caption associated_acts years_active notable_instruments birth_place label name background birth_date instrument genre image article_title birth_name occupation
méndez 17 , 2011 . at copenhell in copenhagen , denmark . june opeth 1997 -- present marcus miller signature jazz bass montevideo , uruguay roadrunner martín méndez solo_singer 6 april 1978 bass guitar , upright bass progressive , jazz fusion , black metal death metal , death metal , progressive rock martinmendezcopenhell2011.jpg martín méndez
 carlos martin mendez esposito musician , songwriter
martín méndez

martín méndez -lrb- born april 6 , 1978 in montevideo , uruguay -rrb- is the bass guitar player of progressive death metal band opeth and second most constant member of the band , behind lead vocalist , songwriter and guitarist mikael Åkerfeldt .
méndez has been a member of several other bands , including fifth to infinity , proxima and vinterkrig .
méndez joined opeth right before the recording of their third album `` my arms , your hearse '' began .
however , time conflicts such as joining too late kept him from playing on the album , so the bass lines were recorded by opeth frontman mikael Åkerfeldt .
martín then learned the bass parts and played bass for the few subsequent live dates done for the album .
his first real recording with opeth was their fourth studio album , `` still life '' .
he has been with the band ever since .
méndez is popular among opeth fans for his silent stage presence -lrb- with the slight exception of some south american gigs where he has spoken in his native language -rrb- .
during opeth performances méndez rarely speaks or demonstrates specific emotion , although he has a ` no-no ' or ` windmill ' style of headbanging -- shaking his head back and forth or -lrb- counter - -rrb- clockwise -- a sort of mutual affinity among fans and band alike , something Åkerfeldt often joked about on stage before méndez had his hair cut .
he has since grown out his hair as of 2011 , and sometimes headbangs in this style again , to great applause from the crowd .
méndez uses 4 string fretted & fretless fender jazz basses as well as sandberg basses for live and studio work .
when playing songs from `` ghost reveries '' he uses drop d tuning .
