OPETH SURVIVOR 2016: Results -> The sun sets forever over Blackwater Park!
- Thread starter Night Prowler
- Start date
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Relistened to Deliverance once before this round and will do many more listens, but I am certainly confident voting straight away for:
Wreath - I share @Detective Beauregard's thoughts on this one.
For Absent Friends - Good, maybe their best transition piece yet, but still a transition piece.
By The Pain I See In Others - Nah. Better than Wreath, but nah.
+ Master's Apprentices - Because while it's good, it's nowhere near as good as the title track or AFJ.
+ Leper - tactical.
On this, we can certainly agree! The first thing I immediately recognized about this album was Lopez's superb, intense, creative playing. He is absolutely on fire here. I do not hold Deliverance in high regard (for the same reasons as Mikael), but man, it's certainly Lopez's finest hour so far.
Wreath - I share @Detective Beauregard's thoughts on this one.
For Absent Friends - Good, maybe their best transition piece yet, but still a transition piece.
By The Pain I See In Others - Nah. Better than Wreath, but nah.
+ Master's Apprentices - Because while it's good, it's nowhere near as good as the title track or AFJ.
+ Leper - tactical.
On this, we can certainly agree! The first thing I immediately recognized about this album was Lopez's superb, intense, creative playing. He is absolutely on fire here. I do not hold Deliverance in high regard (for the same reasons as Mikael), but man, it's certainly Lopez's finest hour so far.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
He plays some great polyrhythmic pieces. I enjoy this album a lot. It has some really heavy parts but I find the music easy to consume. I like most sections. They don't drag and do not sound too full. It's very focused. As said, some awesome rhythms and the music over/underneath these patterns sounds very cohesive. Yes, not all tracks have the same top quality, but everything is very good with hardly annoying, lesser moments. Also, enough calmer moments for variation.
Deliverance/Damnation making of doc. There's also one for BWP but I couldn't find it on youtube.
I'm going to listen to the album tomorrow. My impression of the album is pretty much the same as everyone else: it's bookended by some really subpar songs but the meat of the album is very strong.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Yeah, most of the BWP ones seem to be blocked on YouTube. This is the only one that works:
Mikael even says "here comes Moonchild" during one of the drum tracking sessions.
Mikael even says "here comes Moonchild" during one of the drum tracking sessions.
Listening to the new Deliverance/Damnation remix on vinyl. Wow, I'm less than a minute in and the difference is already apparent. I wasn't sure if I'd even notice a difference since I don't listen to this album much, but it's totally different. Drums are a bit too loud, but it sounds good otherwise. After doing a quick comparison of the two versions, the remix is heavier on the low end. Not sure if I like that.
Wreath - I don't think this song is bad, it has a lot of good things going on, but it also feels very cluttered. A lot of the more repetitive parts are ones I don't care for, such as the very first riff in the song. Again, it's not bad, but it seems to lack anything particularly exciting. It just sort of plods on. No exciting riffs or intense dynamic shifts. It also lacks any real coherency. It feels like the band is going back to the more stream of consciousness style of the first two albums, but it lacks the same sense of excitement a lot of that material had. I do like the ending, at least.
Everything about this song seems forced, you can tell Mikael's heart was more in the more mellow stuff on Damnation and even on this album. Easily the weakest song they've done since the first two albums.
Deliverance - After a rocky start with Wreath, things swiftly pick up with what could be argued as the greatest Opeth song. It's crazy that Wreath and Deliverance come from the same album, because they are such a stark contrast in quality. Deliverance achieves everything Wreath fails at. It is exciting, intense, and the riffs are brutal. This is also based around the 7/8 time signature, which gives it a cool sense of urgency. Love how it starts heavy and then quickly brings it down before building back up. It feels like this one is constantly building intensity.
The main riff on this is so intense, with the syncopated rhythm and dissonant chords.
The first guitar solo is awesome, one of the very best solos on an Opeth song.
