Mikael Åkerfeldt has never been shy about following his instincts, even when they're driven by something as simple as aesthetics.

In a new interview with Prog Project Link, the Opeth frontman revealed that the band's label Moderbolaget was created for one surprisingly blunt reason: he didn't want the Nuclear Blast logo on Opeth albums.

Åkerfeldt explained that while Opeth were signed to Nuclear Blast Records, he struggled with the label's name and iconic biohazard-style logo appearing on their meticulously crafted releases.

"We started it as a… It's a silly story, actually," Åkerfeldt said.

"Because we were signed to Nuclear Blast Records.

I always thought 'Nuclear Blast' sounded so silly.

I didn't want it to say 'Nuclear Blast' on the record." In an attempt to sidestep that, Åkerfeldt founded Moderbolaget.

"Okay, let's start our own label, Moderbolaget, which means 'parent label', you can say." But of course, at the end of the day, we still had the Nuclear Blast logo on the record, so it didn't matter.

But that's really why we started it." While the origin story may be rooted in mild annoyance, Åkerfeldt said the idea was also inspired by legendary bands who took control of their own releases.

"It's also looking at bands like The Beatles, who had Apple Records, and Led Zeppelin, who had Swan Song," he said.

"It's not 100% serious, but technically, we could sign other bands." Asked whether the label has plans to sign other artists, Åkerfeldt laughed off the idea — at least for the moment.

"Well, not really, but we could," he said.

"Maybe that could be my retirement plan. Be a record boss, mogul, buy a suit, and smoke cigars." Opeth and Katatonia are currently touring North America in support of their latest album The Last Will and Testament.

The tour kicks off on February 5 at The Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ and wraps up a few weeks later on February 25 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver, BC.

The tour dates include:\ February 5: Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theater\ February 6: Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre\ February 7: Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia\ February 10: Detroit, MI – Masonic Jack White Theatre\ February 11: Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre\ February 12: St.

Louis, MO – The Pageant\ February 14: Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory\ February 15: Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center\ February 16: San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre\ February 18: Colorado Springs, CO – Pikes Peak Center\ February 20: Las Vegas, NV – The Pearl\ February 21: Riverside, CA – Riverside Municipal Auditorium\ February 22: Sacramento, CA – Channel 24\ February 24: Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre\ February 25: Vancouver, BC – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

Fans can purchase tickets through Stubhub Link.