The Mood Master
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 I’ll never forget the night when I first listened to Blackwater Park straight through. I put it in my dad’s car stereo and drove off into Muir Woods alone, with no real destination in mind. The windows were down and the air was cold, but it was Mikael Akerfeldt’s vocals that gave me the chills. I knew then that OPETH would become my favorite band.
Akerfeldt is a master at creating moods that transport and affect. This is the core that has remained in OPETH, no matter how drastically their sound has changed over the span of their 20 year career. “April Ethereal” and “The Devil’s Orchard” sound nothing alike, but that’s not the point. Just take a look at the importance of their catalog. Orchid and Morningrise with their perpetual, progressive soundscapes. The desperate air of longing on My Arms, Your Hearse. The proud, elegant riffs on Still Life. Blackwater Park – the magnum opus (yes, I will stand by that). The journey of Deliverance, the sigh of Damnation. The last tumultuous gasp of Ghost Reveries. The gradual mellowing of Watershed…
And here we are with their newest release, Heritage, which has moments of intensity unlike those that we’re used to from OPETH. It’s a confident record that Akerfeldt deserved to produce. He continues to be the master of moods; this time, it’s just in a different way.
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Regardless of your level of OPETH fandom, I encourage you to check them out on their current tour. Akerfeldt has decided to delve into the band’s lighter material, which will make for a very special show. We've got nothing for tomorrow's show in downtown LA at the Mayan, but have five pairs for Friday night in Pomona. Priority goes to anyone that sends in proof of admission to the recent IT'S CASUAL show but enter anyway. To do so, email us at thecityofdevils@gmail.com or by contacting us here. Full name, please.
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