Opeth Nix Soundwave, Look To Early 2015 Australian Tour

UPDATE 04/03/15: Opeth have announced an Australian tour for May 2015! Details here.

Opeth‘s Mikael Akerfeldt says his band will not make an appearance at Soundwave 2015 and are instead eyeing early 2015 for a headline Australian tour. Speaking to Music Feeds, Akerfeldt said he’d prefer to do shows on the band’s own terms than with a “machine” like Soundwave.

“I’m very excited about going to Australia, I love Australia. It’s my favourite country in the world,” Akerfeldt told Music Feeds. However, the frontman said he turned down Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah‘s offer to make Opeth’s Australian return via the Soundwave 2015 roster.

“I said no to that, actually,” he explained. “We can do our own shows there… I like festivals and we’ve done a few touring festivals, but it’s like some type of weird… It’s not about us, if you know what I mean. When we travel that distance, I wanna be able to give the Opeth fans what they want.”

“For us to play Soundwave, maybe it would build the band a little bit, maybe we’d come across to music fans who aren’t familiar with us, but I’m not really interested. I wanna please our fans,” Akerfeldt continued. Maddah had said that he would only book the band, whose new album, Pale Communion, is out 22nd August, if he could give them a set time that was over 80 minutes long.

“I don’t think we’re in a position to get an 80-minute set,” said Akerfeldt. “In the context of a festival like Soundwave, we’re not gonna be headliners, I don’t think. There’s always bigger bands and specific types of bands headlining… So I don’t think we would be granted that time on stage.”

“I don’t think our fans would show up if we didn’t have a respectable length to our set. Even if I understand the whole kind of promotional tool that that festival would be,” he added. “The ideal thing really is to play in front of people who don’t know who the fuck you are and try and make new fans.”

“But I kind of lost interest in building the band. I wanna go out and do great shows on our own terms, as opposed to being thrown into a whole fucking machine in the style of Soundwave,” the frontman concluded. However, Akerfeldt did say that there’s still a chance they could make the bill.

“I did say no to that festival, but maybe somebody’s gonna twist my arm. And we worked with AJ before and I know him. We’ll see what happens, but my preference… is always to do our own shows,” he said. Asked when that would be happening Akerfeldt replied, “Early next year, I think.”

“We love Australia, we always have,” the frontman explained. “Ever since the first time we were there… travelling that distance for some reason feels like you’re travelling away from the fan base [laughs] Travelling away from things that are [certain] and finding that people like you there.”

UPDATE 20/08/14: The Soundwave Festival 2015 lineup has arrived! Full details here.

Watch: Opeth – Cusp Of Eternity

@Nighthawkin_ I have invited them but have heard nothing back. It is almost too late

— AJ (@iamnotshouting) July 31, 2014

@A_Maximalist @OfficialOpeth would only do Opeth on SW if I can give them 80+ min set. You need 80 mins to get it!

— AJ (@iamnotshouting) July 19, 2014

@77meat i think they are just about due for a SW. As long as I can give them a long set. Otherwise pointless.

— AJ (@iamnotshouting) May 13, 2014

Soundwave Festival 2015

Day One
Adelaide – Saturday, 21st February, 2015
Melbourne – Sunday, 22nd February, 2015
Sydney – Saturday, 28th February, 2015
Brisbane – Sunday, 1st March, 2015

Faith No More
Soundgarden
Incubus
Lamb Of God
Ministry
Antemasque
Gerard Way
Mayhem
New Found Glory
Fear Factory
Hollywood Undead
Atreyu
The Aquabats
Area 7
Godflesh
Crown The Empire
The Interrupters
Icon For Hire
Emily’s Army
Patent Pending
Fireworks
The Bennies
The Color Morale
Monuments
Nothing More
Deathstars
Ne Obliviscaris
The Treatment

Day Two
Melbourne – Saturday, 21st February, 2015
Adelaide – Sunday, 22nd February, 2015
Brisbane – Saturday, 28th February, 2015
Sydney – Sunday, 1st March, 2015

Slipknot
Slash
Marilyn Manson
Fall Out Boy
Judas Priest
Godsmack
All Time Low
Papa Roach
Of Mice & Men
Escape The Fate
Apocalyptica
Lagwagon
Tonight Alive
Crossfaith
Butcher Babies
Confession
The Swellers
Conditions
Coldrain
King 810
Dayshell
This Wild Life