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
Hessian Peel
Opeth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When their mother dies
And in the autumn of their lives
Will they feel the same?
[reversed lyrics 2:03-2:22]
The longing for me
Why did you leave me?
Come here inside
And tell me how
How in my final days
You found around
Your concern
The signal for us to end our lives
To wipe beneath the watches
And you wait forever
The night comes high
Your weakness
Storing trace on your eyes
So I left you alone
We all left you alone
[reversed lyrics 7:21-7:24]
Lock the children away from harm
They'll lock all your reason why
Seeking (?) with a dagger
Skin is blocked by the years of trial
You felt abandoned in the fog of flesh
Sitting in place from the dead
Awaiting the face of the moon to ascend
You follow the siren in your head
In your head
The lyrics of Opeth's Hessian Peel explore the themes of mortality, loss, and abandonment. The first stanza suggests a concern for the offspring left behind when a mother passes away. The poet wonders if the children will grieve or if they will feel the same as when they were young. The lyrics convey a sense of melancholy, as the poet contemplates the passing of time and the inevitability of death.
The reversed lyrics in the song have a mysterious quality to them, adding to the brooding atmosphere of the track. They suggest a longing for someone to return, someone who has abandoned the singer. The second verse seems to be directed at the departed, asking them to come back and explain why they left. The reversed lyrics add an extra layer of complexity to the song and allow the listener to interpret their own meaning.
The final verse of the song touches on themes of isolation and the passing of time. The lyric, "Lock the children away from harm" suggests a fear for the future and a desire to protect the innocent. The lines "You felt abandoned in the fog of flesh/Sitting in place from the dead" evoke a sense of loneliness and despair, as the subject is left alone to face their own mortality. The song ultimately leaves the listener with a sense of introspection, prompting them to consider their own lives and the impact they will leave behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Will their children cry
Do you think the children of those people that we talked about earlier will shed tears when their mother passes away?
When their mother dies
The subject of conversation for now is the sorrowful event of a mother's death that we mentioned before.
And in the autumn of their lives
When these people - not necessarily the children, but just those people we were talking about earlier - grow old and reach the last stage of their existence...
Will they feel the same?
...do you reckon that they will experience the same emotions then that they will if they were still young?
The longing for me
The strong desire that you feel inside for my company...
Comin' down like hail
...is it descending upon you like balls of ice, so to speak?
Why did you leave me?
Were you discontented with me for some reason and that led you to abandon me?
Come here inside
Join me indoors, please...
And tell me how
...and if I may ask, would you kindly explain to me...
How in my final days
...how, when my time is about to come, do you perceive...
You found around
...the events that encircled and followed you then?
Your concern
Your anxiety about me...
The signal for us to end our lives
...is it a sign that it's time for us to leave this world?
To wipe beneath the watches
Should we wipe clean everything we've achieved until this point in our existence?
And you wait forever
Will you then patiently wait for your chance to move on to whatever is next for you beyond death?
The night comes high
Then night dawns high upon us...
Your weakness
...and the flaws in your character that come with it...
Storing trace on your eyes
...are visibly imprinted on your iris.
So I left you alone
I chose to leave you by yourself.
We all left you alone
Everyone else also moved away from you and abandoned you to your own fate.
Lock the children away from harm
Let's make sure that the young ones are secured and safe from any possible danger...
They'll lock all your reason why
...so they'll take charge of any logic or rational thinking you may have left.
Seeking (?) with a dagger
Some unclear word/syllable that might refer to someone who seeks to harm others with a knife...
Skin is blocked by the years of trial
The passage of time and the endless hardships that you've endured have made your skin hard and impenetrable...
You felt abandoned in the fog of flesh
You once experienced an instance when nobody was around to help you through a difficult moment despite being surrounded by people that are flesh and blood like you...
Sitting in place from the dead
...and it's as if you've been frozen in a spot, almost like you're as lifeless as a cadaver.
Awaiting the face of the moon to ascend
You're now waiting for the moon to rise above the horizon so that your turn to depart from this world can commence...
You follow the siren in your head
...and as you wait, you're being constantly led by an inner voice that's constantly calling out to you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MIKAEL LARS AKERFELDT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jotto999
Opeth has this weird quality where I often don't like it on the first listen, then on the third listen it's amazing as I get used to the twists and idiosyncrasies of the track. I thought I didn't like Watershed. Now I think it's great. It's like how Blackwater Park has aged like a fine wine, the opposite of most metal bands that just sound cringey after a few years. Opeth has a longer-term appeal that I can't easily explain.
Tom Jobs
Real art should assault your preconceived notions of real art. If you are completely head-over-heels about a song you've only heard once, it's merely a safe template (and probably pandered), not true art. I enjoy both forms, though. One isn't always looking for dense material; Sometimes music and art must be non-cerebral.
Marcus King
I got into Opeth through hearing The Grand Conjuration all the way back in 2011. Back then, I liked them because they were, in my eyes, another cool heavy band to check out.
Over time, however, I appreciated the prog element and songwriting much more than before, and after learning drums and guitar, I ended up hearing them with new ears. Now they're one of my top 5 favourite bands ever.
mbdiver3
This song was inspired by another totally underrated group, Camel
TheSpecsShow
Opeth are hardly underrated
Cosmic Dust
I can't explain how much I can relate to what you are saying ... fuck!!!
Hadri ART
This isn t a song, it s a piece of art
Coalicious
5:44 “So far this song has been really beautiful and easy to listen to I wonder what they are going to do ne- OH DEAR GOD”
Axeburst
Pretty much whole watershed is like this
Maranatha&Shalom
Opeth, the number one reason cats jump out of windows suddenly