Opeth are one of the most acclaimed metal acts of the past three decades, but the Swedish band refuses to rest on its laurels, challenging its listeners by continuing to evolve on each album.
The one constant remains Mikael Åkerfeldt, who, after originally joining the band in 1990 as its bassist, took over lead vocals in 1992 and has fronted Opeth ever since. While the lineup has changed over the years, longtime bassist Martín Méndez remains an integral member of the band, while former members like drummer Martin Lopez and guitarist Peter Lindgren proved to be essential pieces to Opeth’s celebrated discography.
Their first several albums can be categorized as progressive death metal, with Åkerfeldt’s demonic growls helping Opeth live up to their early aspirations to be the “most evil band in the world.” Among those LPs is 2001’s Blackwater Park, considered by many to be Opeth’s crowning achievement, and a constant presence on lists of the “greatest metal albums.”
In 2003, Opeth took a dramatic turn with a progressive rock sound on Damnation, and from 2011’s Heritage through 2019’s In Cauda Venenum, Åkerfeldt didn’t deliver a single growl, as Opeth moved further and further away from its initial death metal sound.
On Opeth’s latest album, 2024’s The Last Will and Testament, Åkerfeldt’s growls are back, much to the delight of the band’s longtime fans. Moreover, it’s another excellent addition to the Swedish metal masters’ stellar discography.
Narrowing down Opeth’s discography to their “10 Best Songs” is not an easy task. First off, they’re not exactly a singles band, and secondly, there are so many epic tracks to choose from. Below, Heavy Consequence presents its list of Opeth’s 10 greatest songs, with the acknowledgement that each fan’s own list likely looks significantly different. As the old Swedish proverb goes: “Delad glädje är dubbel glädje; delad sorg är halverad sorg” (“Shared joy is double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow”).
-Spencer Kaufman
Managing Editor, Heavy Consequence