History
Opeth was formed in Stockholm, Södermanland, Sweden in 1990 by David Isberg. Isberg invited Mikael Åkerfeldt to join the band at a practice session as a bass player, but failed to inform the current bass player or any of the other members of the band. Because of this, all band members except for Isberg quit, and Åkerfeldt soon joined Opeth after his band, Eruption, faltered. With Åkerfeldt on guitar and David Isberg on vocals, Opeth still lacked members and needing more, they were soon joined by long-time friend of Åkerfeldt and former Eruption drummer Anders Nordin and Nick Döring on bass. Andreas Dimeo was recruited as a second guitarist. Rehearsing in an elementary school with old equipment they had found, this lineup lasted less than a year and only played one show. In 1991 they spent the summer rehearsing on the island of Hamnholmen outside Stockholm with their old school friend and bass player Max Jaderberg, who suggested a more prominent bass sound.
After their first performance, Andreas Dimeo and Nick Döring quit the band. For the second performance, guitarist Kim Pettersson and bassist Johan DeFarfalla joined the group. After the show, DeFarfalla left to spend time with his girlfriend and did not return until 1994. Pettersson stuck with the band for another show before leaving in late 1991. DaFarfall was replaced by Peter Lindgren, playing the bass. However, once Pettersson left, Lindgren returned to the guitar, his original instrument. Isberg left the band in early 1992 due to creative differences and boredom. Since Mikael had previous experience as a vocalist from fronting Eruption, he became the new vocalist and immediately began writing material with Peter Lindgren. They rehearsed as a 3-piece for more than a year but eventually found a new bass player, Stefan Guteklint, who was dismissed by the band before they signed their record contract with Candlelight Records.
Impressed by their originality, Candlelight Records released their debut full-length Orchid in 1995. It featured a rhythm section of bassist Johan DeFarfalla and drummer Anders Nordin. Dan Swanö, of Edge of Sanity fame, produced the band's ambitious second album Morningrise in 1996. After this Opeth embarked on a brief tour with Morbid Angel. Century Media took notice and not only licensed Opeth's first two albums for the United States, but also planned on releasing their next album on both sides of the Atlantic.
The next album would introduce a change in style as well as line-up. With the recruitment of bassist Martin Mendez to replace DeFarfalla and drummer Martin Lopez (ex-Amon Amarth) replacing Nordin, Opeth's third album, entitled My Arms, Your Hearse, was released in 1998 to glowing reviews, establishing the band as a leading force in progressive metal with death roots. The album is conceptually based on a character who dies and returns to Earth as a ghost.
1999's Still Life displayed even more of the band's progressive rock influences, and the following year the band played its first U.S. concert at the Milwaukee Metalfest. This was the first album on which Martin Mendez contributed. Like My Arms, Your Hearse before it, Still Life is also a concept album, revolving around a man who is banished from his village for dissenting religious beliefs. The album then then regals the tale of his courtship of the character Melinda.
Their next album, Blackwater Park, was released in early 2001 and was titled after an obscure psychedelic progressive rock band from the '70s. Blackwater Park is considered to be Opeth's magnum opus and the defining document of their career. The album created a huge buzz among progressive metal fans, who had begun to lump the band in with other experimental metal bands like Tiamat. It was the first of three albums that Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree fame would produce. Wilson also contributed backing vocals and guitar.
Instead of waiting until the buzz died down, the band released Deliverance (also known as D1) in the fall of 2002, which was intended to be a double album, Damnation (or D2) comprising the other half. Deliverance presented the typical death metal aspect of Opeth while Damnation presented a new side of Opeth: the album that was almost completely devoid of any heavy metal trappings and focused instead on acoustic instruments and traditional songwriting. Steven Wilson again contributed by co-authoring one song, Death Whispered a Lullaby, and by providing backing vocals and playing mellotron, piano, electric piano, keyboards, and guitar.
Opeth then released a DVD, "Lamentations", filmed in England during the Damnation Tour, in fall of '03. It featured the Damnation album in its entirety along with some highlights from the previous two albums. Now signed to the major label Roadrunner Records, Opeth's next album Ghost Reveries arrived in 2005 and proved to be a return to form for the band. Shortly before the recordings of this album, Per Wiberg (Spiritual Beggars) officially joined the band to play keyboards, as he did on the tour that supported Damnation. He can also be seen on the "Lamentations" DVD. More lineup changes followed in May of 2006, when long time drummer Martin Lopez left the band due to complications from a rare disease he has. After a short delay, he was replaced by Martin Axe Axenrot, former drummer of Bloodbath.
On May 17th, 2007, an open letter from Peter Lindgren was posted on the official Opeth website where he wrote that he had decided to leave the band. He said that he had lost some of the enthusiasm and inspiration needed to participate in a band that has grown to become a world-wide industry. It was especially the massive amount of touring, and being away from home for long periods of time that caused this decision. "I have come to a point where I realise I won't be able to give the band 100%, and from both sides this will not be good enough for what Opeth stands for." On the same day Fredrik Åkesson (ex-Arch Enemy, Krux) was announced as the new guitar-player and full-time member of Opeth.
In Fall 2007, Opeth released their first live album, The Roundhouse Tapes, recorded in the famous Roundhouse concert hall in Great Britain.
The progressive rock/metal band Dream Theater announced in November of 2007 that Opeth would be joining them on the Progressive Nation 2008 tour. Joining these two bands were Between the Buried and Me and 3.
Opeth's ninth studio album, entitled Watershed was released on June 3, 2008. It was well received by most fans and critics. The first single from the album, Porcelain Heart, was released on April 19th, 2008. The track The Lotus Eater is also available on RoadRunner Record's website for free.
Former members:
* David Isberg – Vocals (1990-1992)
* Andreas Dimeo – Guitar (1991)
* Kim Pettersson – Guitar (1991)
* Johan DeFarfalla – Bass (1991,1994-1996)
* Stefan Guteklint – Bass (1992-1993)
* Mattias Ander – Bass (1992)
* Nick Döring – Bass (1990-1991)
* Anders Nordin – Drums (1990-1997)
* Martin Lopez – Drums (1997-2006)
* Peter Lindgren – Guitars (1991-2007)
Discography:
1995 Orchid
1996 Morningrise
1998 My Arms, Your Hearse
1999 Still Life
2001 Blackwater Park
2002 Deliverance
2003 Damnation
2005 Ghost Reveries
2008 Watershed
2011 Heritage
2014 Pale Communion
2016 Sorceress
2019 In cauda venenum
Official site: Opeth.com
Death Whispered a Lullaby
Opeth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There are fireflies circling
Deep in the woods
Where the lost souls hide
Over the hill
There are men returning
Trying to find
Some peace of mind
Oh-oh-oh
Sleep my child
Oh-oh-oh
Sleep my child
Oh-oh-oh
Sleep my child
Oh-oh-oh
Sleep my child
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Under the fog
There are shadows moving
Don't be afraid
Hold my hand
Into the dark
There are eyelids closing
Buried alive
In the shifting sands
Oh-oh-oh
Sleep my child
Oh-oh-oh
Sleep my child
Oh-oh-oh
Sleep my child
Oh-oh-oh
Sleep my child
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Speak to me now
And the world will crumble
Open a door
And the moon will fall
All of your life
All your memories
Go to your dreams
Forget it all
Oh-oh-oh
Sleep my child
Oh-oh-oh
Sleep my child
Oh-oh-oh
Sleep my child
Oh-oh-oh
Sleep my child
Ah-ah-ah-ah
The lyrics to Opeth's "Death Whispered a Lullaby" evoke an eerie and haunting atmosphere, with the singer taking on the role of a caretaker or guardian to a lost or scared child. The opening lines describe fireflies circling, invoking a sense of magic and wonder, and then move on to the deep woods, a place where lost souls might hide. The men returning over the hill add a sense of urgency and danger, as though they are looking for something but are not quite sure what it is.
