Although it was only Opeth's first release, it shows signs of the signature "Opeth sound" that can be found in all of their later releases - the combination of heavy death metal elements typical to the genre, as well as softer progressive elements, such as acoustic guitars and clean vocals. Most of the songs on this album run for at least 10 minutes, with the exception of "Requiem", a short acoustic instrumental track, and "Silhouette", a 3-minute piano interlude that is played by drummer Anders Nordin. Due to a mix-up in the mastering process, the end of "Requiem" was placed at the beginning of "The Apostle in Triumph". The band has expressed regret for this, and says it was of no fault of their own