Opeth just keep getting better. It’s hard to think of another band that has shown as much consistent growth through its career, with each successive album developing and expanding on its predecessor’s ideas, sounds and modes of expression. “Ghost Reveries”, Opeth’s eighth release, brings together the poetic and pastoral elements of “Still Life” and “Damnation” and fuses them with the pneumatic power of “Deliverance” and “Blackwater Park” to produce music that is dramatic and brutally powerful yet also graceful and at times spine-tingling.



For “Ghost Reveries” Opeth parted company with Steven Wilson, producer of the preceding three albums, and the result has been a subtle step forward in tone and phrasing. The double kick-drum assault and aggressive riffing remain but there’s a new focus on longer, more liquid phrasing and a stronger, symphonic sense of story in the lengthier songs. Rather than being simply a scrapbook of ideas, which has been a criticism leveled at some of the band’s earlier work, there’s more of a developmental flow through the movements in the epic tracks on “Ghost Reveries”. The powerful opener “Ghost of Perdition” begins with a typical Opeth salvo of guitars and drums before introducing a theme which morphs and snakes its way through the various movements to the powerful, sudden death ending. The motif is still recognizable, if only subliminally, bringing a satisfying wholeness to the track. It’s an example of “theme and variations” in the classical sense.



True to past form, though, whilst moving on creatively the disc maintains stylistic links with the earlier series of albums. “Atonement” re-explores an Arabic theme with drummer Martin Lopez returning to the darabukkah featured on “Deliverance” as the keys and guitars combine to weave a sinuous melody that is almost Zep-ish. The Leslie effect on the vocals is another subtle homage to Wilson. “Reverie / Harlequin Forest”, the symphonic standout of the album, features several distinctive movements with dramatic changes of mood and pace. A prominent feature of the track is a long outro reminiscent of the landmark “Deliverance” coda, rephrasing the earlier track’s staccato signature while inserting a serpentine lick that maintains the Arabic feel.



The climax comes with “The Grand Conjuration”, the power metal overload that every Opeth fan craves, and it doesn’t disappoint. The band would have been justified in closing the album with this monster outing but chose instead to leave with the almost tearful “Isolation Years”, affirming the band’s commitment to contrast in colour and theme.



Akerfeldt’s and Lindgren’s guitar work excels throughout, the interplay now uncannily instinctive, a phenomenon borne out in live performance. Now a permanent member, Per Wiberg sees his keys, especially the deftly deployed Mellotron, placed on almost equal footing with the guitars in shaping the tone colour of the band. Drummer Lopez has now left Opeth and his work on this album, characterized by his flawless timing and dynamics, will most likely be his most enduring testament. Bass players rarely get a mention in metal unless they sing but Martin Mendez’ playing sits up in the mix with satisfying fatness and clarity. His fluid licks in the climax to “Baying of the Hounds” are a highlight in what must be regarded as a classic Opeth track.



Is this Opeth’s best album? That’s a discussion that could occupy Opeth fans endlessly. Nonetheless, I’ve listened to “Ghost Reveries” at least twenty times. It never becomes stale, I’m never tempted to skip a track, nor do I ever feel inclined to shuffle the tracks, the order and flow being as important as the songs themselves to creating the album’s personality. While “Ghost Reveries” was the first Opeth album I ever heard, I now own all eight plus the “Lamentations” DVD, and I have to say that “GR” remains the favourite.



I couldn’t award it anything less than 100 percent.