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
Hope Leaves
Opeth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beside my window
Hangs a lonely photograph
There is a reason
I never notice it
Memory that could hold me back
There is a wound that's always bleeding
And I know you'll never return to this place
Gone through days
Without talking
There is a comfort in silence
So used to losing
All ambition
And struggling to maintain what's left
There is a wound that's always bleeding
There is a road I'm always walking
And I know you'll never return to this place
Once undone
There's only smoke
Burning in my eyes to blind
To cover up
What really happened
And force the darkness onto me
There is a wound that's always bleeding
There is a road I'm always walking
And I know you'll never return to this place
The lyrics of Opeth's song 'Hope Leaves' convey a sense of loss, pain and regret. The opening lines describe a photograph hanging in the corner of the singer's window, but it is noted that they never notice it, possibly as means of protecting themselves from painful memories associated with it. There is a wound that is always bleeding, and a road that is always being walked, indicating a constant struggle with emotional pain and moving forward. It is acknowledged that the person or thing associated with the pain will never return to the place of the singer, adding to the sense of finality and loss.
The chorus repeats the same lines repeatedly, emphasizing the unchanging nature of the pain and the difficulty in moving past it. The final verse adds a sense of guilt and responsibility to the mix, with the singer acknowledging that they may have played a role in what happened, and now feel the need to hide behind a smokescreen of lies and darkness.
Overall, the song 'Hope Leaves' is a powerful representation of sorrow and grief, and the pain of holding on to memories that weigh us down. The lyrics suggest that sometimes the only way forward is to let go of the past and move on, even if it means accepting painful truths about ourselves and our actions.
Line by Line Meaning
In the corner beside my window
The person is describing where the photograph is located
Hangs a lonely photograph
The person is stating that the photograph is alone and by itself
There is a reason I never notice it
The person is saying that they intentionally do not pay attention to the photograph
Memory that could hold me back
The person is implying that the photograph represents a memory that has the potential to hinder their growth or progression
There is a wound that's always bleeding
The person is referring to a constant emotional pain that they experience
There is a road I'm always walking
The person is stating that they are constantly facing this emotional pain
And I know you'll never return to this place
The person is acknowledging that whatever caused the emotional pain will never be resolved
Gone through days without talking
The person has experienced prolonged periods of not speaking to anyone
There is a comfort in silence
The person finds solace in being alone and not communicating with others
So used to losing all ambition
The person no longer has the drive or desire to achieve anything
And struggling to maintain what's left
The person is trying to hold onto what little hope they have left
Once undone, there's only smoke
If the person's hope is lost, there is nothing left but emptiness or 'smoke'
Burning in my eyes to blind
The smoke, or emptiness, is so intense that it blinds the person
To cover up what really happened
The person is trying to hide the source of their pain
And force the darkness unto me
The person is surrendering to the pain and accepting it as a part of who they are
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Mikael Lars Akerfeldt
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@saras.1912
"Hope Leaves"
In the corner beside my window
There hangs a lonely photograph
There is no reason
I'd never notice
A memory that could hold me back
There is a wound that's always bleeding
There is a road I'm always walking
And I know you'll never return to this place
Gone through days without talking
There is a comfort in silence
So used to losing all ambition
Struggling to maintain what's left
There is a wound that's always bleeding
There is a road I'm always walking
And I know you'll never return to this place
Once undone, there is only smoke
Burning in my eyes to blind
To cover up what really happened
Force the darkness unto me
There is a wound that's always bleeding
There is a road I'm always walking
And I know you'll never return to this place.
@warlockdruid
That chord progression is so intimate.
@88omair
Intimate is the right word. This song always makes love to my ears
@yitzchak1853
magma bad
@warlockdruid
@@yitzchak1853 Toxic
@boab69y2k
So Beautiful - apart from the strech from the 5th fret to the first 😂🤣 -
@toprak3479
@@boab69y2k Beauty comes with a price...
@VikingLady219
One of the most beautiful songs ever written!
@markdemars7044
Absolutely no doubt about it.
I totally agree with you definitely.
@StormKillzone
it gets better the more you listen to it too
@stranac1978
love u all ♥️