So, how'd you react to your first listening experience with Opeth?

[nizzon]

Don't take this too heavy but saying the riffs sucked sure made you realize how bad your music taste was in the first place. It happened to me and I realize how much shit over the years I have heard and thought was good was a waste of my time in comparison to discovering Opeth.

Or was it the the fact that you thought the riffs sucked because they were way too complex and insane for you? Just saying because the first time I heard Demon of the Fall it instantly put every single death/black/shit wannabe singing band to shame (dimmu borgir, immortal, especially in flames, oooh boy how i regret not discovering opeth first) and totally desecrated everything I thought about music. Then I heard another song. Then another, and another, and then I realize these guys weren't fucking human. Imagine any motherfucking singer out there today who can do a vocal range like Mikael. It's possible, but I've heard so many bands try it and it ends up being shitty/horrible. If you really think Opeth wasn't hard when you first heard them, I pretty much guarantee you were listening to their other side, nothing short of heaven being made in man form.

It's okay, we all went through this stage. Why else would we be here?

I wouldnt say i had bad music-taste before since I still listen to most of the stuff i used to listen to back then. Opeths music was just too complex for me in the beginning, definitely. But getting into them and realizing you can learn to love something like this really opened my eyes(ears) for more music and I have broaden my taste quite a bit since then. But yeah, a few bands i used to like have also lost their magic to me, for sure.

Its a bit annoying when you introduce Opeth to someone and they slag them off, and you know that if they just gave it a chance to grow they would probably love it, but most people dont even give it a try, bah their loss i guess.

Another really funny thing is that nowdays when i discover new bands that i like, and when i introduce them to the guy who shoved the Opeth-CDs into my hands, he often doesnt even give it a try haha. I managed to get him into Katatonia though, but i had to give him the "learning-curve-speach" before he _really_ listened to them, and now he loves them, hehe.
Its like he keeps closing that door that Opeth opened for me, or maybe he didnt have the same experience when he got into them, or just havent realized it. Hm, strange.

 

[Absum]

The very first time I heard an Opeth-song, around two years ago, I didn´t think that it was anything special. A few weeks passed until I digged the record out of my shelf one night and listened to it more carefully. I soon started seeing the details and the fabulous lyrics. I´ve been hooked ever since.

 

[FRUGiHOYi]

Kept hearing about Opeth and downloaded The Night And The Silent Water at the recommendation of people on a message board or something (this was right after BWP came out). A long, atmospheric metal song. It was exactly the kind of music I was looking for. Ended up downloading their whole catalogue, then slowly bought all the albums.

 

[fizz6207]

First heard Moonlapse Vertigo, and literally


Unfortunately my lame friends at the party have the attention of a goldfish, so I only got to hear until after the 2nd chorus before someone decided theyd prefer to rock out to blink 182 Soon after I bought lamentions because I wanted to have a selection of their discography. Masters Apprentices simply secured the deal that Id become obssessed with these guys!

 

[AutumnElegy]

i first heard demon of the fall about 4-5 years ago, whichever, and i simply said to myself this is everything i look for in music, all in one band. I will not mention that somehow every opeth song is amazing, im not sure how that feat is accomplished.

 

[melinda79]

I have to thank my ex-boss for enabling me to get almost all of opeth discography; she went on vacation so I could download it all :Spin: . I believe Ghost of Perdition was the first Opeth song ever for me, and I loved it, the combination of brutality and melody, that was it! I was trying out some melodeath before Opeth, loved In Flames for a while, Arch Enemy etc., but these bands could keep me interested only for a while. and then I came across Opeth and that was it, no further search was necessary thanks guys!

 

[jConsequences]

The first track of theirs I heard was "Demon of the Fall," when I was starting to get into real Metal. I was actually indifferent, but hearing "Credence" later on intrigued me more due to the difference in style. Then my now ex got me "Still Life" for Christmas and that's what really made me fall helplessly in love with them. It's still one of my top 10 records.

