Blackwater Park (2001)

Mikael Åkerfeldt perfected the marriage of progressive death metal and European folk on this milestone release. Crushing Swedish death-metal riffs and guttural growls alternate seamlessly with delicate nylon-string acoustic interludes, Rhodes piano chords and haunting clean vocals. The acoustic interludes are never an afterthought: they build structural tension so that the return of distortion hits like an avalanche.