I think it has more to do with how the album was recorded. There are a lot of parts where they layered a bunch of guitar parts on top of each other, making it hard to recreate those songs live with only two guitarists.
OPETH SURVIVOR 2016: Results -> The sun sets forever over Blackwater Park!
- Thread starter Night Prowler
- Start date
The Moor -
The riff driven style of MAYH continues, but with stronger riffs. Mikael's growls have reached their true potential finally. The long tones through the verses are really haunting. The clean sung vocals have also improved a ton. The harmonies are more haunting and Mikael sounds more confident in his delivery. Love the tremolo guitar bridge. It's short but so sweet, feels like the band is in the room with you. The band are continuing that wall of sound approach but the production does it more favors here.
The harmony at 7:24 is very reminiscent of a lot of stuff on Orchid, but they've developed a ton since then.
Great acoustic section follows. Really like Mikael's humming there.
The tremolo guitar part unexpectedly returns toward the end of the song and builds into a great final verse and chorus to end the song.
Overall an incredible song that doesn't feel nearly as long as it really is. Opeth have finally reached the heights they spent 3 albums trying to achieve.
Godhead's Lament - The band spare no time getting into this one. Love the atonal lead guitar in the intro. Somehow this song is even heavier than the previous one. Lots of great call and response stuff happening in the guitar department. It is like Mikael is the leader in a demented chorus and the guitars are his choir. Mikael's singing has really improved. He is relentless on this track. Great guitar solo, though I wish it was higher in the mix. The way they seamlessly transition into the clean sung chorus is masterful. Those are the kinds of transitions that early Opeth was missing. It's a great chorus too. We also get more of those long tones that really create a great mood.
The acoustic section is great. Really tasty guitar work and more clean sung goodness.
A very dirge-like heavy section follows.
Song loses a bit of steam toward the end, but it's still good. The first half is very powerful stuff.
Benighted - A much needed moment of softness after two incredibly heavy tracks. This was a necessary breather and also very enjoyable to listen to. The acoustic work on this album is much more inviting. It feels like Mikael is in the room singing to you. Very tasty guitar solo at the end. Love when they do clean guitar solos. I like that this is a fully fleshed out song. On MAYH these songs are more interludes and don't have much value out of context, but I could still listen to Benighted and enjoy it in any context.
Moonlapse Vertigo - Really nice guitar melody at the beginning of this that is complemented by some solid guitar layering. Very interesting that the vocals don't come in until the first acoustic section. The riff during the first growled section is one of my favorites on the album.
More great clean guitar work on this. Really awesome guitar solo in the middle.
Very nice syncopated riffing on this. I like that they are doing different things rhythmically, really gives this music variety.
The clean section toward the end is awesome. The fadeout seems appropriate and there are some awesome fills.
This song is kind of the opposite of Godhead's Lament. Where Godhead starts really strong but loses it toward the end, this one starts off pretty good but slowly grows into something really awesome.
Face Of Melinda - This song is so awesome. I remember at the Opeth show I went to a few years ago, someone shouted Face of Melinda and they started playing it. They didn't do the whole thing but I was freaking out for the first minute or so that they did play. It's a very haunting intro too. Love the fretless bass and the brushed drums. New sonic territory for Opeth.
This is probably the band's first great ballad. They've had some good ones, but this one is top notch and still one of the best songs they've ever done. One of my favorite Opeth choruses too. Really haunting guitar harmonies in between the verses too.
You really don't expect this one to go heavy but when it does it's immense. That riff is so awesome. It's so dirge-y and sludgey. The clean sung heavy verse is amazing. I'm glad he refrained from growling on this one.
Awesome buildup and harmony at the end.
This song still excites me as much as it did when I first heard it. One of their most popular songs for a good reason. After listening to these albums in order it's apparent that this is a spiritual successor to To Bid You Farewell, but it's so much better.
Serenity Painted Death - This is the one for the prog snobs.
Relentless riffing to start off. Once again they spare no time at getting into the meat of this song. Love the riffs and melodies that start this one off. I agree with @Night Prowler that the pinch harmonics part is really weird by Opeth standards. Even when I was new to the band that part stuck out to me. But in a good way, it's very cool. Has Opeth ever used pinch harmonics since? It's such a cool riff though and I love Mikael's vocal delivery for this part, with the vocals getting increasingly more brutal.
The proggy drum beat that follows is awesome. 5/4 time signature! We're getting knee deep in prog here folks. The guitar melody is also very technical here. I imagine this is one of the parts Mikael is referring to when he says the album is too complicated to do live. This part is just nuts. Even when it goes back to 4/4 it's pretty complicated. Lots of tricky rhythms in there.
More odd time signatures in the acoustic section later on. Lots of dark psychedelic sounds contribute to the atmosphere. And then as you're hypnotized by this passage, the band hits you with one of their heaviest sections ever. Mikael is giving his all in this section and it's awesome.
Things quickly settle down for a really great guitar solo.
Another awesome clean sung section follows before going back to that great pinch harmonic riff. That part is seriously so cool. One of my favorite riffs and vocal moments on the whole album.
The acoustic outro is very haunting and a perfect way to end this song. And of course they Pull Me Under the ending.
This is another crowning achievement on the album. It really feels like you've been on a journey by the end of this track.
White Cluster - Another song where they hit the ground running. The syncopated riff on this one is very catchy. Lots of tension in the acoustic clean sung section. You just know it's going to build into something immense. It takes awhile to build up, but it's satisfying climax. The riff following the acoustic section is very dramatic. Another fantastic guitar solo that follows. I only wish the lead guitar stuff was higher in the mix. It often feels overpowered and muddy.
