Opeth is a band from Sweden that is renowned for adding varying non-metal elements to their sound and for being influenced by diverse musical styles, ranging from jazz, 1970s progressive rock, blues and folk. Vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt is also noted for his singing, utilizing both clean and death growls, often in one song. Due to their unique blend of melodic and progressive elements, Opeth are often classified separately from more typical death metal acts. The name Opeth was taken from Wilbur Smith’s novel Sunbird and derived from Opet, a city of the moon named in the novel.

History

Opeth was formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1990 by David Isberg. Isberg invited Mikael Åkerfeldt to join the band at a practice session as a bass player, but failed to inform the current bass player or any of the other members of the band. Because of this, all band members except for Isberg quit, and Åkerfeldt soon joined Opeth after his band, Eruption, faltered. With Åkerfeldt on guitar ... read more »