Ranking Every Opeth Studio Album From Worst To Best
4. Blackwater Park (2001)
In virtually every way imaginable – sales, touring opportunities, critical response, public recognition, etc. – Blackwater Park was Opeth’s breakthrough album. With the help of a new overseer and a new label (Steven Wilson and Music for Nations, respectively), it also saw a significant refinement of songwriting, instrumentation, and exploratory production.
From the moment opener The Leper Affinity erupts into irresistibly sleek wrath, it’s clear that the quartet is operating with newfound precision, daringness, and flexibility. It seamlessly traverses between light and dark passages with ease, making it an instant classic.
Luckily, the same can be said about Bleak, The Drapery Falls, Dirge for November, and The Funeral Portrait (all of which display praiseworthy adventurousness). Meanwhile, Harvest and Patterns in the Ivy remain two of their best acoustic compositions, while the closing title track acts as a direct precursor to the depravity of Deliverance.
Clearly, Blackwater Park is rightly celebrated for its influence on the genre, and it arguably inspired the heavier direction of Wilson’s Porcupine Tree project post-Lightbulb Sun. Beyond that, it’s just as frequently and understandably – if also debatably – cited as not only Opeth’s masterpiece, but as the greatest progressive metal album of all time.