My name is Kelefa Sanneh. I'm a pop critic for the New York Times and today I'm talking about 'Deliverance,' the impressive new album by Opeth. Opeth is a band from outside Stockholm, Sweden. Opeth released its first album 'Orchid' in 1995 and the group has been making adventerous, loud music ever since. The group's style combines the dense sound of heavy metal with a more atmoshperic approach of black metal. Even the loudest and most bombastic songs sound somehow(?) graceful and serene. 'Deliverance' consists of five songs all between ten and fifteen minutes long, and one brief interlude called 'For Absent Friends.' Anyone who doesn't listen to this kind of music may have some trouble getting used to the cookie monster vocals. It's a style that forces you to concentrate on texture rather than tune or lyrics. The album starts with lots of growling with pleasent guitar and hummingbird drumming. These are long songs but they never get boring because they're filled with unexpected breaks and changes. Soon after it starts, the title track 'Deliverance' goes acoustic. There are enough precise guitar riffs on this album to satisfy any Metallica fan but what's most impressive is the way the songs move - slow and deliberate like glaciers. By the time you get to the last track, called 'By The Pain I See In Others,' you might start to suspect that there's something oddly soothing about this album. For the New York Times, I'm Kelefa Sanneh.
