9. The Last Will and Testament
This album rekindled my love for Opeth. While some have called it a "return to form," it's not quite that. The Last Will and Testament has more in common with In Cauda Venenum than the classics. What the album demonstrates, however, is that the growls and heavy riffs actually did matter - not just for the fans, but for Mikael as a composer. On the previous four albums, he was intentionally operating without much of his repertoire. The Last Will and Testament proves how needless and damaging that was. The album is still deeply rooted in the prog rock developments, but hits harder, is far more dynamic, and sounds completely like Opeth once again. I suppose this is the journey Mikael felt he needed to take to get to the point where he could reconcile all of his influences. In some interviews around Heritage, Mikael made comments about the closed-mindedness of Metalheads and the band toured on exclusively soft songs almost out of spite. Now, with The Last Will and Testament, Mikael seems to have embraced all of himself and when I saw the band again in 2026 they played almost entirely songs from the classic era with a few from the new album and Mikael has said he wants fans to leave feeling that they've seen a great show. It's a new era in Opeth's history that I'm glad to see. I have The Last Will and Testament dead even with the next two albums on my list which I've placed ahead of it in part due to nostalgia. We'll see if this album moves ahead of them in the ensuing years.
Highlights: §2, §5, §6
8. Damnation
I discovered Opeth in early 2003 when Deliverance and Damnation were the newest albums and I bought them together with Blackwater Park. That "Steven Wilson" era will always hold a special place for me. Damnation, of course, was intended to be part of a "light" and "dark" double album and thus, at the time, the idea of an album made-up of only the softer side of Opeth was considered a one-off. Even though there are obvious comparisons that can be made with what came after Watershed, Damnation actually has little in common with the later prog rock era. It's progressive, but still firmly rooted in Metal and Opeth's classic era identity. Thus, it fits seamlessly into Opeth's classic catalogue. The album's clean guitar tone, some of Mikael's best vocals, and the soulful drumming of Martin Lopez combined with interesting songwriting elevate the album over any of the later prog rock albums.
Highlights: Windowpane, In My Time of Need, To Rid the Disease
7. Blackwater Park
I probably have a more complicated relationship with Blackwater Park than any of the other Opeth albums. I do love a lot about the album, it was quite recent when I discovered the band, and it's largely regarded as their best. Perhaps the latter is why I've had this conundrum. I've always thought that Blackwater Park is overrated. It's not better than it's immediate predecessors, but seems to have just been released at the right moment for the band. There is no doubt that some of Opeth's best songs reside here, especially the phenomenal opening and closing tracks. Where I think Blackwater Park is a bit weaker than some of Opeth's other great albums is that, outside of the title track, the back half is substantially weaker than the first half. I have come to appreciate the album more and more in recent years and do consider it a great album, but in a stacked discography, I think it fits more in the middle.
Highlights: Blackwater Park, The Leper Affinity, Bleak
6. Orchid
Here's where it gets difficult and why ranking the Opeth albums has always been a hard (and ever changing) task for me. I think that out of the remaining six albums, I've considered each of them my favorite at some point. I place Orchid here because the instrumentals don't do much for me and the band had not yet developed their peak sound that would come after the first two albums. Later, the songwriting would become more coherent and memorable. Still, Orchid has a certain charm and atmosphere that is unique in Opeth's catalogue and it sounds perennially fresh no matter how much time passes or how many times I listen to it.
Highlights: The Twilight is My Robe, In Mist She Was Standing, The Apostle in Triumph
5. Morningrise
I'm a bit surprised to have Morningrise in fifth right now. It's an album that has often been first or second for me. When I got into Opeth, Morningrise and Orchid had a mystique that has never really gone away. The albums were expensive and hard to find and I treasured those first copies when I found them. The sophomore album is a bit more cohesive and refined version of the debut's formula. It's also a bit colder in atmosphere and sadder in tone. I would argue that it's the most emotive of all of Opeth's albums, which is a particular strength of the band's earliest phase. There are some moments in the first few tracks that meander, but I consider the last two songs among the best thirty minutes of music that I've heard.
Highlights: Black Rose Immortal, To Bid You Farewell, The Night and the Silent Water
Next up, the final four...
