20 Facts About Michael Amott

Michael Amott was born on 28 July 1969 and is a Swedish guitarist, founding member of the metal bands Arch Enemy, Spiritual Beggars and Carnage, as well as a former member of Carcass.

Michael Amott was born in Halmstad, Sweden, to a British father and Swedish mother.

Michael Amott began playing guitar as a young teenager, learning to play by copying hardcore punk and heavy metal out of his record collection.

Michael Amott has stated in guitar magazines that he has a preference for pentatonics.

Michael Amott co-formed the death metal band Carnage in 1988 with singer Johan Liiva, and released two widely traded cassette demos, gaining instant underground interest.

Michael Amott left Carcass in 1993, and decided to form a classic rock influenced band, Spiritual Beggars.

Still heavily into extreme metal, Michael Amott formed a new melodic death metal project in the same vein as Carcass, whose Heartwork album was now considered a death metal masterpiece.

Michael Amott contacted original Carnage vocalist Johan Liiva, as well as his younger brother Christopher Michael Amott, who was attending music school at the time, and put together Arch Enemy.

Michael Amott decided to put a full band together, recruiting drummer Peter Wildoer, and bassist Martin Bengtsson.

Later the same year Michael Amott contributed guitars to the Candlemass album Dactylis Glomerata.

Michael Amott went on to release Ad Astra with Spiritual Beggars in 2000, then returned to Arch Enemy, and recruited amateur German vocalist Angela Gossow to replace Liiva in 2000.

Arch Enemy toured worldwide in support of Wages of Sin, and Michael Amott did not return to his Spiritual Beggars project until late 2002, releasing On Fire, again on Music for Nations.

Michael Amott returned to Spiritual Beggars in 2005, releasing the album Demons.

Michael Amott has performed guest guitar solos on the following recordings:.

In 2006, Michael Amott made his voice acting debut when he appeared on the Adult Swim show Metalocalypse.

Michael Amott returned for more voice acting in the second season of Metalocalypse in the episode "Snakes n' Barrels II".

In 2008, Michael Amott joined the re-united Carcass and toured with them extensively in Europe, North America, South America, Australia, South Africa and Japan until the summer of 2010.

Today, Michael Amott is busy touring the world with Arch Enemy on the band's current Will to Power touring cycle.

Michael Amott dated former band member Angela Gossow, but the two are no longer together after thirteen years and still remain friends.

Michael Amott's playing makes heavy use of the wah pedal as a filter to shape his guitar's tone.