I am fairly new to Opeth, and after hearing a couple of live tapes, decided to purchase an album. The only Opeth CD they had in stock was Watershed, so I decided to check it out. After hearing it, I knew I needed to hear some of their earlier work. The Box Set is a near perfect introduction to the band. Deliverance shows of the heavy side of Opeth while Damnation shows the light. Blackwater Park is definately my favorite as it shows the Band's progression and their peak performance as all their elements marry perfectly. The Box set is a nice addition to my music collection, and [.......] or so for 4 CDs averages at about 9 dollars per CD. Definately worth it.
I bought this because I was dissatisfied with mp3 quality (even 320kbps bit rate) of these songs. I ripped them to lossless and they have served their purpose. Great price for some of the best albums ever made by the best band of all time (in my opinion) Great set if you are unfamiliar with the material or if you want to own the discs. Great buy. No regrets.
This was a very happy purchase for me, as I have recently gotten into Opeth, and really wanted a way to get "caught up" with their back catalog as efficiently as possible. So, finding this for a mere $40 ($8 per disc) was a nice surprise! And of course, if you split the cost amongst four equally excited friends, $10 for five CDs is more than bearable!) But on to the content! Damnation and Deliverance were intended to be together as a double-album, but due to mixing difficulties, they were released three months apart. I honestly don't know which way I would've preferred them, or if it *really* makes a difference, but the fact is that Damnation is just beautiful and Deliverance is just dark. And I love both of them... one more than the other depending on the day, but they are both spectacular! Blackwater Park is considered by many fans to be their finest output, and while I'd find it difficult to put any album at the top, Blackwater Park is one of those incredible albums that combines all of the elements of a band so seamlessly as does Opeth. The transitions between soft and brutal are incredibly crafted and Åkerfeldt proves again that he is a true musician along with his jaw-droppingly talented band. My only real complaint with the boxed set would come from the live concert Lamentations. To be honest, I love hearing what a band can do live, since that's where true musicianship is displayed and tested. Opeth certainly delivers and the emotion conveyed in each song is absolutely present, however, the transitions between songs bugged me a bit, as they seem rather jarring and unrehearsed as opposed to the seamlessness of the songs themselves. However, if I can be candid, this is a problem with a band being too awesome for their own good than any real problem! Honestly, if you are missing more than two of these albums, or are just getting into Opeth, like myself, pick this box set up and witness the musical genius of Opeth.
As obviously the three studio albums in this box set deserve six stars and everyone knows it, I will focus this review on the live album "Lamentations" included at the back of the set.