The following clean sung verse has one of my favorite Opeth riffs. That's one I frequently like to jam out on guitar. Also being juxtaposed with a much more intense growled section, it feels like the tension is briefly being resolved. Yet they manage to build it all back up again. That's the sort of excitement that Wreath completely lacks.
The next section is also great. That was the first part that hooked me when I heard this song for the first time. The guitar solo that follows is also awesome and also one of the very best solos on an Opeth song. Love how the whole band stops while the solo finishes up. Very seamless transition into the acoustic section.
And then we get to the outro. This blew my mind when I first heard it. I couldn't believe that they somehow managed to spend nearly 3 minutes on the same riff but keep it interesting. Great build up, every time it repeats there's something different going on in the background. The drums really help there, with the beat changing each time. The backmasked piano during the final repeat gives it a really eerie end. Easily the best outro on an Opeth song and the perfect cap to one of their most triumphant moments.
Seeing this song live was perhaps the highlight of seeing them live in 2013.
Interestingly, Deliverance is the only song on the side for the vinyl version, so it doesn't segue into A Fair Judgement. So you actually hear his hands come off the piano, rather than it going directly into the next chord.
A Fair Judgement - Nice ominous start with the piano for a much needed moment of delicacy after 20 minutes of pure brutality. I really like this song. It's eerie and has a vibe that we haven't really heard with Opeth yet. Something about the guitar work on this song also reminds me of Iron Maiden. No big twin leads, but there's a similar taste for melody that Maiden has. The dynamic contrast in this song is also incredible. This song is also an example of production making a big difference. The changes of EQ for the piano and clean guitars creates a nice atmosphere.
Love the "leave it be/it was meant for me" section. Amazing vocal harmonies. It's incredible how far this band has come with the clean vocal parts. Great clean guitar solo that follows too.
The heavy section that follows is also great. The two guitar solos are some of my favorites. Again, reminds me of something we'd hear from one of the Maiden boys. The first one reminds me of Murray, the second Smith. There's even a tradeoff there. They had to be listening to Maiden while coming up with that part.
And then it comes back to the beginning, which is unusual for them, but it works. The dirge-y final riff is devastating.
Awesome song, one of the more overlooked Opeth tracks.
For Absent Friends - This is a pretty acoustic tune, but it's not much more than an interlude.
Master's Apprentices - This song actually clicked with me very recently. I had previously considered it one of the more unremarkable moments on the album, but now I think it's one of their more underrated tunes. It is so unapologetically brutal, at least starting out. I hope they play it more now that Mikael seems to hate this album less.
The opening verses are a bit repetitive, but they are so brutal that it's hard not to be entertained the whole time. The syncopated riff that follows is crazy.
But what makes this song genius is the shift it takes halfway through. Most Opeth songs jump back and forth between soft and heavy, this one does something different. The first half is some of the heaviest music they've recorded, then there's a couple clean sung verses but it's still pretty heavy. Then all of a sudden we get one of the most saccharine things they've recorded. I find this part very Porcupine Tree-esque, but it outdoes everything I've heard from PT so far. It's mellow and ethereal, but doesn't lose the dark mood established by the heavy first half. Awesome vocal harmonies too. Very sublime section. It really hypnotizes you before getting heavy again. Even though the soft/heavy contrast is Opeth's shtick, they still manage to find ways to catch the listener off guard. Even after listening to this song many times, I never expect it to get heavy again.
My only gripe with the song is that the ending is a bit of a copout. The fadeout worked great on AFJ, but just seems lazy on this tune. Doesn't do the rest of the song justice.
By the Pain I See In Others - The most controversial Opeth track? I imagine Mikael was under similar pressure to followup Blackwater Park that Steve Harris was after both Hallowed Be Thy Name and Rime. It does feel like he is trying to create another album closing epic worthy of BWP while also doing something different. Definitely a unique song. It has a creepy vibe with the vocals and a lot of the ambience through the verses, but it suffers from similar problems as Wreath. It just doesn't really go anywhere. This one is still much better than Wreath and at least feels like they're trying. There are a lot of cool melodies and riffs. Plus, like I said, they're doing something different and I give it credit for that.
The demented circus section is great. The first moment of the song that really grabs my attention. Again, totally unlike anything we've heard from Opeth before and it's really cool. Love Mikael's singing over this part. It almost makes the whole song worth it, unfortunately that one moment of brilliance is surrounded by a lot of meh. The "rise to submission" chorus also comes back way too many times. It is not good enough to warrant that many repetitions.
Very sudden ending too. Just seems to randomly end.
I find this song to be the biggest missed opportunity in Opeth history (maybe now surpassed by Sorceress, we'll get to that later). Where Wreath just feels like Opeth going through the motions, this feels like they're trying to achieve something really special and they missed the mark.
As a whole, this album is tough. Two weak songs doesn't seem like a big deal, but with Opeth that is almost a third of the album. Fortunately they are the first and last songs, so it's easy to avoid them, but I still don't like skipping tracks, so I end up not putting the album on at all. I'll just listen to the three best songs on their own. Even A Fair Judgement and Master's Apprentices, as much as I enjoy them I don't go out of my way for them that much. Deliverance and A Fair Judgement feel like the only two songs that the band (or at least Mikael) were really into. They got lucky with Master's Apprentices, but even that song has moments that seem to lack inspiration. It seems obvious to me that Mikael just wanted to make Damnation and felt obligated to do a heavy album to go with it. Knowing that almost makes me glad that he hasn't tried to force himself to write a heavy album, although lately I get the impression that he is doing the opposite and forcing himself not to write heavy. But we'll get to that later.
It's not a bad album at all, I hate the whole "even x's worst album is better than the average band's best album" cliche, but I find that actually applies to Opeth. I still think that there is no such thing as a bad Opeth album. It's also still better than the first three overall. The three best tracks alone make it worth it. Problem is Wreath makes me reluctant to finish the album and BTPISIO leaves a bad taste in my mouth when it's over. So I have a hard time remembering the positive qualities until I actually sit down to listen to it. This was probably the first time I've listened to the whole thing since the last survivor, at least.
Deliverance
A Fair Judgement
Master's Apprentices
By The Pain I See In Others
For Absent Friends
Wreath
Wreath - I don't think this song is bad, it has a lot of good things going on, but it also feels very cluttered. A lot of the more repetitive parts are ones I don't care for, such as the very first riff in the song. Again, it's not bad, but it seems to lack anything particularly exciting. It just sort of plods on. No exciting riffs or intense dynamic shifts. It also lacks any real coherency. It feels like the band is going back to the more stream of consciousness style of the first two albums, but it lacks the same sense of excitement a lot of that material had. I do like the ending, at least.
Everything about this song seems forced, you can tell Mikael's heart was more in the more mellow stuff on Damnation and even on this album. Easily the weakest song they've done since the first two albums.
Deliverance - After a rocky start with Wreath, things swiftly pick up with what could be argued as the greatest Opeth song. It's crazy that Wreath and Deliverance come from the same album, because they are such a stark contrast in quality. Deliverance achieves everything Wreath fails at. It is exciting, intense, and the riffs are brutal. This is also based around the 7/8 time signature, which gives it a cool sense of urgency. Love how it starts heavy and then quickly brings it down before building back up. It feels like this one is constantly building intensity.
The main riff on this is so intense, with the syncopated rhythm and dissonant chords.
The first guitar solo is awesome, one of the very best solos on an Opeth song.
The following clean sung verse has one of my favorite Opeth riffs. That's one I frequently like to jam out on guitar. Also being juxtaposed with a much more intense growled section, it feels like the tension is briefly being resolved. Yet they manage to build it all back up again. That's the sort of excitement that Wreath completely lacks.
The next section is also great. That was the first part that hooked me when I heard this song for the first time. The guitar solo that follows is also awesome and also one of the very best solos on an Opeth song. Love how the whole band stops while the solo finishes up. Very seamless transition into the acoustic section.
