Opeth Week on Maidenfans (October 12 2012)

Mosh

Mosh

PM me your Opeth album rankings!
Staff member
So this is something that SMX did a few years ago, and Night Prowler and I thought it would be a good idea to bring it back. Every week we discuss anything and everything about a certain band. This should be fun, and a good way to discover new bands, and maybe revisit some stuff. Prowler and I both picked bands to start this off, we're starting with his, and my choice, Pink Floyd, will be next week.

If there is a band you'd like to discuss, nominate them here! Every thread after this will have a poll where you can vote for a nominated band. So lets get this started with Opeth! :D
 
I don't really listen to much Extreme Metal, but Opeth is by far my favorite. They have a very unique sound that perfectly blends Progressive Rock and Death Metal. Their sound has changed quite a bit over the years, but it still sounds fresh and you can still tell that it's Opeth, which isn't an easy thing to do. They're also one of the few modern (mid 90's and later) Prog bands who have taken the genre somewhere new, instead of trying to replicate the sound and atmospheres of the classic Prog bands, and this is one reason why they will always stand out in both the Prog and Metal genres. I'll talk about two of my favorite Opeth albums:

Ghost Reveries: This is my absolute favorite Opeth album, it is what I consider to be the peak of their sound. Everything that has made Opeth great is in this album and refined. The songs are epic, the acoustic passages are haunting, and the Metal parts are brutal. I've gotten chills listening to nearly every song. Watershed followed this album's sound and style, but failed to match it, and Heritage is something completely different. This is Opeth at their very best, and I don't think they will ever top it, probably makes the change of direction a good thing, but it is too early to tell. Ghost Reveries is all the great things about the Opeth albums before it culminated into one masterpiece. Most people go to Blackwater Park when picking a favorite, but I think this has everything good about BWP and then some. Spectacular album

Damnation: Much different than other Opeth releases, Damnation is the band's ode to 70's Progressive Rock. No metal, mostly clean/acoustic guitars, all clean singing, and jazzy drumming make for a very unique, but still familiar sound for Opeth. The dark and melancholy feeling that is present in past albums is still there, and the guitar solos use the same style of phrasing used in the past. This is a short album (Only about 40 minutes) but every song is strong and I'm left satisfied after it is over. It's an easy listen and very accessible, I would suggest this to anybody who likes Opeth's softer passages, but is put off by the growling or Metal.
 
Quite a short week. Anyway, right now listening to Blackwater Park, currently on Harvest. I'll post my thoughts on the album after I'm done, but I can say I've liked it so far.
 
I'm so glad I started discovering this band's material last month. They quickly became one of my favorite bands. Though I don't like harsh vocals, I can see their meaning in Opeth's songs so I'm fine with them, it has much to do with Mikael's performance as a vocalist, though.

It's pretty though for me to decide on a favorite album at the moment. Could be Still Life. Deliverance was the only album I found average. Glad with the path they've stepped into, Heritage was awesome and I'd like to hear other folkish progressive rock records from them.

I plan to write about the albums in a month or so (a review kind of thing) but I think I can come up with a standing :

1. Still Life
2. Damnation
3. Orchid
4. Blackwater Park
5. Ghost Reveries
6. Heritage
7. Morningrise
8. Watershed
9. My Arms, Your Hearse
10. Deliverance

(the last two are too brutal for my taste though MA,YH has some great songs)
 
Done with Blackwater Park. It's a great album. My favorite songs from it are The Leper Affinity, Bleak and Blackwater Park. Great metal, excellent acoustic passages with interesting songwriting. I prefer Mikael's vocals clean. I think the next album I'll listen to is Ghost Reveries.
 
OK, I was planning to use the top 10 tracks from Survivor when it is over and use them for my serious introduction to Opeth.
But I just gave Ghost Reveries a listen. There is some seriously good shit going on in there.
I've been into Porcupine Tree lately and the similarities are obvious.
This may be the band that overcomes my distaste for growling.
It's not that I like it here, it's just that everything else is too good to ignore.
 
The Flash said:
Heritage was awesome and I'd like to hear other folkish progressive rock records from them.
Click to expand...
mckindog said:
I've been into Porcupine Tree lately and the similarities are obvious.
Click to expand...
no_face_of_course_not.jpg

:p
I'll review every album during the following week btw.
 
mckindog said:
This may be the band that overcomes my distaste for growling.
It's not that I like it here, it's just that everything else is too good to ignore.
Click to expand...
Yea, that's how it was for me, and even now I've come to like some of the bits with growling.

As a Porcupine Tree fan, you might enjoy Heritage. It's another album of all clean singing, but has a much larger PT influence.

Also, please make sure to nominate bands, guys.
 
Another change in my album rankings, Deliverance overtook Watershed and Ghost Reveries:
1. Still Life
2. Blackwater Park
3. Damnation
4. Deliverance
5. Watershed
6. Ghost Reveries
7. My Arms, Your Hearse
8. Morningrise
9. Orchid
 
Mosh is right: Ghost Reveries is the best Opeth album, followed (IMO) by Blackwater Park and Watershed. I have given no thought to the rest of the order, though at the moment I'd say I like Orchid and Heritage better than the others. (NP, any reason you're not ranking Heritage? Not enough growling for you? :p)

Opeth is brilliant, really really beautiful and complex music. I've been singing their praises on this forum for a while. I don't really differentiate songs too well -- which may be why I'm not actively following the eliminator thread -- rather, I put on an album and treat it as a single piece. Sort of like a Mahler symphony. Not sure if that's the artists' intent, but it works for me. That said, Harlequin Forest is one of my favorite tracks right now, as it was on their 20th Anniversary mini-tour and I loved it live.
 
I guess I'll post my rankings, I have a bit about Heritage to write but that'll have to wait til tomorrow.

1: Ghost Reveries
2: Still Life
3: Blackwater Park
4: Damnation
5: Watershed
6: Heritage
7: Orchid
8: Deliverance
9: My Arms
10: Morningrise
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top