MrKnickerbocker
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Started another Opeth retrospective last autumn (of course), took a break over the holidays, and returned to finish in January starting from Watershed. Here's my updated album rankings and brief thoughts! Note: this was the first ranking I've done since the release of TLWAT.
2026 Opeth rankings
01. Still Life - 10.0 (no change)
02. Ghost Reveries - 9.2 (+.1, same rank)
03. Blackwater Park - 9.0 (no change)
04. Pale Communion - 8.8 (+.1, same rank)
05. Deliverance - 8.6 (+.1, +2 spots)
06. Damnation - 8.5 (no change)
07. Watershed - 8.4 (-.3, -2 spots)
08. Orchid - 8.4 (+.3, +1 spot)
09. Morningrise - 8.2 (+.2, +1 spot)
10. My Arms, Your Hearse - 8.1 (+.3, +1 spot)
11. The Last Will and Testament - 8.0 (new entry)
12. In Cauda Venenum - 6.8 (-1.6, -4 spots)
13. Sorceress - 6.7 (-.4, -1 spot)
14. Heritage - 6.0 (-1, -1 spot)
So, in general, my love for the classic era of Opeth has only grown over the years! General notes:
2026 Opeth rankings
01. Still Life - 10.0 (no change)
02. Ghost Reveries - 9.2 (+.1, same rank)
03. Blackwater Park - 9.0 (no change)
04. Pale Communion - 8.8 (+.1, same rank)
05. Deliverance - 8.6 (+.1, +2 spots)
06. Damnation - 8.5 (no change)
07. Watershed - 8.4 (-.3, -2 spots)
08. Orchid - 8.4 (+.3, +1 spot)
09. Morningrise - 8.2 (+.2, +1 spot)
10. My Arms, Your Hearse - 8.1 (+.3, +1 spot)
11. The Last Will and Testament - 8.0 (new entry)
12. In Cauda Venenum - 6.8 (-1.6, -4 spots)
13. Sorceress - 6.7 (-.4, -1 spot)
14. Heritage - 6.0 (-1, -1 spot)
So, in general, my love for the classic era of Opeth has only grown over the years! General notes:
- I found myself enjoying every single album from Orchid through Ghost Reveries at least as much as before or even more than before! This stuff is just wonderful.
- Watershed dropped out of the top five, as expected. The material just doesn't resonate with me (especially the back half of the album).
- The Last Will and Testament joins the game with the respectful badge of, "The Best Nu-peth Album Other Than Pale Communion." I think this is a pretty fair placement as it is still new and will hopefully resonate more with me over time. Notice, however, the stark difference between the bottom three albums and TLWAT - it's a wide gap.
- In Cauda Venenum has a massive drop because, well, the new album luster has worn away. I find the whole thing rather tedious and, sadly, a bit of a bore. That said, it has some incredible melodies buried in the bloat that rival some of Mikael's best hooks (singing the title of Lovelorn Crime, "the river of time" part in Continuum, and the ending of All Things Will Pass).
- Heritage and Sorceress just get less and less interesting over time.