Sweden's Opeth have produced one of metal'south most curious discographies. After years of rehearsals and lineup changes, the outfit, led by singer and guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt, burst onto the scene in 1995 with no publicly released demo, and a fully-formed audio combining folkish progressive rock and elaborate death metal, often in extended song structures. Progressive farthermost metal was hardly new, but Opeth's consistent and consistently likable songs stood apart from their cohorts. Long songs mixing together two notoriously challenging styles of music shouldn't be this memorable, emotional or lovable. Nevertheless, the band grew into a difficult-touring, headlining human action with a remarkably consistent discography. The band inspired a legion of imitators that all failed to nail downward what made Åkerfeldt's music special.

Åkerfeldt'due south decision to depart from extreme metal, and the original sound that he created, while at the height of its popularity is equally inexplainable. This week, the ring releases their 13th album, In Cauda Venenum. It'south their strongest in years, and to gloat, we're ranking the ring's entire discography from worst to best.

13) Pale Communion (2014)

While I'm not prepared to say that Opeth have an outright bad record, Stake Communion at least has some serious flaws. Sure, it begins with some gusto: "Eternal Rains Will Come up" is gorgeous, and "Moon Above, Lord's day Below" is nearly as practiced as a ten-minute Opeth tune written past 2010 can get. In contrast, "Elysian Woes" can't actually justify its six minutes of acoustic noodling, and "Goblin" succeeds at copying the fashion of its inspiration, the esteemed Italian prog outfit. Merely respectfully, and not to be likewise pedantic, if I want to mind to Goblin and so I'll heed to fucking Goblin. "River" showcases Åkerfeldt's improved clean singing skills and a more than finely-attuned ear for vocal tune, merely comes too late to save the record's momentum.

12) Sorceress (2016)

Truth be told, 2016'southward Sorceress isn't much better than Pale Communion. Its second half is just every bit slow and introspective (or inscrutable) equally its predecessor's, full of homages and allusions to obscure and hyper-valuable prog stone classics. Seriously, nobody needs to hear "The Seventh Sojourn." However, information technology does take one thing Pale Communion doesn't accept: a jaw-dropping unmarried. The championship track doesn't accept any growls but is ane of Opeth's heaviest songs. Hearing Åkerfeldt cosplay as a stoner-doom front homo laying down kaiju-sized riffs is a affair of beauty. Part of me would withal like to hear a whole record in the style of "Sorceress," the song – only otherwise, I'm good on Sorceress, the album.

11) Heritage (2011)

Heritage takes a lot of flak, as albums that mess with the template tend to do. With the exception of Damnation (which gets a pass since information technology was intended to exist office of a double record), it's Opeth's outset full-on prog excursion. Unlike Damnation, it's non very cohesive or solid. To make matters worse, the band promoted information technology with a headlining tour of all acoustic or non-growling cloth — and didn't tell their fans what they were in for. In retrospect, Heritage contains some of Åkerfeldt's most curtailed and beautiful songwriting, besides as dull filler. "I Feel the Night" and "the Lines in My Hand" would accept made a killer 7-inch. "Slither" provides four minutes of stone-solid Rainbow worship — once more, it would be bully to accept a whole record of Opeth songs in the vein of this and "Sorceress." Longer fare similar "Häxprocess" and "Sociology" fail to capture my attention or imagination.

10) Watershed (2008)

If Opeth had disbanded after Watershed, they would have left behind the near perfect discography in metallic, past my estimation. From here on out, each tape is substantially flawless — we're comparing diamonds, at present. Nonetheless, the departure of cadre members Martin Lopez and Peter Lindgren left a few imperfections behind. New drummer Martin Axenrot doesn't take the flair that fabricated Lopez'southward work so fascinating. In hindsight, information technology's clear that Lindgren supplied much of the metallic heft that shaded in the darker side of Opeth's other records — "Heir Apparent" and "Hessian Peel" attempt the death-metal-to-progressive-rock flip-flop that remains the ring'due south signature motion but do so with an awkwardness that say "Deliverance" lacks. Lighter fare like the introductory "Curl" and the astonishing ballad "Burden" are the highlights, too as signposts for where Åkerfeldt went later.

