Opeth

Opeth
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Opeth

Opeth in 2009 at the Bijou Theater, Knoxville, TN.
Left to right: Per Wiberg, Fredrik Åkesson, Mikael Åkerfeldt, Martin Mendez, and Martin "Axe" Axenrot.
Background information
Origin Stockholm, Sweden
Genres Progressive death metal, progressive metal, progressive rock
Years active 1990–present
Labels Candlelight, Century Black,Peaceville, Music for Nations, Koch, Roadrunner
Associated acts Katatonia, Bloodbath, Steel, Porcupine Tree, Storm Corrosion
Website opeth.com
Members
Mikael Åkerfeldt
Martín Méndez
Martin Axenrot
Fredrik Åkesson
Joakim Svalberg
Past members
Former members
Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. Though the group has been through several personnel changes,singer, guitarist, and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's driving force throughout the years. Opeth has consistently incorporated progressive, folk, blues, classical and jazz influences into their usually lengthy compositions, as well as noticeable influences from black metal and death metal, most notably in their early works. Many songs include acoustic guitar passages and strongdynamic shifts, as well as both death growls and clean vocals. Opeth rarely made live appearances supporting their first four albums; but since conducting their first world tour after the 2001 release of Blackwater Park, they have led several major world tours.
Opeth has released ten studio albums, three live DVDs, three live albums (two that are in conjunction with DVDs), and two boxsets. The bandreleased its debut album Orchid in 1995. Although their eighth studio album, Ghost Reveries, was quite popular in the United States, Opeth did not experience major American commercial success until the 2008 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 2million albums and DVDs worldwide, including 300,000 collective Soundscans of their albums Blackwater Park, Damnation and Deliverance in the United States.[1][2]
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Formation (1990–1993)
1.2 Orchid, Morningrise, and My Arms, Your Hearse (1994–1998)
1.3 Still Life and Blackwater Park (1999–2001)
1.4 Deliverance and Damnation (2002–2004)
1.5 Ghost Reveries(2005–2007)
1.6 Watershed and In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall (2008–2010)
1.7 Heritage (2011–present)
2 Musical style and influence
2.1 Influences
2.2 Genre and sound
2.3 Vocals
3 Band members
4 Discography
5 References
6 External links
[edit]History

[edit]Formation (1990–1993)

Åkerfeldt (pictured) and Isberg decided they would carry on with the band after most of the members hadgone separate ways.
Opeth was formed as a death metal band in the autumn of 1990 in Stockholm, Sweden by vocalist David Isberg.[3] Isberg asked former Eruption band member Mikael Åkerfeldt (just 16 years old at the time) to join Opeth as a bassist. When Åkerfeldt showed up to practice the day after Isberg invited him, it became clear that Isberg had not told the band members, including the band'scurrent bassist, that Åkerfeldt would be joining. An ensuing argument led to all members but Isberg and Åkerfeldt leaving to form a new project.[3] The band name was derived from the word "Opet," taken from the Wilbur Smith novel The Sunbird.[4] In this novel, Opet is the name of a fictional Phoenician city in South Africa whose name is translated as "City of the Moon" in the book.
Isberg andÅkerfeldt recruited drummer Anders Nordin, bassist Nick Döring, and guitarist Andreas Dimeo. Unsatisfied with Opeth's slow progress, Döring and Dimeo left the band after their first performance,[5] and were replaced by guitarist Kim Pettersson and bassist Johan DeFarfalla. After the next show, DeFarfalla left Opeth to spend time with his girlfriend in Germany, and was replaced by Åkerfeldt's...