The Best Song on Every Opeth Album

Here is the best song on every Opeth album!

As the saying goes, Opeth are a band that need no introduction (but we’ll do one anyway just in case)!

They began in 1990 and were almost immediately led by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt (who, oddly enough, wasn’t a founding member). Even at the start – 1995’s Orchid to 1998’s My Arms, Your Hearse – Opeth’s blend of progressive death metal with elements of jazz/black/folk metal was remarkable and consistently evolving, culminating in the conceptual brilliance of 1999’s Still Life.

They subsequently connected with Porcupine Tree mastermind Steven Wilson for their 2001 breakthrough, Blackwater Park, which refined their sound even more. Afterward, they divided their hellish and heavenly sides, respectively, into 2002’s Deliverance and 2003’s Damnation; perfected the prog part of their formula with 2005’s Ghost Reveries and 2008’s Watershed; and then boldly abandoned their core characteristics to explore ‘70s prog rock/jazz fusion nostalgia during their underappreciated 2010s “no-growl” era.

Of course, they returned to their roots with 2024’s impressive The Last Will and Testament, further validating why Opeth are rightly regarded not only as one of the best progressive death metal bands of all time, but also as one of the “Big 4” of prog metal and a top-tier Swedish metal act.

To date (and despite multiple lineup changes), Åkerfeldt and company have produced some extremely brutal "observations" (“Master’s Apprentices,” “Demon of the Fall,” “Heir Apparent”) and beautiful ballads (“Patterns in the Ivy II,” “Faith in Others,” “To Bid You Farewell”). They’ve also proven to be experts at melding tones while exhibiting some of the best songwriting, singing and arrangements in metal history.

Obviously, figuring out what the best song from each Opeth LP is no easy task, as several of their records are full of essential compositions. Yet, we think we’ve figured it out below.

Although they barely have any of them, it’s worth clarifying that instrumentals don’t count since we’re only discussing songs (not tracks). Likewise, we’re only considering stuff that was officially included on an album (so no B-sides, rarities, etc.)

As difficult as it was to decide, we’re now ready to take a lengthy — not fleeting — glance at the best song on every Opeth album!

What are some of your favorite Opeth songs? Let us know!