Opeth

Opeth’s 1995 debut ‘Orchid’ changed the rules overnight: Opeth single-handedly created a flamboyant crossover between progressive seventies rock and the melodic but brutal death metal of their hometown Stockholm. The result is a cocktail of sharp contrasts where subdued, semi-acoustic passages with soothing vocals suddenly degenerate into face-crunching riffs punctuated with bowel-churning grunts. While this is a somewhat unusual combo, the ease with which these musical geniuses create seemingly endless and spellbinding compositions leaves even the most die-hard sceptics gasping for breath. Their seminal album ‘Blackwater Park’ (2001) brought widespread mainstream recognition and signalled their definitive breakthrough. They became the flag bearers of ‘progressive death metal’, a title they vacated quite unexpectedly with the release of their album ‘Heritage’ (2011): no more blast beats or death growls until… ‘The Last Will and Testament’ (2024). The album is reminiscent of the ‘Ghost Reveries’ – ‘Watershed’ era but the prog vibe nevertheless remains present. Fans of their early work regard the new album as a return to form and those who didn’t catch their sold-out performance at Ancienne Belgique earlier this year will be itching to hear the new material live. #GMM25