subject: Opeth Albums - Beautiful Music In Mixed Genres [print this page] Most short bios for this Swedish band often put it under the category of heavy metal. Anyone who owns an Opeth album however would know that this isn't exactly a strict categorization. In the twenty years that the group has been around, they have been known to mix folk and jazz music rendered in the acoustic approach with typical metal sounds. The usual metal growls too are offset or even upstaged by hauntingly clear and mild vocals.
The general mixed musical direction of the band is largely influenced by its current band leader, Mikael Akerfeldt. The fact that the vocalist and guitarist was not the first founding member is perhaps one explanation behind the dramatic evolution of the band from characteristic heavy metal to mixed genres and long, effusive compositions.
The group was originally set up by vocalist David Isberg in 1990 who recruited Akerfeldt 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 tumultuous situation of the band is probably the reason why it took them years to generate a first release. Their debut work, Orchid, only came out in 1995. This already featured some of the unique mixture that the band would soon be known to incorporate in metal music. Although the work was not an outstanding success, it was received with some pleasant surprise because of its uniqueness and haunting quality.
Morningrise followed their first release a year later. This second album featured a startlingly long twenty minute song. Despite the clear departure from the norm though, the album was received very well and paved the way for the international release of the group's work.
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.
You'd have to be a truly dedicated fan to listen non-stop to an Opeth album. The mixed influences plus the lengthy songs can be a bit trying for a casual follower. If you like Opeth only a little bit, you might just take the same route as its other band members and bolt for the door.
