01	Windowpane						07:44
	02	In My Time Of Need						05:46
	03	Death Whispered A Lullaby						05:52
	04	Closure						05:15
	05	Hope Leaves						04:27
	06	To Rid The Disease						06:21
	07	Ending Credits						03:39
	08	Weakness						04:14

Damnation
Date of Release Apr 22, 2003
Styles Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Death Metal/Black Metal, Progressive Metal

Released in 2003, Damnation is easily the most radical departure of Opeth's career. The companion piece to the previous year's Deliverance set, to which it was originally inextricably married (before record company marketing men got their dirty little hands on them), the album is the first to explore the group's non-heavy metal-based songwriting both at length and exclusively. Since all of Opeth's previous outings were specifically conceived for the express purpose of contrasting heavy and light, violent and delicate, black and white, such a uniform presentation would already be surprising enough, but perhaps even more astounding is the realization that Damnation can't even be termed a heavy metal album. This is because, except for very brief moments in the excellent "Closure," not a distorted power guitar chord, not a pounding bass drum, not a growled death vocal is to be found here - only mellow, melancholy, deeply reflective numbers boasting melodic electric and acoustic guitars, the odd bit of piano and Mellotron (performed by the producer, Porcupine Tree's Steve Wilson), and background string arrangements. Rather, alluringly mournful tracks like "Windowpane," "Death Whispered a Lullaby," "Hope Leaves," and "Ending Credits" are at once complex and supple. Relatively of short length by Opeth standards, they often resemble the short musical interludes separating the band's prevalent explosions of black metal fury and progressive rock excursions. Laid out in unnaturally fluid sequence here, these songs obviously fail to provide the striking, surprise-filled experience that longtime Opeth fans have grown accustomed to, but once the novelty sinks in, those fans will easily come to enjoy and recognize Damnation for the finely executed if unique chapter it represents. In fact, even traditional rock fans with no interest in heavy metal whatsoever are likely to appreciate Damnation for its beautifully assembled, reliably high-caliber songwriting - it's that good. As for devout metalheads seeking their first taste of Opeth's usual, furiously metallic onslaught, they should start with the aforementioned Deliverance or perhaps 2000's Blackwater Park in order to get a more accurate glimpse of the Opeth they've been reading about. Ideally, however, open-minded listeners will sample both Deliverance and Damnation in the manner intended in the first place: together, as dissimilar halves comprising an astoundingly inspired whole. - Ed Rivadavia

1. Windowpane (Akerfeldt) - 7:45
2. In My Time of Need (Akerfeldt) - 5:49
3. Death Whispered a Lullaby (Wilson/Akerfeldt) - 5:49
4. Closure (Akerfeldt) - 5:15
5. Hope Leaves (Akerfeldt) - 4:30
6. To Rid the Disease (Akerfeldt) - 6:21
7. Ending Credits (Akerfeldt) - 3:39
8. Weakness (Akerfeldt) - 4:10

Martin Mendez - Guitar (Bass)
Opeth - Producer, Engineer
Steven Wilson - Vocals (bckgr), Producer, Engineer, Mastering, Mixing
Mikael Akerfeldt - Guitar, Vocals
Peter Lindgren - Guitar
Martin Lopez - Percussion, Drums
Travis Smith - Cover Design, Booklet Design
Mick Hutson - Photography

2003 CD Koch 8652





D A M N A T I O N

Released:April, 2003
Running time:

Tracks:
1. Windowpane
2. In my time of need
3. Death whispered a lullaby
4. Closure
5. Hope leaves
6. To rid the disease
7. Ending credits
8. Weakness

Release dates:
Australia April 7th 2003 - Zomba, Europe April 14th 2003 - Music For Nations, USA April 22th 2003 - Koch, Japan May 7th 2003 - Zomba


Published by Zomba music Ltd.

