The Opeth Thread

[cwilder86]

Any Opeth fans here? I was really huge into these guys a few years ago, but my interest has started to wane unfortunately. Being a progressive metal band and a death metal band they used to blend the two together wonderfully, but as my interest in progressive music has waned, and my interest in extreme metal grown this band has become more progressive and less death metal. They have a new album due out in September that is going to be without any death metal vocals at all. They did this once before but it was supposed to only be a one time thing and it was an all acoustic album, that was basically supposed to be released as a two disc album combined with another album released around the same time of insanely heavy tunes. This fell through so the albums were released separately thus giving us their supposed only mellow album. I'm still going to check the new album out but this band is really not going to be the same without the death metal vocals. I think Mikael Akerfeldt has been hanging around with Steven Wilson (Of Porcupine Tree) a little too much and has influenced him in some not so good ways. At least for us that like our Opeth heavy and brutal.

[RobotOfDecay]

I think they're an awesome band - although my interest has waned a little bit over the last few years too. Never fully got into Watershed as an album, it has some awesome tracks (I love the first song 'Coil') but in didn't sustain the interest over the whole album IMO. Saw them twice on the Ghost Reveries tour and they were great. Really liked that album too (although there was unjustified backlash from long-time fans just because they got more popular!).

From what you've said about the new album though, I am more excited to hear it now as have always enjoyed their more melodic side personally (not being a huge death metal fan). I like the Damnation stuff a lot but if they are going to do something similar I have a feeling it could be better than that, as Akerfeldt is a more confident singer for that kind of stuff now.

[cwilder86]

I think they're an awesome band - although my interest has waned a little bit over the last few years too. Never fully got into Watershed as an album, it has some awesome tracks (I love the first song 'Coil') but in didn't sustain the interest over the whole album IMO. Saw them twice on the Ghost Reveries tour and they were great. Really liked that album too (although there was unjustified backlash from long-time fans just because they got more popular!).

From what you've said about the new album though, I am more excited to hear it now as have always enjoyed their more melodic side personally (not being a huge death metal fan). I like the Damnation stuff a lot but if they are going to do something similar I have a feeling it could be better than that, as Akerfeldt is a more confident singer for that kind of stuff now.

Yeah, Watershed was decent, but no where near as good as Ghost Reveries. Ghost Reveries is their masterpiece to me. Though a lot of fans will say this about Black Water Park.

[Totentanz]

I think Mikael Akerfeldt has been hanging around with Steven Wilson (Of Porcupine Tree) a little too much and has influenced him in some not so good ways. At least for us that like our Opeth heavy and brutal.

Nail, head, hit.

Opeth were fantastic, but they went in directions not aligned with my tastes. Their best for me were My Arms Your Hearse and Still Life. Morningrise, Blackwater Park and Deliverance are all good too, but recent releases have dropped off, and the first one, Orchid, never got me.

If you like Opeth I highly recommend Still At Arms Length by The Provenance, a masterpiece of crushingly heavy darkness, mixing death & clean vox, but also adding beautiful female vox, mellow accoustic sections with flutes and delightfully twisted lyrics. Other albums by The Provenance are decent, but they too took a far more mellow and clean approach on their last couple of albums. SAAL is the disc in their catalogue that is truly essential. Like classic Opeth, but with flutes, a fantastic girl, and more knowing, interesting lyrics.

[cwilder86]

Nail, head, hit.

Opeth were fantastic, but they went in directions not aligned with my tastes. Their best for me were My Arms Your Hearse and Still Life. Morningrise, Blackwater Park and Deliverance are all good too, but recent releases have dropped off, and the first one, Orchid, never got me.

If you like Opeth I highly recommend Still At Arms Length by The Provenance, a masterpiece of crushingly heavy darkness, mixing death & clean vox, but also adding beautiful female vox, mellow accoustic sections with flutes and delightfully twisted lyrics. Other albums by The Provenance are decent, but they too took a far more mellow and clean approach on their last couple of albums. SAAL is the disc in their catalogue that is truly essential. Like classic Opeth, but with flutes, a fantastic girl, and more knowing, interesting lyrics.

