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A Brief History Of Opeth

Like many bands, Opeth got its start in a form which would be unrecognizable to fans today. Beginning in 1990 as a death metal band working in the Swedish death metal style, the band was somewhat similar to At The Gates and other Swedish metal bands of the day. Started by singer David Isberg (later of the band Liars In Wait), the band quickly moved away from its death metal roots, drawing influences from traditional music, folk and other forms and making a lot of use of acoustic instrumentation. This incarnation of the band was not to last long; Isberg invited ex-Eruption bassist Mikael Akerfeldt to join. However, the rest of the band were not made a part of this decision and angrily quit, leaving Akerfeldt and Isberg to start over.
The two recruited some additional members and found the name Opeth from the Wilbur Smith novel Sunbird. Moving yet farther from death metal’s characteristic growled vocals and blastbeats, they incorporated ideas from other genres of music and started developing their own progressive metal style which was already on display in their first album, 1995′s Orchid. A year later, the group followed with Morningrise – these first two releases garnered some praise and began to establish a reputation for the group, but it was their next album which would make Opeth known outside of a small audience of metal fans.
My Arms Your Hearse was the album that brought Opeth worldwide renown and critical acclaim. Opeth had perfected their progressive, doom-laden style with this third release, earning rave reviews and comparisons to artists such as The Swans; however, the group would not embark on their first world tour until 2001 with their album Blackwater Park.
Opeth has managed to retain their creative prowess through many personnel upheavals along the way. The only constant in the group and the only member to appear on all of their recordings is Mikael Akerfeldt, whose distinctive guitar and vocals along with his songwriting are the voice of Opeth. After the groups very first performance, then-guitarist Andreas Dimo left the group, soon to be followed by bass player Nick Doring. Kim Petterson and Johan DeFarFalla took their place, but DeFarFalla left shortly after to be with his girlfriend in Germany (he would rejoin and then be fired from the band almost as quickly a few years later). He was replaced by Peter Lindgren on bass, then guitar with Petterson’s departure. In 1992, even Opeth’s founder David Isberg would leave the group, joining Liars In Wait. 
Opeth continued as a trio at this point, spending the intervening three years working on their unique sound, developing the sense of melody and use of acoustic instrumentation which would make them famous later on.
Before the recording of My Arms Your Hearse, Martin Lopez (on drums) and Martin Mendez (on bass) joined to round out the lineup and the band released their third album and Opeth merch to coincide with the release. With a sound which blended doom, black metal and folk elements in a style which was uniquely theirs, this is the album which made them known as the driving force in progressive metal.
Opeth finally toured the US in 2000 supporting the album Still Life, where they were greeted by excited fans. Blackwater Park and Deliverance soon followed, each building on their audience. Fans were then left a little taken aback by their next album, 2003′s Damnation. With a decidedly non-metal acoustic sound and some traditional songs, it wasn’t quite what Opeth fans expected.
The following Opeth album Ghost Reveries saw the band returning to their distinctive progressive metal, something continued on 2008′s Watershed. They released Roundhouse Tapes, their second live album in 2007 – over their career, Opeth has released nine studio albums, two live albums, two DVDs and two box sets along with countless Opeth merchandise.
Through it all, Mikael Akerfeldt has remained at the helm of the group and is often featured in Opeth merchandise pics. With his lyrics covering personal matters like failed relationships as well as the more standard metal fare of doom, gloom and death and his songwriting always uniquely his own, Opeth keeps the fans coming back for more. Akerfeldt and Opeth’s next move are as always eagerly awaited by metal fans and music writers everywhere.

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