BLACKWATER PARK

I haven't yet heard the latest album Ghost Reveries but until now this is Opeth's best and most accessible album. It is the album where they became popular. Their early albums were clearly death metal albums but Blackwater Park contains a lot more clean vocals, probably due to the influence of Steve Wilson from Porcupine Tree. There are still a lot of death metal vocals but this adds variety to the album that would be not so interesting if it were all sung in the same style as Steve Wilson.

The album is clearly progressive, with long songs and frequent changes of tempo and melody. The stand out song on the album is The Drapery Falls, which starts in a fantastic way and you think it can't get any better but it just keeps improving for the first 4 minutes. After that, the death metal vocals kick in but it's still an outstanding track right until the end.

The album is heavy of course but the musicianship is of a very high standard and the album also contains quite a few mellow moments. If you haven't heard any Opeth, this is the first album of theirs that you should try.