page_title: Opeth
section_title: Formation (1989–1993)
hierarchical_section_title: Opeth / History / Formation (1989–1993)
caption_attribution_description: -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Image Source: http://gallery.unfix.org/2005/2005-12-22-opeth/IMG_7246.JPG Photo taken by Jeroen Massar (http://unfix.org/~jeroen/) at the Opeth concert in De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands on 2005-12-22. Released to the Public Domain so that, amongst others, Wikipedia can benefit from it. Text signed by my PGP key as proof of copyleft. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Jeroen Massar / http://unfix.org/~jeroen/ iD8DBQFG5GWCKaooUjM+fCMRAtHGAKChWUYKh95BzeLSjDBkxeZveCOpXACgot/m PIvvtOn2L7mQXRwqYXEcDGs= =QBGt -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- en:Category:Opeth
context_page_description: Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal/rock band from Stockholm, formed in 1989. The group has been through several personnel changes, including the replacement of every single original member. Lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's primary driving force since the departure of original vocalist David Isberg in 1992. Opeth has consistently incorporated progressive, folk, blues, classical, and jazz influences into its usually lengthy compositions, as well as strong influences from death metal, especially in their early works. Many songs include acoustic guitar passages and strong dynamic shifts, as well as demonic vocal characterization. Opeth is also well known for their incorporation of Mellotrons in their work. Opeth rarely made live appearances supporting their first four albums, but since conducting their first world tour after the 2001 release of Blackwater Park, they have led several major world tours.
  Opeth has released 13 studio albums, four live DVDs, four live albums, and two boxsets. The band released its debut album Orchid in 1995.
context_section_description: Opeth was formed as a death metal band in 1989 in Stockholm, Sweden, by lead vocalist David Isberg. Isberg asked former Eruption band member Mikael Åkerfeldt, who was just 16 years old at the time, to join Opeth as a bassist. When Åkerfeldt showed up to practice on the day after Isberg invited him, it became clear that Isberg had not told the band members, including the band's current bassist, that Åkerfeldt would be joining the band. An ensuing argument led to all members but Isberg and Åkerfeldt leaving to form a new project. The band name was derived from the word "Opet", taken from the Wilbur Smith novel The Sunbird. In this novel, Opet is the name of a fictional Phoenician city in South Africa translated as "City of the Moon".
  Isberg and Åkerfeldt recruited drummer Anders Nordin, bassist Nick Döring, and guitarist Andreas Dimeo. Unsatisfied with Opeth's slow progress, Döring and Dimeo left the band after their first performance, and were replaced by guitarist Kim Pettersson and bassist Johan De Farfalla. After the next show, De Farfalla left Opeth to spend time with his girlfriend in Germany, and was initially replaced by Mattias Ander, before Åkerfeldt's friend Peter Lindgren took on the role of bassist. Rhythm guitarist Kim Pettersson left following the band's next performance, and Lindgren switched to guitar, with the role of bassist falling to Stefan Guteklint. The following year, David Isberg left the band citing "creative differences".
  Following Isberg's departure, Åkerfeldt took over vocal duties and he, Lindgren, and Nordin spent the next year writing and rehearsing new material. The group began to rely less on the blast beats and aggression typical of death metal, and incorporated acoustic guitars and guitar harmonies into their music; developing the core sound of Opeth. Bassist Guteklint was dismissed by the band after they signed their first record deal with Candlelight Records in 1994. Opeth initially employed former member De Farfalla as a session bassist for their demo recordings, and he went on to join on a full-time basis following the release of Opeth's debut album, "Orchid", in 1995.
caption: Åkerfeldt (pictured) and Isberg decided they would carry on with the band after most of the members had gone separate ways.
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon PowerShot A400", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image DateTime": "2005:12:22 21:57:22", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "196", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "180", "Thumbnail YResolution": "180", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "2548", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "3571", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/20", "EXIF FNumber": "19/5", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2005:12:22 21:57:22", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2005:12:22 21:57:22", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "5", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "69/16", "EXIF ApertureValue": "123/32", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "-1", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "123/32", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Spot", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "211/16", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "200", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "256", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "Interoperability RelatedImageWidth": "2048", "Interoperability RelatedImageLength": "1536", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "1860", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "81920/7", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "1536000/131", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Manual Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard"}