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The Best Progressive Rock/Metal of 2019

This year in progressive rock and metal found genre mainstays continuing to impress while relative underdogs and newcomers finally seized some of the spotlight.

Jordan Blum

Music

Opeth Achieve Gothic Greatness with the Gorgeously Multifaceted 'In Cauda Venenum'

In Cauda Venenum is Opeth's most wicked record of the decade, signifying that their earlier evilness is still wonderfully intact.

Music

Opeth - "Era" (Singles Going Steady)

Opeth's "Era" is as precise and pristine as a classical cantata without the pretensions.

Music

Opeth's Fake Nikki Sixx: An Interview with Mikael Akerfeldt

Opeth frontman Mikael Akerfeldt opens up about Opeth's 25 year career, the band's new album Sorceress, and his desire to score a Meryl Streep film one day.

Interviews

Opeth: Sorceress

This third entry in Opeth's newest phase doesn't quite match Pale Communion, but it's still a wonderfully multifaceted journey.

Music

Opeth: Deliverance & Damnation

Thirteen years after their release, two of Opeth's most important albums have been reissued in this essential new package.

Music

Blood and Thunder: We All Wanna Touch a Rainbow

Once upon a time, Ronnie James Dio rounded up a bevy of heavy metal legends to record a charity single. Yet no amount of superstar power could stop the song from falling by the wayside.

Music

The Best Progressive Rock of 2014

From idiosyncratic tales of dastardly aliens to concept albums about a mysterious demon, prog maintained its reputation for eclecticism in 2014.

Jordan Blum

Music

The Best Metal of 2014

Metal's shining moments in 2014 include a long-awaited reunion, a culmination of a nearly 20-year career, and a sophomore outing that rose to the occasion.

Adrien Begrand, Dean Brown, Brice Ezell, and Benjamin Hedge Olson

Music

The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s: 60-41

PopMatters' coverage of the 2000s' best recordings continues with selections spanning Swedish progressive metal to minimalist electro-R&B.

Music

Opeth: Pale Communion

Pale Communion is both the culmination of Opeth's journey toward classic progressive rock and its best work since Ghost Reveries.

Music

Benighted by Beauty: The Legacy of Opeth's 'Still Life'

Still Life's narrative borders on Shakespearean levels of romantic tragedy and social commentary, making it the most poetic and philosophical in Opeth’s catalogue.

Music

The 10 Best Progressive Rock Albums of the 2000s

The first decade of the new millennium proved to be a fruitful time for great progressive rock. While some of prog’s most legendary bands took turns for the worse, others rose to meteoric prominence.

Music

The Best Progressive Rock of 2011

In 2011, there were only a few high-quality progressive rock releases, but those that managed to stand out are some of the best the genre has seen in awhile.

Brice Ezell

Music

Opeth + Katatonia: 2011 October 16 - Portland

A surprisingly short concert for a band like Opeth, this Portland show was nonetheless a strong demonstration of how Opeth came to make an album like Heritage. This, foiled with the brutal heaviness of Katatonia, made for one fine evening of Swedish music.

Reviews

Opeth: Heritage

Heritage is both a significant departure from Opeth's past output, but also a completely natural recording, one that prior albums hinted that the band was bound to make.

Music

Pop Ten

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PM Picks

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Opeth Achieve Gothic Greatness with the Gorgeously Multifaceted 'In Cauda Venenum'

In Cauda Venenum is Opeth's most wicked record of the decade, signifying that their earlier evilness is still wonderfully intact.

Opeth - "Era" (Singles Going Steady)

Opeth's "Era" is as precise and pristine as a classical cantata without the pretensions.

Opeth's Fake Nikki Sixx: An Interview with Mikael Akerfeldt

Opeth frontman Mikael Akerfeldt opens up about Opeth's 25 year career, the band's new album Sorceress, and his desire to score a Meryl Streep film one day.

Opeth: Sorceress

This third entry in Opeth's newest phase doesn't quite match Pale Communion, but it's still a wonderfully multifaceted journey.

Opeth: Deliverance & Damnation

Thirteen years after their release, two of Opeth's most important albums have been reissued in this essential new package.

Blood and Thunder: We All Wanna Touch a Rainbow

Once upon a time, Ronnie James Dio rounded up a bevy of heavy metal legends to record a charity single. Yet no amount of superstar power could stop the song from falling by the wayside.

The Best Progressive Rock of 2014

From idiosyncratic tales of dastardly aliens to concept albums about a mysterious demon, prog maintained its reputation for eclecticism in 2014.

The Best Metal of 2014

Metal's shining moments in 2014 include a long-awaited reunion, a culmination of a nearly 20-year career, and a sophomore outing that rose to the occasion.

The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s: 60-41

PopMatters' coverage of the 2000s' best recordings continues with selections spanning Swedish progressive metal to minimalist electro-R&B.

Opeth: Pale Communion

Pale Communion is both the culmination of Opeth's journey toward classic progressive rock and its best work since Ghost Reveries.

Benighted by Beauty: The Legacy of Opeth's 'Still Life'

Still Life's narrative borders on Shakespearean levels of romantic tragedy and social commentary, making it the most poetic and philosophical in Opeth’s catalogue.

The Best Progressive Rock of 2011

In 2011, there were only a few high-quality progressive rock releases, but those that managed to stand out are some of the best the genre has seen in awhile.

Opeth + Katatonia: 2011 October 16 - Portland

A surprisingly short concert for a band like Opeth, this Portland show was nonetheless a strong demonstration of how Opeth came to make an album like Heritage. This, foiled with the brutal heaviness of Katatonia, made for one fine evening of Swedish music.

Opeth: Heritage

Heritage is both a significant departure from Opeth's past output, but also a completely natural recording, one that prior albums hinted that the band was bound to make.

Friend Within Brings Sunshine to the Dancefloor on "Space Jam" (premiere)

With "Santa Baby", Emergency Tiara Updates a Classic Just in Time for the Holidays (premiere)

Tyler Boone Dodges Cliches With "Jealousy" (premiere + interview)

The Pedaljets Celebrate Contentment With "Sleepy Girl" (premiere + interview)

Aiming for Enrike's Minimalistic Dance Is on Full Display With "Flat Beats" (premiere)

Dankrupt Explore Romance's Darker Side With "Drowning" (premiere)

Andrew Deadman Faces Himself Down in "Silent Scream" (premiere)

Lady Lazarus' "I Recall July" Is a Bittersweet Look Back on Love (premiere)

Banjolectric's "Another Thing For Pain" Is a Raw Reflection on Substance Abuse (premiere)