Releases You May Have Missed - Opeth "Ghost Reveries"

“Ghost Reveries” is the 8^th studio album from Swedish progressive metallers, Opeth. The album was around a time of great change for the band. After the collapse of Music For Nations, Opeth found themselves without a label, but were soon snapped up by Roadrunner Records.

There was also a change to the line up in the band, which saw keyboardist, Per Wiberg, becoming a full time member of the band, rather than just a touring musician. It was also to become the final album in Opeth for guitarist Peter Lindgren and drummer Martin Lopez.

The album itself had great commercial success, with the band finally getting the recognition they deserved, with a brand new following of fans. The band found themselves with their first video, “The Grand Conjuration”, being shown on various music channels.

Commercial success is one thing, but what was the album really like in comparison to their previous works?

I was personally disappointed by this album. Though it may be a good album on its own, it’s not one that I frequently play. It has got some very strong tracks on it, such as “Baying Of The Hounds”, “Ghost Of Perdition”, “Hours Of Wealth” and “The Grand Conjuration”, but I found the rest of the album rather weak and lacking the sparkle they’ve had on previous albums.

However, I wouldn’t fully dismiss this album. It wouldn’t be the one I’d recommend to a new listener, but it does earn the right to be in any Opeth fan’s collection for the handful of good tracks which frequently appear in live set lists.