And then we get to the outro. This blew my mind when I first heard it. I couldn't believe that they somehow managed to spend nearly 3 minutes on the same riff but keep it interesting. Great build up, every time it repeats there's something different going on in the background. The drums really help there, with the beat changing each time. The backmasked piano during the final repeat gives it a really eerie end. Easily the best outro on an Opeth song and the perfect cap to one of their most triumphant moments.
Seeing this song live was perhaps the highlight of seeing them live in 2013.
Interestingly, Deliverance is the only song on the side for the vinyl version, so it doesn't segue into A Fair Judgement. So you actually hear his hands come off the piano, rather than it going directly into the next chord.
A Fair Judgement - Nice ominous start with the piano for a much needed moment of delicacy after 20 minutes of pure brutality. I really like this song. It's eerie and has a vibe that we haven't really heard with Opeth yet. Something about the guitar work on this song also reminds me of Iron Maiden. No big twin leads, but there's a similar taste for melody that Maiden has. The dynamic contrast in this song is also incredible. This song is also an example of production making a big difference. The changes of EQ for the piano and clean guitars creates a nice atmosphere.
Love the "leave it be/it was meant for me" section. Amazing vocal harmonies. It's incredible how far this band has come with the clean vocal parts. Great clean guitar solo that follows too.
The heavy section that follows is also great. The two guitar solos are some of my favorites. Again, reminds me of something we'd hear from one of the Maiden boys. The first one reminds me of Murray, the second Smith. There's even a tradeoff there. They had to be listening to Maiden while coming up with that part.
And then it comes back to the beginning, which is unusual for them, but it works. The dirge-y final riff is devastating.
Awesome song, one of the more overlooked Opeth tracks.
For Absent Friends - This is a pretty acoustic tune, but it's not much more than an interlude.
Master's Apprentices - This song actually clicked with me very recently. I had previously considered it one of the more unremarkable moments on the album, but now I think it's one of their more underrated tunes. It is so unapologetically brutal, at least starting out. I hope they play it more now that Mikael seems to hate this album less.
The opening verses are a bit repetitive, but they are so brutal that it's hard not to be entertained the whole time. The syncopated riff that follows is crazy.
But what makes this song genius is the shift it takes halfway through. Most Opeth songs jump back and forth between soft and heavy, this one does something different. The first half is some of the heaviest music they've recorded, then there's a couple clean sung verses but it's still pretty heavy. Then all of a sudden we get one of the most saccharine things they've recorded. I find this part very Porcupine Tree-esque, but it outdoes everything I've heard from PT so far. It's mellow and ethereal, but doesn't lose the dark mood established by the heavy first half. Awesome vocal harmonies too. Very sublime section. It really hypnotizes you before getting heavy again. Even though the soft/heavy contrast is Opeth's shtick, they still manage to find ways to catch the listener off guard. Even after listening to this song many times, I never expect it to get heavy again.
My only gripe with the song is that the ending is a bit of a copout. The fadeout worked great on AFJ, but just seems lazy on this tune. Doesn't do the rest of the song justice.
By the Pain I See In Others - The most controversial Opeth track? I imagine Mikael was under similar pressure to followup Blackwater Park that Steve Harris was after both Hallowed Be Thy Name and Rime. It does feel like he is trying to create another album closing epic worthy of BWP while also doing something different. Definitely a unique song. It has a creepy vibe with the vocals and a lot of the ambience through the verses, but it suffers from similar problems as Wreath. It just doesn't really go anywhere. This one is still much better than Wreath and at least feels like they're trying. There are a lot of cool melodies and riffs. Plus, like I said, they're doing something different and I give it credit for that.
The demented circus section is great. The first moment of the song that really grabs my attention. Again, totally unlike anything we've heard from Opeth before and it's really cool. Love Mikael's singing over this part. It almost makes the whole song worth it, unfortunately that one moment of brilliance is surrounded by a lot of meh. The "rise to submission" chorus also comes back way too many times. It is not good enough to warrant that many repetitions.
