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Intro: Dimitris Kaltsas
11 / 09 / 2019
The release of In Cauda Venenum will be no.13 in the back catalogue of Opeth starting from Orchid in 1995. The transition from progressive death metal to proggier metal and less death and then even less till the complete shift to vintage progressive rock came with the metal element being limited to touches with a potential increase in the upcoming In Cauda Venenum.
During these 24 years of recording, perhaps the most striking thing is that the band has managed to completely renew itself and these years do not seem to burden Mikael Åkerfeldt and his company in the least. The entrance of Fredrik Åkesson (guitar), Martin Axenrot (drums) and Joakim Svalberg (keys) in the band lineup found Opeth ready to cope with the ever-increasing demands and to confirm their reputation of an amazing concert band each and every time. 
Another rare feature is that virtually every single album has its own status in the audience, largely due to the exhaustively worked material, the particular attention to the sound quality (many productions on their albums are exemplary with contributions by Dan Swanö, Fredrik Nordström, Steven Wilson, Jens Bogren, Tom Dalgety) and the complex prog structures with typically extended intros and alternations from electric to acoustic guitars and vice versa. However, apart from the many great things they have already accomplished, undoubtedly much of Opeth’s legacy lies in Åkerfeldt’s charisma and originality as a guitarist. His signature melodies and his imposing and always inspiring solos are rare in prog metal, death metal, and even prog rock from the 80s to the present day.
The release of In Cauda Venenum was the perfect occasion to delve a little deeper into their works and each of selected 5 favorite albums and songs by Opeth. Summing up the views of 18 editors, Blackwater Park topped the list, with Damnation second, while it is impressive that 10 of the band’s 12 albums to date have been selected.
So, aggregately, the ranking of Opeth albums based on the preferences of the editors of Progrocks.gr is as follows:
| 01. Blackwater Park | 74 |
| 02. Damnation | 46 |
| 03. Still Life | 40 |
| 04. Ghost Reveries | 29 |
| 05. Deliverance | 25 |
| 06. Watershed | 20 |
| 07. My Arms, Your Hearse | 18 |
| 08. Morningrise | 11 |
| 09. Pale Communion | 04 |
| 10. Heritage | 01 |
(scores were obtained by assigning to each list no.1 as 5, no.2 as 4and so on)
Regarding the songs, the result was even more impressive. Our picks include 39 different tracks, i.e. 45% of the band’s songs! Blackwater Park was marginally the first:
| 01. Blackwater Park | 25 |
| 02. Deliverance | 21 |
| 03. In my Time of Need | 20 |
| 04. Windowpane | 17 |
| 05. The Moor | 13 |
| 06. The Drapery Falls | 12 |
| 07. Face of Melinda | 11 |
| 08. Bleak | 10 |
| 09. The Leper Affinity | 10 |
| 10. Dirge for November | 09 |
And here are our top-5’s:
| Albums | Songs | |
| Dimitris Anastasiadis | Blackwater Park | The Leper Affinity |
| Deliverance | Deliverance | |
| Ghost Reveries | The Grand Conjuration | |
| Still Life | The Devil’s Orchard | |
| Watershed | Ghost of Perdition | |
| Kostas Barbas | Blackwater Park | Bleak |
| Damnation | The Drapery Falls | |
| Still Life | Demon of the Fall | |
| Ghost Reveries | The Moor | |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | Ending Credits | |
| Vangelis Christodoulou | Blackwater Park | The Drapery Falls |
| Still Life | Blackwater Park | |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | Windowpane | |
| Damnation | Godhead’s Lament | |
| Morningrise | To Bid you Farewell | |
| Meletis Doulgeroglou | Deliverance | Blackwater Park |
| Ghost Reveries | By the Pain I Feel in Others | |
| Blackwater Park | The Lotus Eater | |
| Damnation | The Baying of the Hounds | |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | To Rid the Disease | |
| Ilias Goumagias | Damnation | Windowpane |
| Blackwater Park | In My Time of Need | |
| Still Life | Death Whispered a Lullaby | |
| Morningrise | Closure | |
| Ghost Reveries | Hope Leaves | |
| Paris Gravouniotis | Damnation | In My Time of Need |
| Blackwater Park | Harvest | |
| Ghost Reveries | Reverie / Harlequin Forest | |
| Still Life | Burden | |
| Pale Communion | Face of Melinda | |
| Dimitris Kaltsas | Damnation | Windowpane |
| Blackwater Park | In My Time of Need | |
| Watershed | Hope Leaves | |
| Deliverance | A Fair Judgement | |
| Ghost Reveries | Burden | |
| Vasilis Korolis | Morningrise | Advent |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | Black Rose Immortal | |
| Blackwater Park | The Lotus Eater | |
| Still Life | Face Of Melinda | |
| Watershed | Bleak | |
| Christos Minos | Blackwater Park | Blackwater Park |
| Still Life | Deliverance | |
| Ghost Reveries | Reverie / Harlequin Forest | |
| Damnation | Demon of the Fall | |
| Pale Communion | Face of Melinda | |
| Eleni Panayiotou | Still Life | Face of Melinda |
| Watershed | The Moor | |
| Blackwater Park | Deliverance | |
| Damnation | Closure | |
| Ghost Reveries | The Grand Conjuration | |
| Petros Papadogiannis | Blackwater Park | A Fair Judgement |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | Dirge for November | |
| Ghost Reveries | When | |
| Damnation | The Grand Conjuration | |
| Still Life | In My Time of Need | |
| Goran Petrić | Damnation | Burden |
| Blackwater Park | In My Time of Need | |
| Watershed | Windowpane | |
| Pale Communion | Blackwater Park | |
| Deliverance | Harvest | |
| Tasos Poimenidis | Blackwater Park | The Lepper Affinity |
| Still Life | Heir Apparent | |
| Ghost Reveries | The Moor | |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | The Grand Conjuration | |
| Deliverance | The Baying of The Hounds | |
| Thomas Sarakintsis | Blackwater Park | Hessian Peel |
| Watershed | Bleak | |
| Still Life | Eternal Rains Will Come | |
| Damnation | April Ethereal | |
| Heritage | Windowpane | |
| Lefteris Statharas | Damnation | To Rid The Disease |
| Blackwater Park | Blackwater Park | |
| Deliverance | Heir Apparent | |
| Still Life | Deliverance | |
| Watershed | Face of Melinda | |
| Alexandros Topintzis | Deliverance | Blackwater Park |
| Blackwater Park | When | |
| Damnation | Deliverance | |
| Still Life | In My Time of Need | |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | Beneath The Mire | |
| Giannis Voulgaris | Ghost Reveries | The Moor |
| Watershed | Harlequin Forest | |
| Still Life | The Drapery Falls | |
| Damnation | Hessian Peel | |
| Blackwater Park | Deliverance | |
| Giannis Zavradinos | Blackwater Park | Dirge for November |
| Deliverance | Deliverance | |
| Morningrise | Drapery Falls | |
| Still Life | Master’s Apprentices | |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | Face of Melinda |
Εισαγωγή: Δημήτρης Καλτσάς
11 / 09 / 2019
Η κυκλοφορία του In Cauda Venenum είναι το νο.13 στη λίστα των full-length albums των Opeth ξεκινώντας από το Orchid το 1995. Η μετάβαση από το progressive death metal στο πιο prog metal και λιγότερο death και μετά ακόμα λιγότερο μέχρι την ολική στροφή στο vintage progressive rock με το metal στοιχείο να περιορίζεται σε πινελιές με πιθανότατο σημείο ανάτασής του το επερχόμενο In Cauda Venenum.
