Angry Metal Primer – Opeth

Over 40 years of metal’s biological urge (and a hefty lack of restraint) has resulted in some incomprehensibly large catalogs. No one should have to listen to anywhere from 13 to 15 [Luca Turilli’s] Rhapsody [of Fire] albums just to get caught up for a new release. So each week (as required and/or able), we’re offering a selection of prime(r)(er) cuts to get you up to speed. Without further ado, welcome to…

Opeth albums and logo

If you’ve never boarded the Opeth train, then you are in for a treat. As the band releases its 13th (thirteenth!!) full-length record on the 27th of September from Moderbolaget/Nuclear Blast, it’s a good time to look back at the things they have done and to appreciate the genuinely unique scope of Opeth’s singular career. And while I’m not a “superfan,” I have seen this band more than any other, listened to these albums all to death and, hell, the first person I ever spoke Swedish with was the band’s old guitarist Peter Lindgren. That is, there are few people on the staff better suited than me to regale you with the trajectory of Opeth’s remarkable career from melodic death metal underdogs to the most hated band on the Internet (see the comment section for lots of edgy takes about the band). And if you still need a primer, well here’s your guide to amazing career trajectory spanning over three decades.

Angry Metal Guy

  • Opeth, Orchid (1995, Candlelight Records)
    – “Forest of October”
    – “The Apostle in Triumph”
  • Morningrise (1996, Candlelight Records)
    – “Nectar” (note, this was featured on the legendary Firestarter compilation from Century Media and was for me, like many others, the first Opeth I ever heard)
    – “To Bid You Farewell”
  • My Arms, Your Hearse (1998, Candlelight Records)
    – “When”
    – “Demon of the Fall”
    – “Credence” – the transition between these two songs is an all-time favorite of mine
  • Still Life (1999, Peaceville Records)
    – “Godhead’s Lament”
    – “White Cluster”
  • Blackwater Park (2001, Music for Nations)
    – “The Drapery Falls”
    – “The Funeral Portrait”
    – “Harvest”
  • Deliverance (2002, Music for Nations – tracks on the playlist are taken from the 2015 remix)
    – “Deliverance”
    – “By the Pain I See in Others”
  • Damnation (2003, Music for Nations – tracks from 2015 remix)
    – “Closure”
    – “Death Whispered a Lullaby”
  • Ghost Reveries (2005, Roadrunner Records)
    – “Beneath the Mire”
    – “Reverie/Harlequin Forest”
    – “Isolation Years”
  • Watershed (2008, Roadrunner Records)
    – “Porcelain Heart”
    – “Den ständiga resan” (a b-side and cover, but it’s the best material on here for sure)
  • Heritage (2011, Roadrunner Records)
    – “The Devil’s Orchard”
  • Pale Communion (2014, Roadrunner Records)
    – “Cusp of Eternity”
    – “River”
    – “Faith in Others”
  • Sorceress (2016, Moderbolaget)
    – “Sorceress” and “Sorceress 2”
    – “A Fleeting Glance”
  • In Cauda Venenum (2019, Moderbolaget – preview tracks from the “Dignity” digital single)
    – “Dignity”
    – “Heart in Hand”

Opeth’s 13th album In Cauda Venenum will be released on September 27th worldwide via Moderbolaget.


We’re all about equality at AMG Inc. Our legal department says we have to be, and it keeps the bowels of this place running smoothly. One person gets a playlist, then everyone wants a one, and soon there’s blood in the water cooler. So have it your way, animals. Everyone gets a playlist. An oh so brief playlist. Trust me, it’s for the best.

Today’s chapter: Dat Bass.

  • Angry Metal Guy
    Opeth – “The Drapery Falls”
    Haken – “Cockroach King”
  • Dr. Wvrm
    Yes – “Roundabout”
    Quo Vadis – “Break the Cycle”
  • Grymm
    Dark Tranquillity – “Lethe”
    Iron Maiden – “Only the Good Die Young”
  • Kronos
    Cryptopsy – “Phobophile”
    Beyond Creation – “Omnipresent Perception”
  • Mark Z.
    Sisters of Mercy – “Lucretia My Reflection”
    Tool – “Schism”
  • Diabolus in Muzaka
    Cannibal Corpse – “The Strangulation Chair”
    Seance – “Soulerosion”
  • Huck N Roll
    King Crimson – “Elephant Talk”
    Karnivool – “Goliath”
  • GardensTale
    Xoth – “Invasion of the Tentacube”
    Nekromantix – “Horny in a Hearse”
  • Master of Muppets
    Beyond Creation – “Earthborn Evolution”
  • TheKenWord
    Augury – “Mater Dolorosa”
    Sleep Terror – “Hanging by a Thread”
  • Holdeneye
    Wachenfeldt – “Ut”
    Manowar – “Sting of the Bumblebee”
  • Carcharodon
    Carcass – “Heartwork”
    Beehoover – “Yellow Mile”
  • Twelve
    Tarot – “Stigmata (I Feel For You)”
    Unleash the Archers – “Awakening”

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