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
Karma
Opeth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The rotting body clad in ancient clothes
Is left behind with a wave of the hand
I have gone away the bed is cold and empty
Trees bend their boughs toward the earth
And nighttime birds float as black faces
It was the hand reaching out through the mirror
The luring eyes, you had never seen
You have nothing more to find
You have nothing more to loose
The cold season drifts over the land
They huddle in the brown corners
Some would settle for less
The castles were all empty, asleep
Long awaiting their king
Beckoning round the bend
Amidst the forest one would hear that I had been there
Draped within a fate I could not change,
And always welcoming winter's epilogue
In the song "Karma," Opeth explores the theme of death and departure. The opening lines of the song state that grief only lays hold of the decaying body, and the soul departs from this world empty-handed. The imagery of the trees bending down towards the earth and nighttime birds floating as black faces creates a haunting atmosphere of mourning and sadness. The next set of lyrics describes a hand reaching out through the mirror, unknown and scarred by life. The singer seems to be describing the specter of death, a menacing figure that confronts all of us at some point in our lives.
The last lines of the song are the most profound, as the singer describes himself as a person doomed to a fate he cannot change. He is always welcoming winter's epilogue, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for death. The singer seems to have made peace with his mortality and accepts the inevitability of his demise. "Karma" could be seen as a meditation on the transience of life and the inevitability of death. Overall, it's a powerful song with a poignant message that resonates with anyone who has ever lost a loved one or struggled with their own mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
And as they say, grief is only able to possess
According to the popular saying, sorrow can only control and consume a person.
The rotting body clad in ancient clothes
Only the decaying physical shell, wrapped in outdated garments, remains.
Is left behind with a wave of the hand
Abandoned and dismissed with a simple gesture, like an afterthought.
I have gone away the bed is cold and empty
The artist has departed, leaving behind a vacant, abandoned bed in their wake.
Trees bend their boughs toward the earth
Vegetation bows down in subservience to the earth.
And nighttime birds float as black faces
Birds of the night soar like dark, mysterious apparitions.
It was the hand reaching out through the mirror
An unknown hand reaching through to the other side of a reflective surface.
Unknown and scarred by life
This person is not known, and bears the wounds of a hard-lived life.
The luring eyes, you had never seen
Eyes that entice, not yet encountered by the artist.
You have nothing more to find
There is nothing else to be discovered or sought after.
You have nothing more to loose
There is nothing else that can be lost or given up.
The cold season drifts over the land
Winter slowly envelops the landscape with its frigid embrace.
They huddle in the brown corners
People gather together in dimly lit, dingy spaces.
Some would settle for less
Certain individuals would accept and make do with less than they deserve.
The castles were all empty, asleep
Even great fortresses lay barren, quiet in slumber.
Long awaiting their king
These structures have longed for the arrival of a ruler, a figurehead to reign over them.
Beckoning round the bend
A beckoning, inviting gesture awaits around the next curve in the road.
Amidst the forest one would hear that I had been there
In the midst of the woods, one might overhear chatter of the singer's previous presence.
Draped within a fate I could not change,
Enveloped in an inescapable destiny that could not be altered.
And always welcoming winter's epilogue
The artist is always ready to embrace the peaceful, concluding chapter of winter.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Mikael Lars Akerfeldt, Sven Peter Malcolm Lindgren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind