OPETH DISCOGRAPHY RANKING GAME - #9 REVEALED

[MrKnickerbocker]

TIL Mikael plays bass on this album. Honestly I don’t pay that much attention to the bass until Martin joins, so I’ll have to go back and listen for what y’all were talking about with the first two albums. I didn’t really notice a huge difference in that area on MAYH vs the first two albums.

Definitely go back to those first three and focus on the bass. It's a marked difference on MAYH compared to the very jazzy, fretless playful bass work on the first two albums. Think And Justice for All in terms of doing nothing but following the guitars except you can still hear the bass on MAYH.

 

[Mosh]

I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that I just don't listen to these albums often and haven't studied them that deeply. They're all enjoyable listens but I've never felt like there was much there beneath the surface. I'll look forward to having something different to zoom in on next time.

I'll give all three a spin in the next week or two.

 

[Shmoolikipod]

Third to last for me too. I saw some people say it was the beginning of the golden era, and well it's correct in a way. The change from counterpoint to signature Opeth riffing does happen here, not on Still Life. On the other hand, there are still remnants of the black metal aspect, including the lo-fi production. The songwriting is getting more focused, but it's still a far cry from what came after: The Amen Corner and Karma have a bunch of riffs strung together in a way that makes me exhausted. Credence is meh. And yes the bass ain't bassing as well either. I miss the clarity of Morningrise. The positives: April Ethereal and When (especially that second half!) are great, and Demon of the Fall is a lot of fun. Most importantly: ride bell at 2:24 of April Ethereal

Oh, also, Prologue and Epilogue - just no.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

I'm gonna need to give MAYH some more time. This is one of those albums that's really hard for me to digest unless its in full.

The lack of a real bass player also loses a lot of their fullness, especially coming out of the Johan years.

Yes yes YES. The only bass part that stands out to me on MAYH is the end of The Amen Corner... I think.

I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that I just don't listen to these albums often and haven't studied them that deeply. They're all enjoyable listens but I've never felt like there was much there beneath the surface. I'll look forward to having something different to zoom in on next time.

There's a lot beneath the surface on the two Oldpeth albums, and the bass gets even tastier on Morningrise. I can't remember a single song other than maybe The Night and the Silent Water that doesn't have a silky smooth lead bass part. Hell, in the middle of To Bid You Farewell he's playing two bass parts at once.

Give them a listen with good headphones.

Also, for clarification:

Oldpeth = Orchid and Morningrise
Mehpeth = MAYH
Classic Opeth = Still Life up to and including Watershed
Nupeth = Heritage up to and including In Cauda Venenum
Returnpeth? = The Last Will and Testament

 

[Mosh]

So far from what I have heard the new album is them reintegrating some of the metal elements into the Newpeth prog rock style. Not sure if I’m ready to consider it a new era for the band unless there is a more radical shift.