There has never been - and never will be - another band like Opeth.
Formed in Stockholm, Sweden circa 1989, their roughly thirty-year career
showcases a melding of diverse influences; a prevailing commitment to
songwriting and instrumental excellence; and unwaveringly chameleonic
vision - no matter the cost - that's unmatched by any of their stylistic
peers. Be it their most unashamedly brutal early LPs, their multifaceted
and near-faultless mid-period opuses, or their somewhat polarizing
recent glimpses into macabre 1970s-esque prog/jazz rock eccentricity,
mastermind Mikael Åkerfeldt and company continuously create records that
push themselves, their audience, and progressive music as a whole,
forward. The result is easily among the most extraordinary, dependable,
and laudable legacies in modern metal. Using a meticulously crafted
mixture of original analysis and behind-the-scenes research, this book
digs into all facets of Opeth's output to discover how they innovated
and evolved with practically every release. After all, each
'observation' - from their 1990s black metal classics (Morningrise and
My Arms, Your Hearse) and 2000s progressive death metal masterpieces
(Blackwater Park and Ghost Reveries) to their stunning progressive
rock/jazz fusion excursions of the 2010s (Pale Communion and In Cauda
Venenum) - found Opeth ceaselessly harvesting a one-of-a-kind catalogue
that's still remarkably influential and impressive.
