Damnation (album)

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7 October 2002Template:PlainlistProgressive rock43:03Koch (US), Music For Nations (UK)Opeth, Steven Wilsonx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}}

Damnation is the seventh studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth. It was released on 22 April 2003, five months after Deliverance, which was recorded at the same time. Damnation is the last Opeth album to date to be produced by Steven Wilson although he did mix two future albums, Heritage and Pale Communion. Mikael Åkerfeldt dedicated both Damnation and Deliverance to his grandmother, who died in a car accident during the time the albums were being recorded.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The album was a radical departure from Opeth's typical death metal sound, and the first Opeth album to use all clean vocals, clean guitars, and prominent Mellotron, as well as being inspired by 1970s progressive rock, particularly the work of the British band Camel,<ref>According to the liner notes to Deliverance</ref> which typically features no heavy riffs or extended fast tempos. Despite the change in style from Opeth's previous albums, Damnation was critically acclaimed and boosted their popularity, leading to the release of Lamentations on DVD in late 2003.

Production

Like Deliverance, Damnation was recorded during the same trouble-plagued sessions at Nacksving Studios and Studio Fredman. The majority of the recording of both albums was done, save for most of the Damnation vocals. For those parts, Åkerfeldt flew down to Wilson's studio No Man's Land in the UK, just a day after his grandmother's funeral.<ref name="deliverance diary">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="billboard interview">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Critical reception

In a review for Sputnikmusic, Mike Stagno wrote that Damnation is a progressive rock album that departs entirely from the extreme metal elements of Opeth's previous work, and stands as one of the best albums released in recent years.<ref name="Stagno"/> Ned Raggett of Pitchfork also felt that it succeeds without Opeth's previous death metal style, and showcases each band member's technical abilities on what is "the most surprising and entertaining album" in Opeth's discography.<ref name="Raggett"/>

In 2014, TeamRock put Damnation at number 91 on their "Top 100 Greatest Prog Albums of All Time" list commenting: "the first Opeth album to abandon metal entirely, Damnation trumped its heavier sibling Deliverance by bringing Mikael Åkerfeldt’s masterful songwriting to the fore".<ref name="teamrock prog">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Loudwire listed Damnation as the second best album of 2003.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Mike Portnoy, drummer for Dream Theater, put the album on his list of best albums of 2003.

Track listing

Notes

• A music video was created for an edited version of "Windowpane".
• The vocal melody in the chorus of "To Rid the Disease" is borrowed from a track recorded by Mikael Åkerfeldt's side project Sörskogen, "Mordet i Grottan".<ref>Interview With Mikael Åkerfeldt. HailMetal.com. Accessed 28 August 2006.</ref>

Personnel

Opeth

• Opeth – engineering
  • Mikael Åkerfeldt – vocals and lead guitar
  • Peter Lindgren – rhythm guitar
  • Martín Méndez – bass guitar
  • Martin Lopez – drums

Additional personnel

• Steven Wilson − keyboards, piano, mellotron, backing vocals, mixing, mastering, production, engineering
• Travis Smith – artwork
• Fredrik Reinedahl – engineering

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2003)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>Template:Cite Ryan</ref>	54
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	97
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	37
French Albums (SNEP)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	112
UK Albums (OCC)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	181
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	10
US Independent Albums (Billboard)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	14
US Billboard 200<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	192

Monthly charts

Chart (2003)	Peak position
Polish Albums (ZPAV)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	76