The ending is a finale worthy of this album. Great way to end it, the fadeout leaves you wanting more which is great.
The acoustic outro is cool, although it could've been cool to use the intro to The Moor. Fills the same purpose anyway.
Overall this song is one of my least favorites on the album, but that really speaks to how good this album is cause there was still a lot of stuff I really enjoyed listening to it. I will say though that it was a bit of a dull moment live, but it has grown on me since.
Overall, this is Opeth's Somewhere In Time. An album that the hardcore fans love but a lot of casual fans and the band seem to have forgotten. It's also among their more complex albums, like SIT, although I don't think it's as complex as Mikael makes it out to be. Also similar to a lot of Iron Maiden stuff that doesn't get played live, I think the problems are more that there's so much going on and the sections shift around really manically, even for Opeth's standards, so pulling it off may be a challenge in that regard.
Personally, I find it the most dense Opeth album. It's always rewarding to listen to but I'm also always exhausted by the end so I don't put it on as much as BWP. Overall it works out in the album's favor because it always feels fresh to me and I always find something new to appreciate about it. Even now I don't feel that it has fully clicked.
I thought ranking it would be difficult, but it actually wasn't. The only thing I'm not sure about is whether I prefer Serenity Painted Death or Face of Melinda. However this is a very solidly consistent album, maybe among their most consistent. Benighted is not that much of a notch below The Moor.
The Moor
Face of Melinda
Serenity Painted Death
Godhead's Lament
Moonlapse Vertigo
White Cluster
Benighted
I will probably be voting for Benighted and maybe White Cluster. We will see what I think of BWP after this listen, another album that I am constantly finding new things to appreciate. Believe it or not, the title track has only just recently clicked with me.
Not even going to try to come up with a better description of the intro. You know right away you're in for something different with this. Interestingly, they tried something similar with The Apostle In Triumph having an intro disconnected from the rest of the song. Here it works much better. I guess the main reason is that the mood stays consistent even if the music is disconnected, but both acoustic intros get me really pumped. Really tense buildup that gives me goosebumps. It really doesn't feel like 2.5 minutes. And then we get into the heavy stuff. Awesome riff that is perfectly complemented by the rhythm work. Every instrument is crystal clear, far better production on this album than the first three. Love the way the bass and drums change underneath the riff, really builds tension.
The riff driven style of MAYH continues, but with stronger riffs. Mikael's growls have reached their true potential finally. The long tones through the verses are really haunting. The clean sung vocals have also improved a ton. The harmonies are more haunting and Mikael sounds more confident in his delivery. Love the tremolo guitar bridge. It's short but so sweet, feels like the band is in the room with you. The band are continuing that wall of sound approach but the production does it more favors here.
The harmony at 7:24 is very reminiscent of a lot of stuff on Orchid, but they've developed a ton since then.
Great acoustic section follows. Really like Mikael's humming there.
The tremolo guitar part unexpectedly returns toward the end of the song and builds into a great final verse and chorus to end the song.
Overall an incredible song that doesn't feel nearly as long as it really is. Opeth have finally reached the heights they spent 3 albums trying to achieve.
Godhead's Lament - The band spare no time getting into this one. Love the atonal lead guitar in the intro. Somehow this song is even heavier than the previous one. Lots of great call and response stuff happening in the guitar department. It is like Mikael is the leader in a demented chorus and the guitars are his choir. Mikael's singing has really improved. He is relentless on this track. Great guitar solo, though I wish it was higher in the mix. The way they seamlessly transition into the clean sung chorus is masterful. Those are the kinds of transitions that early Opeth was missing. It's a great chorus too. We also get more of those long tones that really create a great mood.
The acoustic section is great. Really tasty guitar work and more clean sung goodness.
A very dirge-like heavy section follows.
Song loses a bit of steam toward the end, but it's still good. The first half is very powerful stuff.
Benighted - A much needed moment of softness after two incredibly heavy tracks. This was a necessary breather and also very enjoyable to listen to. The acoustic work on this album is much more inviting. It feels like Mikael is in the room singing to you. Very tasty guitar solo at the end. Love when they do clean guitar solos. I like that this is a fully fleshed out song. On MAYH these songs are more interludes and don't have much value out of context, but I could still listen to Benighted and enjoy it in any context.
Moonlapse Vertigo - Really nice guitar melody at the beginning of this that is complemented by some solid guitar layering. Very interesting that the vocals don't come in until the first acoustic section. The riff during the first growled section is one of my favorites on the album.
More great clean guitar work on this. Really awesome guitar solo in the middle.
Very nice syncopated riffing on this. I like that they are doing different things rhythmically, really gives this music variety.
The clean section toward the end is awesome. The fadeout seems appropriate and there are some awesome fills.
This song is kind of the opposite of Godhead's Lament. Where Godhead starts really strong but loses it toward the end, this one starts off pretty good but slowly grows into something really awesome.
Face Of Melinda - This song is so awesome. I remember at the Opeth show I went to a few years ago, someone shouted Face of Melinda and they started playing it. They didn't do the whole thing but I was freaking out for the first minute or so that they did play. It's a very haunting intro too. Love the fretless bass and the brushed drums. New sonic territory for Opeth.
This is probably the band's first great ballad. They've had some good ones, but this one is top notch and still one of the best songs they've ever done. One of my favorite Opeth choruses too. Really haunting guitar harmonies in between the verses too.