Very sudden ending too. Just seems to randomly end.
I find this song to be the biggest missed opportunity in Opeth history (maybe now surpassed by Sorceress, we'll get to that later). Where Wreath just feels like Opeth going through the motions, this feels like they're trying to achieve something really special and they missed the mark.
As a whole, this album is tough. Two weak songs doesn't seem like a big deal, but with Opeth that is almost a third of the album. Fortunately they are the first and last songs, so it's easy to avoid them, but I still don't like skipping tracks, so I end up not putting the album on at all. I'll just listen to the three best songs on their own. Even A Fair Judgement and Master's Apprentices, as much as I enjoy them I don't go out of my way for them that much. Deliverance and A Fair Judgement feel like the only two songs that the band (or at least Mikael) were really into. They got lucky with Master's Apprentices, but even that song has moments that seem to lack inspiration. It seems obvious to me that Mikael just wanted to make Damnation and felt obligated to do a heavy album to go with it. Knowing that almost makes me glad that he hasn't tried to force himself to write a heavy album, although lately I get the impression that he is doing the opposite and forcing himself not to write heavy. But we'll get to that later.
It's not a bad album at all, I hate the whole "even x's worst album is better than the average band's best album" cliche, but I find that actually applies to Opeth. I still think that there is no such thing as a bad Opeth album. It's also still better than the first three overall. The three best tracks alone make it worth it. Problem is Wreath makes me reluctant to finish the album and BTPISIO leaves a bad taste in my mouth when it's over. So I have a hard time remembering the positive qualities until I actually sit down to listen to it. This was probably the first time I've listened to the whole thing since the last survivor, at least.
Deliverance
A Fair Judgement
Master's Apprentices
By The Pain I See In Others
For Absent Friends
Wreath
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
Interesting. I've always felt that chord needed to ring longer.
We share a lot of the same opinions about this album. I think the title track is a bit overrated, though (it's kinda boring and repetitive until it gets to the bass line "Deliverance" section). The outro is spectacular, though. Still, I think Blackwater Park is the superior epic and I wish they'd play it more live as opposed to Deliverance.
I've tried to get into Wreath so many times but I just can't. It has some neat sections, but there's a few sub-par verses here and there that drag on for far too long (I believe he screams "there is no absolution" in one of them, for a point of reference). BTPISIO, conversely, is a song I genuinely enjoy. Fourth weakest here by far, but still full of catchy riffs and moments. I happen to love the chorus, especially when it's backed by double bass. Very aggressive. There's a part near the end with some random funk chords before a heavy screaming section and guitar wails that I also enjoy.
I don't have time to write something longer plus Mosh covered it much better than I could.
Wreath - I love riffs like the one that starts at 1:46. They did riffs in that style a million times and it always works. This song is probably least memorable on the album but still pretty damn awesome, it's just that the competition is tough. Riffs are crushing and Mikael's clean vocals are very eerie. Guitar solo is a bit out of place stylistically (sounds like something out of an upbeat hard rock song), but it works. Lopez crushes it as usual.
Deliverance - Not much new I can say about this song. First 9 and a half minutes are musical perfection in pretty much every possible way (except maybe bass, didn't pay attention tbh
). Then the outro riff starts and we enter musical heaven. Probably most universally loved moment in an Opeth song. Also probably best outro in metal ever.
A Fair Judgement - Doomiest Opeth song? I can hear some Candlemass influence in the riffs. Mikael is definitely a fan. Great song. Think it's quite unique in style for Opeth, think the closest they got was with Porcelain Heart.
For Absent Friends - Useless.
Master's Apprentices - Headbangfest. That intro is just made for headbanging. Lopez kicks so much ass on this song. He always knows when to speed things up, when to cut down on double bass etc. Transition between the calm and the brutal part is amazing.
