If you've ever wanted Opeth's first three albums Orchid, Morningrise, and My Arms, Your Hearse on vinyl, this is your chance! Opeth has announced brand new vinyl remasters of the album, along with newly restored artwork by Dan Capp, to be out on May 19. Pre-orders are available here, with each album available on a few different colors.
"Today we announce the Abbey Road half-speed vinyl re-issues of Opeth's first three albums Orchid, Morningrise, and My Arms, Your Hearse with Candlelight Records. These coloured 140g re-issues have been lovingly re-mastered by Jens Bogren with guidance from Mikael. The records have been cut at half-speed at the infamous Abbey Road Studios by Miles Showell, and all artwork carefully restored by Dan Capp; designed the way they were originally intended."
Opeth recently announced former Paradise Lost drummer Waltteri Väyrynen as their new drummer. Väyrynen replaces drummer Martin Axenrot. who left Opeth in 2021.
"We just had our first rehearsal with Walt yesterday and it went incredibly well!" said Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt at the time.. "We were all very nervous beforehand, but Waltteri completely killed it! Pure delivery! We went through 16 songs (!) from start to finish and didn't have a single correctional comment. It's quite remarkable! I was astounded, and so were the rest of the band.
"He has everything, really. From the required laid-back sensitivity an Opeth drummer needs, via the classic rock, prog rock, metal grooves and onwards to downright mega-intricate technical virtuosity. On top of that, he knows the songs extremely well (already) both from the recorded versions as well as the sometimes modified live versions. We were hearing drum rolls and beats that we hadn't heard since the songs were recorded. The audience are certainly up for plenty of air-drum moments connected to their favourite Opeth songs. Walt has got it down, to put it mildly.
"I'd also want to take this opportunity to thank [live fill-in drummer Sami Karppinen of Therion] for saving our asses when we most needed saving. If it hadn't been for his efforts, friendship and care we'd probably been 'on ice' as we speak. We're furthermore happy to keep Sami as part of the Opeth family. His contribution to Opeth is beyond words, and he'll continue to help make our performances as good as possible. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, Sami!"
