Genre: Melodic Death Metal/Progressive Metal/Swedish Folk
No underground music style has the reputation that Death Metal has - Swedish Death Metal, no less. It's seen by most as one of the most brutal and over-the-top form of metal out there. The genre has also earned the misconception of being incredibly easy - just bang on a loud, distorted guitar while screaming and growling in a microphone (which is not the case). But before anyone decides to shun all Swedish metal, they should take a gander at the progressive metal act Opeth.
With an unexpected twist of musical progression, Opeth pulls in the heaviest of metal heads with their brutal vocals, heavy but intricate guitar usage then brings the listeners to tears as their songs segue into soothing Swedish folk and jazz. Lead singer Mikael Åkerfeldt is capable of some of the deepest growls and howls and yet is able to sing some of the softest, clean vocals.
The bands has experimented by combining the old tradition of Swedish folk with the new tradition of black metal. Many of their songs follow a complex structure, combining multiple movements that jump from loud, guitar opuses to light, acoustic folk as heard in tracks such as "Ghost of Perdition." While shorter, simpler pieced like "Benighted" can be heard from time to time, most of their work ranges from seven to twelve minutes long.
The band started in 1990. They got their name from the Wilbur Smith book "The Sunbird," in which Opeth is the name of a town on the moon. Initially, they were a straight-forward black/death metal band. Witch each album, the band's work has become more diverse. The band has had many line-up changes, but Åkerfeldt has remained the driving member behind the band.
Their seventh album, Damnation, saw a drastic change as their work followed a more progressive rock style and contained only clean vocals. The album was their biggest commercial success*. However, the the band's most recent album, Ghost Reveries, returned to using death metal vocals - however, saw more clean vocal usage in their heavier tracks such as "Harlequin Forest."
While still relatively unknown in the mainstream metal sects, the band has garnered a major following across the globe as well as praise among rock critics for their diverse style. The band is going strong despite a few line-up changes after their last album. A new album has been announced to appear sometime around May this year and promises to be another great piece of metal majesty.
Notable Albums:
Ghost Reveries (2005)
Damnation (2003)
Still Life (1999)
Notable Tracks:
"In My Time of Need"
"Harlequin Forest"
"Ghost of Perdition"
"Benighted"
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