Mikael Åkerfeldt seems again on the time he was essentially the most starstruck he had ever been.
In a brand new interview with Revolver, the Opeth mainman recollects assembly Agnetha Fältskog and sharing dinner along with her.
Talking of the second, he remembers, “I met Agnetha Fältskog from ABBA — the blonde.
“We did the Heritage file within the studio the place ABBA used to file, and the house owners had their flat on high of the studio. They invited us for dinner when the file was achieved, and Agnetha was there.”
Åkerfeldt continues, “All of us obtained to take a seat down along with her and have dinner, and he or she introduced this costly champagne.”
Reminiscing on what he spoke about with the legendary Swedish star, in addition to his response to being in her presence, he muses: “I’m an enormous fan, so I obtained to ask her all these questions on their songs. She was tremendous cool.
“However when she first got here up as I used to be getting into the flat, I froze. It’s like seeing Greta Garbo — she simply doesn’t seem… After shaking her hand, I went out and had like 5 cigarettes in a row simply to calm myself down. I get starstruck simply, I feel.”
Final 12 months, Åkerfeldt briefly recalled the memorable second throughout an interview with Metallic Hammer, noting how in the course of the night, he even discovered himself having fun with music with the ABBA singer from the studio proprietor’s jukebox, which was full of previous Fifties singles.
“I danced with the Dancing Queen,” he declared. “To not Dancing Queen, sadly. The studio proprietor used to hang around along with her, and he stated the Heritage file was all the time out by the stereo in her home – and it wasn’t within the shrink-wrap. She undoubtedly listened to it.”
Elsewhere within the Revolver interview, the Swedish frontman reveals he was as soon as starstruck over being in the identical room as Ritchie Blackmore. “And] once we performed with Rainbow,” he says, “I knew in fact that Ritchie Blackmore was within the neighborhood.
“I used to be so nervous that I drank myself to the purpose the place I missed my flight the subsequent day. As a result of I figured I wanted liquid braveness if I’m going to say one thing cool to Ritchie Blackmore. However I by no means obtained to satisfy him.”
Final 12 months, Opeth launched their fourteenth album, The Final Will And Testomony, to glowing critiques. Metallic Hammer author Wealthy Hobson awarded the album with 4.5 stars, hailing the album as “their greatest because the career-making heights of Blackwater Park and Ghost Reveries.”