Hello, welcome to another Three Tunes Tuesday, imitated by @ablaze. Hope your week is shaping up good.
This morning, while scrolling through my feed on Ecency, I came across this interesting post by @ashtv. In the post, he mentioned being away from Hive for about two years now, but that he's returned and is ready to engage. For a start, he shared a video shoot project he did for a band called Opeth, few months ago. He mentioned that the album the video he handled is called "The Last Will and Testament."
In his review of the band, he said and I quote;
They’re simply stunning, with out of this world musicianship.
Intrigued, I decided to check the band out and I must confess that they are everything he said and even more. They're the bang! 😅
So for #ttt, I'll be featuring tunes from this iconic band from the 90's, Opeth.
About the Band
Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal band from Stockholm, that was founded by David Isberg in 1990. He, David Isberg invited Mikael Åkerfeldt to join as a bassist, and later on Åkerfeldt took over as lead vocalist and guitarist, becoming the driving force behind the band. Till date, Åkerfeldt has remained the primary songwriter and creative force since the departure of the founder, David Isberq in 1992, including several lineup changes.
Amongst the band's current line up are
Mikael Åkerfeldt - Lead vocals, guitarist.
Martín Méndez - Bassist.
Fredrik Åkesson - Guitarist, vocal backup.
Joakim Svalberg - Keyboardist, vocal backup.
Waltteri Väyrynen - Drummer.
Opeth's has a unique music style with a blend of blues, folk, classical, and jazz elements plus growling death metal vocals and progressive rock. The band often integrate acoustic passages, Mellotrons, and dynamic shifts, including heavy and mellow sections in their songs.
Currently, they have about 14 studio albums, four live DVDs, four live albums, to their name, and have sold over 2 million albums and DVDs worldwide.
They've equally gained several recognitions and awards, including Swedish Grammis award for Best Hard Rock/Metal category for their album, "The Last Will and Testament", released in 2024.
And with that, I present the three tunes of the day, all from Opeth. I hope you'll like them.
Tune 1 - "Orchid"
"Orchid" is Opeth's debut studio album, released on May 15, 1995, in Europe by Candlelight Records.
Back then, the song was considered unique because the twin lead guitar style weren't a thing in their genre. As a plus, they had more Prog Rock roots in their music than other bands like them.
This song "Orchid" is rather a contrast to the Orchid flowers, which are supposedly
colourful and fragrant. It's about a nightmare, and the lyrical theme was inspired by the book “The Woman in Black” by Susan Hill.
If you're a horror movie enthusiast, then you'd be thrilled by this song. All I can say about "Orchid" is that it's a unique, stunning and crazy concept by Opeth. Those death growls are truly the killer.
The introduction of jazz elements at the beginning of the song is the real deal for me.
Tune 2 - "Blackwater Park*
"Blackwater Park" is another progressive death metal and progress rock song by Opeth, released on March 12, 2001 in Europe and March 13, 2001 in North America.
"Blackwater Park" is a 12+ minutes length dark and haunting narrative song that centers around the theme of despair, loss, and mortality.
The song is said to be one of Opeth's band's best works, their unique sound and style.
I'd say that this phrase from the lyric; "The sun sets forever over Blackwater Park" is the kicker of the song, as it has both a poetic impact and emotional resonance, tying together the theme of the song.
Tune 3 - "The Last Will and Testament" by Opeth.
"The Last Will and Testament" is the latest studio album by the band, recorded between February and March 2024, and finally released in November 22, 2024, few weeks after the initial release date of October 11, 2024.
The song which is a concept album set in the post-World War I era, with an showcases the return of the band's death metal growls and complex arrangements. The song has a storyline, featuring a wealthy, conservative patriarch whose last will and testament led to the revelation of a whole lot of shocking family secrets.
"The Last Will and Testament" is indeed a great comeback album and has been receiving some positive reviews.
There you have it, 3 unique songs from Opeth. Pray, tell me which song is the hit for you. I hope to read your comments. Thank you.
Image is Screenshot from YouTube