You really don't expect this one to go heavy but when it does it's immense. That riff is so awesome. It's so dirge-y and sludgey. The clean sung heavy verse is amazing. I'm glad he refrained from growling on this one.
Awesome buildup and harmony at the end.
This song still excites me as much as it did when I first heard it. One of their most popular songs for a good reason. After listening to these albums in order it's apparent that this is a spiritual successor to To Bid You Farewell, but it's so much better.
Serenity Painted Death - This is the one for the prog snobs.
Relentless riffing to start off. Once again they spare no time at getting into the meat of this song. Love the riffs and melodies that start this one off. I agree with @Night Prowler that the pinch harmonics part is really weird by Opeth standards. Even when I was new to the band that part stuck out to me. But in a good way, it's very cool. Has Opeth ever used pinch harmonics since? It's such a cool riff though and I love Mikael's vocal delivery for this part, with the vocals getting increasingly more brutal.
The proggy drum beat that follows is awesome. 5/4 time signature! We're getting knee deep in prog here folks. The guitar melody is also very technical here. I imagine this is one of the parts Mikael is referring to when he says the album is too complicated to do live. This part is just nuts. Even when it goes back to 4/4 it's pretty complicated. Lots of tricky rhythms in there.
More odd time signatures in the acoustic section later on. Lots of dark psychedelic sounds contribute to the atmosphere. And then as you're hypnotized by this passage, the band hits you with one of their heaviest sections ever. Mikael is giving his all in this section and it's awesome.
Things quickly settle down for a really great guitar solo.
Another awesome clean sung section follows before going back to that great pinch harmonic riff. That part is seriously so cool. One of my favorite riffs and vocal moments on the whole album.
The acoustic outro is very haunting and a perfect way to end this song. And of course they Pull Me Under the ending.
This is another crowning achievement on the album. It really feels like you've been on a journey by the end of this track.
White Cluster - Another song where they hit the ground running. The syncopated riff on this one is very catchy. Lots of tension in the acoustic clean sung section. You just know it's going to build into something immense. It takes awhile to build up, but it's satisfying climax. The riff following the acoustic section is very dramatic. Another fantastic guitar solo that follows. I only wish the lead guitar stuff was higher in the mix. It often feels overpowered and muddy.
The ending is a finale worthy of this album. Great way to end it, the fadeout leaves you wanting more which is great.
The acoustic outro is cool, although it could've been cool to use the intro to The Moor. Fills the same purpose anyway.
Overall this song is one of my least favorites on the album, but that really speaks to how good this album is cause there was still a lot of stuff I really enjoyed listening to it. I will say though that it was a bit of a dull moment live, but it has grown on me since.
Overall, this is Opeth's Somewhere In Time. An album that the hardcore fans love but a lot of casual fans and the band seem to have forgotten. It's also among their more complex albums, like SIT, although I don't think it's as complex as Mikael makes it out to be. Also similar to a lot of Iron Maiden stuff that doesn't get played live, I think the problems are more that there's so much going on and the sections shift around really manically, even for Opeth's standards, so pulling it off may be a challenge in that regard.
Personally, I find it the most dense Opeth album. It's always rewarding to listen to but I'm also always exhausted by the end so I don't put it on as much as BWP. Overall it works out in the album's favor because it always feels fresh to me and I always find something new to appreciate about it. Even now I don't feel that it has fully clicked.
I thought ranking it would be difficult, but it actually wasn't. The only thing I'm not sure about is whether I prefer Serenity Painted Death or Face of Melinda. However this is a very solidly consistent album, maybe among their most consistent. Benighted is not that much of a notch below The Moor.
The Moor
Face of Melinda
Serenity Painted Death
Godhead's Lament
Moonlapse Vertigo
White Cluster
Benighted
I will probably be voting for Benighted and maybe White Cluster. We will see what I think of BWP after this listen, another album that I am constantly finding new things to appreciate. Believe it or not, the title track has only just recently clicked with me.
If Still Life is Opeth's Somewhere In Time (both best albums of bands in question, yet overlooked when it comes to special tours and in setlists), then Blackwater Park is their Powerslave. All 4 are great albums, of course. (P. S. I didn't copy this from Mosh, his post appeared when I was almost done with writing 
)
Blackwater Park's production isn't as good as Still Life's. Drums aren't as brutal as on Still Life. I blame Steven Wilson for that and I have proof it's his fault. Andy Sneap mixed Deliverance. On that album, drums had a great clear sound, then Wilson did a remix last year and changed the drum sound to the one on BWP which has a soft snare sound and double bass mixed way too low
Production is more like a clearer version of MAYH, which is very underwhelming compared to Still Life.
Also unlike Still Life, BWP isn't a concept album which makes me not care about the lyrics at all.
BWP is far less brutal and generally a much slower album in comparison.
I might be a bit harsh since I like the album but I just don't understand why BWP gets all the attention instead of Still Life. Even Akerfeldt says he doesn't think it's their best album and that performance-wise they were much better on later albums.
The Leper Affinity: I like this song. But I can't really pinpoint any true awesome moment in it apart from the opening "We enter winter once again".
Bleak: Took a while for me to say this, but best Opeth song. Pretty much a perfect mix of everything that makes Opeth great and ironically has Steven Wilson on backing vocals
Harvest: One of rare Opeth songs with a classic structure with verses and a chorus. At least until the latest album. It's pretty great.