Μέσα στα 24 χρόνια δισκογραφικής πορείας το πιο εντυπωσιακό ίσως στοιχείο είναι ότι η μπάντα έχει καταφέρει να ανανεωθεί πλήρως και τα χρόνια αυτά δε φαίνεται να βαραίνουν ούτε στο ελάχιστο την παρέα του Mikael Åkerfeldt. Η είσοδος των Fredrik Åkesson (κιθάρα), Martin Axenrot (ντραμς) και Joakim Svalberg (πλήκτρα) βρήκε τους Opeth πανέτοιμους να αντεπεξέλθουν στις ολοένα αυξημένες απαιτήσεις και να επιβεβαιώνουν κάθε φορά τη φήμη μιας καταπληκτικής συναυλιακά μπάντας που τους συνοδεύει. Ένα άλλο σπάνιο χαρακτηριστικό είναι ότι σχεδόν κάθε δίσκος τους έχει ένα status στο κοινό, γεγονός που απορρέει κυρίως από το εξαντλητικά πολυδουλεμένο υλικό, την ιδιαίτερη προσοχή στον ήχο (πολλές παραγωγές σε δίσκους τους είναι υποδειγματικές με συμμετοχές των Dan Swanö, Fredrik Nordström, Steven Wilson, Jens Bogren, Tom Dalgety) και τις σύνθετες prog δομές με χαρακτηριστικά μεγάλες εισαγωγές και εναλλαγές ηλεκτρικών και ακουστικών κιθάρων. Εκτός από τα πολλά εξαιρετικά έχουν ήδη καταφέρει, όμως, αναμφισβήτητα ένα μεγάλο μέρος του legacy των Opeth βρίσκεται στη χαρισματικότητα και πρωτοτυπία του Åkerfeldt ως κιθαρίστα. Οι signature μελωδίες του και τα επιβλητικά και πάντα εμπνευσμένα solos είναι σπάνια στο πάνθεον του prog metal, του death metal, ακόμα και του prog rock από 80s μέχρι σήμερα.
Η κυκλοφορία του In Cauda Venenum ήταν η ιδανική αφορμή για να ξεψαχνίσουμε λίγο ακόμα τα έργα τους και να επιλέξει ο καθένας μας τα 5 αγαπημένα του άλμπουμ και τραγούδια των Opeth. Η άθροιση των απόψεων 18 συντακτών μας ανέδειξε το Blackwater Park με διαφορά κορυφαίο, με δεύτερο το Damnation, ενώ εντυπωσιακό είναι πως ψηφίστηκαν 10 από τα 12 μέχρι σήμερα albums της μπάντας.
Συγκεντρωτικά λοιπόν, η κατάταξη των albums των Opeth με βάση τς προτιμήσεις των συντακτών του Progrocks.gr έχει ως εξής:
| 01. Blackwater Park | 74 |
| 02. Damnation | 46 |
| 03. Still Life | 40 |
| 04. Ghost Reveries | 29 |
| 05. Deliverance | 25 |
| 06. Watershed | 20 |
| 07. My Arms, Your Hearse | 18 |
| 08. Morningrise | 11 |
| 09. Pale Communion | 04 |
| 10. Heritage | 01 |
(οι βαθμολογίες προέκυψαν αντιστοιχίζοντας σε κάθε λίστα το νο. 1 με 5, το νο. 2 με 4 κ.ο.κ. και αθροίζοντας στο τέλος για κάθε δίσκο)
Στα κομμάτια το αποτέλεσμα ήταν ακόμα πιο εντυπωσιακό. Στις προτιμήσεις μας περιλαμβάνονται 39 διαφορετικά, δηλαδή το 45% των κομματιών της μπάντας! Μεταξύ αυτών, το Blackwater Park ήταν με διαφορά πρώτο:
| 01. Blackwater Park | 25 |
| 02. Deliverance | 21 |
| 03. In my Time of Need | 20 |
| 04. Windowpane | 17 |
| 05. The Moor | 13 |
| 06. The Drapery Falls | 12 |
| 07. Face of Melinda | 11 |
| 08. Bleak | 10 |
| 09. The Leper Affinity | 10 |
| 10. Dirge for November | 09 |
Και αυτές είναι οι λίστες του καθένα μας:
| Δίσκοι | Κομμάτια | |
| Δημήτρης Αναστασιάδης | Blackwater Park | The Leper Affinity |
| Deliverance | Deliverance | |
| Ghost Reveries | The Grand Conjuration | |
| Still Life | The Devil’s Orchard | |
| Watershed | Ghost of Perdition | |
| Γιάννης Βούλγαρης | Ghost Reveries | The Moor |
| Watershed | Harlequin Forest | |
| Still Life | The Drapery Falls | |
| Damnation | Hessian Peel | |
| Blackwater Park | Deliverance | |
| Ηλίας Γουμάγιας | Damnation | Windowpane |
| Blackwater Park | In My Time of Need | |
| Still Life | Death Whispered a Lullaby | |
| Morningrise | Closure | |