Released in Europe by Music for nations
Released in Japan by JVC/Victor
Released in USA by KOCH





E Q U I P M E N T

Complete list of equipment used for the recording:
DELIVERANCE + DAMNATION, Nacksving & Studio Fredman:

Equipment section:
Electric guitars: PRS Custom 24, Gibson Les Paul Custom & Dunlop picks
Acoustic guitars: CF Martin 00016GT, Takamine 12Str
Bass guitars: Fender Jazz MM edition & Dadario 045 strings
Drums: Premier Signia Marquis & Sabian cymbals & Premier sticks
Amplifiers: Laney VH100L, Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier with 4/12 Laney cabinet
Strings: Dadario 010 electrics, Martin Phosphor 12str, Dr.Thomastik 011





Opeth - Damnation Country of Origin: Sweden
Format: CD
Record Label: Music For Nations
Catalogue #: CDMFN294
Year of Release: 2003
Time: 43:19
Info: Opeth
Samples: -


Tracklist: Windowpane (7:44), In My Time Of Need (5:49), Death Whispered A Lullaby (5:49), Closure (5:15), Hope Leaves (4:30), To Rid The Disease (6:21), Ending Credits (3:39), Weakness (4:08)

Although they initially emerged from the Scandinavian black metal scene, Sweden’s Opeth have since become masters of a genre all their own; one that fuses dark, gothic, sometimes extreme metal with pastoral, mellow folk-tinged progressive rock. In recent years the band’s profile has snowballed, and consequently their appeal has grown outside of the extreme metal circle they previously inhabited. Many progressive rock fans have been intrigued enough to investigate, only to be put off by the undeniably heavy nature of much of the music, and perhaps more pertinently by the patented ‘cookie monster’ death growl which vocalist (also guitarist/ songwriter) Mikael Akerfeldt uses to deliver at least half of the lyrics. These aspects don’t bother me – but then, I enjoy listening to many bands at the heavier end of the musical spectrum, and am well aware that many prog rock fans don’t share my enthusiasm for this type of music!

When it was initially first mooted that Opeth were recording two separate albums, one that focused on their heavier side Deliverance and one on their mellower side Damnation I was a little sceptical – surely part of the appeal of the band was the way in which they effortlessly combine, and switch between, the two modes during the course of an album? I also had visions of the mellow album being somewhat one-dimensional and lacking in dynamics, given that in the past these parts have often acted as a ‘breathing space’ between the denser and more complex passages.

Well, thankfully my fears were completely unfounded – Damnation is a wonderful album. Opeth may have ditched the heavy riffs and ‘cookie monster’ vocals, but this is far from a stripped-down, unplugged affair. Dripping with passion and symphonic overtones, on Damnation Mikael Akerfeldt gives full-flight to his oft-mentioned progressive rock influences – Steve Hackett, Barclay James Harvest, Camel (whose influence can clearly be heard on Ending Credits where Aring;kerfeldt delivers a string of Andy Latimer-esque solos), and early Pink Floyd (think Echoes for an idea of the vibe captured on this album). The songs benefit from a crisp, full sound, are wonderfully constructed and impeccably played – with drummer Martin Lopez giving a particularly inspired performance. Aring;kerfeldt's vocals are as fine as ever; he has a deceptively mellow yet emotionally-charged voice, which is perfectly suited to the decidedly dark and melancholy lyrics.

Porcupine Tree man Steven Wilson (who produced the band’s breakthrough album, Blackwater Park) is an integral part of this recording – not only is he on production duties, but he also contributes keyboards, piano and swathes of mellotron which fill out the sound very effectively. Together with his distinctive backing vocals and even the lyrics to one track (Death Whispered A Lullaby), it would be fair to say that, if In Absentia could be said to have been influenced by Opeth (in their usual, heavier guise) then Damnation definitely has strong echoes of Porcupine Tree, particularly circa their Stupid Dream album.

In an album this consistent, with absolutely no filler, it’s almost impossible to pick out highlights; especially as everything flows together so seamlessly. I will single out the opening track Windowpane; not that its necessarily the best track on the album, more that, in the way it is constructed, ebbing and flowing through a variety of musical landscapes and moods, it serves as a perfect introduction to what you will find on the rest of the album. In conclusion, Damnation is undoubtedly one of (if not the) strongest releases in the progressive rock field that I’ve heard this year. It takes some band to manage to create an album likely to gain them a whole new audience without alienating the existing one, and I feel that Opeth have managed this here. It will certainly be interesting to see where the band go from here, but for now just sit back and enjoy the Opeth sound as presented on Damnation, a real gem which I’d recommend to all lovers of seventies-inspired progressive rock

Conclusion: 9.5 out of 10

Tom de Val