CD Review: Opeth - Ghost Reveries

Sweden's Opeth are a band of contrasts. Half their music is extreme death metal, all piledriver riffs and growling 'Cookie Monster' vocals. But the other half is mellow progressive rock influenced by the likes of Pink Floyd and Camel.

The band's two previous albums, "Deliverance" and "Damnation" sounded like the work of two completely different bands. Actually recorded together, though released several months apart, "Deliverance" was uncompromisingly heavy, while "Damnation" showed the band's lighter side, all 'clean' vocals, plenty of Mellotron, and not a powerchord in sight.

"Ghost Reveries" takes the approach of the earlier "Blackwater Park" and mixes the contrasting styles on one album, and in many cases even combines them within individual songs. It actually works quite well; one moment there will be mountainous riffs or complex heavy guitar passages topped with growling death vocals, then it will drop away to a quiet acoustic section with clean vocals or a bluesy solo.

They've expanded to a five-piece with the addition of keyboard player Per Wiberg, who plays a lot of Mellotron, as well as electric piano and organ. No cheesy synths here! His playing is mainly adding atmospheres and textures rather than widdly soloing, but he certainly adds a new dimension to their sound.

Overall, a good album, though I would have preferred a bit less of the Cookie Monster. In one or two places Mikael Akerfeldt sings clean vocals on heavier sections; those work well, and I wish he's done more of the vocals like that.