The First Album I Ever Bought: Fredrik Åkesson, Opeth

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The Opeth guitarist reveals why he parted with his pocket money for AC/DC's For Those About to Rock

Fredrik Åkesson of Opeth on AC/DC's For Those About To Rock
(Image credit: Getty)

I was eight or nine years old when I bought my very first hard rock vinyl. I’d had kids’ albums before that, but AC/DC’s For Those About to Rock was my first proper rock album. My friend had Highway to Hell and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and we used to listen to them all the time. This was around 1981.

At the time, I used to get about four quid a month from my parents to buy candy or whatever, and I saved up to buy my first album because I was really getting into rock, and AC/DC in particular. I especially liked their song Touch Too Much; it’s one of my favourite tracks ever and it’s probably my first connection with hard rock.

One day, I went to this big mall type of a place that combined groceries with clothes and records, and that’s where I first saw the album with the big cannon on the front cover. I wasn’t really aware that they had a new singer at the time. I paid my month’s allowance for the record and I remember getting it back home and putting it on. The title track For Those About to Rock was pure rock ‘n’ roll magic with the cannons going off, and the song Inject the Venom quickly became one of my favourites as well. Put The Finger on You and Evil Walks were big tracks for me, too.

Looking back, I wouldn’t say that it’s their best album, but there are a lot of good tracks on there. Back In Black has more strong songs on it, obviously. But I listened back to For Those About To Rock the other day and I still love the sound of the guitars and production. Mutt Lange did a great job. And Angus Young was the guy who made me want to play guitar. He started it all for me, basically. I’m a huge fan of the Bon Scott-era AC/DC. He had this rawness to his voice. But I think Brian Johnson did an amazing job of stepping in, though. He kicked ass.

Opeth’s new album Sorceress will be released on September 30 through Nuclear Blast/Moderbolaget.

UK fans can catch the band live at the SSE Wembley Arena on 19th November. Tickets are available here.

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Matt Stocks
Matt Stocks

DJ, presenter, writer, photographer and podcaster Matt Stocks was a presenter on Kerrang! Radio before a year’s stint on the breakfast show at Team Rock Radio, where he also hosted a punk show and a talk show called Soundtrack Apocalypse. He then moved over to television, presenting on the Sony-owned UK channel Scuzz TV for three years, whilst writing regular features and reviews for Metal Hammer and Classic Rock magazine. He also wrote, produced and directed a feature-length documentary on Australian hard rock band Airbourne called It’s All For Rock ‘N’ Roll, and in 2017 launched his own podcast: Life in the Stocks. His first book, also called Life In The Stocks, was published in 2020. A second volume was published in April 2022.