Nice. I'll have to look into them. I've noticed that Orchid and Morningrise seem to have a a few elements of black metal. (About the only thing missing is some blast beats) I mean how could a song title "Under The Weeping Moon" not sound black metalish?

[RLP4ever]

I hate to admit that I do like a bunch of random Opeth songs. lol

A lot of people seem to seriously say that you have to "really be in the 'right' mood" for Opeth' to actually enjoy listening to them. But no, I know I'm no real fan of Opeth. The very half-hearted, half-baked death metal dimension to their music has always annoyed and disappointed me. I honestly think that Opeth got the 'progressive: extreme metal' ratio in their sound quite wrong, a lot of the time. They basically ended up sounding like an overly progressive, often ambient, metal band with a few fangs ---- flattering to deceive the extreme metalheads wanting more ballast and brutality from this band. Opeth really should have taken a leaf out of, say, NILE's style guide. That said, I feel each of their first clutch of albums all had some very listenable tunes. I reckon either 'My Arms, Your Hearse' or 'Still Life' is my 'favourite' by Opeth.

Although I ain't anxiously awaiting the latest 'Heritage' disc, I guess I'd definitely still sneak a listen to it sometime, just to find out what the deal is (without the death metal angle, this time) .

wilder, off-topic I know, but I had to tell you that you must sample the mighty Vital Remains sometime soon.

[VikingChrist]

I have a friend who seems somewhat obsessed with this band. They put me to sleep. Different strokes for different folks.

[RobotOfDecay]

Yeah, Watershed was decent, but no where near as good as Ghost Reveries. Ghost Reveries is their masterpiece to me. Though a lot of fans will say this about Black Water Park.

Think I would agree with that, though obviously there are highlights on every album

But I don't understand the idea that Steven Wilson has had a negative influence on the band - Akerfeldt has always been outspoken about his progressive rock influences like Camel and suchlike. And didn't Wilson produce Blackwater Park and Deliverance and not the later more proggy ones anyway?

Maybe I'm coming at Opeth from a different point of view as genre-wise I would rather listen to say, early Genesis than Morbid Angel or whoever influenced them in the death metal realm but I think they're a band who get more flak than they really deserve. It's all subjective though, and I can understand why people would be disappointed in their change of ratio of death:prog!

[devstorm]

I've been an Opeth fan since first hearing When from My Arms Your Hearse back in 1999. And that is so far in my opinion one of, if not their best album to date.

They did this once before but it was supposed to only be a one time thing and it was an all acoustic album, that was basically supposed to be released as a two disc album combined with another album released around the same time of insanely heavy tunes. This fell through so the albums were released separately thus giving us their supposed only mellow album.

In 2002 - 2003 Opeth released Deliverance & Damnation. They were intended to be recorded and released at the same time, however they had major issues in the studio where Deliverance was recorded. Due to label pressure Opeth was forced to release the two CD's separately. Still, the time it took to record both was the same amount of time as Blackwater Park took. And they were released only 6 months apart which is unheard of for most bands, especially a band like Opeth.

Now Deliverance, while not exclusively Death Metal, was the heavier offering as a counter to Damnation's all prog approach. But expectations sometimes have a way of ruining an experience. So I would guess if you read all the advanced hype about Deliverance before it came out, it might be a bit of a letdown. Personally I think Deliverance is a great album. In fact I find it far heavier, and altogether better then either Blackwater Park or Ghost Reveries.

In my opinion BWP, & GR are so far the bands weakest releases. Aside from The Leper Affinity, The Drapery Falls, (the song) Blackwater Park, and Ghost of Perdition,
I find the rest of those two albums really boring. I absolutely cant stand the mix of Reveries. The guitars lack a lot of the punch they had on Deliverance. The drums sound really cheap & lack the nice depth of other Opeth albums. And the mellower stuff almost sounds too upbeat and happy to me. Even Damnation without raging guitars, and insane drumming is still very dark. In the same way as a track like Solitude, Spirit Caravan, or She's Gone. Yet, the track Atonement sounds more like something off a Sting album (And NOT a good Sting album). I will admit, seeing them on that tour, the cuts they played from GR sounded much better live.

