NEWS

OPETH frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt have issued the following update:

"The final countdown! Hey good people! We're in Columbus, Ohio right now. Nice weather, shitty food, smelly bus but everything's alright. We're having a blast actually. It's a very nice tour. Our first with Fredrik and we're hanging out all of us every night! Not partying, but sipping wine and eating them scary wheat thins...basically we're slaves to them now. I tell you...we are happy!

DREAM THEATER are taking good care of us and the shows have been great...most, if not all of them. Done a few headlining shows as well and what can I say....I have missed it! A lot! We played Pittsburgh last night in a sweaty club and it was fucking ROCK! Loved it!

We were approached by iTunes to record a few songs live as a mixed band consisting of Opeth and Dream Theater members but it all fell through. Would have been cool, but whatever... Portnoy is so cool to us. He hangs with us and we talk pretty much every day. Extremely cool guy! All of them seem great, but I haven't really talked that much to the other guys. Well, James and I talk a little and he's super nice as well! Either way, this tour is cool! The guys in 3 and BETWEEN THE BURIED AN ME are also super cool down to earth guys and good bands!

I miss home but Skype allows me to talk to my wife and my daughters every day, and to be able to hear their voices and even see them makes this so much easier for me.

And Watershed is coming soon!! I'm excited to see what you guys will think of it, even though I guess some have already heard it. Do allow a lot of time to let it sink in. There's a lot of stuff going on there.

I forgot to mention that I recorded a version of the song 'Porcelain Heart' done with mellotrons and moogs, so I re-dubbed it 'Mellotron Heart'. Roadrunner printed up a few thousand copies but it will be very limited. I think you can only get it if you buy the album through a certain website but I can't remember which one it was. It's a pretty cool and very dark spooky version actually. I will get back to you on that, OK?

OK, I'm back to doin' nothing now so please excuse me will ya?"