Someone needs to explain me how Watershed is better than Blackwater Park! I'm astonished. But to me, Ghost Reveries, Blackwater Park and Still Life are pretty much the most complete and excellent albums Opeth have done. Voted Blackwater Park, though. Bests songs ever, all classics to me, and the best sound they've ever had!
Orchid : Too different, not well structured.
Morningrise : Advanced-Orchid with pretty much only good tracks.
My Arms, Your Hearse : Long album with not much content, only few songs are worth it, and it's musically nothing exceptionnal.
Still Life : Big improvement, nice story, nice "old" sound, very diversified.
Blackwater Park : More daring version of Still Life, better and clearer sound. The revelation album for Opeth, I think.
Deliverance : Dark, brutal; even though the songs are long, you pass through them quite fast, they're kinda repetitive sometime. Straightforward album.
Damnation : Totally disconnected from the rest, great album and songs, but it doesn't represent Opeth really.
Ghost Reveries : Some version of Still Life, modernised, with the Devil and keyboard. Fresh album. Also diversified. This is probably where many of the new fans started to like the band.
Watershed : Strange sound, different, new guitarist, drum, great songs but cheesy by moment. Clean vocals are put forward. Maybe more experimental album.
AND NOW I'm just reading the thread and realised that it was about the PRODUCTION; how blind am I! Well I still think Blackwater Park has the best production, so my vote isn't biased.