Supplied

Opeth
w/ High on Fire, Nachtmystium. Sept. 30 (doors at 7pm). Edmonton Event Centre (8882-170 St., WEM). Tickets: $28.50 available through Ticketmaster (451-8000/ticketmaster.ca)

It’s only fitting that every part of the Opeth experience be loud, whether it be their growled lyrics, their hammerhead riffs, or their interviews.

“Sorry, we’re just doing soundcheck!” exclaims guitarist Fredrik Åkesson over the phone, practically yelling as the sharp snap of snare drums clatters in the background. “It’s tough to find a quiet area!”

Yet despite the noise around him, Åkesson exudes a laid-back, boyish charm, aided by his cheerful Swedish accent and constant giggling at his own statements. As the newest member of Opeth, Åkesson has plenty to be excited about, considering he’s already become part of the Swedish group’s creative process. He co-wrote “Porcelain Heart,” the first single off the band’s 10th album, Watershed, with Mikael Åkerfeldt, the main songwriting force behind Opeth since the band’s inception in 1990. Naturally, Åkesson had only words of praise to describe his notoriously hedonistic frontman.

“I think he’s very cool. We get along really good, I must say, even though he’s a Caligula-like band leader — he’s like Caligula, the Roman emperor.” He pauses, then laughs. “No, not really. He’s not cocky or anything. He’s a cool guy, and I think he makes good decisions for the band. It’s never gotten to the point where we argue about anything.”

Indeed, Åkerfeldt’s leadership over the years has molded Opeth into one of the most influential acts in the sizable Northern European metal scene. Åkesson admits that he was a fan of the group long before he joined them. Growing up in Sweden, with such a prominent metal following, Åkesson wanted to be a metal guitarist since he was asking for milk money... and permission to grow out his hair.

“I’ll always have long hair and that’s the way it’s going to be,” he says. “Not when I was born, of course, but since I was 12 years old, when my mom allowed me grow it longer. But [my parents] have been very supportive to me. My dad was the one who showed me my first chords, and he didn’t force me to go to high school, because I just wanted to play when I was in ninth grade. He was working in the factory so I could buy my first Marshall stack, and he said, ‘If nothing happens by the time you’re 19, then you have to do some studying.’ I got a gig with this band called Talisman when I was 19, so I just made it. Education is good too. But I gambled a bit and here I am.”

Even though he notes that he wouldn’t recommend his path to any bright-eyed, shaggy-haired youth, Åkesson’s stories of living the rock star life on the road might be enough to convince any adolescent to toss down their books and pick up an axe. Needless to say, if the Opeth longboat were to pull up to your coastal town 1,000 years ago, he’d probably be the first one on land, sporting a horned helmet and emitting a deafening roar as he unfurled his battle axe. Luckily, modern-day Norsemen make do with alcohol and wrestling.

“I was really drunk when we left Japan, so I don’t remember this, but I was apparently carrying around our drummer [Martin “Axe” Axenrot] and screaming Viking drawls, like ‘Rawwwr!’” Åkesson emits a throaty scream much like the death throes of some prehistoric bird, before chuckling again. “And we started a fight in the little van that took us to the airport — we were in a fit, wrestling and stuff. It was plain insane, apparently, and the driver was pretty pissed at me. I don’t recall much of that.”