LEARN HOW TO PLAY THE OPETH CLASSICS!

GUITAR MESSENGER is an online music magazine dedicated to music fans of all styles and genres, delivering in-depth interviews, artist features, interactive lessons, reviews, and an abundance of information about the music business.

GM LOVES OPETH!

Check out this exclusive interview with Mikael Åkerfeldt at the Progressive Nation Tour in Miami.

Next, find out how Mikael Åkerfeldt masters the guitar as he discusses his chord and soloing style and demonstrates how to play a number of Opeth classics here.

Then head over and see Opeth guitar technician Coty Allinson walk us through Mikael's live rig!
Link:

Fans can discuss these Opeth features at the new Guitar Messenger
forum: http://www.guitarmessenger.com/forum

OPETH - THE FIRST WATERSHED HEADLINE TOUR!

Opeth, the Swedish metal titans who've been labeled as a "genre of one," will make their way back to American shores this fall for their first headline trek in support of the recently released Watershed. The tour will commence on September 16 in Buffalo and run for six weeks, with High on Fire serving as main support. Nachtmystium will open the first half of the tour, with Baroness taking over that slot on October 6. The tour makes for an evening of metal tailored for headbangers and tastemakers alike!

Opeth enjoyed the main support slot on the first ever Progressive Nation Tour last spring, opening for labelmates Dream Theater. The band spent the summer on the European tour circuit but is thrilled to be bring its always unique blend of death/folk/prog metal back to American audiences this fall. Meanwhile, Watershed has been lauded as one of the prolific and revered band's best efforts to date, celebrated in the pages of Billboard ("one of the most unique bands straddling the line between progressive music and metal"), The New York Times ("typically engrossing"), Blender ("more spacious and majestic than ever"), Metal Maniacs ("definitively Opeth'ian"), PopMatters ("a major turning point for the band"), and Pitchfork ("Watershed has friction and friction brings heat"), to name a select few.

Opeth are a metal institution, continuing to surprise and enthrall listeners and diehard fans with the musical breadth and dynamic scope of each album they release. Watershed is the band's ninth studio release and it finds them never compromising and boldly going where they've never gone before.

The tour dates are as follows:

Sept. 16 - Town Ballroom - Buffalo, NY

Sept. 17 - The Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA

Sept. 18 - Nokia Theatre - New York, NY

Sept. 19 - The Palladium - Worcester, MA

Sept. 20 - Imperial - Quebec City, QUE Canada

Sept. 21 - Centennial Hall - London, ONT Canada

Sept. 23 - House of Blues - Cleveland, OH

Sept. 24 - House of Blues - Chicago, IL

Sept. 25 - The Orbit Room - Grand Rapids, MI

Sept. 26 - The Rave - Milwaukee, WI

Sept. 27 - Myth - Maplewood, MN

Sept. 29 - Garrick Center - Winnipeg, MB Canada

Sept. 30 - The Odeon - Saskatoon, SAS Canada

Oct. 1 - Edmonton Events Centre - Edmonton, ALB Canada

Oct. 3 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC Canada

Oct. 4 - Showbox - Seattle, WA

Oct. 6 - Regency Center @ The Grand Ballroom - San Francisco, CA

Oct. 7 - Wiltern Theatre - Los Angeles, CA

Oct. 8 - House of Blues - Las Vegas, NV

Oct. 9 - Marquee Theatre - Tempe, AZ

Oct. 10 - Sunshine Theatre - Albuquerque, NM

Oct. 11 - Odgen Theatre - Denver, CO

Oct. 13 - The Pageant - St. Louis, MO

Oct. 14 - The Beaumont - Kansas City, MO

Oct. 15 - House of Blues - Dallas, TX

Oct. 16 - The Monarch - Austin, TX

Oct. 17 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX

Oct. 18 - House of Blues - New Orleans, LA

Oct. 20 - Revolution - Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Oct. 21 - House of Blues - Lake Buena Vista, FL

Oct. 22 - Center Stage - Atlanta, GA

Oct. 23 - Bogart's - Cincinnati, OH

Oct. 24 - Lincoln Theatre - Raleigh, NC

Oct. 25 - NorVa - Norfolk, VA

Oct. 26 - Rams Head Live - Baltimore, MD

IS OPETH COMING TO YOUR CITY IN SEPTEMBER?

