Violence, screams, rage, black and even blood, are some of the words that tend to come to some people´s mind when they hear the words “Metal band”. Those people immediately associate the music and the band´s members to evil things and violent actions. That is not entirely the truth.
“Saying you don’t like Metal is like saying you don´t like films or books. It is not true, you just haven’t found the right genre or type for you, and there are so many different approaches” according to Metal fans.
As a person who bought all the Back Street Boys and NSYNC CD´s, I used to think also that Heavy Metal led to violence and destruction. But then I got older and the Grunge wave came to my life and I loved it. Back then I was a mixture of POP, blues, and Rock all over, the style of my clothes, my language, music, hair, everything.
Then one day I met this girl who loved Metallica, she looked so cool and easy-going that she inspired me. So I started listening to Heavy Metal and Progressive music, which I do until now but without the everyday black outfit, and without forgetting my POP routs.
Stockholm June 2005
Photo by: Michael Johansson
On those adolescent days, I discovered Opeth, a Swedish band formed in Stockholm that is influenced by many diverse musical styles like; jazz, blues, progressive rock, death metal, folk and I would dare to say that also classical music.
Opeth is perceived by the people who don’t know much about the band, like an evil, obscure and depressing sort of band, but actually, their lyrics are mainly about love, just not the pink or corny kind of love that melts the harts. After all, they are a metal band who is expressing their filings through music. “We’re still a metal band, when we want to,” told the bandleader Mikael Åkerfeldt to The Rolling stone Magazine in an interview.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/opeths-mikael-akerfeldt-my-10-favorite-metal-albums-w493840
The songs in most of their old albums included death growls but they changed that in time to incorporate acoustic guitars and clean vocals, evolving their music to another level.
They are included in Loudwire’s “50 Most Important Metal Bands In the 21st Century” along with the famous Metallica, Iron Maden, Judas Priest, Korn, Slipknot, Tool, and also the band Enslaved, Opeth´s guests for the entire UK & Ireland tour 2017.
However these changes created controversy among Opeth´s really heavy first fans who complained about the band becoming softer; however thanks to that change to a more progressive rock kind of music, they are gaining new followers like me, who find their mixture of genres fascinating.
Even though the public is always trying to categorize Opeth into a single genre, they have always presented something different for the music scene and their new album Sorceress released in 2016 is no different from that.
Better late than never…another tribute to a fallen hero. Read more: https://t.co/G5uDUFLcAn
— Opeth (@OfficialOpeth) December 14, 2017
This band is always surprising everyone who has the opportunity to listen to them by recording with different kinds of instruments or speckling the melody with dots of melancholy before they are out in the market for people to judge, but at the same time there is always a hint that reminds us of their black metal roots and their deep guitar riffs.
Opeth should be listened by everyone who appreciates music, at list one time just to understand the fascination that not only the fans have towards their music, but also the impression caused to other musicians and even if you don’t like their music you can admire the bands dedication to innovate the music industry and how they are inspiring new bands to challenge their styles and don’t get stocked in a single genre that categorizes themselves.
To all the Heavy fans out there, do not feel judged, everybody has a different background and style when it comes to music, and if we are patient with Reggaeton why don’t they be with Metal. It is about taste, feelings or affinity towards the music or what it represents to us, and if others cannot understand that then, just play the music louder.
