I'd listened to Opeth before, mostly on video media, and this was the first album I got hold of of theirs. It's a lot mellower than I expected it to be. There's no death, it's all prog, but so well-crafted there aren't really any moments where it lags. This is already one of my favourite rock albums - I've regained my faith that good, original rock music can still be written. I honestly can't think of any better rock album from the last decade, one of those which you listen to and think, every single one of those songs was genius. It's probably the subtlest album I own too, though at the same time there are some complex structures and new sounds here which make it psychadelic and almost hypnotic. A truly great and unique band are Opeth. I defy anyone who's into contemporary music, no matter how hardcore, to dislike this album.