Opeth Announce US Headline Tour!


Yes that's right folks. All dates are now confirmed for Opeth´s upcoming US tour.


See if the band will be hitting up your city:


Sep. 16th - Buffalo, The Town Ballroom - NY
Sep. 17th - Philadelphia, Trocadero - PA
Sep. 18th - New York, Nokia Theatre - NY
Sep. 19th - Worcester, The Palladium - MA
Sep. 20th - Quebec City, Theatre Imperial - QC
Sep. 21st - London, Centennial Hall - ON
Sep. 23rd - Cleveland, House of Blues - OH
Sep. 24th - Chicago, House of Blues - IL
Sep. 25th - Grand Rapids, The Orbit Room - MI
Sep. 26th - Milwaukee, The Rave - WI
Sep. 27th - St. Paul, Myth - MN
Sep. 29th - Winnipeg, The Garrick Centre - MB
Sep. 30th - Saskatoon, Odeon Events Centre - SK
Oct. 01st - Edmonton, Edmonton Events Centre - AB
Oct. 03rd - Vancover, Commodore Ballroom - BC
Oct. 04th - Seattle, Showbox@The Market - WA
Oct. 06th - San Francisco, Regency Center @ The Grand Ballroom - CA
Oct. 07th - Los Angeles, Wiltern Theatre - CA
Oct. 08th - Las Vegas, House of Blues - NV
Oct. 09th - Tempe, Marquee Theatre - AZ
Oct. 10th - Albuquerque, Sunshine Theater - NM
Oct. 11th - Denver, Ogden Theatre, CO
Oct. 13th - St. Louis, The Pageant - MO
Oct. 14th - Kansas City, The Beaumont Club - MO
Oct. 15th - Dallas, House of Blues Dallas - TX
Oct. 16th - Austin, The Monarch - TX
Oct. 17th - Houston, Warehouse Live - TX
Oct. 18th - New Orleans, House of Blues - LA
Oct. 20th - Ft. Lauderdale, Revolution - FL
Oct. 21st - Lake Buena Vista, House of Blues - FL
Oct. 22nd - Atlanta, Center Stage - GA
Oct. 23rd - Cincinnati, Bogart´s - OH
Oct. 24th - Raleigh, Lincoln Theatre - NC
Oct. 25th - Norfolk, The Norva - VA
Oct. 26th - Baltimore, Rams Head Live! - MD


The presale has already begun. If you sign up (free) here on Artist Arena.com you can get your ticket now!

THE VAMPIRE FREAKS DIG OPETH!

The vampire freaks have good things to say about the latest phenomenon that is Watershed:

"Opeth have been carving their way through the world of music with their brand of guitar driven madness. Having been born from Stockholm's recognized world of metal, they seemed poised to show the world how ready they were to take over. They broke away from Death Metal's signature blast beats and speed riffing, lairing their music with melodies of acoustic guitars and harmonies."

Read the rest of the Vampirefreaks.com review here or by clicking below.

HAVE WE GOT A HEADBANGERS BALL FOR YOU

Headbangers Ball is running at a new time now: Saturdays on MTV2 from 12AM to 1 AM. If you're old and creaky like me you'll probably want to shoot a Red Bull around 11:30 so you can stay awake. Pleased to see a Judas Priest vid on this week's edition. Let us know what you think.


THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER - EVERYTHING WENT BLACK
STRAIGHT LINE STITCH - BLACK VEIL (Headbangers Ball EXCLUSIVE premiere)
CRYPTOPSY - WORSHIP YOUR DEMONS
JUDAS PRIEST - WAR
DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN - BLACK BUBBLEGUM
OPETH - PORCELAIN HEART
DISTURBED - INSIDE THE FIRE
*MORBID ANGEL - GOD OF EMPTINESS
PELICAN - DEAD BETWEEN THE WALLS
*MELVINS - HOOCH
BEHEMOTH - AT THE LEFT HAND OV GOD
EMMURE - SOUND WAVE SUPERIOR
CHILDREN OF BODOM - HELLHOUNDS ON MY TRAIL
BORIS - STATEMENT (Headbangers Ball debut)
*LAMB OF GOD - BLACK LABEL
MACHINE HEAD - HALO
SHAI HULUD - MISANTHROPY PURE
*BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME - ALASKA
DEAD CHILD - SWEET CHARIOT
KINGDOM OF SORROW - LEAD INTO DEMISE

MIKE PORTNOY AND MIKE AKERFELDT - PART 1

Mike & Mike!

Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater & Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth got together at the Roadrunner Records NYC office and had a great talk. Watch Part 1 now and hear all about how Mike P first found out about Opeth.
Click on the picture below!

Of note: Anyone who was at our last Christmas party surely recognizes that background..

BEFORE YOU FORGET: SLIPKNOT ON HBB

So you've downloaded "All Hope Is Gone" from Slipknot, you're taking an aural break, and you want something to do? Tell us what you think of tonight's Headbangers Ball playlist. I'm all for tonight's Soilent Green entry.

JUDAS PRIEST - WAR (Headbangers Ball EXCLUSIVE premiere)
ORIGIN - FINITE
OPETH - PORCELAIN HEART
SAVIOURS - NARCOTIC SEA
DISTURBED - INSIDE THE FIRE
BLACK DAHLIA MURDER - EVERYTHING WENT BLACK (Headbangers Ball EXCLUSIVE premiere)
MACHINE HEAD - HALO
*CRADLE OF FILTH - FROM CRADLE TO ENSLAVE
CHILDREN OF BODOM - BLOODDRUNK
*SLIPKNOT - BEFORE I FORGET
DEVILDRIVER - CLOUDS OVER CALIFORNIA
EMMURE - SOUND WAVE SUPERIOR (Headbangers Ball EXCLUSIVE premiere)
SOILENT GREEN - ANTIOXIDANT
HATEBREED - NEVER LET IT DIE
*ARTIMUS PYLEDRIVER - SWAMP DEVIL
CRYPTOPSY - WORSHIP YOUR DEMONS
DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN - BLACK BUBBLEGUM (Headbangers Ball debut)
*METALLICA - THE THING THAT SHOULD NOT BE
DEAD CHILD - SWEET CHARIOT
KATAKLYSM - TAKING THE WORLD BY STORM

EXCLUSIVE PREMIERES ON HBB

Looks like another premiere week on Headbangers Ball. Catch the new DevilDriver and Opeth videos, the video from Cavalera Conspiracy, and a bunch of your other favorite bands.

ARCH ENEMY - I WILL LIVE AGAIN

OPETH - PORCELAIN HEART (Headbangers Ball EXCLUSIVE premiere)

BEHEMOTH - AT THE LEFT HAND OV GOD

**MASTODON - SLEEPING GIANT

CAVALERA CONSPIRACY - SANCTUARY

JOB FOR A COWBOY - ALTERED FROM CATECHIZATION

OBITUARY - EVIL WAYS (Headbangers Ball EXCLUSIVE premiere)

IN FLAMES - THE MIRROR'S TRUTH

FIREWIND - MERCENARY MAN

STRAIGHT LINE STITCH - REMISSION

WARBRINGER - COMBAT SHOCK

*THERAPY - GIVE ME BACK MY BRAIN

DEATH ANGEL - DETHRONED

THE MARS VOLTA - WAX SIMULACRA

UNEARTH - MARCH OF THE MUTES (live) (Headbangers Ball EXCLUSIVE premiere)

GWEN STACY - THE FEAR IN YOUR EYES

**DISTURBED - STUPIFY

DEVILDRIVER - CLOUDS OVER CALIFORNIA (Headbangers B