This is the fourth studio album by Opeth, and features the line up that a lot of fans wish was still with us. The whole gothic horror vibe for this album is just awesome. The death metal vocals are heavy on this release, but I always had a problem with calling Opeth death metal as there was always heaps of melody in the music.
The opening track, The Moor, which takes up the whole of Side 1 is one of my favourite Opeth tracks, as the dynamics and the gothic vibe are superb. This was also Martin Mendes first outing as bassist for Opeth, and I think at the time he did not speak much Swedish – so big up to Martin for killer playing on the album. The acoustic driven tracks like Benighted, and the classic Face Of Melinda, are just superb as that folky medieval element is so much a part of the band’s sound that you immediately know it’s them. The stunningly awesome White Cluster closes out the whole album, and Martin Lopez’s drumming skills are at the forefront. You can say this was the template for Blackwater Park, which would come next as they are very similar in structure. I love this album, as I do the majority of the band’s catalogue.
9.5/10 from The Grooveman.
