Opeth w/ Katatonia

Ten albums into their career, Opeth has skirted just about every unwritten convention of death metal. The Swedish group distinguished themselves immediately by tempering their sludgy assault with unexpected, palate-cleansing washes of jazz, folk and blues music, and they've only grown more unorthodox. On their 2008 curveball, Watershed, the band almost entirely abandoned the graveyard growls that metalheads hold so dear in favor of stoner-rock throwbacks. The result recalled Pink Floyd in its proggy scope and vision, but still offered enough heavy red meat to keep the death-metal faithful from revolting. The band's new follow-up, Heritage, is even more epic and expansive, further removing them from their metal roots.