The Drapery Falls: Another classic. After Moonlapse Vertigo finally clicked with me, I realized Drapery has quite a similar beginning to that song, but it doesn't lower my enjoyment of it at all. Was my favorite Opeth song for a long time. Has pretty much one of their best openings with the awesome riff and solo. It's basically divided into 2 parts, with the 2nd one starting with the first growls; it's a perfect transition IMO.
Dirge For November: I don't like the vocals during the intro. That part sounds much better live. Lead melody in this song is incredible but the rest of the song doesn't live up to it. Some parts really drag. Although it's spawned this awesome cover, so I'll cut it some slack.
The Funeral Portrait: Entirely forgettable song.
Patterns In The Ivy: This one too.
Blackwater Park: 2nd best Opeth song. So many great riffs, awesome buildup + Akerfeldt's best harsh vocal performance ever.
While it's impossible for me to pick the order from best to worst song for Still Life, I can do it for BWP:
Bleak
Blackwater Park
The Drapery Falls
Harvest
The Leper Affinity
Dirge For November
The Funeral Portrait
Patterns In The Ivy
Voting for Under The Weeping Moon, Benighted, The Funeral Portrait and Patterns In The Ivy.
)Blackwater Park's production isn't as good as Still Life's. Drums aren't as brutal as on Still Life. I blame Steven Wilson for that and I have proof it's his fault. Andy Sneap mixed Deliverance. On that album, drums had a great clear sound, then Wilson did a remix last year and changed the drum sound to the one on BWP which has a soft snare sound and double bass mixed way too low
Production is more like a clearer version of MAYH, which is very underwhelming compared to Still Life.Also unlike Still Life, BWP isn't a concept album which makes me not care about the lyrics at all.
BWP is far less brutal and generally a much slower album in comparison.
I might be a bit harsh since I like the album but I just don't understand why BWP gets all the attention instead of Still Life. Even Akerfeldt says he doesn't think it's their best album and that performance-wise they were much better on later albums.
The Leper Affinity: I like this song. But I can't really pinpoint any true awesome moment in it apart from the opening "We enter winter once again".
Bleak: Took a while for me to say this, but best Opeth song. Pretty much a perfect mix of everything that makes Opeth great and ironically has Steven Wilson on backing vocals
Harvest: One of rare Opeth songs with a classic structure with verses and a chorus. At least until the latest album. It's pretty great.
The Drapery Falls: Another classic. After Moonlapse Vertigo finally clicked with me, I realized Drapery has quite a similar beginning to that song, but it doesn't lower my enjoyment of it at all. Was my favorite Opeth song for a long time. Has pretty much one of their best openings with the awesome riff and solo. It's basically divided into 2 parts, with the 2nd one starting with the first growls; it's a perfect transition IMO.
Dirge For November: I don't like the vocals during the intro. That part sounds much better live. Lead melody in this song is incredible but the rest of the song doesn't live up to it. Some parts really drag. Although it's spawned this awesome cover, so I'll cut it some slack.
The Funeral Portrait: Entirely forgettable song.
Patterns In The Ivy: This one too.
Blackwater Park: 2nd best Opeth song. So many great riffs, awesome buildup + Akerfeldt's best harsh vocal performance ever.
While it's impossible for me to pick the order from best to worst song for Still Life, I can do it for BWP:
Bleak
Blackwater Park
The Drapery Falls
Harvest
The Leper Affinity
Dirge For November
The Funeral Portrait
Patterns In The Ivy
Voting for Under The Weeping Moon, Benighted, The Funeral Portrait and Patterns In The Ivy.
Good reading on here fellow music nerds.
I have dabbled with the newer albums, but have yet to step into the abyss of the older stuff, given my dislike for growled vocals.
This survivor would be a good doorway into the band, but they've always struck me as a group that deserves more time than I currently have.
Listening to Face of Melinda and Beknighted based on reviews.
Like both, Melinda in particular.
I have dabbled with the newer albums, but have yet to step into the abyss of the older stuff, given my dislike for growled vocals.
This survivor would be a good doorway into the band, but they've always struck me as a group that deserves more time than I currently have.
Listening to Face of Melinda and Beknighted based on reviews.
Like both, Melinda in particular.
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Opeth are a great gateway band for more extreme Metal. Check out Damnation, it's all clean sung but sounds more like classic Opeth than their newer stuff. If you like Face of Melinda and To Bid You Farewell, there's a lot of music you'll enjoy on Damnation. Very mellow and dark prog rock, not unlike Porcupine Tree.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Yes because:
No because:
+
+
Complex in a different way. I don't think that the layers in SIT have the same effect as the layers of (sometimes atonal) riffs in Still Life.
In Somewhere in Time the music is much easier to digest imo. SIT has many spellbinding melodies and enough (tempo) changes, making it an untiring ride. I do agree that SIT might be Maiden's most difficult album to perform. So yeah, that could be a good comparison. But from the listener's point of view I disagree.
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
Interesting comments thus far. Blackwater Park is without a doubt my favorite heavy Opeth song. Harvest is a decent simple folk song, but they've done so much better (before and after)... it just doesn't have the catchiness of their other clean songs. I don't think Funeral Portrait is "entirely forgettable," but while it has some great riffs, there's no "wow" moment in the song (unlike every other song on the album, even the brief instrumental). I voted for Bleak because I think it's a bit overrated, although I honestly regret it because it's not a weak song in the slightest. The chorus is remarkable, too (what's with the Steven Wilson hate?) Drapery Falls is awesome, but again suffers from no real climax moment. Dirge is a song I always passed over because I felt the heavy section lasts too long, but for a few years now I've loved that song. Finally, Leper Affinity is a crushing opener and has tons of catchy riffs, but again - no climax.