By The Pain I See In Others - Growling over the calm parts is very cool and unusual for Opeth. Mikael can't pull it off live though. Rise To Submission is one of their best choruses. Melody that starts at 3:32 is one of the best moments of the album. Pretty underrated song. Dunno what's the deal with the silence and the weird vocals at the end though, that brings the song down a bit.
Voting for The Leper Affinity, Wreath, For Absent Friends and By The Pain I See In Others.
Wreath - I love riffs like the one that starts at 1:46. They did riffs in that style a million times and it always works. This song is probably least memorable on the album but still pretty damn awesome, it's just that the competition is tough. Riffs are crushing and Mikael's clean vocals are very eerie. Guitar solo is a bit out of place stylistically (sounds like something out of an upbeat hard rock song), but it works. Lopez crushes it as usual.
Deliverance - Not much new I can say about this song. First 9 and a half minutes are musical perfection in pretty much every possible way (except maybe bass, didn't pay attention tbh
). Then the outro riff starts and we enter musical heaven. Probably most universally loved moment in an Opeth song. Also probably best outro in metal ever.A Fair Judgement - Doomiest Opeth song? I can hear some Candlemass influence in the riffs. Mikael is definitely a fan. Great song. Think it's quite unique in style for Opeth, think the closest they got was with Porcelain Heart.
For Absent Friends - Useless.
Master's Apprentices - Headbangfest. That intro is just made for headbanging. Lopez kicks so much ass on this song. He always knows when to speed things up, when to cut down on double bass etc. Transition between the calm and the brutal part is amazing.
By The Pain I See In Others - Growling over the calm parts is very cool and unusual for Opeth. Mikael can't pull it off live though. Rise To Submission is one of their best choruses. Melody that starts at 3:32 is one of the best moments of the album. Pretty underrated song. Dunno what's the deal with the silence and the weird vocals at the end though, that brings the song down a bit.
Voting for The Leper Affinity, Wreath, For Absent Friends and By The Pain I See In Others.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Is that so? Hmm.
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
He can still growl, but they are higher-pitched and it's evident that he damaged his throat doing it.
Eliminated after Round 6:
Wreath - 6 votes
For Absent Friends - 6 votes
By The Pain I See In Others - 5 votes
The Leper Affinity - 4 votes
Promoted after Round 6:
Bleak
The Drapery Falls
Blackwater Park
Deliverance
A Fair Judgement
Master's Apprentices
Damnation joins the game!
Last two songs appeared on an EP that was released between the releases of Deliverance and Damnation and stylistically they fit in more with the latter album, so they are part of it in this game.
The Flash
Dennis Wilcock did 9/11
A bit too late on Deliverance, but here's my take:
My initial impression when I first heard was a forced attempt to churn out a heavy record to accompany Damnation. I think that impression was caused by the first track on the record, Wreath, which does fit this sentiment and that created some sort of a prejudice. That prejudice ebbed away pretty quickly as I gave the album more and more spins and I grew to really love it. The album is as dark as its album cover suggests. There are some breathing points on the record but it's pretty brutal and intense. I like that they didn't try to replicate Blackwater Park on this one and went for a more classical instrumentation; keyboards and droning sounds play way less of a part here. Martin Lopez certainly is the MVP, just a phenomenal performance all around. Probably one of my favorite drumming performances on an album ever.
1. Wreath: As I touched upon briefly, Wreath is a really weak opener. The drumming is brilliant but it's not enough to save the song. A lot of riffs on this one just don't click with me and the song gets tedious after a while. Not terrible but definitely a weak track.
2. Deliverance: I thought this song was overrated for quite some time but it clicked with me about two years ago. The riffs are absolutely crushing. That main riff that comes after the intro is one of my favorite riffs ever to play on guitar. Love the cleaner sections in the middle as well, but this song really finds its place among the band's best works after the second solo transitions into a clean acoustic pattern. (Love the transition itself, too, great idea to let the last notes of the solo stand on their own) "Deliverance, thrown back at me." "Deliverance, laughing at me." part is subtle but catchy. And then comes an even more haunting riff, that soon gets accompanied by an absolutely intense rhytmic pattern to create what may be the most intense piece of music Opeth has ever created. Absolutely fantastic.
