Opeth...The New Extreme Metallica with big Diversity!

Ok, all you who know me, know how obsessed I can get over music, and I tell you, I have found my new Favorite band...I'm a gutter slut strung out on this music! Opeth is a Swedish band thats been around for about 20 years. As a matter of fact they've been doin all sorts of cool stuff to celebrate their 20 year anniversary. I could get into all the details but the music has, and is first.

I've never been into extreme metal, such as the bands with the 'Gutteral' growling vocals -aside from King Diamond who goes to both extremes, but thats another rant.  But sthis guy does it right and he can sing as well. I initially got interested from checking out their CD Damnation from the public library. Funny, eah! This is the CD where they went totally melow doing a dark, european folk  album if you will.  Really an amzing album which got them a much bigger audience. Smart fuckers they are.  I Then I got into their harder stuff.

If you can only appreciate this band for one thing, it would have to be their musicianship. They mix, heavy metal with bouts of classical, folk, and jazz. About the only genre that you'll NEVER hear from these guys is hip-hop! Pogressive metal at its finest!  I just got in today a repackage collection of  three of their early albums, The Candlelight Years ,which are pretty amazing considering the rawness and...well, less diverse vocals compared to their last few efforts.

In just a few short months I've created quite a collection of Opeth Cd's and DVD's, but I'd have to say my  two favorite CDs of their's would have to be Blackwater Park and Ghost Reveries.  Their last studio release, Watershed, at first sounded over produced and pretentious to me, but now is growing on me. There's definitely more jazz infused with this CD.  But don't be fooled, it's heavy as hell as well. I just pre-ordered their 3rd Live release Live at the Royal Albert Hall - due out Sept 17th- which comes in 3 different variations; A regular 2 disc set, A 5 disc set, (the Full 3 CD audio Concert and the 2 DVD film of the show), and a deluxe lmt. Edition set...the 5 disc set plus the Vinyl Edition and collectors booklet. I got the 5 discs on the way!

If you like metal, you'll love Opeth. If  you're one that loves great music, no matter what genre it is, you'll like and appreciate it. Every CD they release they do something different and take the music to another level. I  hear a heavy influence of Deep Purple/Rainbow, along with  Pink Floyd and Metallica!