Peter Lindgren (musician)

Infobox musical artist
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Instrument = Guitar
Name = Peter Lindgren


Img_capt = Peter Lindgren In Concert With Opeth
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1973|3|6
Instrument = Guitar
Genre = Death metal, Progressive metal, Progressive rock
Occupation = Guitarist, Songwriter
Associated_acts = Opeth
Label = Roadrunner
Years_active = 1991 - on hiatus as of 2007
URL =
Notable_instruments = PRS Custom 24

Peter Lindgren (born March 6, 1973) is a Swedish guitarist and songwriter. He is best known as the former guitarist of Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth. He joined the band in 1991 to play bass for a show; however, he ended up staying and switching to guitars. Lindgren shared Opeth's guitar and songwriting duties with vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt. In May 2007 Lindgren announced that he was leaving Opeth due to the rigors of life on the road as a touring musician. Both Lindgren and Åkerfeldt said that the split was amicable.

In Opeth, Lindgren's solos can be heard on the songs "Deliverance" from the album "Deliverance", "When" from "My Arms, Your Hearse", and "Beneath the Mire" from "Ghost Reveries". As explained in "The Making of Deliverance and Damnation" documentary on "Lamentations", the decision of who plays which leads are decided by Åkerfeldt's vocal duties and whoever wants any particular solo the most. If Åkerfeldt is having trouble with a solo, he will hand it over to Peter, and vice versa.

On May 17, 2007, it was officially announced on the Opeth website that he had left the band. Lindgren released this statement through the band's official website:

:"It is with sadness I announce that Opeth and I are going separate ways after almost 16 years. The decision has been the toughest I've ever made but it is the right one to make at this point in my life."

:"The reason behind this is that I feel that I simply have lost some of the enthusiasm and inspiration needed to participate in a band that has grown from a few guys playing the music we love to a world-wide industry. The love of music has always been, and still is, our motive, but I personally have lost something along the way. The massive amount of touring has taken its toll. Opeth has worked extremely hard to get where we are right now and in order to persist and maintain the quality of the music, it is necessary that we continue to work hard and always stay focused. But in doing so, it means that we nowadays spend 18 or 19 months on the road and I don't feel the same enthusiasm for the upcoming world tour that I have felt earlier. I have come to a point where I realize I won't be able to give the band 100%, and from both sides this will not be good enough for what Opeth stands for. I will always love playing, listening to, and living music, but I will do it differently from now on."

:"These years has easily been the best of my life and I will always cherish the memory of what we have experienced together. I would like to thank the band, our management, record label people, all the bands I've made friends with for everything. Most of all, I would like to thank the fans from the depth of my heart for the support throughout the years."

:"I wish Mikael, Martin, Per and Axe all the best and I am confident they will continue doing the greatest music in the world!!" - Peter

He was replaced by Fredrik Åkesson of Arch Enemy fame. He is currently working as an IT consultant in Stockholm.

Equipment

Peter Lindgren uses a PRS Custom 24, a Gibson Les Paul Custom 1974, and a Gibson SG 1991. He also uses Laney VH100R amplifier and BOSS GT-5 effect processor. His amplifier settings/eq are almost exactly like Åkerfeldt's on live performances.

External links

* [http://opeth.com/biography/peter.html Opeth biography page]