9) Morningrise (1996)

Assembled in function before Opeth'due south debut album Orchid was released, Morningrise has the unfortunate-but-unavoidable sloppiness of a hasty sophomore release — some of its sections date back to 1991. The infamous, 20-infinitesimal "Blackness Rose Immortal," for example, tin't actually justify its running time, and the record would be much ameliorate without it. Still, even cast-offs from a band like Opeth at the time showcase remarkable musicianship. Bassist Johan De Farfalla, in particular, shines with decorated arpeggiated runs, and drummer Anders Nordin'south quick drum rolls requite the record a little more than black metallic assailment than its predecessor. Neither musicians remained in the band, and Opeth's sound reached its optimal grade afterward. "The Dark and the Silent H2o" remains a must-listen, even so.

8) In Cauda Venenum (2019)

Curiously recorded in two languages with related-simply-distinct lyrics, Opeth'due south 2019 tape still has trouble getting out of its own way, and however lacks any overt death metallic elements, but information technology does testify a noticeable uptick in Åkerfeldt'due south songwriting ability. Finally, his prog rock compositions can hold their shape longer than iv-to-six minutes, mostly thank you to a collection of gut-punching riffs which Åkerfeldt for the most parts plays without vocal backing. Martin Axenrot and Fredrik Åkesson perform with aplomb, and Åkerfeldt'south make clean voice hasn't ever sounded then powerful. Songs similar "Dignity" deliver progressive metallic without the need of added grit and aggression. No harsh singing? No problem.

seven) Deliverance (2002)

Originally conceived equally a pure death metal record to counterbalance the dutiful progressive rock of its counterpart Damnation, Deliverance still winds upwardly sounding more-or-less similar a typical Opeth tape, though information technology's songs do tend to brand their marking more than immediately than the songs on Blackwater Park which preceded it, and Ghost Reveries which followed. The championship runway, a rightful live staple, ends with a near five-minute polyrhythmic breakdown; It's possibly Opeth'south heaviest moment. The rest of the record doesn't quite live upwardly to that song or that moment, but the band was still bowling an essentially perfect game at this point.

6) Orchid (1995)

In 1995, when Opeth released their Decibel Hall of Fame-inductee debut Orchid, nothing sounded like it. Sure, some things came close: Emperor's lavish detail, Border of Sanity'south melody-first progressive expiry metal (Dan Swanö produced it), and diverse post-black metal bands' willingness to leaven extreme metal's intensity, just nothing that then devotional captured the melancholy and dazzler of prog giants like Genesis. Orchid deserves praise for its originality but has charms in its own right besides. This rougher, less polished Opeth has an atmospheric bent that informs Bandcamp black metal to this day — the beginning acoustic suspension in "In the Mist She Was Standing" even so commands my attention. Åkerfeldt had the practiced sense not to dwell on one idea too long; the five touchstone songs on the album maintain momentum and storytelling power ("Under the Weeping Moon" especially whips). Swanö didn't quite know how to capture the band's sound right. The guitars sound a little thin, and the kicking drum's plasticky attack undercuts the drama. Åkerfeldt improved on Orchid equally he went on, though I miss its low-cal Renaissance fair atmosphere.

5) Ghost Reveries (2005)

Martin Méndez and Peter Lindgren's final Opeth record might be their about gothic. Written partially in e'er-creepy open D tuning, and including layers of mellotron and organ from at present-permanent member Per Weiberg (he'd been a live member for some time), every song on Ghost Reveries sounds richer than chocolate block and twice equally nighttime. Åkerfeldt's roar never sounded more sinister, and the partial-concept record showcases some of his most occult-fixated lyrics — equally well as his most oedipal. Despite — or perhaps because of — the resolute menace in "Baying of the Hounds" and "The Grand Conjuration," Åkerfeldt'due south lighter, more than classic-rock oriented tunes shine brighter. "Isolation Years" and "Hours of Wealth" stand among his most gorgeous tunes. It may be the virtually quintessentially Opeth album in the band's discography, a collection of songs no other band could compose and tape. Truth exist told, on whatsoever given day information technology and the remaining four records might jockey for the top slot.

four) My Arms, Your Hearse (1998)

With the addition of Martin Méndez and Peter Lindgren, Opeth'south archetype lineup fell into place and the band's sound crystallized. What did Åkerfeldt exercise with his at present-optimal lineup? Naturally, he wrote a concept tape. Sung from the perspective of a melancholic ghost, My Arms, Your Hearse weaves an interlocking narrative with an affluence of filler interludes and lyrics for each song ending with the championship of the side by side. Even the instrumental songs take printed lyrics. The artifact weighs the proceedings down. So why is My Arms, Your Hearse and then good? Because when Åkerfeldt gets out of his ain way and writes actual songs, they're all three-indicate shots from half court. The climax to "When" ranks among his near heart-wrenching moments. Fifty-fifty better is longtime concert closer "Demon of the Fall." Brusque by Opeth standards at merely over six minutes, the tune contains some of Åkerfeldt's grimmest lyrics  — "Silent dance with death / Everything is lost / Torn by the arrival of autumn / the blink of an center / you know it's me / you keep the dagger shut at manus" — and improbably ends in a circular. I tin't call up of any other metal song that ends with that kindergarten-favorite musical device.