The experimentation factor on Watershed might take some getting used to. Especially the funk part in Lotus Eater. But for me Watershed has the perfect balance of all Opeth have to offer. The album is chock full of epic riffs, the shorter tracks like Burden and Porcelain Heart are arty and at times mellow, but still have a great foreboding heaviness to them. I love Axe's drumming on this album. Its the exact kick in the ass that Opeth needed. And Fred is such an amazing lead guitarist its scary. Their presence upped the ante to a much higher level.

Im bummed to hear the new album will be another Damnation type album. Although hearing Mikael's vocals on the new live Bloodbath release makes me wonder if he's having trouble with his growls these days.

And CW by all means check out The Bloodbath albums like and Resurrection Through Carnage, Fathomless Mastery, Unblessing The Purity, & The Wacken Carnage (Live), if you are looking for Akerfeldt in a more brutal context.

As varied as my opinion is on the band's albums, I do still think the band is utterly brilliant.

[RLP4ever]

Alright dev, I'm gladly giving in to temptation ; I'm gonna buy Opeth's Deliverance very soon.

[cwilder86]

Alright dev, I'm gladly giving in to temptation ; I'm gonna buy Opeth's Deliverance very soon.

I will say this. Deliverance is underrated. Even myself have probably not paid enough attention to it, and it has some fucking awesome songs. Wreath, Deliverance, and Master's Apprentices. I remember when I first got this album I would drive around my neighborhood with Master's Apprentices blasting so I could frighten people. Death metal always seems to get strange reactions from the pop and country dominated music loving people I share a neighborhood with. Also have fond memories of when I saw Opeth live and how happy I was when they busted out with Deliverance as their encore.

[Jupz]

I'm an Opeth fan and very excited for Heritage! I love Watershed too, its one of my favourites

[sabbathstone]

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, I disliked Opeth the same way I dislike all other bands with harsh, growled vocals. Then I happened upon someone online who I stupidly allowed to become very important to me although we never met in person. One Christmas, among a boatload of other stuff, she sent me copies of Damnation and Ghost Reveries. I began to listen to both every day, at first because of who they came from. They were a way to share something with her despite being hundreds of miles away.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, I learned to appreciate the music on its own merits and bought every other Opeth album. There truly is no other group like them and, since I lean more towards progressive rock than extreme metal, I cannot WAIT to listen to Heritage.

I don't speak to the lady who led me down this path as often as I once did and some songs on Damnation still cut pretty close to the bone for that reason, but I can't tear myself away from either the music or the memories. I also credit Ghost Reveries for helping me figure out a plot point in my novel-in-progress that should have been obvious all along. I guess the five hundred and first listen was the charm .

A great band with a great body of work. I can't praise them highly enough and would gladly buy the Royal Albert Hall concert if the CD version were available separately. I don't have time to watch music DVDs but love to listen while I'm writing.

[cwilder86]

So for those who are interested here is a track from Opeth's new album. I gotta say... Color me disappointed if this is what the whole entire album is gonna sound like... Based on this track they have completed cast off their metal side and embraced their prog side. I knew the death metal vocals were gone due to an interview Mikael Akerfeldt gave but this is just pure 70's sounding prog rock... (with some dark lyrical content). This band may be dead to me... I'm still gonna listen to the entire album before I completely write them off but it's not looking good based on this track. At least Chuck Schuldiner of Death had the decency towards his fans to put Death on ice and start a new band when he decided he wanted to put the death metal behind and embrace his more progressive side... I really think Akerfeldt should've done the same with Opeth that way Opeth could've always remained a progressive death metal band.

http://stereogum.com/766792/opeth-th...ng-the-chapel/

[RobotOfDecay]

I liked the track but wasn't blown away. Agreed with a lot of cwilder86's points - Opeth's always been about the contrasts, and although I prefer the mellower and proggier bits I think this falls between two stools: if Akerfeldt really wants to abandon the DM elements, then I'd rather see another 'Damnation', an acoustic solo album or the collaboration with Steven Wilson.
Doing a heavy prog melodic thing could work though, I will definitely give the album a chance but difficult when you've got the likes of the Mars Volta out there though, who have really set the bar high with the likes of 'Deloused in the Comatorium', 'Bedlam In Goliath' etc.

