My final thoughts on Morningrise:
Advent - Starting with the cool intro riff, it's clear that the musicality of this album will be much more put together than Orchid. The riffs themselves, however, just aren't that memorable. I wish they'd kept the intro going a little longer. The break before the next heavy riff isn't as effective for me. The riff (with the Lars Ulrich "One" drum intro) before the verse is cool. Mikael's growls are getting better, but the lyrics are utter nonsense. I know that bass slide thing is interesting, but I don't like it. It's just kind of an offputting sound to me. The break with the preview riff is awesome, thankfully it comes back. That jumpy riff from 4:45ish with the Maidenish turnaround is my favorite single riff in the song. The first clean vocals on the album are certainly more confident than Orchid, though the melodies on this song really do nothing for me. The volume swell section in the middle is cool. Orchid style riffs return at 8:15 and...it feels out of place. Now, the insane bass section at 9:30, however, is easily the best part of the entire song. The ending is completely unnecessary. It adds nothing to the song and is entirely too long. Plus, that random fade in part at the end is just terrible. Not my favorite. 6/10
The Night and The Silent Water - Starts out great, I love the beginning. The dynamics and transitions in the first three minutes are quite good. I love the riffing under the first couple verses, but WTF is up with the lyrical "parlour" onbsession? Transitioning in and out of the clean section is a little hamfisted, but it works. The clean vocals are nice and it's clear that this song is actually about something (the death of Mikaels grandfather). I mark this as an important part of the band's songwriting because Mikael actually wrote lyrics from the heart here and they sound so much better. The riff at 5:00 reminds me of Justice-era Metallica with a better rhythm section. Strummed chords make their introduction in Opeth music and it's a great moment. The entire ending to this song is quite powerful. I just wish Mikael had screamed that last part instead of whispering. Also, the acoustics shouldn't have cross faded when the heavy guitars entered. The issues on this song (and album) are mainly production oriented. Ending is poor here, too. 8/10
Nectar - Once again a song opens strong with a cool, rhythm section-driven riff. I love that they let the bass and drums stand out on this track. The fade after the first verse is stupid. Fades seem to be a reoccurring problem with this album. The vocal structure does nothing for me, but the lyrics are coherent (I view it as dealing with a sucubus or some sort of Lovecraftian moon dream demon thing). I love the bass tapping break followed by the "Ooh" grunt riff. A brilliant moment happens at 4:45 with a jazzy Dream Theater fill, but the chugging buildup riff and the walking bass verses that come after it sound like pure slop to me. I truly dislike this section. One of my least favorite Opeth moments ever. The acoustic section that follows, however, is beautiful. The final minute is awesome and clearly a template for outros they would later attempt (i.e. Deliverance) but with wayyyyy cooler bass. The ending is actually too abrupt, an anomaly for this album. 7/10
Black Rose Immortal - Attacking right from the get-go, this song is very good. Not perfect, but a truly commendable effort. The first verse is an onslaught and Mikael's "spiritual eclipse" growl shows shades of his later vocal power. Of course, this track falls victim to fades (and sound FX) going in and out of sections, which I dislike, but all the individual parts are so good. Coolest pieces are the Maidenish section with the funky bass between 2-3 minutes, Mortal Kombat section at 7:30, the short guitar solo after with the wicked chord turnarounds, the acoustic section with the drum buildup, the Afraid To Shoot Strangers riff over the "black rose immortal" verse, the maniacal Dave Mustaine solo at 16:40, and dat final scream tho. The acapella part is ballsy and I like the effect, but the melody isn't there. Same goes for all the clean vocals here. Anyway, a noble effort and a badass musical journey. 8/10
To Bid You Farewell - The music on this song is perfection. Mikael's voice is not completely prepared for it yet and some of the melodies could be better, but it all just works so well that I can't fault them for later improvements. My biggest gripe is that the melody on the line "Once it came you lied" is godly, but the tail end of the line "Embracing us over..." fumbles on the dismount. But it's a small gripe because the guitar solos after it are pure magic. The bass, the leads, the wah chords, god this song is so perfect. It's a beautiful song and easily, far and away, and undoubtedly the best composition from the first two albums. 10/10
I promise it'll go faster now 
