Take everything you think you know about music and throw it out the window. Most of today’s bands have little to offer as far as creativity goes and they often lack the emotion that we so ardently desire. The music of yesteryear has died and the new era of corporate rock has spread like cancer.

Don’t give up hope yet though. You are probably not familiar with Opeth, but they have never compromised their art, and their sound could not be more relevant in this time of darkness.

Opeth’s new album, Ghost Reveries, is the answer we have all been waiting for. It serves as a tribute to great prog-rock albums like Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy and King Crimson’s Discipline, yet still maintains its own musical identity and is probably the band’s most significant work to date. By listening closely to Ghost Reveries, once can hear the influence of ‘70s experimental rock with a twist of death metal, accompanied by acoustic breakdowns and a touch of eastern flavor.

Opeth is currently on tour, and Generation was front and center for their show on Friday, November 4, at the Showplace Theater in Buffalo. The band played for over two hours, rolling through classic songs like “Deliverance” and “Demon of the Fall” with great fervor. Even though they played for hours, it felt like minutes, and you could tell the crowd would have stayed for more.

Recently, Generation spoke with lead guitarist Peter Lindgren to discuss the new album, the current world tour, and the future endeavors of the band. What follows is portion of the interview:

Generation: Where did you get your influences for the new album Ghost Reveries?

Peter Lindgren: I grew up listening to a lot of ‘80s heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Van Halen, but now I like a lot of music in general, not just heavy metal. We are all music nuts in the band and listen to a lot of different stuff anything from Stevie Wonder to Miles Davis to Johnny Cash.

G: Did you guys rehearse before entering the studio?

PL: We did, and that has been the plan for the last couple of albums. It’s just that we never had any time. We were finally able to make some time for this album to rehearse and I think it shows in the final result. Everybody knew what was going on and what they were doing, when in the past we’ve run into a lot of stressful situations when not even Mike [lead singer/ guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt] knew what was going on. We would have to write stuff and record it the day after, but with the new album we were able to rehearse and that made a big difference.

G: Do you feel like your sound has progressed from your earlier albums?

PL: I think there is a little bit of a natural progression in a way, this is the most competent album we have done so far, the sound is more like a punch in the face compared to some of the older albums where the songs are more drawn out. That’s why rehearsing for the new album was important because we were able to rearrange the songs.

G: How has the addition of keyboardist Per Wiberg affected your sound?

PL: He’s had a big impact on the new album. We had him playing anything from the Grand Piano to Mellotron choirs, but mostly ‘70s progressive keyboard stuff. King Crimson is a good example of how a band can experiment with more than just keyboards and that’s something we are trying to do as well.

G: What’s your favorite song on the new album?

PL: “Harlequin Forest” or “Baying of the Hounds,” though it changes because when you play them live a couple of times you can get a little bored of them.

G: How is the current tour going? What can the fans expect from the live show?

PL: Good; the new songs are going over well, and the crowd’s reception has been great. We play close to two hours (depending on how much Mikael talks to the crowd) and nothing from the first two albums.

G: How has your new label, Roadrunner, been working out?

PL: If you look at all the press we get I think they have a lot to do with that; they are pushing us hard when it comes to work. They have a lot of ideas that we don’t really approve of, which are meant for younger bands really hungry for fame; we are more like old dogs. But, all in all, it has been working out well, we’re a unique band no matter what label we are on.

G: What are some of the future plans for the band?

PL: Basically we are going to be touring on the new album for a while, at least another year. During the UK tour in December we are going down to the BBC to record some songs live in the studio, which should be really cool. We also recently recorded a version of Pull the Plug with James Murphy for the Death Tribute album. James is a great guy doing this to honor Chuck Shuldner; you have to have the utmost respect for him.

Take a chance with Opeth and you will not be disappointed. It might even change the way you think about music and life. These guys are at the forefront of experimental rock so if you ever get the chance, see them live. Words simply cannot do their music justice.