[devstorm]

I think its a cool track. Better then most anything on Damnation. Although I would prefer more of what they delivered on Watershed. Despite my various opinions on their releases, I still give Mikael respect for doing what he wants vs. adopting trends.

[cwilder86]

I think its a cool track. Better then most anything on Damnation. Although I would prefer more of what they delivered on Watershed. Despite my various opinions on their releases, I still give Mikael respect for doing what he wants vs. adopting trends.

Where is the line drawn though between doing what you want artistically and alienating fans that like certain aspects of your band that you decide to do away?

[devstorm]

There is no line for some artists. They please themselves first despite what the audience expects. Why did Metallica stray from Thrash? If the artist gets bored with what they do & just deliver music to please the fans they start sounding like 80's KISS, or 2000's Slayer.

Think in terms of movies, does every film by Spielberg appeal to all audiences? Probably not. Schindlers List lovers may not appreciate Jaws. Spielberg wants to present the stories he likes. Stephen King doesn't always write horror, or Thrillers. He tells the stories he likes. I certainly do enjoy a number of his books. But there's numerous King novels I felt weren't what I wanted when I read them. I was a little more choosy after a few. And wiser to the notion of artistic expression.

True Akerfeld could release Heritage as a side project and not call it Opeth, thus not disappoint audiences expectation's for an Opeth album. But in his mind, this is Opeth music.

Opeth has always incorporated aspects of Progressive Rock. The new song is textbook 70's Prog, in the tradition of Camel, Gentle Giant, and early Genesis(another band who took a major stylistic shift). I can appreciate that some people don't like that sound. It took me a while to get into that stuff. But some will get into it and perhaps go back to some of those 70s albums and discover another genre they can dive into. Id rather Opeth get their rocks off in Prog land once in a while so that the Metal comes back stronger & more potent each time.

Its ok if all you want is Metal from Opeth. But not every new album is going to deliver that. Unlike Metallica with thrash, I dont think Opeth are done with Metal or Death metal. This is just a diversion.

[cwilder86]

I dont think Opeth are done with Metal or Death metal. This is just a diversion.

I really hope you are right. MA hasn't come out and said any thing officially but a lot of people are speculating this. That the metal and death growls are done permanently in the band. I guess none of us really know the answer to this except MA. And perhaps he doesn't even know. He may not know what kind of album he wants to do until he sits down in the studio and starts writing the follow up to Heritage however many years from now until he decides to do so. But I think I would be able to possibly "appreciate" Heritage much more if maybe I looked at it is not such a permanent thing like the album Damnation was. I like the Damnation album, but I knew that that wasn't how all future Opeth albums were going to sound and I would have probably been pissed if that was the case. I will still buy this album. I will still listen to it. But like when Metallica stayed from thrash, I might not like it as much as the band's earlier output, but I'll at least give it a shot and probably like it enough to tolerate it. Usually the case when it comes to albums from my favorite bands. Even the albums I don't like or that are my least favorite I can always almost find some sort of redeeming value no matter how little it may be.

[RobotOfDecay]

Thought I'd resurrect this thread as have been listening to the new album a lot recently, and I have to say I eat my own words - it's great! Pretty much a prog rock album, it works really well. There's not really any 'metal' on there, there's heavier parts but heavy in the way King Crimson or Rainbow are (in fact the 4th track Slither is pure Rainbow with such a Blackmore solo and King the King-type intro that it can't be any doubt as to what Akerfeldt was going for on that track). I think Devstorm made a good point saying in Akerfeldt's mind, this is Opeth music and I can agree with that - there's plenty of this style on the previous albums to hint at what's on 'Heritage'. This time though, it's almost a purer delivery rather than the usual death/prog hybrid (and this is speaking as an Opeth fan) so it's not really a compromise at all - it's probably what he's wanted to do for a long while judging by the recent Terrorizer interview. Real grower of an album too, it meanders at first but the quiet bits do more with each listen.