3) Damnation (2003)

There'due south a common conception among longtime Opeth fans that boils down to a simple dichotomy: death metallic records good, but prog rock records bad. Life isn't that easy, and Damnation confounds the unabridged conception. If you'd told me in 2009 that every hereafter Opeth record would exist a straightforward prog album I would have said, "Well, if they're all as good equally Damnation that's fine!". Tight, melancholic and totally infested with earworms that come from distortion pedals, it's a remarkable collection of songs, one that benefits from beingness listened to separately from its twin, Deliverance. Apocryphally, Åkerfeldt began working on these tunes as lullabies written for his and then-infant daughter. Whether or not that'southward true, every tune on Damnation delivers a memorable melody with a cool and crepuscular temper. Steven Wilson gives the tape the same audio treatment he gave to Porcupine Tree'southward output at the time, which is to say it sounds immaculate, psychedelic and deeply distressing. "Windowpane" remains one of the band's well-nigh beloved tunes — as of this writing its' their about-played song on Spotify with almost nine million plays. Later on, "To Rid the Disease" hide serpentine rhythms under its impossibly tricky vocals. The simply reason it'southward not #1 is information technology's not representative of the band'south discography as a whole, information technology stands equally far apart from the recent prog records at it does the death metallic records.

ii) Blackwater Park (2001)

The perennially popular Blackwater Park remains one of the well-nigh highly-regarded records in music period. The data doesn't lie: it breaks the best top 50 on the always-dubious Sputnikmsuic review list and holds steady at #vi across genres for 2001, maintains a respectable 78% on Metallic Archives despite multiple reviews intended simply to tank its score, and maintains a 3.93 on Rateyourmusic where it has even stiffer competition and even more ratings, breaking that site's pinnacle 200. For reference, only Metallica and Black Sabbath cleft the height 100 on Rateyourmusic — for a metal band, these scores are incredible. As Cosmo Lee of Invisible Oranges helpfully aggregated, even among metalheads, information technology joins Isis's Oceanic, Converge's Jane Doe and Mastodon's Leviathan in the consensus for best record of the '00s. Some of that esteem comes from the band's collaboration with Porcupine Tree mastermind Steven Wilson, whose pristine ear gives the record an unusually articulate and deep audio. His songwriting fingerprints marking the tape every bit well — he contributes vocals to "Bleak," probably my vote for the band's best song overall. For all its prog dork bona fides, it's a hook-filled record. Almost every tune on Blackwater Park features some massive chorus, none more stiff than "The Pall Falls," though many come close. For its sublime presentation and compulsive listenability, it's rightly hailed as a classic, likely to bring together records like Rust In Peace as amidst the genre's best offerings full-stop. The sun sets forever over Blackwater Park, indeed.

one) Withal Life (1999)

Then if Blackwater Park is so fucking good, why does it take the silvery medal, non the gold? Blackwater Park is a refinement, not a revolution. For all its smoothen and precision, it revisits ideas sketched on My Arms, Your Hearse and clarified on Åkerfeldt's finest record, 1999's Even so Life. Hither, he kept the storytelling structure of his earlier records while cutting the fatty and upping the claw quotient considerably. From this point for the next six years, Opeth were peradventure the best band in popular music (accept your Radiohead records and toss them correct out the window) just as Metallica was between 1983 and 1987. Rightly, Still Life'south information scores near those of its successor — comparing them is like comparing Ride the Lightning and Principal of Puppets. From the folkloric lilt in the chorus of "Godhead's Complaining" to the pinch harmonic groove riff in "Quiet Painted Death," each song includes some indelible moment to depict the listener in, as well as a myriad of tiny flourishes to reward revisitations. The ring cleaned their commitment upwardly subsequently, only in so doing lost some of the Medieval touches that give Notwithstanding Life its character. Speaking of character, this remains Åkerfeldt's best story, an anthology long pastiche of Shakespeare's Othello ("The Moor") and Charlotte Bronte'south Wuthering Heights ("Melinda"). A B.A. in classical literature isn't necessary to relish information technology, though. Buy this i on wax, light up a joint and settle in for one of the finest hours in progressive metal from its onetime heavyweight champions.