Clark is a new Netflix Swedish-language series based on infamous Swedish criminal Clark Olofsson. Directed by ex-Bathory drummer and Lords of Chaos director Jonas Åkerlund, the six-part series boasts a serious metal pedigree.
To start, Åkerlund tapped Opeth mastermind Mikael Åkerfeldt to compose the score for the series. Åkerfeldt recently announced a physical release of the 34-track soundtrack, which spans genres and features four vocal performances from the Opeth frontman. The soundtrack drops on July 22nd, 2022 via InsideOutMusic.
On writing the soundtrack to Clark, Åkerfeldt commented in a press release: “Writing the music for Clark is probably one of the most rewarding things I’ve done musically. It was so fun. Challenging, but fun. I wanted to do a good job of course, and provide music that would fit with the rather bizarre tale of Clark Olofsson. I had to conjure up a sound for him. His sound. It’s all in my head I guess, but it felt like I was on to something after having finished the first track. The immediate feedback from Jonas Åkerlund was almost overly positive. So I just took it from there.”
Åkerfeldt said he wrote much of the music during the pandemic, incorporating a “wish-mash of musical styles” that still held true to the “original sound of Clark.” He says the “anything goes” approach was firmly inline with the series’ protagonist, Clark Olofsson.
“Writing music to portray the multi-faceted story of a man like Clark Olofsson was bound to generate some type of musical insanity,” Åkerfeldt said.
Meanwhile, his fellow Swedish metal luminary Tobias Forge of Ghost appears in the sixth episode of the series. The comedic bit sees Forge wearing traditional garb and playing a fiddle, right as a debauched Olofsson and his gang arrive to start trouble. The encounter ends with Tobias getting smacked with his own instrument. Ouch.
Clark is now streaming on Netflix. You can pre-order the soundtrack via InsideOutMusic and watch Forge’s cameo below.