2006 Archived News

November 2006

2006-11-29

Martin "Axe" Axenrot has secured a worldwide endorsement agreement with DW drums. www.dwdrums.com.

2006-11-02

"Opeth's "Ghost reveries" special limited edition CD/DVD (Release date 31/10-2006) is out now!! Featuring Deep Purple cover "Soldier of fortune", 40+ minute documentary film, "The grand conjuration" director's cut video, 5.1 mix of the entire record, extended booklet with additional artwork, photos and liner notes from Mikael Åkerfeldt. Get it NOW!!!

October 2006

The London (UK) Roundhouse concert will be filmed for a (very) possible DVD. Get yer tickets now! Opeth play London on the 9th of November. Get your tickets at: www.ticketmaster.com. Check the main page for further UK dates and Euro dates.

Four Italian dates have been added to the brief december euro tour. 15th - Milan Live Club - ITA
16th - Ravenna Kojak - ITA
17th - Rome Alpheus - ITA
18th - Treviso New Age - ITA

2006-10-04

A special edition of Opeths Ghost reveries will be released on the 2nd of November. The special edition features a documentary, exclusive photos, unreleased material and 5.1 mix of the album.

September 2006

2006-09-08

Opeth and Paradise Lost will appear in Dublin on the 13th of November. The gig will take place at Vicar St.

August 2006

2006-08-30

Opeth's "Ghost reveries" is up for the "Rock roll of honour/best of year album award in UK's leading rock magazine, Classic rock. As you know, these polls mean the world for Opeth and they letrally would not be able to live without a placing in at least the top three positions. So, please vote for Opeth by texting: CRALBUM7 to number 80889.

2006-08-19

More sad news...our condoleances goes out to the family and friends of Jon Nödtveidt (Dissection) who recently passed away.

2006-08-12

Opeth would like to apologize once again to their fans for pulling out of the Polish Hunterfest. Despite what the promoter has put on his website this is entirely the promoters fault. After a trying day logistically due to events at Heathrow airport, problems were further compounded by being led "a song and dance" by the promoter who failed to pay the money due to the band contractually. Firstly the money that was supposedly wired to the band never cleared, then a supposed last minute Western Union transfer failed to materialize.
In our view the promoter is totally unprofessional and inexperienced. Opeth have lost a lot of money through his actions and we intend to pursue this through court.

Once again Opeth apologize to the fans that were mislead into buying tickets by an unscrupulous promoter who never intended paying the band in the first place.

Regretfully OPETH are pulling out of the HUNTERFEST in Poland 12th aug. Despite going through huge logistical problems due to recent events at Heathrow the band are pulling out because the bands deposit and fee was not paid in time as per the contract. Opeth express regret to the fans for doing this but the fault clearly lies with the promoter.

2006-08-11

Regretfully OPETH are pulling out of the HUNTERFEST in Poland 12th aug. Read more

2006-08-08

Some joker has set up a MySpace page claiming to be Martin Mendez at: http://www.myspace.com/bassplayer316. This person is an impostor and has nothing to do with Martin Mendez. We feel sorry for the people, friends, and bands who's been dealing with this person thinking it's Mendez but what can you do? Idiots are all over the web and we're sure this is not the last time a thing like this happens. To be sure, check www.opeth.com on details for ANY information about the band and its members. For instance, Mikael Åkerfeldt actually has a MySpace site at http://www.myspace.com/mikaelakerfeldt. This one is legit and actually maintained (well...kinda) by the real Mikael Åkerfeldt.

July 2006

2006-07-29

In December Opeth will play a few exclusive gigs around Europe. Check out the dates here!

2006-07-23

Opeth will join the GIGANTOUR 2006!! MEGADETH is the main stage headliner.

PRESSRELEASE 2006-07-23

GIGANTOUR IS BACK:

THE MOTHER OF ALL SHRED FESTS' TO KICK OFF SECOND YEAR IN SEPTEMBER;

MEGADETH RETURNS AS MAIN STAGE HEADLINER WITH LAMB OF GOD CONFIRMED

GIGANTOUR is back.

The fast and furious traveling festival that was hailed last year by Revolver magazine as "the mother of all shred fests" will kick off its second year in early September.

