A Different Kind of Metal in Opeth Albums

Many music information sites, and perhaps even your local band store, categorize this group from Sweden as a heavy metal band. An Opeth album owner and fan however may beg to differ because the group does sometimes fall outside the box. For two decades, the band has been infusing its metal sounds with folk and jazz. It is not unheard of to find tracks filled with acoustic sounds. Despite the presence of the usual growls, one can also hear clear, spine-tingling vocals.

The one person often cited to be the primary author of the band’s musical direction is current front man Mikael Åkerfeldt. He was not the founder of Opeth but he eventually took the lead and pushed for a pronounced transition from strong metal to a mixed sound that is made even more original by its effusiveness.

The group was originally set up by vocalist David Isberg in 1990 who recruited Åkerfeldt to play bass. This move however was to be the start of the contentious band lineup that became a pattern for the group. Isberg did not inform other members of his decision to take in a new member and this led to all band members walking out except for Isberg and Akerfeldt.

The two remaining members recruited new members, guitarist Andreas Dimeo, drummer Anders Nordin and bassist Nick Doring. Lineup problems resumed though as Dimeo and Doring immediately left even before they could seriously start work on Opeth albums. Kim Pettersson and Johan DeFarfalla replaced them but the two also left after only one performance and Peter Lindgren stepped in for bass and then for guitar. To make matters worse, Isberg himself quit two years after he founded the group.

The quick changes in players are perhaps one major factor to the delay of the release of Opeth albums. Their debut album, Orchid was released only in 1995. Although it is considered the heaviest metal of all of the band’s work, it already held the distinct features that would set their music apart from all the others. The debut album was not a great success but it was nonetheless a good start.

The second album, Morningrise came out after one year. This piece of work was even more surprising and intriguing than the first one because of the inclusion of a song twenty minutes long. The album however saw greater success than its predecessor.

The following nine years that followed was punctuated by consistent work. Albums released in the succeeding years included Still Life, Blackwater Park, Deliverance, Damnation, Ghost Reveries and Watershed. All in all, the group has had a fruitful two decades, having released nine albums. It was however, only with the recent release of Watershed that the group saw acceptance and praise for its music beyond Europe. The album was the first of the group’s to hit the 23rd spot in the Billboard 200.

It isn’t easy to listen to an Opeth album. To truly be able to appreciate and listen to their long pieces, you have to be a solid band fan with a knack for original Opeth merch. There is no way you can listen to their songs in a casual way.