Opeth are a loud band and as heavy as they come. Death growls are part of the act and you have to expect them if listening to the early discography of this frantic extreme sounding outfit.
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I will admit to being a fan and more so of the early material but am a little embarrassed to admit it. Why, because possibly I’m of the wrong age bracket to be conceived as a fan of extreme music, and the other reason is I like listening to music very LOUD.
Most of the time I listen to this loud music in my car when 
I do get some funny looks when playing the likes of ‘Blackwater Park’ driving through villages at 120dB from passing pedestrians.
With the windows up and fastened, there’s still a decent amount of noise that escapes the car that can be heard outside. I’m not one to keep them open to attract attention; I simply like my music loud.
To put this into perspective I always think of the scene in the 1987 movie, The Hidden where the middle aged guy grabs the ghetto blaster and jacks the music up while riding the stolen Ferrari. It looks funny, out of place and.... maybe I do too.
When I was a teenager I constantly received complaints from my parents downstairs, ‘Turn that bloody noise down’. Quite normal wouldn’t you say?
Fast forward to now, and I’m still getting the moans and groans but now it’s from my teenage daughter. Not normal at all, but I'm not really a normal dad.
I think on the sly she is a closet Opeth fan but just won’t admit it.
Imagine drinking whisky for the first time, you must remember this moment or one like it that is alcohol related. Ugh, yeauch… is the usual response.
This is what listening to Opeth is like for the first time. It’s noisy abrasive and rough sounding. Persevere and you will start hearing the subtleties.
This is some of the loudest music I have ever heard, but the harmonies are there and what’s more are strong and very divisive.
Many of their songs are long, and I mean greater than TEN minutes in length yet they change and change a lot.
What I mean by this is it’s not a case of verse and chorus, rinse and repeat. This is progressive music even though it’s extreme and the songs are complex with many different sections.
Opeth – The Moor (Still Life – 1999)
For the last two days while driving to work and back I have been listening to one song, ‘The Moor’. It’s around 11 and a half minutes long and it’s been on repeat as I want it to sink in to my brain and this is the only way I can make it happen.
There are insanely heavy sections, death growls, some lovely acoustic sections, and regular vocals. The song is very diverse and a varied collage of sound.
Today I was satisfied that it had sunk in, and moved on to the next song, ‘Ghost of Perdition’.
As I have come to expect, it’s abrasive as hell on first play but I’m already hearing sections that are sounding pleasing to my ears.
Opeth – Ghost of Perdition (Ghost Reveries – 2005)
This is my approach when trying to listen to longer pieces of music. It’s strange, unconventional and weird but it works.
If you have tried listening to these two songs and are horrified by the sound entering your eardrums, then try this one.
Opeth – Burden (Watershed – 2008)
I defy anyone to not like this beautiful ballad song, and no there are none of those 'horrible' death growls. ‘Burden’ is as epic as they come.
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