Review by Adam M on January 21, 2026.

There was an important album for the band Opeth.  It has a very soft feel to it and is better than their more recent material.  The very atmospheric nature of the album is very interesting and makes for one of best additions to the band’s discography.  There are songs such as “Windowpane": that are immortal and will always shine strongly in the band’s back catalogue.

The musicianship on this album is very strong with a potent production job that makes the instruments stand out and very powerful even though the manner of playing it very subtle.  There is also an emphasis on the singing which is one of the better performances of the band.  The overall effect of the musical performance is to be exotic and vibrant while keeping a soft feel/

The flaw to the album is that it is not as powerful as one of their heavy albums and this makes it sort of fade into the background.  Despite lacking the heaviness the album still holds up in time because of a subtle vibe that is timeless and essential.  The songs are more vibrant than their recent material as well.

Overall, this is one of the better albums in the band’s discography and simply a strong album.  The amount of soft material contrasts nicely with this heavy Deliverance album.  This is a very nice entry into the band’s catalogue that is very pretty and holds a significant of value and should be essential listening for fans of the band.

Rating: 7.8/10

Review by Krys on May 30, 2003.

I don't think "Damnation" can surprise any longtime Opeth fans. If you paid any attention to the musical direction or band's style or for that matter lack of it, because Opeth never followed genre structures or conventions, this album was a long time coming. With "Damnation" Mikael Akerfeldt leaves behind intense and distorted sounds of the past and shows the second side of his composing nature, the subtle, romantic one.

If you wonder how does "Damnation" compare to "Deliverance" then means of musical expression are totally different but the final result is still haunting and dark. Everything that you consider 'metal' such as thundering drums, heavy guitars or intense vocals are replaced by torpid and lazy sounds and overall very sad and nostalgic atmosphere of the album. Big part of the final output can be credited to Steven Wilson from Porcupine Tree who was responsible for production, mixing, mastering, some keyboard parts, vocals and even lyrics. His contributions were so influential that to some extent "Damnation" even sounds like Porcupine Tree. With soft sounding keyboards, classic guitars and warm, clean vocals Opeth paints multi-layered landscapes where colors blend into the dark and rainy, cloudy skies overshadow the sun leaving your face staring motionless through a window.

Is it metal? No, but if atmosphere and emotions are the main things you look for in a record then "Damnation" is everything you can ask for. This might sound a little strange, but even though "Damnation" is not your typical metal album, I consider it as one of the best records Opeth had offered us to date. Call it whatever you want but "Damnation" is a music art of the highest form that can't be left unnoticed.

Bottom Line: Sit back, close your eyes and enjoy the journey through the land of shadows with death whispering lullaby.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 10
Originality: 8
Overall: 9

Rating: 9 out of 10