DAMNATION

This is my second review of this album. In my first review i was rather harsh on this album because it had no metal elements. At first i found this disapointing as it only has mellow tracks so i didn't give it much of a chance. I still think that Opeth had a better writing formula on "Blackwater Park", as this album had the perfect balance between mellow and heavy parts.

"Damnation" is a work of beauty, i can barely imagine any other heavy metal band being able to make an album like this, especially a band of such extreme heaviness. Opeth have always dazzled me with their mellow moments as well as their heavy moments, they have so much range and Mikael is one of the best vocalists i have ever heard. Imagine a band like Metallica trying to go for a mellow album like this! 9/10 bands who would try something like this would probably come out with something very poor. Opeth took the dare and produced a beautiful album that is a great example for other metal bands to follow, it shows that a metal band isn't just about heavy riffs and harsh lyrics and vocals.

Some of you hardcore metalheads out there might experience a sense of loss with this album, as i first did, but it is still Opeth at their best and the songs here are very familiar to the mellow moments on their other albums and it really does sound like pure Opeth. It would be really interesting to see how the crowd react to this album live. It is hard to imagine a bunch of metalheads swaying about and singing their hearts out rather than moshing and headbanging.

This album may not be a great intro for the new Opeth fan, I now have all of Opeths albums and i have made some observartions. Firstly, this album sounds a lot better now i have all their albums as it is great to just put on a pure mellow Opeth album inbetween listening to their superb riffs and heavy vocals. This album will sound a lot better if it is one of the last albums you purchase (this was the second album by Opeth that i got, so it didn't sound as good at first). Secondly, this album sounds great when played alongside its bigger brother album, "Deliverance", as it sounds like part two of that album, the mellow side, as if the two were meant to be a double album.

I think the standout tracks on this album are "Windowpane", "Closure", "Death Whispered a Lullaby" and "Ending Credits". The latter being an incredible insturmental with great acoustic and clean guitar work, it sounds similar to Santana's guitar style. "Windowpane" is my favourite track and it is a great way to kick off the album, it has a lush gloomy intro, some excellent vocals and strong guitar soloing. Each track on this album follows similar patterns but explores Opeth's mellow side in different ways. You will not hear one heavy riff on this album.

Damnation shines with originality and will forever remain a classic album. I can't think of any other metal band that have attempted something like this and Opeth have pulled it off fantastically. A worthy purchase, but i advise buying "Blackwater Park", "Deliverance" and "Still Life" first.

PS. You mellotron fans will go nuts over this one!