Ghost Reveries

The band came home in 2004 to start writing and had finished by the end of the year. For the first time since Still Life the songs existed before they went into the studio, which gave them three weeks to rehearse and finish the recording. It was made at Fascination Street Studios in Orebro, and it is the first Opeth album since 1999 not produced by Steven Wilson. Their European label Music for Nations closed in 2005, and after talking to several others the band signed with Roadrunner. Mikael Akerfeldt said the main reason was distribution wide enough to put the record in the larger chains. When the news leaked, some listeners called it selling out, and he answered: "To be honest, that's such an insult after 15 years as a band and 8 records. I can't believe we haven't earned each and every Opeth fan's credibility after all these years. I mean, our songs are 10 minutes long!" It was first conceived as a concept album about a man's turmoil after an unconscionable act, symbolised by killing his own mother. Akerfeldt explained the retreat: "then I did 'Isolation Years' which had nothing to do with the intended concept but I liked it so much I decided to ease up on the concept idea in favour of this one lyric." It is the first Opeth record with Per Wiberg as a permanent member and the last with drummer Martin Lopez and guitarist Peter Lindgren. The running order here is the original's as printed.