Still Life had climaxes on nearly every song.
Still Life had climaxes on nearly every song.
The Flash
Dennis Wilcock did 9/11
Blackwater Park, like Still Life, is one of those Opeth albums that takes #1 spot for me from time to time. As the Akerfeldt-Wilson love affair begins, the sound is noticeably grander than ever before with keyboards, droning sounds and a huge wall of sound. I think this is the point where the band turns from a " death metal band with prog influences" into a "prog metal band with death metal influences". The improved transition skills on its predecessor are completely perfected on this record, everything flows quite well. Dynamic shifts are great as usual. Really enjoy the track sequencing on this one as well, pretty much perfect. Again, the lesser songs on the record aren't weak, and the best songs are some of the band's best ever.
1. The Leper Affinity: I wasn't too much in love with this song until this year, I thought it was all over the place. Still don't care for the 6th minute of the song, The riff and the keyboards don't do anything for me there. But aside from that, a ton of great ideas on this one. The riff after the first verse is one of my all-time favorite Opeth riffs -The "Your body is wired to me" one-. The eerie piano outro is a very nice touch. Especially that last chord, which sounds like a question mark in sound form.
2. Bleak: A great track all around, this one. Awesome eastern edge, killer main riff. The eastern type droning sounds really add something special to this one. "Clearing thoughts, my mind is set" is a great vocal climax, transitioning into the clean part. The Wilson-Akerfeldt duet is absolutely fantastic, their voices go together well because of Wilson's high tenor tone and Akerfeldt's baritone. The clean solo before the "Help me cure you" part is beautiful. Fucking love the build up that comes afterwards, so eerie. An eerie buildup to where? The absolute highlight of the album. The amazing part at 6:40. The outro is absolutely fantastic as well, with yet another vocal climax, and then the broken sound at the end which is another nice touch.
3. Harvest: Breath of fresh air this one, serving the same purpose as Benighted on Still Life. But this one is even better than Benighted, a truly haunting track. Pretty simple chords -Simple enough that my inept ass can play it and sing at the same time- but less is more in this case. Love the vocal melodies, especially the chorus.
4. The Drapery Falls: How do you use so many ideas on one song and make it as coherent as this one? Insanity. And the ideas aren't too shabby either, great riffs, great clean sections and vocals. The song doesn't have a single climax, that's true, but it's full of memorable stuff so I think that's okay. I love "Autumn leaves left in the wake to FADE AWAY and "And lapse into the ways of miseRY" thing, how the music takes over the last part of the line.
5. Dirge for November: Not a massive fan of the vocal intro, though the clean part that comes afterwards is great. Serves a great build up to a crushing riff. The riff is powerful enough melodically and they add that beautiful lead guitar on top of it. Brilliant. I love how dramatic "The omen showed, took me away" part is. Don't think it drags at all. The outro is pretty eerie and cool. I remember the exact date this one clicked with me, 6 July 2014. I was on my way on the bus to Ankara to settle here, and I played this track around 3 A.M., when everyone in the bus but me and the driver were sound asleep and we were going through complete darkness save for the bus' headlights. Oh how powerful it was.
6. The Funeral Portrait: Not terrible, but I agree with NP in saying it's utterly forgettable. I usually skip this one when I listen to album, drags the momentum down a bit.
7. Patterns in the Ivy: Nice breather, not a full song, but a good interlude before the explosion of the title track.
8. Blackwater Park: What a fucking intro. Soul crushing. A lot of cool stuff up until the 6th minute, but I think it's exactly at the 6:00 mark the song really picks up steam. Brutal riff after brutal riff. The lead melody at 7:40 is unmistakable. And the wall of sound that comes after with Martin Mendez's bass pummeling through, the guitars creating a massive choir of madness and Mikael growling like a beast on top. I mean holy shit. By the time the riff at 9:50 enters and then Martin Lopez goes for that double bass I'm absolutely lost in the mad chasm of this bad motherfucker of a track. Fucking brilliant. "Strange liaisons raise this monumental mark, the sun sets forever on Blackwater Park" baby.
1. The Leper Affinity: I wasn't too much in love with this song until this year, I thought it was all over the place. Still don't care for the 6th minute of the song, The riff and the keyboards don't do anything for me there. But aside from that, a ton of great ideas on this one. The riff after the first verse is one of my all-time favorite Opeth riffs -The "Your body is wired to me" one-. The eerie piano outro is a very nice touch. Especially that last chord, which sounds like a question mark in sound form.
2. Bleak: A great track all around, this one. Awesome eastern edge, killer main riff. The eastern type droning sounds really add something special to this one. "Clearing thoughts, my mind is set" is a great vocal climax, transitioning into the clean part. The Wilson-Akerfeldt duet is absolutely fantastic, their voices go together well because of Wilson's high tenor tone and Akerfeldt's baritone. The clean solo before the "Help me cure you" part is beautiful. Fucking love the build up that comes afterwards, so eerie. An eerie buildup to where? The absolute highlight of the album. The amazing part at 6:40. The outro is absolutely fantastic as well, with yet another vocal climax, and then the broken sound at the end which is another nice touch.
3. Harvest: Breath of fresh air this one, serving the same purpose as Benighted on Still Life. But this one is even better than Benighted, a truly haunting track. Pretty simple chords -Simple enough that my inept ass can play it and sing at the same time- but less is more in this case. Love the vocal melodies, especially the chorus.