Look for the tour--the brainchild of MEGADETH frontman DAVE MUSTAINE --to launch in the Northeast and to work its way through 25 major markets before wrapping in mid-October, with Xbox's "Gears of War" sponsoring the trek.   MEGADETH will return as the festival headliner on a bill that includes fellow heavy-hitters Lamb of God, plus Opeth, Arch Enemy, Overkill, Into Eternity, Sanctity and The Smashup all confirmed for these mostly outdoor shows.   Other second stage artists will be announced soon.

MUSTAINE personally hand-picks all the GIGANTOUR bands, with a sharp eye on true musicianship. He says GIGANTOUR is a great place for like-minded music fans to see a full day of music on two stages without breaking the bank, and he's glad the tour is back in '06.
"This is the concert that I, as a heavy metal music fan, would want to see," says MUSTAINE.   "It is going to be something to look forward to each year, to see what kind of tremendous talent we can assemble, for GIGANTOUR festivals in the years to come."
Lamb of God's Mark Morton says, "Megadeth is one of the main reasons I started playing metal guitar in the first place.   To finally tour with them is really exciting and it's a great way to start off our world tour supporting Sacrament .   We've been dying to get the new material up and running on the live stage.   We've worked so hard on the new record--it's really a great sense of accomplishment to see the new tunes come to life in a live setting.

We're really looking forward to this one."   The group's Chris Adler says, "Teaming up with Megadeth on GIGANTOUR is a metal dream come true. The lineup represents some of the most proficient metal bands and players from across the world and we are looking forward to joining forces and kicking ass. We're planning on a nice long set, introducing a lot of new and very heavy material from Sacrament as well as keeping the brutal live tracks from our previous albums. We can't wait to take the stage and destroy it."

Last year's inaugural GIGANTOUR was a six-week trek that was hailed by the Miami Herald for featuring "only bands whose musicianship matches their ability to melt faces with sheer volume and power."  

The Orange County Register agreed, saying, "...it does a heart good to see Mustaine able to buck the chameleon trend of rock and stay firm to his ideals, keeping the music the priority and not the image."

As for joining forces with GIGANTOUR, Craig Davison, Director of Global Games Marketing for Xbox, says, "We're totally jazzed about the partnership between Gigantour 2006 and our forthcoming Xbox 360 blockbuster, Gears of War !   Partnering a music extravaganza like GIGANTOUR with the launch of a mega-hit game like Gears of War captures the excitement around two awesome happenings for fans of music and video games!"  Gears of War is a blockbuster video game exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system that blends tactical action with survival horror.   Gears of War thrusts gamers into a harrowing story of humankind's epic battle for survival and is available this holiday.

In other GIGANTOUR news, Image Entertainment will release two-DVD and two-CD sets of GIGANTOUR 2005, which included Megadeth, Dream Theatre, Fear Factory, Anthrax, Nevermore, Life of Agony, Symphony X, Dry Kill Logic and Bobaflex.   The CD is out August 22, with the DVD hitting stores September 5--just in time for this year's tour.

Stay tuned for more details, or check out www.GIGANTOUR.com , www.megadeth.com , www.myspace.com/gigantour2006 , and www.myspace.com/megadeth .

The current itinerary is below (note: exact line-up for shows subject to change).

SEPTEMBER:

07th - San Diego - tba
08th - Oakland - Oakland Coliseum
09th - San Luis Obispo - Pozo Saloon Amphitheatre
10th - San Bernardino - Hyundai Pavilion
12th - Las Vegas - tba
13th - Phoenix - Dodge Theatre
15th - Salt Lake City - USANA
16th - Denver - Coors Amphitheatre
17th - Albuquerque - Journal Pavilion
19th - TBD
21st - Milwaukee - Eagles Ballroom
22nd - Chicago - Congress Theatre
23rd - Columbus - Nationwide Arena
24th - Detroit - DTE Energy Amphitheatre
25th - Toronto - Molson Amphitheatre
27th - Montreal - Bell Centre
28th - Nassau - Nassau Coliseum
29th - TBD
30th - Holmdel - PNC Bank Center

OCTOBER

01st - TBD
03rd - TBD
05th - TBD
06th - Tampa - St Pete Times Forum
07th - Orlando - Hard Rock Live
08th - Sunrise FL - Bank Atlantic Forum

2006-07-12

Our thoughts today goes out to the spirit of the recently deceased Syd Barrett. Shine on....!

