“I LIKE DEATH metal to be brutal and fast, so I usually write those kinds of tracks.”
Bloodbath guitarist Tomas Åkvik is matter-of-factly getting into why his three compositions on the long-running death metal supergroup’s new Survival of the Sickest full-length (“Zombie Inferno,” “Malignant Maggot Therapy” and “Environcide”) arguably push the speed-barrier more so than his bandmates’ nevertheless grotesque contributions. “I’m a raging person,” he chuckles when Guitar World presses him on the point. What’s most surprising about this ferociously paced feat, though, is that Åkvik even brought the songs to Bloodbath in the first place.
While the Swedish guitarist has been riffing with Bloodbath as their live guitarist for more than five years, when the group formally asked him to join full-time — following the 2017 exit of Per “Sodomizer” Eriksson — he initially declined. The decision was dumbfounding, even to him.
“I don’t know what got into me, but I was already playing in too many bands, so when they asked me to join, I was like, ‘It’s not the right time,’” Åkvik — who also leads Swedish metal force Lik — says. “It sounds a bit cocky [to have declined], but [I was] very honored that they asked me. I just didn’t want to disappoint them by not being able to commit.”
This story is from the November 2022 edition of Guitar World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 2022 edition of Guitar World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
KIM THAYIL
The mighty Soundgarden guitarist looks back on his most iconic riffs and solos, as well as the gear and tunings that guided him deep into the creative superunknown
ANDY BELL
The U.K. shoegaze pioneer discusses the recording of Ride's classic Nineties albums and his 10 years as a member of Oasis
MARC FORD
The respected SoCal guitarist explains why he chose the Black Crowes over Guns N' Roses - and how the Crowes' internal friction helped make them a compelling alternative to grunge
BRIAN VANDER ARK
Determined as he moves out of the shadow of his past, the guitarist recounts the origins of the Verve Pipe and the recording of a definitive Nineties anthem, \"The Freshmen\"
VERNON REID
From Vivid to Time's Up to Stain: How Vernon Reid's expressionist shredding juiced Living Colour through the grunge era
ART ALEXAKIS
The tenacious Everclear frontman/guitarist discusses the music, moments and \"dangerous\" amps that changed his life and maybe ours - in the Nineties and beyond
DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
The retro designs, digital innovations and misfit toys that defined guitar gear and technology in the Nineties
IT'S ALL A BLUR...
The rise and fall of Britpop, the Nineties' other massive, guitar-based movement
NEVERMIND NEVERMIND!
10 overlooked rock albums from the Nineties that are worth a second listen
A GRUNGY GUITAR GUIDE TO THE '90S
Guitar World