Opeth U.K.pptx

8/13/2019 Opeth U.K.pptx

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Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. Though thegroup has been through several personnel changes, singer, guitarist, and songwriter

Mikael kerfeldt has remained Opeth's driving force throughout the years. Opeth hasconsistently incorporated progressive, folk, blues, classical and jazz influences into theirusually lengthy compositions, as well as strong influences from black metal and death

metal, especially in their early works. Many songs include acoustic guitar passages andstrong dynamic shifts, as well as both death growls and clean vocals. Opeth rarely

made live appearances supporting their first four albums; but since conducting their firstworld tour after the 2001 release of Blackwater Park, they have led several major worldtours.

Opeth has released ten studio albums, three live DVDs, three live albums (two that are inconjunction with DVDs), and two boxsets. The band released its debut album Orchid in

1995. Although their eighth studio album, Ghost Reveries, was quite popular in theUnited States, Opeth did not experience major American commercial success until the2008 release of their ninth studio album, Watershed, which peaked at number twenty-

three on the Billboard 200, and topped the Finnish albums chart in its first week of

release. Opeth has sold over 1.5 million albums and DVDs worldwide, including 300,000collective Soundscans of their albums Blackwater Park, Damnation and Deliverance inthe United States


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As Opeth's primary songwriter and lyricist,vocalist/guitarist Mikael kerfeldt heads thedirection of Opeth's sound. He was influencedat a young age by heavy metal bands such asIron Maiden, Slayer, Death, Black Sabbath,Deep Purple, Celtic Frost, King Diamond,Camel, Morbid Angel, and most importantlyJudas Priest. kerfeldt considers Sad Wings ofDestiny the best metal album of all time, andnotes that there was a time when he onlylistened to Judas Priest. kerfeldt sings "HereCome the Tears" by Judas Priest before mostOpeth concerts while warming up.


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kerfeldt later discovered progressive rock and folk music, bothof which had a profound impact on the sound of the band.Opeth's distinct sound mixes death metal with progressiverock.[dead link In his review of Opeth's 2001 album BlackwaterPark, Allmusic's Eduardo Rivadavia wrote; "Tracks start and finish

in seemingly arbitrary fashion, usually traversing ample musicalterrain, including acoustic guitar and solo piano passages,ambient soundscapes, stoner rock grooves, and Eastern-tingedmelodiesany of which are subject to savage punctuations ofdeath metal fury at any given moment."kerfeldt commentedon the diversity of Opeth's music:

"I don't see the point of playing in a band and going just oneway when you can do everything. It would be impossible for usto play just death metal; that is our roots, but we are now amishmash of everything, and not purists to any form of music. It'simpossible for us to do that, and quite frankly I would think of it asboring to be in a band that plays just metal music. We're notafraid to experiment, or to be caught with our pants down, so tospeak. That's what keeps us going."


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Vocally, kerfeldt shifts between traditionaldeath metal vocals for heavy sections, andclean, sometimes whispered vocals over

mellow passages. While his death growlswere dominant on early releases, laterefforts incorporate more clean vocals, withboth Damnation and Heritage featuringonly clean singing. Rivadavia noted that

"kerfeldt's vocals run the gamut frombowel-churning grunts to melodies ofchilling beautydepending on eachmovement section's mood."


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Opeth U.K.pptx