2006-07-12

Great photos from Metaltown, Göteborg, Sweden.
Roadrunner Scandinavia
Metalnyheter.se

2006-07-12

Check out these photos from Hultsfred!

June 2006

2006-06-20

As we previously have reported Roadrunner will issue a special edition deluxe version of "Ghost reveries". The release date has been pushed forward to the 30th of october.

2006-06-20

Win signed Opeth posters here: www.roadrunnerrecords.se/freeshit/ (swedish only)

2006-06-14

UK doom legends Paradise Lost have been confirmed as special guests on the upcoming UK trek in November.

2006-06-14

In related news we have now corrected the London date from "Roadhouse" to the actually existing (and classic) Roundhouse venue. Paradise Lost are still in support of their latest and self titled record.

2006-06-14

"Soldier of fortune", the Deep Purple cover recorded at the BBC and set up as a bonus track for the upcoming special edition of "Ghost reveries" will be re-recorded at the famed Atlantis studios in Stockholm. This is due to unforseen legal problems with the BBC in the UK. Therefore the BBC recording won't be available other than through downloads.

2006-06-02

On the 14th of October Opeth will appear in Tokyo, Loud Park Festval! This will be the first time Opeth appears in Japan!

May 2006

Martin Lopez leaves Opeth!

After several months away from his drumming duties in Opeth Martin Lopez has permanently decided to leave the group. After being plagued by illness and anxiety attacks Lopez decided he wanted to concentrate fully on his own project, currently unnamed. His replacement will be Martin "Axe" Axenrot who's been filling in for the last 5 tours and who also recorded with the band during the recent BBC sessions.

Mikael Åkerfeldt: " However sad I and the rest of the band feel in light of Lopez departure I want to thank him for his incredible work with Opeth and immense dedication to the band. We recorded some classic stuff together and he obviously had an enormous impact on our sound. I now feel very excited to hear the material of his own band. In the meantime Opeth fans can rest assured that we'll continue jamming it out with Axe and we all have high expectations about our coming musical ventures "

Watch this spot for updates on Martin Lopez.

2006-05-12

Opeth's "Ghost reveries" has been nominated in the "Album of the year 2005" category for UK's Metal Hammer magazine annual awards. The award is handed out on the 12 th of June at London Camden's "Koko".

2006-05-11

The MFN catologue is being re released by SONY.BMG. The releases are: Deliverance, Damnation, Blackwater Park, Lamentations DVD (will be released 3rd July).

The rumoured collaboration between Mikael Åkerfeldt, Steven Wilson (Porcupine tree) and Mike Portnoy (Dream theater) will probably become reality in a near future. The project will maintain a low key and interviews will be sparse. This will be a sheer musical communion that its members wish to keep clear of the "supergroup" hype.

Opeth's "Ghost reveries" has been nominated in the "Album of the year 2005" category for UK's Metal Hammer magazine annual awards. The award is handed out on the 12 th of June at London Camden's "Koko".

In related news, Per Wiberg's heavy rock sensation Spiritual beggars have recently released a London taped live DVD entitled "Live fire". Recommended!

2006-05-12

Roadrunner will issue a special edition deluxe version of "Ghost reveries" on the 25 th of July. Bonus material include a 40 minute documentary about the making of the record complete with the bands own private tour footage, a cover of Deep Purple's "Soldier of fortune" recorded for UK's BBC radio, the video for "The grand conjuration", liner notes, photos, enhanced 24 page booklet, deluxe sleeve, and 5.1 surround exclusive mix of the record made by original mixed/engineer Jens Bogren.

April 2006

2006-04-22

Excellent pictures from the Close-Up festival on metalnyheter.se.

2006-04-19

Check out this 3 minutes clip from the gig in Stockholm - Sweden on the 16th of april. (Size 4.1mb)

2006-04-14

IMPORTANT! The guy with who has this space on MySpace: www.myspace.com/1fresh1 is FAKE. The guy is claiming to be Martin Lopez. The space is now closed.