[Kgb]

I am a huge Opeth fan and its really cool that you opened this thread cwilder. They are probably the best band out there now. Their last few album specially Watershed according to me is a classic. However, Cant wait to listen their new album Heritage. Its kind of a new direction music wise as the guys keep on experimenting with the music. Whatever music they create is all altogether unique. They are one of the best Progressive Metal bands out there.

I was fortunate to see the perform live in India, Chennai city. Its cool that metal bands now want to come to India.

[cwilder86]

I have heard the new album and personally found it to be a disappointment. :( I miss the metal too much.

[Buffalo Bill Scruggs]

I actually really hate Opeth, I find the songwriting to be incredibly lacking.

"Let's stick a soft section next to this heavy section"
"Oh man, that's so prog. I love it, done."

[cwilder86]

I hated the new album at first... But now I find it to be quite enjoyable despite the very dominate metal head in me. I'm very glad I opened my mind to this. I never knew an album could be so dark and evil without being metal.

[Ray Rules]

I must confess that the only Opeth album I own is Damnation.

[RLP4ever]

And do you like it? You never thought of getting more Opeth albums?

[Ray Rules]

And do you like it? You never thought of getting more Opeth albums?

I fucking love it. I've download an album named Orchid to try but I didn't like it very, very much. Maybe thats because my mind got used to a "acoustic" image of Opeth. Should I try a different song or album?

[Totentanz]

I fucking love it. I've download an album named Orchid to try but I didn't like it very, very much. Maybe thats because my mind got used to a "acoustic" image of Opeth. Should I try a different song or album?

Try Still Life, it's an excellent example of their prime work. Also it's worth checking Heritage as this matches Damnation for vocal style but has more interesting song structures.

I don't like Orchid either, btw. It's a messy debut and doesn't represent where they got to IMO.

[RobotOfDecay]

RayRules, Damnation is great but there isn't another album in their catalogue that is quite the same. Closest you'll get will be the new one, Heritage as Totentanz said already it's a similar vocal style (and a great album too), but it's much more electric & more prog rather than metal. Ironically enough, their best (in my opinion) mellow song is the first track off Watershed, a pretty heavy album.

:

[Musicman11]

I just got into the band to be honest, all I had heard previously was To Bid You Farewell and In My Time Of Need. Then over Christmas I was browsing an F.Y.E. shop and happened to remember the band, and thought that I might as well take a look at what they have. Before my eyes was The Candlelight Years for $20. I noticed it had the first 3 albums by them and To Bid You Farewell, so with pretty much no previous knowledge I took a gamble and bought the set. I got home and popped the first disc in ,then the next, and then the last. After I was finished all I could say was WOW! I loved their work from what I heard, and I can say that I will definitely be buying more of the albums in the future. I was wondering which one I should buy next, I was thinking Still Life would be a good choice, but I have considered some of the more experimental side because I do love the softer side as much as I do the heavier. Any suggestions?

[Totentanz]

I just got into the band to be honest, all I had heard previously was To Bid You Farewell and In My Time Of Need. Then over Christmas I was browsing an F.Y.E. shop and happened to remember the band, and thought that I might as well take a look at what they have. Before my eyes was The Candlelight Years for $20. I noticed it had the first 3 albums by them and To Bid You Farewell, so with pretty much no previous knowledge I took a gamble and bought the set. I got home and popped the first disc in ,then the next, and then the last. After I was finished all I could say was WOW! I loved their work from what I heard, and I can say that I will definitely be buying more of the albums in the future. I was wondering which one I should buy next, I was thinking Still Life would be a good choice, but I have considered some of the more experimental side because I do love the softer side as much as I do the heavier. Any suggestions?

Still Life is an excellent next step - possibly their best album. The three albums that followed it are pretty good too: Blackwater Park, Damnation and Deliverance; you can't really go wrong with these IMO.

[Thelemech]

I just bought Blackwater Park and I must say I am impressed so far- fav song is The Leper Affinity.

