GHOST REVERIES

In a musical landscape dominated by nu metal, post-grunge and indie rock, Opeth's 'Ghost Reveries' stands as one of the most grandiose and majestic musical releases of 2005, with its elusive, heavy sounds, rich and embracive production, and ambitious and eclectic nature. This is the eighth studio album by the Swedish band and the last recording with guitar player Peter Lindgren and drummer Martin Lopez, also being the debut album of versatile musician Per Wiberg, handling all the keyboards on the album, and with Steven Wilson temporarily parting ways with the band, we have an interesting situation in the history of the band, still capturing that monumental period of high creativity and brilliant writing, as Opeth are seemingly led by the desire to create innovative works that transcend the pre-conceived notions of the genre, navigating the path of contemporary progressive metal and its extreme outbranches.

With a structure more similar to 'Blackwater Park', we have an eight-track album that overcomes the difficulties surrounding the 'Deliverance/Damnation' project, and with the inclusion of Jens Bogren as the album's producer, Opeth attempt a classy return to a style they are surely the forerunners of. The instant attack of 'Ghost of Perdition' smoothly transitions to a psych-prog bridging section and those first few minutes of music put on display the fabulous drumming and the wicked growls of Mikael Åkerfeldt, sounding as good as ever. The structure and the shifts within this track reminisce the far-reaching experiments of the previous albums. This is followed by 'The Baying of the Hounds', another enchanting and substantial piece of music with magical guitars all over and a gorgeous Hammond organ sounds, with some occult imagery going on in the lyrics. The influence of Wilson then lingers on with the following tracks 'Beneath the Mire' and 'Atonement', exhibiting a more classic rock sound with retro influences and a greater use of clean vocals, acoustic guitars and the Mellotron. Another great variation of the 10-minute form is developed on 'Harlequin Forest', another darker track ripe with sublime moments and a technically acute outro, while the dreamy and mournful 'Hours of Wealth' almost reminds you of a pop song's performance.

The last big entry on the album is 'The Grand Conjuration', a powerful exercise in writing and production and a prog metal masterclass - all of the influences and experiments of this album triumph with this song's unfolding. The perfect conclusion to a perfect album comes with 'Isolation Years', a glimpse of brilliance in simplicity from Åkerfeldt. Opeth boldly march forward with 'Ghost Reveries' and return to their glorious form displayed on 'Blackwater Park'.

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