Opeth - Roadrunner Records Australia

In a metal scene glutted with traditionalists and bandwagon jumpers, Opeth continue to create epic, iconoclastic music, inventing the rules as they go along. From the jazz-inflected rhythms and acoustic embellishments of their 1994 debut, Orchid, to the Middle Eastern flavors and stoner metal riffs of 2001's Blackwater Park, these Swedes continue to venture where others couldn't fathom and have returned with a treasure trove of songs for their new effort, Ghost Reveries, that makes most so-called sonic adventurists seem positively one-dimensional. Critics and fans alike are effusive about the band's vital contribution to the world of rock. “Opeth continually expands the definition of what metal can be,” says Rolling Stone. Alternative Press states “Opeth has swelling appeal – and greatness,” with the Village Voice (NY) adding “Opeth carry prog atmosphere to epic extremes…most every song drags you through 10 minutes of melancholy more magnificent than the Swans or Joy Division.” With journalists making comparisons to bands from Pink Floyd to The Mars Volta, it is easy to see why Opeth command such a diverse audience. With their 2002 and 2003 companion discs, the dizzying, dense Deliverance and the haunting Damnation, Opeth seemed to have taken their sound to its utmost limits. But with their eighth album, Ghost Reveries, the band managed to push its dynamic music even further, fluidly mingling elements of death and black metal with folk, goth, classical and jazz touches. “We want every album to sound different than the last one, so wanted to explore all sorts of new avenues this time,” says frontman Mikael Akerfeldt. “I think it's ridiculous to try to attach a genre to our music, and we've gradually built our sound to the point that we can do whatever we want. The fans I want to have are the fans that are interested in music. It doesn't really matter what specific style they prefer.” A stellar marriage of style and substance, Ghost Reveries is a sonic journey that showcases Opeth's musicianship and songwriting through a multitude of moods, textures and complex rhythm and tempo shifts. “Ghost of Perdition” starts with a thunderous beat, caustic, angular guitars and abrasive vocal growls before shifting into a tribal passage colored with cinematic keyboards and melodic vocal harmonies. Three minutes in, the song turns acoustic and ethereal, then, following a crushing staccato riff, it seesaws for another eight minutes between gale force savagery and celestial introspection. “Beneath The Mire” is just as epic, blending grinding riffs, ringing guitars, chiming organ, marching beats, baleful piano and galactic solos with vocals that veer from raw and bloodied to soaring and imagistic. “I didn't want to leave anything open with the arrangements of the songs. I paid attention to detail. I wanted to make it clash. I wanted it to be a bit uplifting. All the parts in the songs have a purpose they mean something, even if to get you to the next part. I made sure on the new album in the early phases of writing the songs that there is no filler. Every part, every second has a meaning to the song.” The first single, “The Grand Conjuration,” one of the most evocative tracks on Ghost Reveries, is a feast of artistry and acrobatics that's a touch less complex than some of the other songs on the album. “It didn't start out that way,” Akerfeldt laughs. “In the beginning it was completely different and very technical. But it didn't feel right after we rehearsed it. So, I went home and scrapped the whole technical side of things and did a more down to earth, dark sounding song.” A couple of factors contributed to the new styles of psychedelia and space metal on Ghost Reveries. First, Akerfeldt has been listening to a lot of English, German and Scandinavian music from the '60s and '70s, like Amon Duul II and Can which has inspired him to take his sound to the dark side of the moon. And, new keyboardist Per Wilberg (ex-Spiritual Beggars) helps Akerfeldt realize his vision with an arsenal of classical, gothic and supernatural sounds. Wilberg, who was hired to play with the band on its last tour, was been brought on as a full-time member for Ghost Reveries. “He plays keyboards like no one else, he's got a great voice, he can play guitar and he writes music, so I'm excited to have him,” Akerfeldt says. “Basically, I wanted him to be in the band from day one, but I was afraid to ask him because I thought he might say, no.” As complex and experimental as Ghost Reveries is, creating the album was both rewarding and enjoyable. Akerfeldt started writing a year ago when Opeth got off tour and over the course of a few months, cemented the basic structure for the album. During the process, he and his wife had their first child, which helped keep him creatively inspired. “I was really excited about everything and it was a joy to write these songs,” he says. “Some people say some parts of this album sound very