| Ghost Reveries | Hope Leaves | |
| Πάρης Γραβουνιώτης | Damnation | In My Time of Need |
| Blackwater Park | Harvest | |
| Ghost Reveries | Reverie / Harlequin Forest | |
| Still Life | Burden | |
| Pale Communion | Face of Melinda | |
| Μελέτης Δουλγκέρογλου | Deliverance | Blackwater Park |
| Ghost Reveries | By the Pain I Feel in Others | |
| Blackwater Park | The Lotus Eater | |
| Damnation | The Baying of the Hounds | |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | To Rid the Disease | |
| Γιάννης Ζαβραδινός | Blackwater Park | Dirge for November |
| Deliverance | Deliverance | |
| Morningrise | Drapery Falls | |
| Still Life | Master’s Apprentices | |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | Face of Melinda | |
| Δημήτρης Καλτσάς | Damnation | Windowpane |
| Blackwater Park | In My Time of Need | |
| Watershed | Hope Leaves | |
| Deliverance | A Fair Judgement | |
| Ghost Reveries | Burden | |
| Βασίλης Κορολής | Morningrise | Advent |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | Black Rose Immortal | |
| Blackwater Park | The Lotus Eater | |
| Still Life | Face Of Melinda | |
| Watershed | Bleak | |
| Χρήστος Μήνος | Blackwater Park | Blackwater Park |
| Still Life | Deliverance | |
| Ghost Reveries | Reverie / Harlequin Forest | |
| Damnation | Demon of the Fall | |
| Pale Communion | Face of Melinda | |
| Κώστας Μπάρμπας | Blackwater Park | Bleak |
| Damnation | The Drapery Falls | |
| Still Life | Demon of the Fall | |
| Ghost Reveries | The Moor | |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | Ending Credits | |
| Ελένη Παναγιώτου | Still Life | Face of Melinda |
| Watershed | The Moor | |
| Blackwater Park | Deliverance | |
| Damnation | Closure | |
| Ghost Reveries | The Grand Conjuration | |
| Πέτρος Παπαδογιάννης | Blackwater Park | A Fair Judgement |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | Dirge for November | |
| Ghost Reveries | When | |
| Damnation | The Grand Conjuration | |
| Still Life | In My Time of Need | |
| Τάσος Ποιμενίδης | Blackwater Park | The Lepper Affinity |
| Still Life | Heir Apparent | |
| Ghost Reveries | The Moor | |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | The Grand Conjuration | |
| Deliverance | The Baying of The Hounds | |
| Goran Petrić | Damnation | Burden |
| Blackwater Park | In My Time of Need | |
| Watershed | Windowpane | |
| Pale Communion | Blackwater Park | |
| Deliverance | Harvest | |
| Θωμάς Σαρακίντσης | Blackwater Park | Hessian Peel |
| Watershed | Bleak | |
| Still Life | Eternal Rains Will Come | |
| Damnation | April Ethereal | |
| Heritage | Windowpane | |
| Λευτέρης Σταθάρας | Damnation | To Rid The Disease |
| Blackwater Park | Blackwater Park | |
| Deliverance | Heir Apparent | |
| Still Life | Deliverance | |
| Watershed | Face of Melinda | |
| Αλέξανδρος Τοπιντζής | Deliverance | Blackwater Park |
| Blackwater Park | When | |
| Damnation | Deliverance | |
| Still Life | In My Time of Need | |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | Beneath The Mire | |
| Βαγγέλης Χριστοδούλου | Blackwater Park | The Drapery Falls |
| Still Life | Blackwater Park | |
| My Arms, Your Hearse | Windowpane | |
| Damnation | Godhead’s Lament | |
| Morningrise | To Bid you Farewell |
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