Andrew Danso

So many have condemned the release of Damnation & Deliverance; however I rejoice. The very fabric of any good death metal record is present throughout this mix, it's class of generic isolation along with this seemingly dark, cold, ambiance created by Åkerfeldt and Lindgren's melodic guitar lines is only something that must be accredited for. Furthermore the sheer mystery of the lyrical values present throughout this album is not only interesting - it's rather baffling. Considering that there previous effort "Blackwater Park" is a cross of lush, warm, and still acoustic tonality, but with the same harshness and dissonance as Morningrise or Orchid; the riff work throughout this album appears to be much more aggressive, but lyrically a completely different concept - and I enjoy this. I like the fact that Opeth consistently deviate from the clone of category.

Listening to the track "Deliverance" we're introduced to a memorable haze that only Opeth can create. It's repeatably dark theme is present even throughout the acoustic tracking, we are consistently hearing this release of cold incendious Opeth. And the obscurity of this album is what helps it drift apart from previous Opeth records. I get the impression from listening to "Wreath" all of the way through to "By the Pain I See In Others" that some sort of plot is developed throughout this entire album - something that all of us are not supposed to put are finger on, something that we are not supposed to simply understand. It's plethora, simply too much. The subplot of course being "Damnation".

Controversial none the less with Opeth fans. And I can tell why - the hair is back up, riffing slightly more rigid, the mix perhaps slightly quieter than expected. However, the rhetoric technicality within this record must be adored, along with it's sparse humane feel, and dare I say - a beautiful mix. This record is definitely not the Opeth I have grown to know, but is certainly the Opeth I can't help but credit - 5/5.