Opeth--Blackwater Park

Opeth--Blackwater Park (2001/Koch) Rating--8.2

A very diverse band, Opeth blends Black/Extreme metal with atmospheric phrasings and melodies to form a unique listening experience. There are sections with all clean vocals, times where melodic layerings snake beneath heavier fronts, and moments of intense sound and fury, as well.
Opening track "The Leper Affinity" works in an acoustic mid-section, and the shifting, multi-dimensional "Bleak" has some more stringed ambiance.
"Harvest" is an all acoustic offering, and the emotional chorus of "The Drapery Falls" eventually gives way to a deeper and more caustic approach.
Heavier staples appear via "The Funeral Portrait" with its nasty, swaying axework, and the good groove rhythm of the title cut.
While not as distortionally sharp as a band like Lamb of God, Opeth oversteps many others in its genre due to its ability to create varying atmospheres and moods--and perform each with great talent.
TRACK LIST: The Leper Affinity/Bleak/Harvest/The Drapery Falls/Dirge for November/The Funeral Portrait/Patterns in the Ivy/Blackwater Park

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