Opeth Damnation By Nicholas Harrell on Feb 12, 2008 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

Opeth's counterpart to "Deliverance" will blindside you like a Mack truck, not because it's heavy, (it's not even close) but because you won't be expecting to hear the sounds pouring from your speakers. Hell, you might not even be able to comprehend it ("this IS a death metal band, right?"). Heavy guitars, blast beats, and snarls have been replaced by acoustic picking, ambient percussion, and haunting melodic vocals. Add in a Fender Rhoades, some piano and a mellotron and Opeth are throwing it at you 70's style. Be warned, this is by far the mellowest album Opeth have ever thrown at the unsuspecting listener, and it's great. "In My Time Of Need" strikes me as very Pink Floyd music-wise, not to mention the vocals on the pre-chorus. "Closure" ventures into the middle east while "Ending Credits", the album's lone instrumental, features some great guitar harmonies. Once again Opeth have pushed the boundries and showed their brilliance.