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
Forest of October
Opeth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Forever shadowing the sunrise of my heart
Wings leave their nest at my coming
Swaying away unto the cold glowing sky
Dreaming away for a while
My spirit sighs in peace
Gazing unto the stars
I am so alone, so cold
My heart is to scarred to glow
I wish the sunrise to come
Take my soul (away)
From this cold, lonely shell
I am free
From the eternal sea I rose
Veiled in darkness on either shore
Lost my pride, lost its glow
For me the sun rose no more
The forest of October
Sleeps silent when I depart
The web of time
Hides my last trace
My blaze travel the last universe
Like the sights of magic
Wrapped in eons
My mind is one with my soul
I fall alone
While leaves fall from the weeping trees
The lyrics to Opeth’s song “Forest of October” are a poetic and deeply introspective reflection on feelings of loneliness, loss, and the desire for transcendence. The opening lines paint a picture of memories that haunt the forest and cast shadows over the singer’s heart, implying a sense of sadness and heaviness that persists despite the beauty of nature. The lines “Wings leave their nest at my coming / Swaying away unto the cold glowing sky” suggest a desire to escape or break free from this heaviness, to take flight and leave behind the weight of past memories.
The singer’s yearning for freedom and transcendence is further expressed in the following stanza, which describes the act of dreaming and gazing up at the stars with the hope of being taken away to a new, brighter place. The lines “I am so alone, so cold / My heart is too scarred to glow” emphasize the singer’s deep sense of isolation and pain, while also hinting at the possibility for healing or transformation.
The final stanza of the song is perhaps the most poignant, as it speaks to the singer’s acceptance of their ultimate fate and the inevitability of loss. The lines “From the eternal sea I rose / Veiled in darkness on either shore / Lost my pride, lost its glow / For me the sun rose no more” suggest a sense of resignation and the acceptance of the cyclical nature of life and death. In the end, the singer falls alone as the leaves fall from the trees, symbolizing the passage of time and the eventual return to the earth.
Line by Line Meaning
The memories that now rests in this forest
This forest contains the memories I have of past experiences.
Forever shadowing the sunrise of my heart
These memories are always present and influencing my emotions.
Wings leave their nest at my coming
Birds fly away as I approach.
Swaying away unto the cold glowing sky
Birds fly up into the sky that is illuminated by the cold light of dawn.
Dreaming away for a while
I am lost in thought and imagination for some time.
My spirit sighs in peace
My soul feels at rest and content.
Gazing unto the stars
I look up at the night sky.
Please, take me there
I desire to leave this world and enter another realm.
I am so alone, so cold
I feel isolated and lacking warmth.
My heart is to scarred to glow
My heart is wounded and unable to express its full potential.
I wish the sunrise to come
I yearn for a new day and fresh start.
Take my soul (away)
I want to depart from this life and enter the afterlife.
From this cold, lonely shell
I want to leave behind my physical body that feels empty and devoid of warmth.
I am free
Through death, I will be liberated and able to experience true freedom.
From the eternal sea I rose
I was born from the infinite sea of existence.
Veiled in darkness on either shore
I arrived in this world with a veil of ignorance that keeps me from seeing the truth.
Lost my pride, lost its glow
I have lost my sense of self and confidence, and my inner light has dimmed.
For me the sun rose no more
I have lost my connection to the light and warmth of life.
The forest of October
This forest represents the season of autumn and the passage of time.
Sleeps silent when I depart
When I die, the forest will remain unchanged and indifferent.
The web of time
Time is an interconnected and ever-changing strand that connects us all.
Hides my last trace
When I die, I will leave no visible trace or impact on the web of time.
My blaze travel the last universe
My essence will journey through the final frontier of existence.
Like the sights of magic
My death will seem miraculous and inexplicable.
Wrapped in eons
My essence will be wrapped in eternity, transcending the boundaries of time and space.
My mind is one with my soul
In death, my mind and soul will merge and become one.
I fall alone
I will die alone, without companionship or support.
While leaves fall from the weeping trees
In the forest, the trees shed their leaves in autumn, much like tears.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MIKAEL LARS AKERFELDT, SVEN PETER MALCOLM LINDGREN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind