The 70 Best Albums of 2019
From forward-looking electronic and experimental to new approaches in the ever-evolving R&B scene, from hip-hop and punk to rock and pop, 2019 bestowed an embarrassment of musical riches upon us.
09 Dec 2019
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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
06 Dec 2019
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.
23 Sep 2019
Opeth - "Era" (Singles Going Steady)
Opeth's "Era" is as precise and pristine as a classical cantata without the pretensions.
03 Feb 2017
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.
27 Sep 2016
Opeth: Sorceress
This third entry in Opeth's newest phase doesn't quite match Pale Communion, but it's still a wonderfully multifaceted journey.
26 Sep 2016
Opeth: Deliverance & Damnation
Thirteen years after their release, two of Opeth's most important albums have been reissued in this essential new package.
27 Jan 2016
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.
21 May 2015
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
26 Dec 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.
Adrien Begrand, Dean Brown, Brice Ezell, and Benjamin Hedge Olson
Music
04 Dec 2014
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.
07 Oct 2014
Opeth: Pale Communion
Pale Communion is both the culmination of Opeth's journey toward classic progressive rock and its best work since Ghost Reveries.
27 Aug 2014
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.
11 Jun 2014
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.
15 Feb 2012
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
30 Nov 2011
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.
10 Nov 2011
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