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Damnation

by Opeth

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Damnation is a complex and often acoustic album that demonstrates beyond question Opeth's high regard for the sweet harmonies and post-psychedelic atmospherics of '70s rockers such as Camel, Steve Hackett, and, especially, Barclay James Harvest. Which isn't to say this is a retro album; the aforementioned bands have been left out of rock history to such a degree that it's as if they never existed at all. Then there's Opeth's own pedigree. Steeped in the bloodier aspects of metal, singer Mikael Akerfeldt has no time for sweet love or fanciful flights of fantasy; he's trapped in post-relationship depression, drowning in loneliness and regret. His voice drifts beautifully over and under the band's dark folk and hypnotic soft-rock progressions, as chiming twin guitars that recall Wishbone Ash drop casually in and out. This music is intense and often moving—even without the shouting. --Dominic Wills