hopeful and uplifting, and maybe that's because I became a dad. It was so fucking rewarding and I discovered a love I've never felt for anyone. I think I felt like I was very selfish until I had my kid.” Instead of heading directly into the studio to record as they had with their last five albums, Opeth got together first to rehearse and fine-tune the songs. As a result, the recording process for Ghost Reveries was both smoother and more collaborative than past efforts. “For our other records, nobody knew what the songs were like, or what the album was going to sound like until they were in there recording,” Akerfeldt says. “But this time I wanted to make it more of a band effort. We'd rehearse and everybody got to say what they thought was good and bad. And I think that really added to the tightness and cohesiveness of the music.” In March 2005, Opeth finally entered Fascination Street studios in Orebro, Sweden to begin recording. Instead of working with Porcupine Tree member Steven Wilson, who produced the last three Opeth discs, Akerfeldt decided to self-produce and then have Jens Borgen engineer and mix. “I love Porcupine Tree and I learned so much from our time with Steven, but I think no one knows the way Opeth sounds in my head except me, so I wanted to do it myself this time,” he says. Half of the tracks on Ghost Reveries are over 10 minutes long only the album closer, “Isolation Years,” clocks in at less than five minutes. Ironically, it's not the epic songs that Akerfeldt finds challenging. “We've been making long songs since the first album, so I find it much harder to write a short song that I like,” he says. “The longer stuff comes very naturally.” Ghost Reveries isn't just a mindblowing spectacle, it's the sound of a band setting unreachable goals, and achieving them with grace. “There's no other band on the planet like us,” says Akerfeldt, matter-of-factly. “We love death metal, so there are some Morbid Angel parts in there, but there are also, Pink Floyd and King Crimson influences, as well as Leonard Cohen and Nick Drake. We love to surprise people...” Surprises abound on Ghost Reveries – music lovers of all varieties will find something unexpected at every musical turn. 16/12/2008 - Joey Jordison on front cover of Drumscene this week! The new Drumscene Magazine is out tommorow (16th December) and features Joey Jordison from Slipknot on the front cover. As if this wasn't enough of ... 14/11/2008 - OPETH - Check out the new video for 'Burden' It's been a while since the last video for 'Porcelain Heart' but we can now present to you the new video for Opeth's 'Burden'. The ... 05/11/2008 - OPETH - Burden photo shoot Everyone's favorite swedish band Opeth have recently complete filming the video for their next single 'Burden', taken from their latest album Watershed. You can check ... 24/10/2008 - CALENDAR COMPETITION WINNER Billerwell Daye is the winner of the first Roadrunner Calendar competition winning a Vinyl copy of Opeth's Watershed.If you want a chance to win awesome ... 08/09/2008 - OPETH - Brisbane Show License To all the underage Brisbane Opeth fans, Roadrunner Australia would like to apologize on behalf of the band for the short notice revocation of their ... 17/06/2008 - OPETH - Awesome Watershed Review 14/06/2008 - PORCUPINE TREE & OPETH - Rock Quiz Video! Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt conducted quizzes with our UK branch! Check them out below! 10/06/2008 - OPETH - Watershed Debuts On The Aria Charts at #7! The release of 'Watershed' has confirmed to the Australian music world what Opeth fans have known for years.... Mikael and company are the real deal. ... 10/06/2008 - MIKAEL ÅKERFELDT - Top 5 Vinyl Records While in France, Mikael from Opeth sat down to discuss his top 5 vinyl records. See it below. 10/06/2008 - MIKAEL ÅKERFELDT - Singing With Dream Theater in NYC On May 22nd, Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt joined Dream Theater on stage to sing part of "repentance". Check it out below. 04/06/2008 - CLUB LAUNCHES - Check For Your City! Club launches happening this week are: Thursday 5th June - Opeth Album Launch @ Next (Melbourne)Friday 6th June - 04/06/2008 - OPETH - Mikael Åkerfeldt Video Series Complete!! The 8 part series of interviews with the Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt is complete! Enjoy it below: 04/06/2008 - OPETH - Artist Of The Week on Vodafone Music Opeth are Vodafone's artist of the week! Check it out here. If you haven't already, it's time to pick up 04/06/2008 - PYROMUSIC.NET - Win a copy of Opeth 'Watershed' and Poster! Our friends over at pyromusic.net is offering two lucky fans the chance to win a copy of Opeth's latest opus 'Watershed' as well as a ... 31/05/2008 - OPETH - Watershed Now Available! Opeth newest and most epic offering to date 'Watershed' is now available and you can get it online 30/05/2008 - OPETH - Launch Tonight In Brisbane 30th May Opeth fans if you want to hear the new album Watershed from the very moment that it's released and you're also from Brisbane, you'd better ... 