Everything about Opeth totally explained
Opeth is a
Swedish heavy metal band that formed in 1990 in
Stockholm. While the band has been through several personnel changes,
singer,
guitarist, and
songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's driving force since joining shortly after its inception.
While firmly rooted in
Scandinavian death metal, Opeth incorporates
progressive metal,
progressive rock,
folk,
blues rock and
jazz into their usually lengthy songs. Many compositions include acoustic guitars and strong
dynamic shifts, as well as
growling and
clean vocals. The band rarely played live to support the first four albums, though later conducted its first world tour after the release of 2001's
Blackwater Park.
Opeth has released eight studio albums, two live albums, one box set, and one DVD. The band released its debut album
Orchid in 1995, but didn't experience commercial success until the 2003 release
Damnation, which debuted at number 192 on the
Billboard 200. The band's ninth studio album,
Watershed, is set to be released on
June 3,
2008.
History
Formation (1990–1993)
Opeth was originally formed as a
death metal band in 1990 in
Stockholm,
Sweden by vocalist
David Isberg. Isberg asked former Eruption band member
Mikael Åkerfeldt to join the band as a bassist. When Åkerfeldt showed up to practice the day after Isberg invited him, it became clear that Isberg hadn't told the band members, including the band's current bassist, that Åkerfeldt would be joining. The ensuing argument led to all members but Isberg and Åkerfeldt leaving to form a new project.
Isberg and Åkerfeldt recruited drummer
Anders Nordin, bassist Nick Döring, and guitarist Andreas Dimeo. Unsatisfied with the band'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. Lead guitarist Pettersson left following the band's next performance, and Lindgren switched to guitar. After losing interest in the band, Isberg quit in 1992 to join Liars in Wait.
Orchid tested the boundaries of traditional death metal, featuring acoustic guitars, piano, and clean vocals.
All Music Guide 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 critical success, with All Music Guide 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 decided to leave the band and remain in Brazil. 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
A Call to Irons: A Tribute to Iron Maiden.
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 on
August 18,
1998, to critical acclaim. All Music Guide called
Still Life a "formidable splicing of harsh, often jagged guitar riffs with graceful melodies".
Still Life is a
concept album, as explained by Åkerfeldt: "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's 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 later 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. Åkerfeldt initially had trouble putting together new material: "I wanted to write something heavier than we'd ever done, still I'd 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. All Music Guide 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 Steve Wilson's No Man's Land Studios. Although Åkerfeldt initially believed the band couldn't 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, Lopez called Åkerfeldt stating he was having a
anxiety attack and couldn't 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, and Lopez's drum technician filled in for two concerts. Lopez promised that he'd 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 eventually returned to Opeth for 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, again to critical and commercial acclaim. The album debuted at number 64 in the US, and number nine in Sweden, making it the highest charting Opeth release to date. 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, Lopez announced that he'd 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 and a DVD documenting the making of the album. A recording of Opeth's live performance at the
Camden Roundhouse, in
London, on
November 9,
2006, was later released as the double
live album The Roundhouse Tapes.
On
May 17,
2007, Lindgren stated he was leaving Opeth after 16 years. "The decision has been the toughest I've ever made but it's 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:
Opeth's earlier works often made use of twin-guitar
harmonies, although they were phased out on later releases. "I got tired of it, the whole harmony guitar thing", Åkerfeldt said. "It got out of hand in the mid-90s. Every band was doing that thing."
Vocally, Åkerfeldt shifts between
growling death metal vocals for heavy sections, and clean, often whispered vocals over acoustic passages. While 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."
Discography
Studio albums
Band members
Current members
Mikael Åkerfeldt: lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, bass on My Arms, Your Hearse (1990–present)
Fredrik Åkesson: rhythm and lead guitars (2007–present)
Martin Mendez: bass (1997–present)
Martin "Axe" Axenrot: drums, percussion (2006–present)
Per Wiberg: keyboards, mellotron, backing vocals (2005–present)Further Information
Get more info on 'Opeth'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://opeth.totallyexplained.com">Opeth Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
