Organizers of the annual Roadburn Festival have announced that Opeth frontman Mikael Akerfeldt will be the curator of the 11 April date of the festival’s 2014 installment, scheduled for 10 April – 13 April 2014 in Tilburg, Netherlands. In addition to performing a headlining set with Opeth, Akerfeldt’s duties include personally selecting the line-up of bands to perform just prior to Opeth’s set.
Roadburn organizers have released a statement on the blessing of these duties upon Akerfeldt, saying:
“Musically, Mikael has consistently pushed the boundaries. Over the last two decades, he guided Opeth‘s evolution, drawing the band out from under the doom-laden shade of occult-infused Scandinavian death metal and into a place in the sun as revered progressive rock / metal innovators, never once sacrificing the authentic spirit of previous artistic endeavours. Mikael‘s steadfast devotion to aesthetic progression and perfection has proven ground-breaking and highly influential for an entire new generation of musicians practicing the art of progressive rock and psychedelica. At the same time, he has steadfastly honoured the mystical pioneers of late 1960s and early 1970s psychedelic folk, rock and prog — some of Opeth‘s albums are named after obscure psychedelic prog outfits or song titles — all of which is in perfect sync with Roadburn Festival.”
Commenting on the situation himself, Akerfeldt has stated “It’s with great honor that I accepted the invitation to be the curator for the 2014 Roadburn festival. I’ve reached out to a handful of my favorite bands from the past and present. As of now it looks like it will be an amazing musical event. Still brainstorming about possible bands for this glorious festival but I already know that I’m going to be like a kid at Christmas. It will be amazing! Obviously Opeth will perform as well, but to be quite honest with you, our own performance doesn’t get me nearly as excited as the thought of experiencing the bands that have shown interest. It will be remarkable and memorable. A celebration, bitches!”
As of now, the handful of bands announced to appear at Roadburn are:
- Conan
- Tyranny
- Brutus
- The Vintage Caravan
- True Widow
- Locrian
