Opeth

Name	Opeth
Landscape	Yes
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Stockholm, Sweden
Genre	Progressive death metal,progressive metal, progressive rock
Years active	1990–present
Label	Candlelight, Century Black, Peaceville, Music for Nations, Koch, Roadrunner
Associated acts	Katatonia, Bloodbath, Steel, Porcupine Tree
Url	opeth.com
Current members	Mikael ÅkerfeldtMartin MendezMartin "Axe" AxenrotFredrik ÅkessonJoakim Svalberg

Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. Though the group has been through several personnel changes, singer, guitarist, and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's driving force throughout several years. While their style is firmly rooted in Scandinavian death metal, Opeth has consistently incorporated progressive, folk, blues, classical and jazz influences into their usually lengthy compositions. Many songs include acoustic guitar passages and strong dynamic shifts, as well as both death growls and clean vocals. Opeth rarely made live appearances supporting their first four albums; but since conducting their first world tour after the 2001 release of Blackwater Park, they have led several major world tours.

Opeth has released nine studio albums, three live DVDs, three live albums (two in conjunction with DVDs), and two boxsets. The band released its debut album Orchid in 1995. Although their eighth studio album, Ghost Reveries, was quite popular in the United States, Opeth did not experience major American commercial success until the 2008 release of their ninth studio album, Watershed, which peaked at number twenty-three on the Billboard 200, and topped the Finnish albums chart in its first week of release.

History

Formation (1990–1993)

Opeth was formed as a death metal band in the autumn of 1990 in Stockholm, Sweden by vocalist David Isberg. Isberg asked former Eruption band member Mikael Åkerfeldt to join Opeth as a bassist. When Åkerfeldt showed up to practice the day after Isberg invited him, it became clear that Isberg had not told the band members, including the band's current bassist, that Åkerfeldt would be joining. An ensuing argument led to all members but Isberg and Åkerfeldt leaving to form a new project. In this novel, Opet is the name of a fictional Phoenician city in South Africa whose name is translated as "City of the Moon" in the book; the name might be a reference also to the Egyptian goddess Taweret, also known as Opet.

Isberg and Åkerfeldt recruited drummer Anders Nordin, bassist Nick Döring, and guitarist Andreas Dimeo. Unsatisfied with Opeth's slow progress, Döring and Dimeo left the band after their first performance, and were replaced by guitarist Kim Pettersson and bassist Johan DeFarfalla. After the next show, DeFarfalla left Opeth to spend time with his girlfriend in Germany, and was replaced by Åkerfeldt's friend, bassist Peter Lindgren. Rhythm guitarist Kim Pettersson left following the band's next performance, and Lindgren switched to guitar. David Isberg quit in 1992 because of creative differences. Orchid tested the boundaries of traditional death metal, featuring acoustic guitars, piano, and clean vocals. Allmusic called Orchid "brilliant," "startlingly unique," and "a far-beyond-epic prog/death monstrosity exuding equal parts beauty and brutality."

After a few live shows in the United Kingdom, Opeth returned to the studio in March 1996 to begin work on a second album, again produced by Dan Swanö. Morningrise was released in Europe on June 24, 1996. With only five songs and lasting 66 minutes, the album featured Opeth's longest song, the twenty-minute "Black Rose Immortal." Morningrise was a huge success, with Allmusic giving the album four stars. Opeth toured the UK in support of Morningrise, followed by a 26-date Scandinavian tour with Cradle of Filth. While on tour, Opeth attracted the attention of Century Media records, who signed the band and released the first two albums internationally in 1997.

After the tour, Åkerfeldt and Lindgren dismissed DeFarfalla for personal reasons, without the consent of Nordin. When Åkerfeldt informed Nordin, who was on a vacation in Brazil, Nordin left the band and remained in Brazil for personal reasons. Former Amon Amarth drummer Martin Lopez responded to a newspaper ad placed by Åkerfeldt and joined Opeth in 1997. Lopez made his debut with Opeth playing on a cover version of Iron Maiden's "Remember Tomorrow", which was included on the album .

With a larger recording budget from Century Media, Opeth began work on its third album, with noted Swedish producer Fredrik Nordström, at Studio Fredman in August 1997. The band added bassist Martin Mendez shortly before recording, but due to time constraints Åkerfeldt played bass on the album. My Arms, Your Hearse was released to critical acclaim on August 18, 1998. Allmusic called Still Life a "formidable splicing of harsh, often jagged guitar riffs with graceful melodies." As explained by Åkerfeldt, Still Life is a concept album, "The main character is kind of banished from his hometown because he hasn't got the same faith as the rest of the inhabitants there. The album pretty much starts off when he is returning after several years to hook up with his old "babe." The big bosses of the town know that he's back... A lot of bad things start happening." Wilson also pushed the band to expand its sound, incorporating new sounds and production techniques. "Steve guided us into the realms of 'strange' noises for guitars and voice," Åkerfeldt said. In support of Blackwater Park, Opeth embarked on its first world tour, headlined Europe for the first time, and made an appearance at the 2001 Wacken Open Air festival in Germany, playing to a crowd of 60,000.

