Opeth - Ghost Reveries

Album: Ghost Reveries
Genre: Progressive Metal
Year: 2005
MySpace
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1. Ghost Of Perdition
2. Baying Of The Hounds
3. Beneath The Mire
4. Atonement
5. Reverie/Harlequin Forest
6. Hours Of Wealth
7. The Grand Conjuration
8. Isolation Years

I have heard mixed opinions on Opeth's eighth studio release, Ghost Reveries. Some say they sold out because they signed to Roadrunner Records, which I think is absurd, being Mikael Åkerfeldt is still writing the music that he wants to write. I personally adore this album greatly, it's one of my favourite albums of all time. Ghost Of Perdition has to have one of the coolest introductions ever to an album (don't lie, you all know that you shit you're pants when you first heard Mikael bust in after that little calm strumming riff, screaming "Ghost of mother, lingering death!"). This album is top notch, and is unfortunately the last album to feature drummer Martin Lopez. This is highly recommended, of course.

Opeth - Blackwater Park

Album: Blackwater Park
Genre: Progressive Metal
Year: 2001
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1. The Leper Affinity
2. Bleak
3. Harvest
4. The Drapery Falls
5. Dirge For November
6. The Funeral Portrait
7. Patterns In The Ivy
8. Blackwater Park

Opeth's fifth album, Blackwater Park, might just be my favourite album from them (though that's hard to say, really, being I love them all). This album was produced by Steve Wilson (of Porcupine Tree) who also contributes some backing vocals on some of the songs. I remember when I first heard the introduction to The Leper Affinity that I instantly fell in love with the song. I can't really choose a particular favourite on this album, because I like every song so much and it's really an album I have to listen to completely when I put it on. Highly, highly, highly fucking recommended!

Opeth - Still Life

Album: Still Life
Genre: Progressive Metal
Year: 1999
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1. The Moor
2. Godheads Lament
3. Benighted
4. Moonlapse Vertigo
5. Face Of Melinda
6. Serenity Painted Death
7. White Cluster

Still Life, Opeth's fourth studio album, is fucking amazing. It is one of my favourite albums to listen to and I am in love with the catchy guitar riffs, the intense drumming, and the amazing lyrics. Still Life is a concept album and the story behind it is actually quite sad (read about it here). To me, this is the album that Opeth really completely mastered their Progressive sound.

Opeth - Orchid

Album: Orchid
Genre: Progressive Metal
Year: 1995
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1. In Mist She Was Standing
2. Under The Weeping Moon
3. Silhouette
4. Forest Of October
5. The Twilight Is My Robe
6. Requiem
7. The Apostle In Triumph

Even more classic than Morningrise is Opeth's first ever release, titled Orchid. I love this album a lot, and I appreciate it as much as I appreciate their newer material. Ironically, the first track (on their first album, mind you) In The Mist She was Standing, was actually the first song I ever heard from this band. Even back in 1995, from the very start, Mikael Åkerfeldt was doing clean singing and deep growls.

Opeth - Morningrise

Album: Morningrise
Genre: Progressive Metal
Year: 1996
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1. Advent
2. The Night And The Silent Water
3. Nectar
4. Black Rose Immortal
5. To Bid You Farewell

Opeth's second album, Morningrise, in my opinion, is a classic musical masterpiece. At the time, Opeth was really the only band who could merge Death Metal style (riffs and vocals) with soothing clean singing and Progressive elements. This album may be only five tracks, but every track is over ten minutes long (Black Rose Immortal coming in at a whomping twenty minutes and fifteen seconds, making it their longest song ever). Morningrise is just plain fucking awesome, like every Opeth album to follow.

Opeth - Watershed

Album: Watershed
Genre: Progressive Metal
Year: 2008
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1. Coil
2. Heir Apparent
3. The Lotus Eater
4. Burden
5. Porcelain Heart
6. Hessian Peel
7. Hex Omega

This is Opeth's most recent release, Watershed. I have heard and read mixed views of this album... some praising it, some bashing it. I personally like this album a lot and think it is an excellent release and have no problem with how the band has progressed. The entire thing reminded me of a story--right from the soft introduction song, Coil, I felt like a movie or a play was about to begin. Then when it descends into the next song, Heir Apparent, I could already tell that this album was going to be fucking cool. Mikael Åkerfeldt's deep growls, raspy screams, and clean singing sound as good as ever. I am a big fan of Martin Lopez and greatly miss his membership in the band, but new drummer, Martin Axenrot, did a great job. Although his style is slightly different than Lopez's (I wasn't expecting it to sound the same anyway) it is still impressive and skilled and suits Opeth very well. An all-around good listen; I recommend this to fans of good progressive music.

Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse

Album: My Arms, Your Hearse
Genre: Progressive Metal
Year: 1998
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1. Prologue
2. April Ethereal
3. When
4. Madrigal
5. The Amen Corner
6. Demon Of The Fall
7. Credence
8. Karma
9. Epilogue

This is an excellent album! Right from the introduction you can already tell that this album is going to kick ass. Mikael Åkerfeldt's vocals really sound amazing on this for the year that it was released, especially the absolutely wretched and sinister growls on Demon Of The Fall, with the potential to strike fear into the heart of an angel. This (along with Orchid and Morningrise) I personally consider one of the classics of progressive metal and even old-school death metal.

Opeth - Delivarance

Album: Deliverance
Genre: Progressive Metal
Year: 2002
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1. Wreath
2. Deliverance
3. A Fair Judgement
4. For Absent Friends
5. Master's Apprentices
6. By The Pain I See In Others

The Yang of the Yin (Damnation). This album is deliciously evil... it emits a very dark, sinister, and hateful radiance. It is a dark ride from first song to last. The title song Deliverance is probably my favourite, it's very catchy and you'll probably find yourself humming the riffs and patterns in your head. Gathering all of their heavy and dark material into one album, and all of their calm and relaxing material into the other, I think recording Deliverance and Damnation back to back was a brilliant idea.

Opeth - Damnation

Album: Damnation
Genre: Progressive Metal
Year: 2003
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1. Windowpane
2. In Time Of Need
3. Death Whispered A Lullaby
4. Closure
5. Hope Leaves
6. To Rid The Disease
7. Ending Credits (Instrumental)
8. Weakness

The Yin of the Yang that is Deliverance. Damnation is an amazing listen... I absolutely love the direction that Opeth took with this release. It is very relaxing and Martin Lopez really displays his diversity in drumming, which is my favourite part of the album (being I'm a drummer myself). I do, for course, have to give credit where credit is due, and the riffs and bass-lines on this album are outstanding. Death Whispered A Lullaby is probably my favourite song; Mikael's voice is that of a fallen angel. The entire musical composition conveys a bleak, soothing, comforting, forboding, depressing, and sorrowful atmosphere, all bunched up in one. I highly recommend this.