Bands like Opeth?

Detric

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Mar 16, 2004
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Stralia`!
Yeah yeah, I know...We have had a thread like this a million times before, but please help me out. Ive listned to Farmakon from Finland, they are okay. Ive heard that Athela from Sweden should sound alot like Opeth, and that I should check em out, but they only released demo stuff, so its pretty hard to find anything with em. Please suggest some bands, would be awesome. Thanks.
 
Novembers Doom is somewhat similar, more death/doom though.. Paul has an excellent voice. You'll also want to check out Paul's side project, Subterranean Masquerade, awesome psychedelic prog with jazz influences and death metal vocals.

Then there's Dark Suns. Their album Swanlike is more like Opeth, while Existence reminds me a lot of newer Katatonia. Brilliant, anyways.

Uh, people who like Opeth usually like Agalloch too, even though the bands aren't similar in any way.

Check out Atheist and Cynic for some slightly proggy oldschool death metal.

Also, Katatonia's Brave Murder day has Mike doing vocals.

And finally, check out everything Dan Swanö has done. Mike does vocals on Edge of Sanity's Crimson, and everything else by EoS is fantastic. Nightingale isn't anything like Opeth, but an awesome prog/hard rock band anyways.

And then also Steel. Mike plays guitar. Nothing like Opeth, power metal that doesn't take itself seriously.

Phew, that's a few recommendations that should keep you busy for a while.
 
Just put your 8 opeth albums on repeat, who needs more music than that?

Nah, seriously... if there would be another band like them, then it wouldn't be Opeth. There's just nothing like them. Forest of Shadows comes closest (At least their early stuff, haven't heard the newer, thought they were gone). They're a bit more doom though. Halfway between Opeth and MDB?

www.forestofshadows.com has samples
 
Enslaved are kinda like the black metal Opeth, also check out Novembers doom
 
...and you could of course always buy 2 cd-players and listen to Morbid Angel and Camel simultaneously ;)
 
Agalloch have a lot of similarities to Opeth - long songs, contrast between heavy and soft, growls and clean vocals etc.. more acoustic heavy and much more repetetive .. but Agalloch have a real magic.

Enslaved, wouldn't say they're like Opeth really but i love their album ISA.. What i've heard of Katatonia sucks.
 
To be honest, I've never listened to this band in depth.. but i heard some stuff from a band called Isis that I thought sounded great... its was kinda like mellow proggy grooves... the melodies did remind me of some mellow Opeth stuff... but im not sure if they are all around a good band since ive heard very little...
 
Stimuli said:
To be honest, I've never listened to this band in depth.. but i heard some stuff from a band called Isis that I thought sounded great... its was kinda like mellow proggy grooves... the melodies did remind me of some mellow Opeth stuff... but im not sure if they are all around a good band since ive heard very little...

Isis are quite cool, I don't know how to define them. In scope and intent they are similar to Opeth, but their music is a bit different. Quite experimental. It sounds more amateuristic, perhaps poor production? But it's not bad at all, IMO.
 
Thank you all, especially you, Madu. Ill check out Dark Suns, Forest Of Shadows Subterranean Masquerade (didnt knew Paul was in that band, love ND, fuckin awesome!). I know all the rest, that was suggested, but thanks alot man! :)
 
What is it you want that is like Opeth? it's better IMHO to identify what feelings and qualities that produce those feelings, then you can branch out to different styles of music which produce the same feelings in a different way. At least that's how i go about it.
 
Although they really sound nothing a like, Agalloch are generally liked by Opeth fans, and they are simply one of the best metal bands still active.

Novembre are fairly good too...
 
Have you already listen to "Back To Times Of Splendor" of Disillusion already? To me it has somewhat of a MAYH feel, it's no rip-off and i would say more aggressive than Opeth, It has some thrash influences but still remains pretty proggessive. Clean Voices, Growling, acoustic parts, blastbeats, everything in it.
 
What I find really odd, is that these bands that are usually mentioned in the same breath as Opeth I have absolutely no care for. Aggaloch, Novembre, Katatonia (although I do dig their stuff to a degree, the whiny nature of later vocals does wear on me) etc.

I'd have to second the suggestion for Athela. They are almost a direct clone of Opeth in the SL and pre era. Even though it's not really original, it's some really good music if you dig Opeth. You should be able to get their latest one track demo on the internet. I got it from some site that someone linked to...