Opeth Guitarist Fredrik Åkesson Has a Solo Album in the Works

Coming off the back of a successful Scandinavian/European/UK tour with Opeth, guitarist Fredrik Åkesson is determined to stay busy this 2025, as he’s revealed that he’s working on a solo album.

The news comes sourced from a recent interview with GuitarGuitar, where Åkesson discusses Opeth’s fourteenth studio album The Last Will and Testament, some of his musical influences and what his go-tear gear is for guitar solos.

Amongst all the Opeth updates, Åkesson also revealed that he’s been working on a debut solo album and that he’s made ample progress already. 

“The first two tracks are mastered and done. They are instrumentals. It’s difficult because there’s a lot of stuff happening in my life with Opeth and I also played on some Ghost album, and I’m doing sessions with those guys. As soon as we have a gap, I’m going to try write the rest of it. I need six more songs. I have tons of ideas. It will happen, it’s spread out, but I’m happy with the first two tracks and the third one is going to be cool.”

While everything is still partly hush-hush, the guitarist has noted that the tracklist includes a feature with Saxon’s frontman, Biff Byford. If you didn’t know already, Åkesson featured on Byfords’ 2020 lockdown project School of Bad Knocks album. As industry friends, Åkesson adds that Byford’s vocals feature on his record “because I played on his solo album, so we have a connection.”

It’s clear Åkesson is in high demand for work right now. Just a few days ago, Opeth collaborated with Sheet Happens Publishing for an official guitar tab book featuring the intricate workings of Åkesson’s guitar parts.

As for future plans, Åkesson will continue his work with Oepth and other side projects, alongside developing his debut solo project.