I’ll tell you a funny story. For about 2 years, I thought Opeth was a little “out there.” A friend of mine from Germany first introduced me to them. Finally, I put my prejudices aside and gave “Still Life” a listen and I loved it. One night (while somewhat inebriated) my friend and I stumbled into the Tower Records on West 4th street in NYC. My friend (affectionately known to the cashier as “Metal Man” since he was the only person to ever buy a Mastodon CD there) was buying something and as we walked out of the store, I gave the cashier the horns and in my best death metal growl said “Opeth.” As we continued walking out of the store, the cashier shouted behind us “He just gave me the horns and said Opeth,” which put us in stitches. I digress because this is what “Damnation” is, a digression from Opeth’s usual music.

Digression can have a negative connotation associated with it but it doesn’t in this case. Mikael Akerfeldt & Co. along with producer and Porcupine Tree member Steve Wilson have created one of the most masterfully produced and stimulating acoustic psychedelic albums since the days of Pink Floyd. While Opeth is known for technical classical guitar interludes, this album takes these to a new level. This album is the softer album that was recorded at the same time as last year’s “Deliverance” which was called the harder album. Why these two masterful works were not released as a double CD is unbeknownst to me.

To start the list of digressions, Steve Wilson figures into this album much more than in previous albums. Nearly every track has Wilson on keys and several have him on backing vocals. The classical guitar work is much more complex than before, with composite dueling harmonies that intertwine like never before. There is more emphasis on non-standard timing and the bass work figures much more prominently into the overall song structure rather than being an occasional element. The biggest change is the general aesthetic of what an Opeth album usually is. The songs are much shorter than the 10+ minute opuses that comprised “Deliverance.” The melody is much more tightly regulated and all the vocals are natural voices, not growls.

The first track is “Windowpane.” On first listen, this song was counter to anything I had ever heard from Opeth before. The trademark tri-tone chords sound so stylistically different when played acoustically. Wilson and Akerfeldt’s vocal harmonies really add a new depth to the sound. “In My Time of Need” sounds like something that Pink Floyd might have done circa ”The Wall” as one of their slower songs. Some of the themes are similar in this aspect. The use of keys to support the music here is a good choice and provides psychedelic wallpaper for the song. The effects used on the guitar in this song scream out Pink Floyd. If I were not told this was Opeth, I would predict that I was hearing some classic David Gilmour guitar work. “Death Whispered a Lullaby” is another song in the similar vein. The opening riff is very ornamented in terms of the way it is executed. The latter part of the song has a heavily affected guitar solo that is analogous to solos that Adam Jones of Tool pulls out. In fact, I might have guessed that Tool penned this song if I didn’t know it was by Opeth.

In an album of digressions, “Closure” is another one. In addition to being a digression from the normal Opeth musical style, it is a digression from the rest of the songs on the album. Once the main part of the song starts, there is a middle-eastern influenced guitar riff with more tribal style drumming. An electric guitar factors into this as a rising crescendo builds this song up to a huge emotional high capped off by a drum roll. And then… only Mikael and his guitar. The anti-climactic quality of this song really throws you for a loop. I believe this was the intended effect that the band strived for on this track and on this album in general. The song ends abruptly as well adding a second aftershock into the confusion that they have spun together with this track.

“Hope Leaves” is another song more in the mold of the first three tracks. The bass work again is very prominent and along with the atmospheric and haunting keyboards, provides the skeleton for this song. “To Rid the Disease” is a spectacular song from start to finish. This song again builds up from a quiet verse to a very atmospheric chorus showcasing the splendid song writing and precise musicianship that Opeth brings to the table. The latter part of this song, I believe, sounds very similar to “Serenity Painted Death” but much more acoustic, melodic, harmonic and slowed down. So in essence, nothing like “Serenity Painted Death.” Wilson’s keyboard outro is an evocative testament to his skills as a musician as well as producer and mixer.

“Ending Credits” is an instrumental that brings up many of the themes previously visited in the album in more of a coherent way. If you should purchase this album, make sure to pickup the limited edition digipack that contains the bonus song “Weakness.” The keyboards are truly what make the song an unsettling masterpiece. There are no bass lines nor are there drums. It is simply Mikael singing and playing some riffs with Steve Wilson on the keyboards. It is a ghostly and chilling atmospheric piece to end an album with.

For people expecting typical Opeth, this album is anything but. To quote a friend, “This is the type album that will keep you in your seat for a day and a half if you play it on repeat when high.” It’s mellow, it’s trippy, it’s not typical Opeth, but it’s Opeth. Just like The Matrix, you cannot be told what this album is like. You have to experience it for yourself.