I have yet to hear a single note from Opeth but...

[King Fear]

... "Patterns in the Ivy" is probably one of the best song titles I've ever read.

So, which album should I begin with? Dan Swanö keeps praising the "Orchid" album in various interviews... a good place to start? Or, as so often with debut albums, not quite what the band really is about when you consider their full discography?

Cheers!

 

[Nico]

You'll get so many different opinions here... its not even worth trying to suggest one album over another as a starting point... but I will anyway.

A lot of people got into Opeth through the Blackwater Park album, which has been their most successfull albums and for obvious reasons. Its a great album with lots of apeal from many angles. A bit too much apeal I think, but then again thats just me.

You realy cant go wrong getting the albums in chronological order. You'll get a good idea of the progression of the band this way, and it'll help you see all the music in perspective. Go with what Dan said and get Orchid... if you dont like it, dont give up. Go forward a few years in time and have a listen to Blackwater Park. Your bound to figure it out eventualy. Just try to avoid Damnation until last.

 

[Ermz]

Yeah, I'd say the best way is to go Chronological, but if the first two albums really turn you off, skip straight into 'My Arms, Your Hearse' and 'Still Life' because IMHO this is when Opeth were at their songwriting peak. Well.. aside from Orchid of course... but that's a different kind of thing

 

[Maq]

I think the best order would be:
1. "Blackwater Park"
2. "My Arms, Your Hearse"
3. "Still Life"
4. "Deliverance"
5. "Morningrise"
6. "Orchid"
7. "Damnation" (because its not a "typical Opeth" album)

 

[Korlich]

Orchid is a great album, my second fav. only beaten by Still Life, so this could be a good way to start, but then you would probably have to be a Death metal fan to begin with. If this isn´t the case then start out with Blackwater Park, so many has got hooked on that one including myself.

 

[synergy]

I was always a big fan of the song title.."Patterns in the Ivy 2"

 

[Reign in Acai]

Go With Still Life. Fucking shit folks. I'm listening to it right now. This is the fucking greatest album ever constructed!

 

[The Serpent King]

Chronological order is a good way to do it