4. The Drapery Falls: How do you use so many ideas on one song and make it as coherent as this one? Insanity. And the ideas aren't too shabby either, great riffs, great clean sections and vocals. The song doesn't have a single climax, that's true, but it's full of memorable stuff so I think that's okay. I love "Autumn leaves left in the wake to FADE AWAY and "And lapse into the ways of miseRY" thing, how the music takes over the last part of the line.
5. Dirge for November: Not a massive fan of the vocal intro, though the clean part that comes afterwards is great. Serves a great build up to a crushing riff. The riff is powerful enough melodically and they add that beautiful lead guitar on top of it. Brilliant. I love how dramatic "The omen showed, took me away" part is. Don't think it drags at all. The outro is pretty eerie and cool. I remember the exact date this one clicked with me, 6 July 2014. I was on my way on the bus to Ankara to settle here, and I played this track around 3 A.M., when everyone in the bus but me and the driver were sound asleep and we were going through complete darkness save for the bus' headlights. Oh how powerful it was.
6. The Funeral Portrait: Not terrible, but I agree with NP in saying it's utterly forgettable. I usually skip this one when I listen to album, drags the momentum down a bit.
7. Patterns in the Ivy: Nice breather, not a full song, but a good interlude before the explosion of the title track.
8. Blackwater Park: What a fucking intro. Soul crushing. A lot of cool stuff up until the 6th minute, but I think it's exactly at the 6:00 mark the song really picks up steam. Brutal riff after brutal riff. The lead melody at 7:40 is unmistakable. And the wall of sound that comes after with Martin Mendez's bass pummeling through, the guitars creating a massive choir of madness and Mikael growling like a beast on top. I mean holy shit. By the time the riff at 9:50 enters and then Martin Lopez goes for that double bass I'm absolutely lost in the mad chasm of this bad motherfucker of a track. Fucking brilliant. "Strange liaisons raise this monumental mark, the sun sets forever on Blackwater Park" baby.
Don't wanna rush you, just bumping this in case you forgot
Leper Affinity - Where Still Life slowly eases the listener in with its eerie soft intro, BWP gets right into it with a pummeling riff following a very short fade in. I love the panned vocals in the first verse, really makes you feel immersed in the music. The high point of this song is the riffing. So many great riffs in this song. I think this album really established the band as the best riff writers in Metal since Sabbath. There are good riffs on Still Life too of course, but especially in this song it's like one great riff after another for 10 minutes. However this song is not without some really great harmonies. Much more refined than before, love the layering harmonies before the acoustic section.
The acoustic section is great. Really good transition too, the way things slowly wind down. Mikael's clean vocals have continued to improve. He is relying much less on vocal effects and double tracking than even the previous album. Very haunting acoustic melody too.
The guitar solo that follows is one of my favorites in the Opeth catalog, the way it grows out of that demented riff (more pinch harmonics, forgot about that!).
The song quickly builds back up to the opening riff. Masterful transitions in this song. Everything flows together so seamlessly. It feels like the band is following a well thought out structure instead of randomly pasting riffs together.
Excellent outro on this one. The guitar layering is really fantastic. The piano part is also very unexpected and cool.
This song sets the bar high for the album and the crazy part is that this is probably not even the third best song on the album.
Bleak - I'm going to be the hipster here and say I was the first person on the forum to say that Bleak was the best Opeth song. Not sure how I rank it currently, definitely in the top 3 but Deliverance and Ghost of Perdition give it a run for its money. Bit of a three way tie there really.
Anyway this is the first song that I really loved from Opeth.
The main riff is among the greatest riffs in Metal. I love the eerie long tones during the verses and the way the guitars respond to the vocal parts. Despite the monotonous nature of death metal growls, Mikael's vocal lines are really catchy in this song.
Then of course we get the Steven Wilson cameo! I love that part. I'm actually surprised at how well it comes off. Stevie usually has a bit of a weak voice, but he really brings it for this song. His voice also blends well with Mikael's. One of the best clean sung sections Opeth has done.
The acoustic interlude that follows is also great. Really haunting atmosphere with the long tones continuing. Awesome clean guitar solo later on.
Great buildup back into a heavy riff, lots of tension in this section. Then it finally releases with a really devastating melody. Excellent climax there and we get to hear the awesome Stevie chorus one more time. I also love how the chorus leads into something different entirely. Great transition there.
Another great outro riff. So much is happening, they've perfected the wall of sound with this moment.
Good time to mention the production on the album. I think it's great. Not just the sound of the album, but their experimenting with different studio tricks. Like the heavy overdrive at the end or some of the vocal effects used. This is the first album where the studio feels like an instrument in itself. I assume that is mostly because of Stevie.
Harvest - Awesome haunting ballad. Despite the saccharine harmonies, this song continues the album's dark mysterious vibe. Not much to say about this one, as NP says it's a rare Opeth song with a standard structure. It's still awesome though and endures as one of their best ballads.
I also really like the way this album is sequenced. We start with two mostly heavy songs before switching gears to something softer. But even after Harvest, things don't reach peak heaviness again until the title track. The following songs are much more heavy on atmosphere and dynamics. Lots more clean vocal parts too.
The Drapery Falls - This is such a great song. The melancholic opening is one of my favorite Opeth moments. Very jazzy bass and drum work too. It also feels like an extension of Harvest in some ways.
Starting this one off with clean vocals is also really cool. Very eerie guitar melody to complement the vocals. Like a demented folk song. The alternating between soft and heavy is perfectly executed too. That really laid the ground work for a lot of their later epics. I would also probably consider this at least one of the best examples of Opeth's skills with dynamics.
