I'm sure I must have posted this already, but it really can't be recommended enough times:
Opeth - Blackwater Park
It was the first Opeth album i ever heard, nearly 10 years ago, and i'm still totally in love with it. every song is an epic journey ("The Drapery Falls", "The Funeral Portrait" and "Bleak" are definitely among the highlights for me). i love the dynamic range thats equal parts aggression and tranquility, harmony and dissonance... the fresh, progressive unpredictability but without being too intentionally awkward and still delivered within a familiar and comfortable pattern, . Opeth is without a doubt one of the most original and endlessly creative bands i've ever heard. The more times you listen to their music, the more things you find in it to appreciate it. maybe it will be a bass fill, a drum pattern, keyboard ambiance, or background melody/interval, but something new always seems to jump out at you.
and, fuck, dont even get me started on their live performances.