3. A Fair Judgement: The piano intro is cool but I think it's a bit too long. Once the song gets going though, it's absolutely beautiful. The melodies throughout the song are just stunning. The effect on the arpeggiated guitar pattern near the 4th minute is a nice touch; then comes a part that really reminds me of Wishbone Ash. A beautiful little solo, then a soul crushing riff. Haunting. Then one of the band's best ever solos on top to finish off the song. Good idea to come back to the intro to end the song. Not such a good idea to put a two minute repetitive heavy section in the end of the track. Definitely not a fan of that one. Intro and outro are imperfect but the rest is up there with the band's best.
4. For Absent Friends: Nice interlude. The parts that I enjoy the most are the chords and clean licks that play between 0:44 - 1:00 and 1:50 - 2:04. Could've been a truly great track if it was developed further and put on Damnation.
5. Master's Apprentices: I've loved this song ever since the first time I heard it and I've always thought it was underappreciated. It has everything. A bad motherfucker of a main riff and killer growls. Mikael is full on channeling his inner Morbid Angel fanboy on this one. I love the chaotic feel of both the second and third riffs. Clean parts in the middle are as good as ever, very nice sustained guitars that sounds different than anything the band's done from a lead guitar standpoint. The clean vocals on the "Every wretched dream I've left behind" part is very catchy. Love how the song gets into a cheery mode with the "Aaaaah" parts and then Mikael comes crushing with some ridiculously brutal growls. After such a great buildup they could've done anything fast and it'd sound good probably. Love the outro riff as well.
6. By the Pain I See in Others: I hold the view that this song (along with Wreath) paints people's mindset about the album. Tracks #2 and #3 are universally loved, everyone considers #5 at least decent/good, #4 is an interlude. If you like both of these songs, chances are Deliverance is one of your favorite Opeth records. (see NP) I don't like Wreath but I like this one so I probably like Deliverance more than the average Opeth listener on this forum. "Rise to submission" is one of the best choruses the band has ever written and I disagree that it comes back too often. It could come back 10 more times and I'd still enjoy it. It's that good. So heavy and groovy. Some parts of the song do drag a bit, but the "Outside in the park, the days move along" part is beautiful. Though I don't get the deal with the 4 minute outro. What's the point?
This is the fourth consecutive 5/5 (Great) Opeth album for me. The win streak will go on for the next four albums as well.
My initial impression when I first heard was a forced attempt to churn out a heavy record to accompany Damnation. I think that impression was caused by the first track on the record, Wreath, which does fit this sentiment and that created some sort of a prejudice. That prejudice ebbed away pretty quickly as I gave the album more and more spins and I grew to really love it. The album is as dark as its album cover suggests. There are some breathing points on the record but it's pretty brutal and intense. I like that they didn't try to replicate Blackwater Park on this one and went for a more classical instrumentation; keyboards and droning sounds play way less of a part here. Martin Lopez certainly is the MVP, just a phenomenal performance all around. Probably one of my favorite drumming performances on an album ever.
1. Wreath: As I touched upon briefly, Wreath is a really weak opener. The drumming is brilliant but it's not enough to save the song. A lot of riffs on this one just don't click with me and the song gets tedious after a while. Not terrible but definitely a weak track.
2. Deliverance: I thought this song was overrated for quite some time but it clicked with me about two years ago. The riffs are absolutely crushing. That main riff that comes after the intro is one of my favorite riffs ever to play on guitar. Love the cleaner sections in the middle as well, but this song really finds its place among the band's best works after the second solo transitions into a clean acoustic pattern. (Love the transition itself, too, great idea to let the last notes of the solo stand on their own) "Deliverance, thrown back at me." "Deliverance, laughing at me." part is subtle but catchy. And then comes an even more haunting riff, that soon gets accompanied by an absolutely intense rhytmic pattern to create what may be the most intense piece of music Opeth has ever created. Absolutely fantastic.