Finally half way through the song we get some growls. Really shows that even back then they weren't doing growls just for the sake of it, it serves a purpose in the music.
We also get some proggy-ness in this one with a really danceable 5/4 riff. The growled vocal that follows is awesome.
There are a lot of different ideas thrown into this song but it never feels disjointed. It almost feels like a 10 minute long buildup. The recap of the intro at the end of the song is glorious. Going to go against the Anti-fadeout League on this one and say there was no better way to end this song than with a fadeout. Just seems right here.
Dirge For November - Really great unique start to this song. Mikael's vocals are a bit weak but I think it actually fits the tune. Gives it a folksy vibe. The acoustic melodies that follow are so pleasing to the ear. One of the most atmospheric sections on the album there.
The heavy riff that follows is really good, very reminiscent of some of the stuff on MAYH. Great buildup there, especially how the melody grows out of the riff.
Unfortunately the rest of the song doesn't really live up to the great beginning. It does drag, despite having some nice parts mixed in.
The clean guitar section around the 6 minute mark is great. Great way to end the song.
Overall, this song has a really strong beginning and ending, but a bit of fat in the middle. Seems a bit half baked really. Although the atmosphere is still top notch.
Funeral Portrait - I have to say I often forget this song is on the album. Some nice riffs on this, but the song mostly drags. Doesn't really connect as well as all of the other songs. Nothing memorable happening.
Patterns In the Ivy - Clearly meant to be an interlude, but it does its job perfectly. Great way to set the mood.
Blackwater Park - Opeth's Rime? Love the way this starts with the ominous fade in tone that persists through the intro riff. So many awesome riffs to start this one off. Mikael really goes all out with his vocal delivery too. You know they were aiming high with this one.
Very unusual structure too. No clean singing at all and the opening verses are very short before going into the clean section. The clean section is very long but it doesn't feel repetitive. Helps that they continue to layer parts. It feels like they are setting up for a grand climax worthy of such an epic album. Love the way this all builds up.
Then the song truly starts. This section really gets my heart racing. Everything slowly grows in intensity. The first riff and vocal section is already among Opeth's heaviest, but that's just the start. The crazy part about this song is that when you think it reaches its peak, it brings everything up a notch. Each verse is heavier and more intense than the last. Mikael gives his best growled performance on this song, you know he means business listening to this. So many great riffs and melodies in between the verses and the continued layering is genius.
When things go into double time the intensity really peaks. It's like the whole album was building to this moment. The riff is highly reminiscent of Moonchild, and they even say so. That's ok, they take it in an entirely different direction. The vocals are relentless.
Sick liaisons raised this monumental mark
The sun sets forever over Blackwater park
Is this the most epic moment in Opeth's career?
I also highly recommend trying to get ahold of the 5.1 mix of the album for this song, particularly for the bass. There are a lot of really cool slapped bass parts that you can't really hear on the studio mix because there's just so much going on.
Then it ends with one more haunting acoustic melody.
Awesome song and a perfect way to end the album.
This is my ranking too. Funny that NP and I have pretty much the same opinions on the songs, but I find this album better than Still Life. It is a much more satisfying experience for me overall and I just love the dark heavy atmosphere of the album. It's not a concept album but it might as well be with the way the songs flow into each other. I can easily visualize this mysterious location depicted on the cover through the music on every song. This album also establishes Opeth as the kings of riffs, so many memorable riffing moments on this album. A modern Metal classic for a good reason.
Voting for these songs:
Under the Weeping Moon
Benighted
Moonlapse Vertigo
White Cluster
Funeral Portrait
Patterns
The acoustic section is great. Really good transition too, the way things slowly wind down. Mikael's clean vocals have continued to improve. He is relying much less on vocal effects and double tracking than even the previous album. Very haunting acoustic melody too.
The guitar solo that follows is one of my favorites in the Opeth catalog, the way it grows out of that demented riff (more pinch harmonics, forgot about that!).
The song quickly builds back up to the opening riff. Masterful transitions in this song. Everything flows together so seamlessly. It feels like the band is following a well thought out structure instead of randomly pasting riffs together.
Excellent outro on this one. The guitar layering is really fantastic. The piano part is also very unexpected and cool.
This song sets the bar high for the album and the crazy part is that this is probably not even the third best song on the album.
Bleak - I'm going to be the hipster here and say I was the first person on the forum to say that Bleak was the best Opeth song.
Not sure how I rank it currently, definitely in the top 3 but Deliverance and Ghost of Perdition give it a run for its money. Bit of a three way tie there really. Anyway this is the first song that I really loved from Opeth.
The main riff is among the greatest riffs in Metal. I love the eerie long tones during the verses and the way the guitars respond to the vocal parts. Despite the monotonous nature of death metal growls, Mikael's vocal lines are really catchy in this song.
Then of course we get the Steven Wilson cameo! I love that part. I'm actually surprised at how well it comes off. Stevie usually has a bit of a weak voice, but he really brings it for this song. His voice also blends well with Mikael's. One of the best clean sung sections Opeth has done.
The acoustic interlude that follows is also great. Really haunting atmosphere with the long tones continuing. Awesome clean guitar solo later on.
Great buildup back into a heavy riff, lots of tension in this section. Then it finally releases with a really devastating melody. Excellent climax there and we get to hear the awesome Stevie chorus one more time. I also love how the chorus leads into something different entirely. Great transition there.
