Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt recently revealed a harrowing experience of being held at knifepoint on a subway. He shared details about the incident that occurred just before the band started recording their acclaimed album ‘Blackwater Park’, as reported by Guitar World.
The musician opened up about the frightening encounter when asked directly about the robbery incident that took place during the band’s preparation for the album.
When asked if it was true he was robbed at knifepoint just before heading into the studio to record ‘Blackwater Park’, Åkerfeldt provided a detailed account of the terrifying experience.
“We were rehearsing in a rough neighborhood. We didn’t even own amps at this point. Peter and I were getting the subway back early in the morning. This guy came up to us, sat down next to me and put a knife against my groin – down there,” Åkerfeldt said.
The situation escalated as the attacker searched through their belongings while under the influence of substances.
“He was clearly on something and asking for money. He started going through our stuff. We could have tried taking him down, but with a knife to my groin I was petrified. When he got off the subway he went for my guitar, and I shouted, ‘F*ck, no!’ There was a bit of a struggle,” he continued.
The incident specifically involved the thief attempting to steal Åkerfeldt’s black PRS CE24 guitar. This highlighted how the traumatic experience occurred during a crucial period before recording one of Opeth’s most celebrated albums.
This frightening encounter took place at a particularly vulnerable time for the band. They were about to embark on creating what would become their breakthrough album.
PRS Guitars reported that the robbery happened the day before Opeth traveled to Studio Fredman in Gothenburg to begin recording on August 10, 2000. The timing made the incident even more stressful, as the band was already facing significant creative challenges heading into the studio.
The recording process itself was notably chaotic and unprepared. Wikipedia noted that the band had only rehearsed three times before entering the studio and arrived with no lyrics written. They developed much of the material on the spot over six weeks with producer Steven Wilson. This made the pre-recording robbery an additional source of anxiety during an already uncertain creative period.
Despite these challenging circumstances, ‘Blackwater Park’ became a landmark release for the Swedish progressive metal band. Louder Sound documented that the album was released on March 12, 2001, in Europe and became widely regarded as a prog-metal masterpiece that helped establish Opeth’s reputation internationally.
The album’s creation under such difficult conditions, including the traumatic subway incident, adds another layer to the story of how one of metal’s most celebrated albums came to be. The fact that Åkerfeldt managed to protect his guitar during the struggle proved crucial, as that same instrument would be used in the recording sessions that followed.