3. A Fair Judgement: The piano intro is cool but I think it's a bit too long. Once the song gets going though, it's absolutely beautiful. The melodies throughout the song are just stunning. The effect on the arpeggiated guitar pattern near the 4th minute is a nice touch; then comes a part that really reminds me of Wishbone Ash. A beautiful little solo, then a soul crushing riff. Haunting. Then one of the band's best ever solos on top to finish off the song. Good idea to come back to the intro to end the song. Not such a good idea to put a two minute repetitive heavy section in the end of the track. Definitely not a fan of that one. Intro and outro are imperfect but the rest is up there with the band's best.
4. For Absent Friends: Nice interlude. The parts that I enjoy the most are the chords and clean licks that play between 0:44 - 1:00 and 1:50 - 2:04. Could've been a truly great track if it was developed further and put on Damnation.
5. Master's Apprentices: I've loved this song ever since the first time I heard it and I've always thought it was underappreciated. It has everything. A bad motherfucker of a main riff and killer growls. Mikael is full on channeling his inner Morbid Angel fanboy on this one. I love the chaotic feel of both the second and third riffs. Clean parts in the middle are as good as ever, very nice sustained guitars that sounds different than anything the band's done from a lead guitar standpoint. The clean vocals on the "Every wretched dream I've left behind" part is very catchy. Love how the song gets into a cheery mode with the "Aaaaah" parts and then Mikael comes crushing with some ridiculously brutal growls. After such a great buildup they could've done anything fast and it'd sound good probably. Love the outro riff as well.
6. By the Pain I See in Others: I hold the view that this song (along with Wreath) paints people's mindset about the album. Tracks #2 and #3 are universally loved, everyone considers #5 at least decent/good, #4 is an interlude. If you like both of these songs, chances are Deliverance is one of your favorite Opeth records. (see NP) I don't like Wreath but I like this one so I probably like Deliverance more than the average Opeth listener on this forum. "Rise to submission" is one of the best choruses the band has ever written and I disagree that it comes back too often. It could come back 10 more times and I'd still enjoy it. It's that good. So heavy and groovy. Some parts of the song do drag a bit, but the "Outside in the park, the days move along" part is beautiful. Though I don't get the deal with the 4 minute outro. What's the point?
This is the fourth consecutive 5/5 (Great) Opeth album for me. The win streak will go on for the next four albums as well.
His voice has been declining at least since the Watershed era. I was really surprised at how bad his growls sound on the Sorceress bonus live recordings.
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
Damnation is probably my overall favorite Opeth record. I cherish it, actually. I adore their heavy growly stuff, but Damnation is genuinely great songwriting, even if it is relatively straightforward (aside from tracks 1, 4, and 6). I don't think any of the songs are filler; they all work in the context of the album. Weakness is the weakest one, but it ends the album with a dreary, haunting darkness that the instrumental before it would not have done.
Windowpane and Hope Leaves are in my top 10 Opeth tracks. They are both beautiful songs.
I also love Still Life, which is by far their most consistent heavy album. In addition, I'm also fond of the two bonus Blackwater Park-era songs (particularly Still Day). Every vote I make will be tactical.
Moor
Melinda
White Cluster
Death Whispered
Closure
Ending Credits
Weakness
Patterns II
Windowpane and Hope Leaves are in my top 10 Opeth tracks. They are both beautiful songs.
I also love Still Life, which is by far their most consistent heavy album. In addition, I'm also fond of the two bonus Blackwater Park-era songs (particularly Still Day). Every vote I make will be tactical.
Moor
Melinda
White Cluster
Death Whispered
Closure
Ending Credits
Weakness
Patterns II
I'd suggest you also check out the live version of the album featured on Lamentations live album in full.