Orchid (album)

Orchid (album)

Orchid is the debut album by Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth, released on May 15, 1995 in Europe by Candlelight Records, and on June 24, 1997 in the United States by Century Black. It was reissued in 2000 with one bonus track called "Into the Frost of Winter", an early unproduced rehearsal recording by the band. The recording sessions occurred at the old Unisound studio, in Finspång, between March and April 1994. Opeth produced alongside Dan Swanö. The band did not record a demo to get signed to a record label. Lee Barrett, the founder of Candlelight Records, enjoyed an Opeth rehearsal tape, and decided to sign the band.

In 1994, Opeth combined progressive rock, folk music, black and death metal in songs bordering to nine minutes, except for two instrumental songs of short duration, and made an album that did not sound like anything else at the time. According to Rocknworld, with Orchid, Opeth "became the foremost purveyors of what would come to be known as extreme progressive metal" and "exploded on the scene with a majestic style that reinvented what progressive meant." The album was well-received critically, even being called "unique".