BootlegBeerkeg

Genre-defining is thrown around a lot, used in all forms of media to show that something is worthy of time and attention. But rarely is something actually genre-defining. The benchmark from which all successive releases from both that artist and their contemporaries are judged. Rarely does an album have the staying power necessary to do so.

Blackwater Park, Opeth's 5th studio record, manages just that. One of my all time favourite records, Opeth's blackwater Park dynamically hits so many ... read more

Deliverance is Opeth's sixth studio album, following Prog Metal Masterpiece Blackwater Park and preceding the haunting Damnation by only 5 months. In fact, Opeth initially intended Deliverance & Damnation to be released concurrently, as a double album, but were encouraged to space the two records out by their record label, Music for Nations.

Thus, with the dual nature of these albums in mind, it must be stated that they are intended to complement each other. Deliverance leans more heavily ... read more

Opeth's Damnation is an incredible soulful undertaking that uses Opeth's existing melodic folk inspirations of the era and combines them all into one cohesively brilliant experience. Writer, vocalist, and guitarist Mikael Akerfeldt puts on an incredibly personal and emotional performance, propped up by arguably Opeth's most incredible lineup of musicians, and Steven Wilson providing a variety of keys, vocals, and influences.

Damnation also serves as a sort of double album, the second half to ... read more