0
Mikael Åkerfeldt
Mikael Åkerfeldt
Swedish musician
1
Storm Corrosion
Storm Corrosion
band
2
Peter Lindgren
Peter Lindgren
Swedish musician
3
Martin Mendez
Martin Mendez
bass guitar player
4
Katatonia
Katatonia
swedish metal band
5
Jonas Renkse
Jonas Renkse
Swedish singer-songwriter
6
Fredrik Åkesson
Fredrik Åkesson
Swedish guitarist
7
Martin Axenrot
Martin Axenrot
musician
8
OSI
OSI
American progressive rock band
9
Bloodbath
Bloodbath
Swedish band
10
Leprous
Leprous
Norwegian progressive metal band
11
Steven Wilson
Steven Wilson
English musician and songwriter
12
Johan De Farfalla
Johan De Farfalla
Swedish musician
13
Byzantine
Byzantine
band
14
Extol
Extol
band
15
Camel
Camel
English progressive rock band
16
Dan Swanö
Dan Swanö
Swedish musician
17
Enslaved
Enslaved
Norwegian metal band
18
Arch Enemy
Arch Enemy
Swedish melodic death metal band
19
Symphony X
Symphony X
American progressive metal band
20
Travis Smith
Travis Smith
American heavy metal graphic artist
21
Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel
American Death Metal band
22
Andrew Latimer
Andrew Latimer
English musician
23
Testament
Testament
American metal band
24
Per Wiberg
Per Wiberg
Swedish musician
25
Deliverance
Deliverance
American Christian thrash metal band founded in 1985
26
Behemoth
Behemoth
Polish extreme metal band
27
Cynic
Cynic
American band
28
Mastodon
Mastodon
American heavy metal band
29
Ghost
Ghost
Swedish hardrock band
30
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree
British progressive rock band
31
Trivium
Trivium
American heavy metal band
32
In Flames
In Flames
Swedish metal band
33
Dream Theater
Dream Theater
American progressive metal band
34
Dark Tranquillity
Dark Tranquillity
Swedish band
35
Xerath
Xerath
heavy metal band
36
Nevermore
Nevermore
American heavy metal band
37
Gene Hoglan
Gene Hoglan
American musician
38
Watain
Watain
Swedish black metal band
39
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
English metal band
40
Ihsahn
Ihsahn
Norwegian musician, singer, and composer
41
Mudvayne
Mudvayne
American music band
42
Between the Buried and Me
Between the Buried and Me
American metal band from North Carolina.
43
Saviour Machine
Saviour Machine
band
44
Believer
Believer
band
45
Machine Head
Machine Head
American metal band
46
Bullet For My Valentine
Bullet For My Valentine
Welsh metal band
47
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
British heavy metal band
48
Soen
Soen
Swedish progressive metal band
49
Corrosion of Conformity
Corrosion of Conformity
American heavy metal band formed in 1982
50
Drowning Pool
Drowning Pool
American rock band
51
Kreator
Kreator
German thrash metal band
52
Anneke van Giersbergen
Anneke van Giersbergen
Dutch musician
53
Gojira
Gojira
French metal band
54
Metal Church
Metal Church
American heavy metal band
55
Slayer
Slayer
American thrash metal band

Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal/rock band from Stockholm, formed in 1989. The group has been through several personnel changes, including the replacement of every single original member. Lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's primary driving force since the departure of original vocalist David Isberg in 1992. Opeth has consistently incorporated progressive, folk, blues, classical, and jazz influences into its usually lengthy compositions, as well as strong influences from death metal, especially in their early works. Many songs include acoustic guitar passages and strong dynamic shifts, as well as death growls. Opeth is also well known for their incorporation of Mellotrons in their work. The band rarely made live appearances supporting their first four albums, but since conducting their first world tour after the 2001 release of Blackwater Park, they have led several major world tours.

Opeth has released 13 studio albums, four live DVDs, four live albums (three that are in conjunction with DVDs), and two boxsets. The band released its debut album Orchid in 1995. Although their eighth studio album, Ghost Reveries, was quite popular in the United States, Opeth did not experience major American commercial success until the 2008 release of their ninth studio album, Watershed, which peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard 200, and topped the Finnish albums chart in its first week of release. As of November 2009, the band has sold over 1.5 million copies of their albums and DVDs worldwide, including 300,000 collective SoundScans of their albums Blackwater Park, Damnation, and Deliverance in the United States.