Blackwater Park, however, is so silky smooth. It glides from one moment, one idea, to the next like quicksilver, without ever sacrificing the heaviness that made Oldpeth so special. Åkerfeldt’s vocals feel more polished than ever, with both his reedy cleans and death metal roars bursting with power and emotion, while the riffs and leads laid down by him and Peter Lindgren, together with the huge bass performance from Martin Mendez, gives the whole record a gorgeous, rich texture.