[RLP4ever]

I was listening to Opeth (the Watershed album) yesterday, late at night. For somebody who's already admitted on this thread to being largely a non-fan, I think I've changed my mind somewhat because I liked Deliverance quite a lot, and enjoyed many sections in Watershed, too. As of now, I reckon I like their 'My Arms, Your Hearse' disc, best. That was a truly fine record, all round. But I think I still wouldn't like 'Morningrise', 'Blackwater Park' or 'Ghost Reveries', overall. I haven't heard anything off the last one, 'Heritage'. But if it's overwhelmingly prog-rock or whatever, I guess I won't hear it, then.

Anybody looking to get Nile's latest, 'At the Gate of Sethu' album? It's due out June 30th, I think.

[devstorm]

I was listening to Opeth (the Watershed album) yesterday, late at night. For somebody who's already admitted on this thread to being largely a non-fan, I think I've changed my mind somewhat because I liked Deliverance quite a lot, and enjoyed many sections in Watershed, too. As of now, I reckon I like their 'My Arms, Your Hearse' disc, best. That was a truly fine record, all round. But I think I still wouldn't like 'Morningrise', 'Blackwater Park' or 'Ghost Reveries', overall. I haven't heard anything off the last one, 'Heritage'. But if it's overwhelmingly prog-rock or whatever, I guess I won't hear it, then.

Anybody looking to get Nile's latest, 'At the Gate of Sethu' album? It's due out June 30th, I think.

Ha! I had a feeling with the right exposure to just the right Opeth albums you'd come around..

My Arms Your Hearse is my favorite as well, although Watershed is a close 2nd. Have you listened to Still Life yet? A downright decent if not great album from them. I don't listen to it as often as the other 2 I mentioned. But if you like Deliverance it's at least that good.

I started off liking Heritage, but I haven't really felt the desire to listen to it again in quite some time (Not since about October of last year). I'll say right off the bat I don't like the production, so thats one aspect that disappointed me considerably. I will say there's a couple tracks you might like on it. But a couple songs doesn't make a good album anyway, so safe bet to keep it at the bottom of your list of albums to pick up, if at all.

Ive heard 2 songs off the new Nile. Loving the music, although the vocals at times aren't impressing me as much. I don't know who that is I hear with the clearer non gutteral vocals. I liked their last album enough I'll be getting a copy of Sethu in a few weeks time. But I'm wondering whats up with the vocals.

[RLP4ever]

Oh dev, you've got my number there, alright.

Yea, I readily admit to quite liking the Opeth records I hadn't heard before, but only did because I was spurred to give them a try, based on the informative opinions of yourself, and a few others (but especially you, mate ).

I'm convinced I like 'My Arms, Your Hearse' best. It's a classy effort, and one I enjoy considerably more than anything else by Opeth. And no, I haven't heard 'Still Life', so I was already sure about getting to that next. I remember your lukewarm assessment of 'Damnation', so I didn't pursue that immediately. But I had earlier fully heard the other Opeth albums, ones that I earlier mentioned not liking much at all; hence my apathy toward Opeth, thus far. So yea, presently, my liked Opeth albums are 'My Arms...', 'Deliverance', and 'Watershed'. I'll get 'Still Life' before trying 'Heritage'.

RE: Nile, I think (I'm not certain, though) that vocals on the latest disc was done by three guys in the band. Maybe, I can confirm it once I hear the songs and read about '...Sethu' later. But I gotta say I'm not surprised to hear of your disappointment with the singing on the two songs you've heard. I know I'm having a hard time with Karl's singing of late, actually. I hate the way he seems to have begun almost shouting, and barking certain parts of many songs, and repeating the song titles in the lyrics, and other 'clean' singing and chanting sections. I prefer him sticking to predominantly the straight-forward deep guttural growling vocals. And I think I've already mentioned my yearning for Nile to finally ditch their Egyptian themes; it's gotten extremely formulaic and wearisome to my ears. Alas, the music on Nile's records remain largely compelling and kick-ass. So I'm still gonna get Sethu.

But heck, this is an Opeth thread, so I won't gab about Nile here.