OPETH frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt has shed light on why longtime collaborator Steven Wilson stepped away from producing the band’s albums, revealing a natural evolution in their creative partnership rather than a dramatic falling out.
In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, Åkerfeldt looked back on the making of 2005’s Ghost Reveries — the first OPETH album since 1999 not to feature the PORCUPINE TREE mastermind as a producer. Wilson had previously played a key role in shaping OPETH’s sound during a defining era, co-producing the critically acclaimed Blackwater Park (2001), Deliverance (2002), and Damnation (2003).
Åkerfeldt acknowledged that they “probably asked Steven” to be involved in Ghost Reveries, but by that point, he felt he was ready to take the reins himself.
“I’d learned many of his tricks along the way,” Åkerfeldt said. “I could hear some ideas in my head that I like to think he would have brought up. I was becoming a producer more and more, and by the time we did Ghost Reveries, I could just tell, ‘Yeah, I want this thing to happen, I want this effect or whatever.’”
The album ended up being produced by Jens Bogren, who would go on to become a staple figure in the Scandinavian metal production scene. However, the recording process was far from smooth. Åkerfeldt described the sessions as “chaotic,” with serious tension brewing inside the band, particularly involving then-members Martin Lopez and Peter Lindgren.
“I felt completely alone and I felt weight on my shoulders, like, ‘If I don’t make this happen, it’s just going to fall to pieces and there won’t be anything coming out,’” Åkerfeldt recalled. “Jens saw the sh**ty dynamic that the band had in many ways and kind of sided with me.”
Despite stepping away from the producer’s chair, Wilson‘s connection to OPETH didn’t end there. Åkerfeldt emphasized that their friendship remains intact, calling Wilson both a “friend” and a “mentor.” The two later reunited creatively on STORM CORROSION (2012), a haunting and experimental project that blurred the lines between progressive rock and ambient music. Wilson also mixed OPETH’s Pale Communion in 2014.
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