As the song progresses, the imagery becomes darker and more ominous. The shadows moving under the fog and the idea of being buried alive in shifting sands are both very unsettling. The repeated refrain of "sleep my child" takes on a more sinister tone as the lyrics progress, especially when coupled with the suggestion that speaking out loud could cause the entire world to crumble.
Overall, the lyrics to "Death Whispered a Lullaby" create a palpable sense of unease and foreboding, painting a picture of a world that is both beautiful and dangerous, magical and terrifying.
Line by Line Meaning
Out on the road there are fireflies circling
Amidst the darkness, there is beauty that surrounds us.
Deep in the woods, where the lost souls hide
There are places wherein we feel lost or trapped, but we must not lose hope.
Over the hill there are men returning
Despite facing challenges, there is always a return to familiar surroundings and hope for a brighter future.
Trying to find some peace of mind
We may face troubles in our journey, but all we really want is peace of mind.
Sleep my child
Rest and begin anew tomorrow, letting go of today's burdens.
Under the fog there are shadows moving
Even when things are unclear and confusing, there is still movement and life being lived.
Don't be afraid, hold my hand
During times of fear, we have someone to hold on to and help us through.
Into the dark, there are eyelids closing
In darkness, we can find refuge and rest.
Buried alive in the shifting sands
Sometimes we may feel trapped and suffocated, but perseverance can help us break free.
Speak to me now and the world will crumble
Words are powerful and sometimes things will change once they are said.
Open a door and the moon will fall
Change is inevitable and can alter everything we know.
All of your life, all your memories
Our past experiences shape who we are today.
Go to your dreams, forget it all
It's important to focus on the future and dreams, while letting go of negative memories.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Mikael Lars Akerfeldt, Steven John Wilson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@davidpage9295
@Edi Ademi id say the best song to explain the painting's vibe and my personal story with it would be "By The Pain I See In Others" but I assure you I am well and healthy , so is my family.
The nurse is quite "friendly" actually, most of my familiy/wifes familiy(except wifes mom) say hi to her upon visits casually and consider it part of the household for she is such an unexpected picture outside from the common wolrd view, it is a stunning piece of art.
Laughing in the face of fear is such a great medicine.
Why someone threw it away is the Mystery to me - it has plated gold sheets on the edges and is really large. Its far from cheap.
Maybe the person who first bought it was compulsive and way too superstitious to have a mindbending painting, or maybe it was inherited and the person hated it, I cant and wont know for sure.
That is all I have to say, let your imagination fly if you wish to fantasize a bit more, isnt that what most of us want?
@williamhuin1358
Out on the road there are fireflies circling
Deep in the woods, where the lost souls hide
Over the hill there are men returning
Trying to find some peace of mind
Sleep my child
Under the fog there are shadows moving
Don't be afraid, hold my hand
Into the dark, there are eyelids closing
Buried alive in the shifting sands
Sleep my child
Speak to me now and the world will crumble
Open a door and the moon will fall
All of your life, all your memories
Go to your dreams, forget it all
Sleep my child
@exolprincess
This song playing at the end of the fisher king episode of criminal minds is magic
@offline2776
That's why I'm here
@karenredd8314
@Felipe Cardoso Me too, you should listen to the whole tape this is on, it's freaking awesome!! I can't believe I had never heard of them until I heard it on TV.
@offline2776
@Karen Redd I will. The song name and the melody is a masterpiece. To be honest, I'm not so surprised coz I like symphony metal and Gregorian chant as well, but I've never heard about Opeth before the criminal minds season...
@karenredd8314
@Felipe Cardoso My favorites are from back in the good old hippie days, Hendrix, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Iron Butterfly, I love Godsmack and Alice in Chains. But I love Clair de Lune, it's such a beautiful song.
@braedenpelton7674
I just finished watching both parts of the Fisher King, crazy 2 episodes.
@sabrinasiggers1602
I legit get chills listening to this song. This entire album is a masterpiece.
@genesmith8627
Every BIT as Good LIVE!!
@Jorvas25
Damnation was like a soundtrack to a phase in my life. Helped me cope with it beyond measure.
@mohamedsakhiri6583
Same here