Another great outro riff. So much is happening, they've perfected the wall of sound with this moment.
Good time to mention the production on the album. I think it's great. Not just the sound of the album, but their experimenting with different studio tricks. Like the heavy overdrive at the end or some of the vocal effects used. This is the first album where the studio feels like an instrument in itself. I assume that is mostly because of Stevie.
Harvest - Awesome haunting ballad. Despite the saccharine harmonies, this song continues the album's dark mysterious vibe. Not much to say about this one, as NP says it's a rare Opeth song with a standard structure. It's still awesome though and endures as one of their best ballads.
I also really like the way this album is sequenced. We start with two mostly heavy songs before switching gears to something softer. But even after Harvest, things don't reach peak heaviness again until the title track. The following songs are much more heavy on atmosphere and dynamics. Lots more clean vocal parts too.
The Drapery Falls - This is such a great song. The melancholic opening is one of my favorite Opeth moments. Very jazzy bass and drum work too. It also feels like an extension of Harvest in some ways.
Starting this one off with clean vocals is also really cool. Very eerie guitar melody to complement the vocals. Like a demented folk song. The alternating between soft and heavy is perfectly executed too. That really laid the ground work for a lot of their later epics. I would also probably consider this at least one of the best examples of Opeth's skills with dynamics.
Finally half way through the song we get some growls. Really shows that even back then they weren't doing growls just for the sake of it, it serves a purpose in the music.
We also get some proggy-ness in this one with a really danceable 5/4 riff. The growled vocal that follows is awesome.
There are a lot of different ideas thrown into this song but it never feels disjointed. It almost feels like a 10 minute long buildup. The recap of the intro at the end of the song is glorious. Going to go against the Anti-fadeout League on this one and say there was no better way to end this song than with a fadeout. Just seems right here.
Dirge For November - Really great unique start to this song. Mikael's vocals are a bit weak but I think it actually fits the tune. Gives it a folksy vibe. The acoustic melodies that follow are so pleasing to the ear. One of the most atmospheric sections on the album there.
The heavy riff that follows is really good, very reminiscent of some of the stuff on MAYH. Great buildup there, especially how the melody grows out of the riff.
Unfortunately the rest of the song doesn't really live up to the great beginning. It does drag, despite having some nice parts mixed in.
The clean guitar section around the 6 minute mark is great. Great way to end the song.
Overall, this song has a really strong beginning and ending, but a bit of fat in the middle. Seems a bit half baked really. Although the atmosphere is still top notch.
Funeral Portrait - I have to say I often forget this song is on the album. Some nice riffs on this, but the song mostly drags. Doesn't really connect as well as all of the other songs. Nothing memorable happening.
Patterns In the Ivy - Clearly meant to be an interlude, but it does its job perfectly. Great way to set the mood.
Blackwater Park - Opeth's Rime? Love the way this starts with the ominous fade in tone that persists through the intro riff. So many awesome riffs to start this one off. Mikael really goes all out with his vocal delivery too. You know they were aiming high with this one.
Very unusual structure too. No clean singing at all and the opening verses are very short before going into the clean section. The clean section is very long but it doesn't feel repetitive. Helps that they continue to layer parts. It feels like they are setting up for a grand climax worthy of such an epic album. Love the way this all builds up.
Then the song truly starts. This section really gets my heart racing. Everything slowly grows in intensity. The first riff and vocal section is already among Opeth's heaviest, but that's just the start. The crazy part about this song is that when you think it reaches its peak, it brings everything up a notch. Each verse is heavier and more intense than the last. Mikael gives his best growled performance on this song, you know he means business listening to this. So many great riffs and melodies in between the verses and the continued layering is genius.
When things go into double time the intensity really peaks. It's like the whole album was building to this moment. The riff is highly reminiscent of Moonchild, and they even say so. That's ok, they take it in an entirely different direction. The vocals are relentless.
Sick liaisons raised this monumental mark
The sun sets forever over Blackwater park
Is this the most epic moment in Opeth's career?
I also highly recommend trying to get ahold of the 5.1 mix of the album for this song, particularly for the bass. There are a lot of really cool slapped bass parts that you can't really hear on the studio mix because there's just so much going on.
Then it ends with one more haunting acoustic melody.
Awesome song and a perfect way to end the album.
This is my ranking too. Funny that NP and I have pretty much the same opinions on the songs, but I find this album better than Still Life. It is a much more satisfying experience for me overall and I just love the dark heavy atmosphere of the album. It's not a concept album but it might as well be with the way the songs flow into each other. I can easily visualize this mysterious location depicted on the cover through the music on every song. This album also establishes Opeth as the kings of riffs, so many memorable riffing moments on this album. A modern Metal classic for a good reason.
Voting for these songs:
Under the Weeping Moon
Benighted
Moonlapse Vertigo
White Cluster
Funeral Portrait
Patterns
Eliminated after Round 4:
Patterns In The Ivy - 6 votes
The Funeral Portrait - 5 votes
Benighted - 4 votes
Harvest - 4 votes
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
Mist
Twilight
Moor
Melinda
White Cluster
Leper
Bleak
I had to re-listen to Moonchild to understand what you're saying, but are you talking about the riff at 3:54 after the solo? Because that's the only similarity I can hear between that song and Blackwater Park...
Twilight
Moor
Melinda
White Cluster
Leper
Bleak
I had to re-listen to Moonchild to understand what you're saying, but are you talking about the riff at 3:54 after the solo? Because that's the only similarity I can hear between that song and Blackwater Park...
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