Opeth have shared a new single, §3, from next month’s album The Last Will & Testament – but Mikael Åkerfeldt has no idea what to say about it…
Opeth have just released a brand-new single – but Mikael Åkerfeldt probably isn’t going to be able to convince you to listen to it, FYI…
“So put yourself in my position for a minute,” the frontman begins, when asked about Opeth’s newbie §3 (which is taken from their impending 14th album The Last Will & Testament). “Your band has this new album. You like it. In fact, you love it! It’s got this elaborate concept running through all eight songs on there. You’ve written it over the timespan of say six months, effective time. You’ve invested a lot of passion into putting it together. You’ve recorded it together with your friends/colleagues. You’ve had a good time in the process.
“Now, said album is on the verge of being released and you’re expected to talk about it. Prepare your audience for its coming. Talk it up! You do want people to hear it, right? You love the album so it should be easy, right? At this point, all you have to do is put together a few words for the new ‘single’. But you’re confused with the use of the term ‘single’, as you connect it to the olden days where ‘singles’ often had the word ‘hit’ next to it. And you know that won’t happen! Still you want people to hear it. Your loving ‘fans’ might think it’s awesome. But you don’t want to come across as a salesman.
“On top of that,” Mikael stresses, “you’re not a complete self-absorbed asshole who thinks you’ve got the Midas touch (well….). Also you have a bad case of that inborn Swedish modesty, sprinkled with some impostor syndrome. What do you say? §3 is out now!”
Uh, good job, Mikael?! Listen to §3 below:
