Opeth

By Request, Part 1 - Orchid:

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Detective Beauregard said:
I can't wait for autumn so I can listen to Opeth the way it is meant to be enjoyed -- with the smell of burning leaves.
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Bumping an old quote, but I've recently realised that Opeth is the autumnal band... With the possible exception of Agalloch or Dark Fortress. It's just amazing to walk around at dusk, with the smell of burning leaves and smoke from the chimneys in the air, the moon already on the rise, the solitary street lamp bravely fighting away the shadows with its orange flicker, watching the barren fields and coloured trees while The Drapery Falls plays in your head... (my my my, I'm being cheesy today :D)

I have yet to discover more of their albums - I know BW Park by heart (Drapery is one of my favourite songs ever!), I liked both Orchid and Morningrise, IIRC I've also listened to Still Life and Deliverance and I liked them all. I have yet to try out the last two metal-less albums - but since I like prog rock as a whole, I don't think I'll have any problems with those. I have seen Heritage for a good price the day before yesterday, so that one's probably next.
 
JudasMyGuide said:
Bumping an old quote, but I've recently realised that Opeth is the autumnal band... With the possible exception of Agalloch or Dark Fortress. It's just amazing to walk around at dusk, with the smell of burning leaves and smoke from the chimneys in the air, the moon already on the rise, the solitary street lamp bravely fighting away the shadows with its orange flicker, watching the barren fields and coloured trees while The Drapery Falls plays in your head... (my my my, I'm being cheesy today :D)

I have yet to discover more of their albums - I know BW Park by heart (Drapery is one of my favourite songs ever!), I liked both Orchid and Morningrise, IIRC I've also listened to Still Life and Deliverance and I liked them all. I have yet to try out the last two metal-less albums - but since I like prog rock as a whole, I don't think I'll have any problems with those. I have seen Heritage for a good price the day before yesterday, so that one's probably next.
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Do yourself a favor and pick up Ghost Reveries. Perfect autumn stuff. I mean, all Opeth is perfect autumn stuff, but still. :rocker:
 
I would've liked it way more with a different order of songs and no Ghost Of Perdition. It has best production of all Opeth albums and probably best drumming too.
 
What is it that you dislike about Ghost of Perdition, NP? I understand it not being a favorite but you seem to loathe the song.
 
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(Just listened to it now so that I can explain properly)

Beginning of the song lacks buildup, it just starts with an average riff and mindless growling, which wouldn't be such a big problem if the song wasn't the first one on the album.
Clean vocal parts are too cringey to me. I can't explain why, but the vocal melody ("Devil cracked the earthly shell" etc.) is extremely annoying.
And the "ay ay ay perdition" part is way too repetitive and annoying.
Then the death metal parts with "Ghost Of Perdition" have weird and forced vocals.
However, there are some great parts, like the classic Opeth riff/melody + solo that starts around 7:30.

Overall, it could've been a great song with a better arrangement.
 
Since you all have hyped the album extensively, I've decided not to wait any further and have bought the album (Ghost Reveries) via iTunes (which I usually hate to do, but I was very impatient). I’ve just finished. Just like with every Opeth album I've heard so far, you cannot really make any conclusions after one listen, but I like it. I like it a lot. In fact, my first impression might be even better than my first Blackwater Park impression was, those cca 2 years ago. It's very diverse and very "catchy", if that's a word you could ever use in the same sentence with Opeth. Early favourites (if I recall correctly, of course) are Reverie/Harlequin Forest, Beneath the Mire and Ghost of Perdition (despite what has been written a moment ago :p ), but The Grand Conjuration is also way cool. :)

So I'm still to hear yet the new albums - I am somewhat afraid (since people have hinted that they're losing their uniqueness), but I also don't believe it's going to be anything less than good (my experience with Opeth so far backs me up). I should probably try Heritage first, right? To jump into the cold water right away :D But I'm going to put on GR at least twice or thrice more this weekend, so first things first.
 
Heritage was them trying to sound retro and restraining themselves from any heaviness. The Devil's Orchard and The Lines In My Hand sound 100x better and more heavier live. On Pale Communion they sound much more "free" and comfortable with the new style. There are still some songs that would benefit from louder, heavier guitars, but overall it's a great album.
 
JudasMyGuide said:
Early favourites (if I recall correctly, of course) are Reverie/Harlequin Forest, Beneath the Mire and Ghost of Perdition (despite what has been written a moment ago :p ), but The Grand Conjuration is also way cool. :)

So I'm still to hear yet the new albums - I am somewhat afraid (since people have hinted that they're losing their uniqueness), but I also don't believe it's going to be anything less than good (my experience with Opeth so far backs me up). I should probably try Heritage first, right? To jump into the cold water right away :D But I'm going to put on GR at least twice or thrice more this weekend, so first things first.
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Don't listen to NP. Ghost of Perdition is my favorite Opeth song of all time.

And if you're going for new stuff, I highly recommend Pale Communion before Heritage. The songs are better, whereas Heritage is mostly made up of experiments.
 
Thank you both for your input. I will buy Pale Communion next, definitely. But I tried The Devil's Orchard just now, if only because I was really curious... and I like it! As I've thought - it's not that unique (it's definitely all that much "Opethian"), but I enjoy it all the same. It really reminds me of Camel - I believe this is how Camel would sound if they got together in 2011 instead of 1971. Which is fine by me - I've always held a soft spot for Latimer & co. The song is very "juicy", if you get what I mean. :)

So I'm relieved - it seems Opeth will be another band with no really bad album for me... :D At least they are much more enjoyable to my ears overall than Porcupine Tree/Wilson solo (though I must admit I have neglected those guys too, only hearing Sky Moves Sideways, Stupid Dream, Fear of a Blank Planet and Insurgentes a couple of times, so my appreciation for them might grow, too).

Right now I'm listening to Ghost Reveries again - It's really amazing! I believe it will soon fight with BWP over my personal #1 spot! :cool:
 
Now playing Orchid. Such a great album. Those harmonies! Forest of October is über-cool (or überschön, if you want to be a purist).
It's funny how there is so much of the death growls on the album, yet it feels much more accessible than Blackwater Park, which you simply have to dig into patiently (and BWP is still my favourite album, mind you). I think it might be because of the duelling guitars. But also, the album as a whole is very dynamic.
 
JudasMyGuide said:
I will buy Pale Communion next, definitely.
...
Right now I'm listening to Ghost Reveries again - It's really amazing! I believe it will soon fight with BWP over my personal #1 spot!
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Just wait 'til you hear Pale Communion. Not only is it Opeth's best album, it's one of the best albums I've ever heard, by any artist, in any genre, from any era. It's absolutely phenomenal.

Heritage...not so much. It has some great moments, like "Devil's Orchard" and "Slither," but it is best viewed as the step Opeth needed to take before creating Pale Communion.
 
Master's Apprentices is pretty cool though.

Bummed I won't make it to this in LA.
 
Cornfed Hick said:
Just wait 'til you hear Pale Communion. Not only is it Opeth's best album, it's one of the best albums I've ever heard, by any artist, in any genre, from any era. It's absolutely phenomenal.
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Well, it's Steven Wilson and Mike Akerfeldt doing music together. It had to be amazing :D
 
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