Deliverance and Damnation (2002–2004)

Opeth returned home after touring in support of Blackwater Park, and began writing for the next album. At first, Åkerfeldt had trouble putting together new material: "I wanted to write something heavier than we'd ever done, still I had all these great mellow parts and arrangements which I didn't want to go to waste." Jonas Renkse of Katatonia, a long-time friend of Åkerfeldt, suggested writing music for two separate albums—one heavy and one soft.

Deliverance was released on November 4, 2002, and debuted at number 19 on the US Top Independent Albums chart, marking the band's first US chart appearance. Allmusic stated, "Deliverance is altogether more subtle than any of its predecessors, approaching listeners with haunting nuances and masterful dynamics rather than overwhelming them with sheer mass and complexity."

Opeth performed a one-off concert in Stockholm, then returned to the UK to finish recording vocals for the second of the two albums, Damnation, at Steven Wilson's No Man's Land Studios. Although Åkerfeldt believed the band could not finish both albums, Opeth completed Deliverance and Damnation in just seven weeks of studio time, which was the same amount spent on Blackwater Park alone.

The band embarked on its biggest tour yet, playing nearly 200 shows in 2003 and 2004.

Opeth was scheduled to perform in Jordan without a crew due to the fear of terrorist attacks in the Middle East. Opeth's tour manager distributed 6,000 tickets for the concert, but before the band left for Jordan, drummer Lopez called Åkerfeldt stating he was having an anxiety attack and could not perform, forcing the band to cancel the show. In early 2004, Lopez was sent home from Canada after more anxiety attacks on tour. Opeth decided against cancelling the remainder of the tour with Lopez's drum technician filling in for two concerts. Lopez promised that he would return to the tour as soon as he could, but two shows later Opeth asked Strapping Young Lad drummer Gene Hoglan to fill in. Lopez returned to Opeth for the Seattle show on the final leg of the Deliverance and Damnation tour. Per Wiberg also joined the band on tour to perform keyboards, and after more than a year on tour, Opeth returned home to start writing new material in 2004. Åkerfeldt said the primary reason for signing with Roadrunner was the label's wide distribution, ensuring the album would be available at larger-chain retailers. During rehearsal, keyboardist Wiberg joined Opeth as a full-time member. Opeth recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden, from March 18 to June 1, 2005, and released the resulting Ghost Reveries on August 30, 2005, to critical and commercial acclaim. The album debuted at number 64 in the US, and number nine in Sweden, higher than any previous Opeth release. Keith Bergman of Blabbermouth.net gave the album ten out of ten, one of only 17 albums to achieve a perfect rating from the site. Rod Smith of Decibel magazine called Ghost Reveries "achingly beautiful, sometimes unabashedly brutal, often a combination of both."

On May 12, 2006, Martin Lopez announced that he had officially parted ways with Opeth due to health problems, and was replaced by Martin Axenrot. Opeth toured on the main stage of Gigantour in 2006, alongside Megadeth. Ghost Reveries was re-released on October 31, 2006, with a bonus cover song (Deep Purple's "Soldier of Fortune") and a DVD featuring a 5.1 surround sound mix of the album (along with a documentary on the making of the record). A recording of Opeth's live performance at the Camden Roundhouse, in London, on November 9, 2006, was released as the double live album The Roundhouse Tapes.

On May 17, 2007, Peter Lindgren announced he was leaving Opeth after 16 years. "The decision has been the toughest I've ever made but it is the right one to make at this point in my life," Lindgren said. "I feel that I simply have lost some of the enthusiasm and inspiration needed to participate in a band that has grown from a few guys playing the music we love to a worldwide industry." Ex-Arch Enemy guitarist Fredrik Åkesson replaced Lindgren, as Åkerfeldt explained:

Watershed (2008–2010)

and Martin Mendez live in 2008]] After nearly 200 performances in support of Ghost Reveries, Opeth entered Fascination Street Studios with Åkerfeldt producing, in November 2007. By January 2008, Opeth had recorded 13 songs, including three cover songs. The finished album, Watershed, features seven tracks, with cover songs used as bonus tracks on different versions of the album. Watershed was released on June 3, 2008. Åkerfeldt described the songs on the album as "a bit more energetic." Opeth toured in support of Watershed, including headlining the UK Defenders of the Faith tour with Arch Enemy, an appearance at Wacken Open Air, and the Progressive Nation tour with headliner Dream Theater. Watershed was Opeth's highest-charting album to date, debuting at number 23 on the US Billboard 200. Watershed debuted on the Australian ARIA album charts at number seven and at number one on Finland's official album chart.

Opeth went on a worldwide tour in support of the album. However, gigs in Spain and Portugal were cancelled due to the Burning Live Festival being cancelled, and four concerts from June 26 to June 29 had to be cancelled due to Mikael Åkerfeldt having chicken pox. Two of the festivals Opeth were supposed to play at were Hovefestivalen and Metaltown in Sweden. Their replacement for both the absences was Satyricon. From September to October, Opeth toured North America again backed by High on Fire, Baroness, and Nachtmystium. They returned to tour Europe for the rest of the year with Cynic and The Ocean.

