The names Opeth and Blackwater Park

[Useful Idiot]

I'm sure somebody has asked this already but I just found out about this forum so...

1) Where did the band get the name Opeth? What does it mean?
2) Where did the band get the name Blackwater Park?

Thanks, and sorry if this has already been asked.

 

[Russell]

Blackwater park was a 70's german band i think

 

[Johan]

Opeth means "The city of the moon", taken from a book (forgot the title) by Wilbur Smith.
Blackwater Park is a location somewhere in America if I remember correctly.

 

[Useful Idiot]

Alright, I just found it in some interview...

MU: The name 'Blackwater Park' was taken from an obscure psychedelic rock band. What meaning does the name have for Opeth?

MA: Well really - we stole the title from this band basically because I liked it. I figured it could be a good title for an Opeth album. It sounds like a classic kind of title, you know what I mean? So I basically stole it from them. The music for this album came out very, very dark and the lyrics as well. I just felt that Blackwater Park sounded like a classic dark kind of title that would go along with the music and the lyrics.

I need to find the name of that book where the name "Opeth" came from...I'm very interested in reading more into that.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Useful Idiot]

And I just found out which book too...

“Opeth” is “City of the moon”, right? Once you said you’ve stolen it from some kind of science-fiction book and I’d like to know which one exactly… Furthermore, could you please enlighten us in regards to your literary tastes?

M: Yes, we stole and altered it from the book "The Sunbird" by Wilbur Smith. Actually I wasn't involved in the theft itself as it was prior to me joining the band. I've read the book though, it was OK! I read mostly Swedish novels, like realtime shit with loads of drugs, fucking and just messing about. It's gotta be something I can relate to, you know!

 

[HoserHellspawn]

Yeah, in "The Sunbird" the name of the city of the moon was "Opet", the h was added by a guy named David Isberg, who founded the band, recruited Mikael, then lost interest and left. I believe he was the guy who Mikael referred to in one interview as being the "guy who couldn't do much musically but was really into the evil stuff, so naturally he was the vocalist".

All of this info is on the Official Opeth site in the biography, by the way...

 

[Demonspell]

Blackwater Park is a location somewhere in America if I remember correctly.

It does sound like the perfect name for a town in Jersey!

 

[Graveless Soul]

Yeah, Blackwater Park were a German Psych/Prog rock band and they released one album called "Dirt Box"