Damnation (album)

Damnation
Studio album by Opeth
Released	22 April 2003 (2003-04-22)
Recorded	22 July – 4 September 2002 Maestro Musik, Studio Fredman No Mans Land, Hemel Hempstead, UK (vocals)
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	43:20
Label	Koch
Producer	Opeth, Steven Wilson
Opeth chronology
Deliverance (2002)Deliverance2002 Damnation (2003) Ghost Reveries (2005) Singles from Damnation "Windowpane" Released: 2003 Ghost Reveries2005

Damnation is the seventh full-length studio album by heavy metal band Opeth. It was released on 22 April 2003, five months after Deliverance, which was recorded at the same time. Damnation was produced by Steven Wilson. Mikael Åkerfeldt dedicated both albums to his grandmother, who died in a car accident during the time the albums were being recorded.

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, 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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Pitchfork Media	9.1/10
Sputnikmusic	5/5

In a rave 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. Ned Raggett of Pitchfork Media 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.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Mikael Åkerfeldt, except where noted, all music composed by Mikael Åkerfeldt.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Windowpane"	7:45
2.	"In My Time of Need"	5:50
3.	"Death Whispered a Lullaby" (Steven Wilson)	5:50
4.	"Closure"	5:16
5.	"Hope Leaves"	4:30
6.	"To Rid the Disease"	6:21
7.	"Ending Credits"	3:39
8.	"Weakness"	4:09

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 sideproject Sörskogen, "Mordet i Grottan".

Personnel

Opeth

• Mikael Åkerfeldt – vocals, guitar, engineering
• Peter Lindgren – guitar (1–7), engineering
• Martin Mendez – bass guitar (1–7), engineering
• Martin Lopez – drums, percussion (1–7), engineering

Additional personnel

• Steven Wilson − keyboards, piano, mellotron, backing vocals, mixing, mastering, production, engineering

Chart positions

Weekly

Chart (2003)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart	54
Dutch Albums Chart	97
Finnish Albums Chart	37
French Albums Chart	112
US Heatseekers	10
US Top Independent Albums	14
UK Albums Chart	181
US Billboard 200	192

Monthly

Chart (2003)	Peak position
Poland (ZPAV Top 100)	76