2006-04-12

Opeth will play Download, Donington Park, UK on the 10th June. Read more about the festival here!

Check out Mikes playlist!

Mars 2006

2006-03-16

Read a live review from Town Hall show in New York published in Village voice.

2006-03-16

Check out Opeth fansite in an art community called DeviantArt.

2006-03-09

Make sure to get hold of a copy of the Headbangers ball cd The Revenge. The cd is the 3rd compilation/collaboration between Roadrunner and MTV2. Arriving in stores on April 11, the two-disc extravaganza will collect 38 songs. Opeth´s "The Grand Conjuration" (Exclusive edit) will be featured on the cd. Read more and view cover!

2006-03-06

As of the 3rd of March Opeths managment, Northern music, Cerberus Online and Roadrunner Records US/UK have taken hold of www.myspace.com/opeth. The space is NOW official. Please NOTE that any previous message you have recived from the space prior to the 3rd of March has not been sent by Opeth or anyone working for the band. Check out the space here!

February 2006

2006-02-23

As we previous have announced Opeth will appear in Stockholm on the 15th or 16th of April. Check out www.closeupfestival.se for the latest news!

2006-02-14

Opeth will appear at the Quart Festival in Kristiansand, Norway on the 4th of July.

2006-02-13

As we have reported earlier Opeth will appear at serveral festivals this summer. Check them out here!

2006-02-20

We can now confirm 8 exclusive dates in South America! Opeth will appear in Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. All this will happen in September 2006. Check out the dates here!

2006-02-01

In april Opeth will do a headline show in Stockholm, Sweden. More news as we have them!

2006-02-01

Opeth will appear at several festival this summer. One of these is the Roskilde festival! As soon as the festivals are confirmed they will be published here!

January 2006

2006-01-27

A brief and maybe somewhat odd "support show" will be given by Ballet Deviare in New York on the 23rd of february. The performance is called "...And The Devil Knows Why" and they will be dancing to Opeths track "Deliverance".

Ballet Deviare
Title of work- "...And The Devil Knows Why"
Choreographer- Laura Kowalewski
Composer-Opeth, "Deliverance"
Dancers- Samantha Koetsier, Shannon Plumstead, Erika Sutter, and Julia Welsh
New York City Premiere-December 18th, 2004

Company Statement:
The visceral fusion of two seemingly total opposites. A maelstrom of a marriage between the beauty and grace of ballet, and the force and brutality of metal. Bringing high art and extreme music together. Incorporated in November of 2003, Ballet Deviare is a non-profit contemporary ballet company residing in New York City. Ballet Deviare strives to reach a vast audience ranging from balletomanes to those who have never been exposed to the art of ballet. Deviating from what is expected within the norm of ballet companies (which is how the name of the company came into being), Ballet Deviare has harnessed an eclectic audience ranging from dance connoisseurs to those individuals who have never attended a ballet performance.
Ballet Deviare's choreographic projects entail the merging of what may appear at first glance to be complete opposites, the beauty and grace of ballet combined with the power and force of metal music. Not for the faint of heart, Kowalewski's choreographic works range from adagio inspired movements invoked by the darkened melodies of doom, to petit allegro propelled by the double base drums and thunderous riffs of death metal and grind.

2006-01-25

"Chronology MCMXCIV - MMV A live observation by Opeth"
Yes folks, that is the "title" for three exclusive gigs scheduled for NYC's Town hall centre (23/2), Chicago's House of blues (2/3) and LA's Wiltern theatre (14/3). These special seated events will consist of a chronologically played setlist, starting with music from the very first record "Orchid" and ending with vibes from the latest opus "Ghost reveries". These extended sets are exclusive to the three dates and there won't be any support bands on these nights. A good advice is to get your tickets quick as these are bound to sell out fast! Opeth and crew will also bring in extra production and screens in order to try and make this the ultimate Opeth live experience! The band promise a very varied setlist and songs never ever played before live! The setlist boasts no less than 4 songs that never before have been played on American soil and several others that haven't been played for years!

2006-01-25

Opeth didn't win the P3 guld award which instead went to Burst. Congratulations! See pictures from the event here!

2006-01-16

The gig in Tel Aviv is Sold out!

2006-01-09

"Ghost reveries" and Opeth did well in the end of year polls....