I'm happy to say that today, June 26 2001, is my 1 year anniversary of hearing Opeth.
It all started when my friend in Canada, Vlad, e-mailed me saying to, and I quote, "Get the fuck on ICQ!!!"
So I went. I gotta say, I had NO knowledge of the metal underground at this time. I disliked death metal. I thought Megadeth's "Countdown To Extinction" was the best thing since sliced bread and that Coroner's "Mental Vortex" was TOO COMPLEX (and this is coming from a King Crimson fan!!)
He started sending me MP3 files. He promised me that he would send Megadeth - Rust In Peace sometime 'soon' so I thought this was it. Instead he told me that this band was "the best band I've ever heard in my life, dude, I couldn't believe them and you won't either."
"Opeth? Who the hell are they?" I wrote back.
"Shut the fuck up and wait for this shit to load!"
So I waited. Big file, I thought. Man, long songs, I hope they're not a cookie cutter prog band or anything.
I told him to leave the transfer going, I'd be back later.
In the evening, the files were finished.
I actually PUT HEADPHONES ON (god, that was out of cowardice, avoiding embarresment.) My grandma was actually in the other room watching T.V. so I didn't want to scare the hell out of her if it was 'death metal bullshit.'
I tried to listen to 'The Moor' but there were too many distractions around. Besides, I was confused why there was no sound for the first 20 seconds or so (duhh!! I think now...)
I found the official Opeth website and just decided to browse it, take a look at the lyrics.
That was my first sign that I was on to something good.
'What the hell,' I thought, 'I'll just listen to it."
I found that the album Vlad sent me was 'Still Life,' so I just put the 'phones on and started to follow along with the lyrics on the site.
I don't have to, nor can I explain, what I went through listening to Opeth for the first time. Of course I hated the vocals at first, I had heard nothing like that growl EVER. I was impressed the hell out of by them. Too much happened to me in that amout of time.
...about 70 minutes later, I was speechless. The only thing I could say after I took of my 'phones was 'Goddamn.' I wrote a mail to Vlad, raving about them like I never had raved before. I was obsessed with this 'new sound', and I thought there were no bands around doing that type of thing. I had to get as much of this new 'stuff' as possible. Within weeks I had heard Morningrise, and had just gotten into .. In Flames & Katatonia...
I have to credit Opeth with opening the gateways for me to a better, more beautiful life, open-mindedness... not to mention exposing me to the underground.
So how about you people out there? What was your first time listening to Opeth?
Happy Anniversary...
It all started when my friend in Canada, Vlad, e-mailed me saying to, and I quote, "Get the fuck on ICQ!!!"
So I went. I gotta say, I had NO knowledge of the metal underground at this time. I disliked death metal. I thought Megadeth's "Countdown To Extinction" was the best thing since sliced bread and that Coroner's "Mental Vortex" was TOO COMPLEX (and this is coming from a King Crimson fan!!)
He started sending me MP3 files. He promised me that he would send Megadeth - Rust In Peace sometime 'soon' so I thought this was it. Instead he told me that this band was "the best band I've ever heard in my life, dude, I couldn't believe them and you won't either."
"Opeth? Who the hell are they?" I wrote back.
"Shut the fuck up and wait for this shit to load!"
So I waited. Big file, I thought. Man, long songs, I hope they're not a cookie cutter prog band or anything.
I told him to leave the transfer going, I'd be back later.
In the evening, the files were finished.
I actually PUT HEADPHONES ON (god, that was out of cowardice, avoiding embarresment.) My grandma was actually in the other room watching T.V. so I didn't want to scare the hell out of her if it was 'death metal bullshit.'
I tried to listen to 'The Moor' but there were too many distractions around. Besides, I was confused why there was no sound for the first 20 seconds or so (duhh!! I think now...)
I found the official Opeth website and just decided to browse it, take a look at the lyrics.
That was my first sign that I was on to something good.
'What the hell,' I thought, 'I'll just listen to it."
I found that the album Vlad sent me was 'Still Life,' so I just put the 'phones on and started to follow along with the lyrics on the site.
I don't have to, nor can I explain, what I went through listening to Opeth for the first time. Of course I hated the vocals at first, I had heard nothing like that growl EVER. I was impressed the hell out of by them. Too much happened to me in that amout of time.
...about 70 minutes later, I was speechless. The only thing I could say after I took of my 'phones was 'Goddamn.' I wrote a mail to Vlad, raving about them like I never had raved before. I was obsessed with this 'new sound', and I thought there were no bands around doing that type of thing. I had to get as much of this new 'stuff' as possible. Within weeks I had heard Morningrise, and had just gotten into .. In Flames & Katatonia...
I have to credit Opeth with opening the gateways for me to a better, more beautiful life, open-mindedness... not to mention exposing me to the underground.
So how about you people out there? What was your first time listening to Opeth?
Happy Anniversary...