For years, fans of progressive metal have eagerly waited for a collaboration between Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt and Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy. While the drummer has frequently expressed his desire to join forces with his longtime friend, a musical partnership has yet to materialize.
In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, Åkerfeldt finally opened up about the delay, citing differing creative visions and the potential risks of working with a close friend in the studio.
According to the Opeth vocalist and guitarist, the primary obstacle has been agreeing on the actual sound of the project. While discussing the possibility a few years ago, the two legends quickly realized they were looking for completely different things.
“I love Mike, but I remember, once, we sat down and talked, [and I asked] ‘If we were to do something, what do you wanna do?’ He said he wanted to do something heavy. My mindset at the time was like, ‘I’d rather do something not heavy.’ We weren’t seeing eye-to-eye, at least at that point,” Åkerfeldt said.
Åkerfeldt emphasized that before committing to anything, there needs to be a solid foundational concept that goes beyond just playing aggressive music.
“I wouldn’t want to be involved in the project unless it has a musical purpose… I like the initial idea to be there, other than, ‘Let’s make something heavy.’”
Beyond musical direction, Åkerfeldt expressed a valid concern about how their strong personalities might interact during the writing and recording process. Because they share a close personal bond, he worries that creative friction could put their friendship in jeopardy.
“Mike is a really lovely guy, but I never worked with him, and I can foresee that he would be a bit of an alpha in the studio. If we were to have a disagreement, what route would we take? Working with someone, especially if you’re passionate about music, can be a risk if you’re friends.”
Despite these reservations, the door is certainly not closed. Åkerfeldt noted that he would love to push the drummer’s boundaries in a new setting, adding:
“But that doesn’t necessarily mean that he has to be super technical or fast or anything like that.”
He also pointed out that the collaboration would be much easier to execute if there was a clearly defined leader, rather than attempting a 50/50 creative split.
“Somebody would have to be at the helm. If it was him saying to me, ‘I have this project I want to do. Can you play guitar?’, that’d be much easier to say yes to, because it’s his project. I’m completely open to working with him; I just want us to agree on what [it would be].”
The duo actually came remarkably close to working together in the past. During the early development of Storm Corrosion—Åkerfeldt‘s side project with prog mastermind Steven Wilson—Portnoy was initially in the mix. However, the collaboration was scrapped before the release of their 2012 self-titled album, Storm Corrosion, with Åkerfeldt explaining in 2010 that “there’s just no room for drums on what we’ve done so far”.
Years later, in 2017, Portnoy publicly extended an open invitation to his friend through Prog magazine, highlighting their different approaches to balancing multiple projects:
“It’s the one collaboration that’s still eluded me and I’m still patiently waiting for. I would do it tomorrow – Mike knows that – [but] I think he’s a bit more hesitant. I’m obviously very good juggling 87 bands. I think he’s a little more, ‘Can I do this? Is the time right? What will it be?’ I keep trying to nudge him: ‘Mike, dude, whatever it is it’ll be great – let’s just get in a room and play together!’”
As of now, the only official release featuring both musicians is the 2007 Dream Theater album Systematic Chaos. On that record, Åkerfeldt provided a spoken-word cameo for the track “Repentance“, a dark and atmospheric song chronicling Portnoy‘s real-life journey through Alcoholics Anonymous.
