Opeth announce 20th anniversary deluxe reissue of seminal progressive death metal effort Blackwater Park

Opeth’s most recent album, In Cauda Venenum, was issued in 2019, but now the Swedish prog-metal masters have announced a new release, and it’s a special one – a 20th anniversary reissue of Blackwater Park. 

The seminal 2001 effort was the band’s fifth full-length overall, and the one that saw them begin the shift from a predominantly death-metal-focused style to a more adventurous and progressive approach.

The new version will be offered in a heavyweight vinyl version with a variety of deluxe finishes, as well as housed in a gatefold artwork sleeve with updated liner notes and acknowledgements.

The deluxe variants, including a hardcase CD, come furnished with an updated artwork booklet complete with new liner notes, never-before-seen memories from the band and exclusive content provided by the Opeth fanbase.

Said Opeth front man and guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt about the record, “I know that Blackwater Park was the stepping stone into professionalism for us. Since then the band has taken up all our time, and we’ve never really looked back. Always forward.”

He continued, “It’s well known that Steven Wilson came in to produce the album, and that set off a lifelong friendship. I like to think the songs were different from what most other bands were doing at the time, but the production definitely set us apart from the rest. Steven helped to highlight the true strength of the band which was, and still is, our diversity.”

Blackwater Park will be released July 16 on deluxe CD, white vinyl and colored vinyl featuring a bonus track The Leper Affinity (Live), and is available for preorder here.