27/05/2008 - OPETH - Mikael Åkerfeldt video interview Parts Five &Six 27/05/08 Parts 5 and 6 of the Mikael Akerfeldt series is now available below! 20/05/2008 - OPETH - Video Interview on 60's Music 20/5/08 This video, shot while Opeth were in Germany, has the guys discussing 60's music. Very psychedelic! 20/05/2008 - OPETH - Mikael Åkerfeldt video interview Part Four 20/05/08 Part 4 of the Mikael Åkerfeldt interview series is now available below! 15/05/2008 - OPETH - Mikael Åkerfeldt video interview Part Three 15/05/08 Installment #3 of the 8 part interview with Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth 16/12/2008Joey Jordison on front cover of Drumscene this week! The new Drumscene Magazine is out tommorow (16th December) and features Joey Jordison from Slipknot on the front cover. As if this wasn't enough of ... 14/11/2008OPETH - Check out the new video for 'Burden' It's been a while since the last video for 'Porcelain Heart' but we can now present to you the new video for Opeth's 'Burden'. The ... 14/06/2008PORCUPINE TREE & OPETH - Rock Quiz Video! Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt conducted quizzes with our UK branch! Check them out below! 12/05/2008OPETH - Mikael Åkerfeldt video interview part one 12/05/08 Below is an interview with Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth and is the first installment of an eight part series, so keep checking back reguarly for the ... 20/05/2008OPETH - Mikael Åkerfeldt video interview Part Four 20/05/08 Part 4 of the Mikael Åkerfeldt interview series is now available below! 27/05/2008OPETH - Mikael Åkerfeldt video interview Parts Five &Six 27/05/08 Parts 5 and 6 of the Mikael Akerfeldt series is now available below! 09/12/2007Selections from ROADRUNNER Artists Top 10 Lists Selections from ROADRUNNER Artists Top 10 Lists What have members of various Roadrunner bands been listening to during 2007? Check out a selection of Top ... 20/05/2008OPETH - Video Interview on 60's Music 20/5/08 This video, shot while Opeth were in Germany, has the guys discussing 60's music. Very psychedelic! 07/11/2007The OPETH / PORCUPINE TREE Project Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt will team up for a project with Porcupine Tree’s Steve Wilson. "We've been talking about this literally since the day we met," ... 07/11/2007RR Artists on HEADBANGERS BALL With the 3rd instalment of Headbangers Ball due for release, a selection of RR artists offered comments about the show. Question: Were you a fan ... 07/11/2007Details on the 'Ghost Reveries' Spec Ed CD Opeth will release a special edition of 'Ghost Reveries' during the first half of 2006. The band recently visited the legendary BBC studios in Maida ... 07/11/2007ROADRUNNER UNITED 'The All Star Sessions' Review A stellar review of the forthcoming RR United album. The definition of an all star jam session Ever wondered what it would sound like for ... 07/11/2007DEVILDRIVER Interview Here's your chance to catch up with vocalist Dez, and see where the band are, and where they are headed. When DevilDriver released their debut ... 07/11/2007The birth of OPETH Opeth Mainman Mikael Akerfeldt pays tribute to Denis 'Piggy' D'Amour and reveals the birth of Opeth. Had it not been for VOIVOD's landmark 1988 album ... 07/11/2007OPETH Interview at Metal Injection Check out the video interview with Opeth mainman Mikael Åkerfeldt. Some of the topics discussed in the interview include the OPETH songwriting process, what Mikael ... 07/11/2007OPETH's Mikael told to shut up. Anyone who has seen Opeth recently, knows that singer Mikael Åkerfeldt likes to talk between songs… The Opeth mainman has defended himself over criticism that ... 07/11/2007PORCUPINE TREE sign to Roadrunner Records Opeth fans will be well aware of Porcupine Tree even if only through Mikael Akerfeldt's praises of the band… A press release reads: Porcupine Tree ... 07/11/2007Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt has started writing material for the band's ninth studio album. Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt has started writing material for the band's ninth studio album. Tentatively due for a late 2007 release, expect more details on ... 07/11/2007Video interviews with ROADRUNNER Bands See below for a slew of online video interviews with RR bands. Among the acts featured: DRAGONFORCE THROWDOWN OPETH HATEBREED CRADLE OF FILTH DEVILDRIVER BLEEDING ... 07/11/2007OPETH to re record 'Soldier Of Fortune' Unfortunately, this pushes the release of the 'Ghost Reveries' deluxe version back to October According to a posting on the official Opeth site, the band's ... Burden Burden Watershed Watershed Watershed Special Edition Watershed Special Edition Porcelain Heart Porcelain Heart Ghost Reveries (Special Limited Edition) Ghost Reveries (Special Limited Edition) Ghost Reveries Ghost Reveries 'Burden' Video Shoot Stills