Opeth

metal

The Swedish quartet Opeth has been pushing the boundaries of doom metal since its inception; an Opeth album isn't a collection of songs so much as it is a compilation of bleakly beautiful, technically complex symphonies. The band's latest outings -- 2002's Deliverance (Koch International) and its companion, Damnation (2003) -- show that the dark moods of even the blackest metal need not be fashioned exclusively from pounding beats and growling vocals. While Deliverance does have some of those pound-and-growl moments, even a cursory listen shows that Opeth's musical adventurousness casts a much wider net. Meanwhile, Damnation, the quieter of the pair, is chill-inducing. Its eight tracks float by like a late-night whisper of snow, with moments of hushed intensity recalling both Michael Gira and Maynard Keenan. Opeth's recent live DVD, Lamentations, reveals how fluidly the band can move from pummeling to (dare I say it?) pretty -- even in the same song -- and it serves as a tantalizing preview to what might very well be one of the most compelling shows to hit the Troc in quite a while.

Thu., Feb. 26, 5:30 p.m., in-store at Relapse, 608 S. Fourth St., and 7 p.m., $18-$21, with Devildriver and Moonspell, The Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., 215-922-LIVE.

—Maura Johnston

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