by Swedish death metal band Bloodbath, released on 29 September 2008 via Peaceville. It is the band's last studio album to feature vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt and the first to feature lea ...

'' (2008) * '' Bloodbath over Bloodstock'' (2011, DVD)

With Edge of Sanity

* ''Crimson'' (1996)

With Steel

*'' Heavy Metal Machine'' (1998, EP)

With Storm Corrosion

* ''

'' (2012)

As a Soloist/Composer

*'' Clark (Soundtrack From The Netflix Series)'' (2022, OST Album) (including clean jukebox-like fore-/background vocals from track 28)

Appearances

Ayreon Ayreon is a musical project by Dutch songwriter, singer, musician and record producer Arjen Anthony Lucassen. Ayreon's music is described as progressive rock, progressive metal and power metal sometimes combined with genres such as folk, electro ...

: Åkerfeldt sings the parts of "Fear" in ''

The Human Equation ''The Human Equation'' is the sixth album from the progressive rock project Ayreon by Dutch musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen, released on 25 May 2004 via Inside Out Music. As with other Ayreon albums, it features guest appearances from several mu ...

'', the 2004 release. * Candlemass: Åkerfeldt performs vocals for one song on the Candlemass 20-year anniversary DVD. *

Devin Townsend Devin Garrett Townsend (born May 5, 1972) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He founded extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad and was its primary songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist from 1994 to 2007. He has also ...

: Åkerfeldt appeared as a guest vocalist for ''Deconstruction''. He sings on the song "Stand". *

: Åkerfeldt performs a

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

part in "

Repentance Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen as involving a co ...

" on their 2007 album ''

Systematic Chaos ''Systematic Chaos'' is the ninth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater. Released on June 4, 2007 in the United Kingdom and June 5, 2007 in the United States, ''Systematic Chaos'' was the band's first release through Road ...

''. He also sang the second verse of the same song on its first live performance, during the Progressive Nation 2008 tour. During the same tour he also performed the growled part of the song "A Nightmare to Remember" with the band live. *

Edge of Sanity Edge of Sanity was a Swedish death metal band that, alongside Opeth, is commonly regarded as being the first to fuse extreme metal styles like death and black metal with progressive rock. The group was founded by Dan Swanö in 1989 and ended in ...

: Åkerfeldt provided vocals and guitar parts in Edge of Sanity's 1996 album ''

Crimson Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple. It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, ''Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red colo ...

'', and also wrote lyrics for a song on '' Infernal''. *

Ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

: ''

Prequelle ''Prequelle'' is the fourth studio album by the Swedish rock band Ghost. It was released on 1 June 2018 and produced by Tom Dalgety. The album's first single, "Rats", was released ahead of the album on 13 April, and as of 28 July, had peaked at ...

'' (2018) – acoustic guitar on the instrumental track "Helvetesfönster". * Horrified: Åkerfeldt growls a few words on "Avatar of the Age of Horus" off of their ''Deus Diabolus Inversus'' album. *

: Åkerfeldt sings on the 1996 album ''

'', and the three-song EP ''

'', released 1997. He also performs backing vocals on the album ''

'' and was the vocal producer on ''

''. *

Ihsahn Vegard Sverre Tveitan (born 10 October 1975), better known by his stage name Ihsahn (), is a Norwegian multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and composer, best known for his work with black metal band Emperor. Tveitan is also a founding member of Tho ...

: Åkerfeldt performs on the song "Unhealer" from the 2008 album '' angL.'' *

OSI OSI may refer to: Places * Osijek Airport (IATA code: OSI), an airport in Croatia * Ősi, a village in Veszprém county, Hungary * Oši, an archaeological site in Semigallia, Latvia * Osi, a village in Ido-Osi, Ekiti State, Nigeria * Osi, Ekiti ...

: Åkerfeldt performs lead vocals on the track "Stockholm" for OSI's 2009 album, ''

Blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...

''. *

: Åkerfeldt sings backing vocals on "Deadwing", "Lazarus", "Shesmovedon" and "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here" and plays a guitar solo on "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here" on the 2005 album ''

Deadwing ''Deadwing'' is the eighth studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, released in Japan on 24 March 2005, in Europe on 28 March, and in the US on 26 April. It quickly became the band's best selling album, although it was l ...

''. *

Roadrunner United ''Roadrunner United'' was a project organized by American heavy metal record label Roadrunner Records to celebrate its 25th anniversary. It culminated in an album released worldwide on October 11, 2005, entitled ''The All-Star Sessions''. Four ...

: Åkerfeldt performs vocals on the song "Roads" alongside

Type O Negative Type O Negative were an American gothic metal band formed in Brooklyn, New York City in 1989 by Peter Steele (bass, lead vocals), Kenny Hickey (guitar, co-lead vocals), Josh Silver (keyboards, backing vocals), and Sal Abruscato (drums, percussi ...

keyboardist

Josh Silver Josh Silver (born November 14, 1962) is an American musician who is the former keyboardist, producer and backing vocalist of gothic metal band Type O Negative. He joined the band at frontman Peter Steele's request. He played for Type O Negat ...

on the

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. History The label was launched in 1980 in t ...

25th Anniversary album '' Roadrunner United: The All-Star Sessions''. * Soilwork: Åkerfeldt performs vocals on the title track of the album ''

A Predator's Portrait ''A Predator's Portrait'' is the third full-length studio album released by the Swedish melodic death metal band, Soilwork. It was released on 19 February 2001, and was reissued on 15 October 2013 in the U.S. and 18 October 2013 in Europe. This ...

''. *

Steve Hackett Stephen Richard Hackett (born 12 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who gained prominence as the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band Genesis from 1971 to 1977. Hackett contributed to six Genesis ...

: ''

Genesis Revisited II ''Genesis Revisited II'' is the 22nd studio album by musician Steve Hackett, released on 22 October 2012 by Inside Out Music label. It is a sequel to his 1996 album ''Watcher of the Skies: Genesis Revisited, Genesis Revisited'' and largely co ...

'' (2012) – vocals on "Supper's Ready".

References

External links

Biographies of Unique Musical Figures on LEBmetal.com
*
Opeth official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akerfeldt, Mikael 1974 births 20th-century Swedish male singers 21st-century Swedish male singers Bloodbath members Death metal musicians English-language singers from Sweden Katatonia members Lead guitarists Living people Opeth members OSI (band) members Progressive metal guitarists Rhythm guitarists Singers from Stockholm Steel (band) members Swedish atheists Swedish baritones Swedish heavy metal singers Swedish heavy metal guitarists