We were very excited to have Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish Progressive metal band Opeth do some shopping at Amoeba Hollywood and share some of his favorite albums and artists, including Belgian prog band Univers Zero. "I don't know how to describe this music, it's insane," he told us, calling them, "highly skilled musicians." Though the challenging, dark prog group are largely obscure in most places, Åkerfeldt, pointed out that in Belgium finding a Univers Zero records is like finding an ABBA record in Sweden. "Definitely worth a listen if you're tired of the regular radio FM rock," he stated, continuing, "you're gonna die, pretty much."
Swedish progressive metal band Opeth was founded in 1989 by guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt and original frontman David Isberg with the intention of creating the "most evil band in the world." The band has gone through several lineup changes over the course of its three plus decades of existence, with& Åkerfeldt becoming Opeth's lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist after Isberg's departure in 1992. Opeth released their debut LP, Orchid, in 1995. Two years later, the group headed back to the studio to record a follow up, Morningrise. In support of the LP, Opeth embarked on a UK tour as well as a lengthy Scandinavian tour alongside Cradle of Filth. The success of the album won the attention of Century Media Records; the band signed to the label and Century Media released their records for the first time in the US.