Photo: Birgit Fostervold / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
I've always thought of Mikael Akerfeldt as one of metal's true polymaths. As the voice and chief songwriter of Opeth, he taught me that a death-metal growl and a tender clean melody can live in the same song without feeling like a gimmick. What impresses me most is the range of his collaborations, from fronting Bloodbath to teaming with Steven Wilson in Storm Corrosion. He strikes me as a Stockholm musician who follows his curiosity wherever it leads, which is probably why Opeth keeps evolving instead of repeating itself. I respect artists who refuse to stay in one lane, and he's a textbook example.
Overview
Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt (Swedish: [ˈmîːkaɛl ˈôːkɛrˌfɛlt]; born 17 April 1974) is a Swedish musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for the progressive metal band Opeth. A former vocalist for the death metal supergroup Bloodbath, he was also the guitarist for the "one-off" band Steel, and a member of the collaboration Storm Corrosion with Steven Wilson.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Mikael Åkerfeldt
- Name (Japanese)
- ミカエル・オーカーフェルト
- Reading
- みかえる・おーかーふぇると
- Born
- April 17, 1974 (age 52)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Tiger
- Origin
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- singer / guitarist / record producer / lyricist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Singer — see all → · Guitarist — see all → · More people from Sweden →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.