DAMNATION

The greatest thing about this prog-rock release from death metal masters Opeth is it's sheer personal approach. This is an album that is a shattering contrast to the band's usually heavy material. For those unfamiliar with the group's work, it might come as a suprise that there is actually no trace of metal, save extreme metal in any of the songs. Instead of longer, more technical compositions, Mikael Akerfeldt conveys his meaning through more conventional outlets, concentrating more on sheer emotion as opposed to 'brutality' or progressiveness, although the progressive elements are certainly evident.

The personality and intimacy comes through in the stripped down feeling of the album. That's not to say that there aren't complex parts in the music (there certainly are) but for a good part of the album, there is more of a focus on bare songwriting as opposed to musical virtuosity. This gives more room for the feeling to shine through, and the resulting effect is breathtaking.

Another evident strength this album has to offer is the sincerity of the music. There are songs here that obviously have great personal meaning to Akerfeldt (for example; the song 'Hope Leaves' is about his grandmother dying) and that's what really makes this album such a gem; a pure uncompromised sense of feeling that is hard to find in progressive music nowadays.

Where the album faults might have even been inevitable. Keeping the music mellow means that alot of the album ends up being more one-tracked then an Opeth album usually is. While alot of the songwriting is top-notch, a few songs ('Death Whispered A Lullaby') could have been tweaked somewhat more to get the best possible outcome.

This is an album where Mikael Akerfeldt really put his heart out on the line. For making such a courageous move, and combining that with songwriting brilliance, and beautiful performances from all members of the band, 'Damnation' deserves no less than to be called 'fantastic.' If it wasn't for it's few small faults, I would have no issue calling it a masterpiece. Beautiful, deep, introspective, and moving beyond words.

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