DAMNATION

The second part of what Opeth had planned as a double album comes as the band's seventh studio release, 2003's 'Damnation', released just five months after the brutal and mechanical 'Deliverance'. Abandoning all heaviness, this is the first album in the band's history to feature all clean vocals as well as a much more prominent use of acoustic guitars and the Mellotron, serving as the most dramatic stylistic departure in the classic period of the band, together with being the third and last album of this decade to be co-produced by Steven Wilson, whose work with Porcupine Tree could have been a strong influence here as one should find some similarities. With the "unplugging" of the heavy guitars and the removal of the menacing riffs, 'Damnation' allows Åkerfeldt's songwriting capabilities to come through entirely, in a way cementing the Swedish musician as one of the most versatile and masterful modern rock composers.

Now, the drab sounding of this album shall not mislead the listener, since 'Damnation' is full of moments of sheer beauty intertwined with a touch of mournful melancholy, allowing Opeth to expand and develop their sound and completely embrace their progressive and folk rock influences. With several gorgeous entries, we have the opening track 'Windowpane', an elegantly sorrowful song with an interesting structure and a dazzling guitar solo. This one sets the tone of the record and offers a great use of the backing vocals of Steven Wilson, who is once again responsible for all the additional keyboards and pianos. The creeping Mellotron on 'In My Time of Need' gives this number a strong classic prog feel, while it remains another really moody offering. 'Death Whispered a Lullaby' is a sombre piece that puts the songwriting to the fore, with lyrics from Wilson, while 'Closure' has a folky influence that would be more thoroughly developed later on with the album 'Heritage'. The lush Mellotrons purvey the soundscapes of the next two tracks, which perhaps exhibit a distant Camel inspiration in the phrasing, followed by a fine instrumental and the stripped-down 'Weakness' with its sombre keyboards.

'Damnation' is an important album of the Opeth canon featuring some of the most beautiful and mellow songs Mikael Åkerfeldt has ever recorded, and as the conclusion of the collaboration with Steven Wilson, it is a gorgeous piece of evidence of the band's immense scope and talents.

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