 

[Chanster]

First song I heard was The Grand Conjuration, and I thought it was a piece of crap, lol.

A few weeks later I stumbled upon some of their Damnation material and I was totally blown away. I then checked out some of their heavier stuff, alot of which I disliked at first, but it soon grew on me and allowed my transition into bands like Morbid Angel and Cryptopsy.

 

[SlaughterTheNegligentBreed]

Back around 5 years ago when I had no concept of music theory or good versatile music in general I truthfully did not care for them. Obviously that changed 2 years ago when I listened to the song When! I heard it on the centuiry media identidy 5 cd and now I possess about half their cds!

Brilliant!

 

[FuneralPortrait]

Imagine any motherfucking singer out there today who can do a vocal range like Mikael.

What? Do a vocal range? ...er... what? His vocal range, in terms of 'how high and low' he can sing, isn't exactly that impressive, and he pretty much has two voices; the growling and the clean vox.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love his voice, and the two things he does, he does very well, but there are far more impressive singers out there than Mikael.

I downloaded Damnation because I liked Porcupine Tree. I also downloaded Deadwing, which had just come out at the time. I remember listening to deadwing first, and thought it was pretty good, then listening to Damnation. I didn't listen to Deadwing again for some time. A week later I bought Damnation and Blackwater Park. Then GR leaked, downloaded that, bought their back catalogue. The growling didn't bother me really, though I'm not much of a metal fan.

 

[Travis]

"Wow I need to buy My Arms, Your Hearse"

 

[Graft]

I GOT SCARED, WAS LISTENING TO THE MOOR FOR TEH FIRST TIME WITH THAT COOL MELLOW INTRO YA KNOW, THEN THAT FIRST DEEP GROWL, OMG. ​

 

[i aint play this]

I GOT SCARED, WAS LISTENING TO THE MOOR FOR TEH FIRST TIME WITH THAT COOL MELLOW INTRO YA KNOW, THEN THAT FIRST DEEP GROWL, OMG. ​

hahahah, stfu you crazy moron

 

[Astrum]

I didn't like them at all at first. I first heard them about a year ago and didn't begin liking (loving) them until recently. They make excellent music.

The n00bs that cream all over them ruin it, though. A lot more serious metal fans should like them despite their reputation. I am shameless about my Opeth loving, despite being an avid black metal fan.

 

[Stilgar]

back in 1996, i dropped my jaw and thought how awesome 'In Mist She Was Standing' is

Same album, different song and in 1995. I've posted about it before:

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/4074790-post110.html

 

[King Richard]

I didn't like them at all at first. I first heard them about a year ago and didn't begin liking (loving) them until recently. They make excellent music.

The n00bs that cream all over them ruin it, though. A lot more serious metal fans should like them despite their reputation. I am shameless about my Opeth loving, despite being an avid black metal fan.

Why do you give two shits whether or not some some elitist prick doesn't like the band because of some "n00bs?" The way I see it, sucks to be them.

 

[biggsy]

aye king richard.

 

[Opeth Leaves]

First song I heard was Blackwater Park (as for many others here, it seems) and I freakin' hated it. Then a couple of months later I got Remember Tomorrow, Leper Affinity, Harvest and then fell in love.

 

[Osman]

I first heard of Opeth at metaltown in Gothenburg. I doesn't pass a day without me listing to Opeth, I'm addicted.
I also had a really awesome "Blackwater Park moment". I was heading to a friend, it was kinda late and it was sometime during the fall. I looked up in the sky and I see tall, dead trees grasping a full moon bathing in black clouds.
It was really impressive.

(please forgive the bad spelling if there is any

 

[indeathislife]

Heard Grand Conjuration and didnt really understand it. Heard Ghost of P. and said wait maybe there is something to these guys. Then payed more attention to all of their stuff. Harvest, Demon of the fall really jumped out at me at first. Now I have all their albums. That was about this time last year. Yes I guess I am a "n00b" and I do go crazy over them but what do you expect. I just discovered an amazing band and they have 8 albums of course im gonna go crazy for all that material.