Opeth wrote and recorded the new track, "The Throat of Winter", which appeared on the digital EP soundtrack of the video game, God of War III. Åkerfeldt described the song as "odd" and "not very metal."

To celebrate their 20th anniversary, Opeth performed a six-show, worldwide tour called Evolution XX: An Opeth Anthology, from March 30 through April 9, 2010. Blackwater Park was performed in its entirety, along with several songs never before performed. Åkerfeldt stated, "I can’t believe it, but, fuck, we’re celebrating 20 years. I’ve been in this band ever since I was 16. It’s insane." A special edition of Blackwater Park was released on the March 29, 2010, to coincide with the tour.

The Evolution XX concert of April 5, 2010 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England was filmed for a DVD/live album package titled In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. The set was released on September 21, 2010 in 2-DVD and 2-DVD/3-CD configurations. For the DVD the concert was split into two sets. The first set consists of the entire Blackwater Park album, while the second set contains one song from every album excluding Blackwater Park, in chronological order representing the twenty years of "evolution" in their music.

Heritage (2011–present)

Åkerfeldt stated in September 2010 that he was currently writing for a new Opeth album, which he hoped to have released in 2011. The band announced on their website that they would start recording their tenth album on January 31, 2011 at the Atlantis/Metronome studios in Stockholm, once again with Jens Bogren (engineering) and Steven Wilson from Porcupine Tree. Steven Wilson recently stated via his Facebook that he had finished mixing the album in late March.

The upcoming album, Heritage, will be the last Opeth recording with Per Wiberg as the keyboardist as on April 6, 2011 it was announced that Wiberg would be leaving the band as part of a mutual decision

Musical style and influences

As Opeth's primary songwriter and lyricist, vocalist-guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt's influence dominates the sound of the band. Åkerfeldt is the only member to appear on every release. Influenced at a young age by heavy metal bands such as Slayer, Death, Black Sabbath, Celtic Frost, King Diamond, Morbid Angel, and most importantly Judas Priest. According to Mikael Åkerfeldt Sad Wings of Destiny is the best heavy Metal album ever, and there is a time when he only listens to Judas Priest. Mikael Åkerfeldt sings Here Come the Tears by Judas Priest at most of his shows while warming up. Åkerfeldt later discovered progressive rock and folk music, both of which had a profound impact on the sound of the band. Opeth's distinct sound mixes death metal with acoustic passages, while also incorporating elements of progressive metal and progressive rock. In his review of Blackwater Park, Allmusic's Eduardo Rivadavia wrote, "Tracks start and finish in seemingly arbitrary fashion, usually traversing ample musical terrain, including acoustic guitar and solo piano passages, ambient soundscapes, stoner rock grooves, and Eastern-tinged melodies—any of which are subject to savage punctuations of death metal fury at any given moment."

Vocally, Åkerfeldt shifts between traditional death metal vocals for heavy sections, and clean, sometimes whispered vocals over acoustic passages. While his death growls were dominant on early releases, later efforts incorporate more clean vocals, with the 2003 release Damnation featuring only clean singing. Rivadavia noted that "Åkerfeldt's vocals run the gamut from bowel-churning grunts to melodies of chilling beauty—depending on each movement section's mood."

Band members

; Current members Mikael Åkerfeldt – lead vocals, guitars (since 1990)

Martin Mendez – bass guitar (since 1997)

Martin "Axe" Axenrot – drums, percussion (since 2006)

Fredrik Åkesson – guitars, backing vocals (since 2007)

Joakim Svalberg – keyboards (since 2011)

; Former members

Peter Lindgren – guitars (1991–2007)

Martin Lopez – drums, percussion (1997–2006)

Anders Nordin – drums (1990–1997)

Johan DeFarfalla – bass guitar (1991, 1994–1996)

Per Wiberg – keyboards, synthesizers, mellotron, backing vocals (2005-2011)

* Åkerfeldt played the bass on My Arms, Your Hearse (1998) at the recording sessions, as Mendez didn't have enough time to learn the parts for the album. ** Wiberg played keyboards for live Opeth performances between 2003 and 2005, before becoming an official permanent member.

Discography

;Studio albums

Orchid (1995)

Morningrise (1996)

My Arms, Your Hearse (1998)

Still Life (1999)

Blackwater Park (2001)

Deliverance (2002)

Damnation (2003)

Ghost Reveries (2005)

Watershed (2008)

Heritage (2011)

References

External links

Official website

Category:Opeth Category:1990s music groups Category:2000s music groups Category:2010s music groups Category:E1 Music artists Category:Musical groups established in 1990 Category:Swedish progressive metal musical groups Category:Swedish progressive rock groups Category:Roadrunner Records artists Category:Swedish death metal musical groups Category:Swedish heavy metal musical groups Category:Musical quartets Category:Musical quintets