OPETH
Review of discography.
describe the music of Opeth is the most difficult you might think. On paper, it tends to minimize the Swedish band with the simple label of "progressive death metal band." Yes, this is Opeth. All this and much more: their music is poetry, every album is a journey through their shores rarely found in the enormous emotional cauldron heavy metal. Each song transcends every cliché imposed by any prescribed rules, going beyond that and offering pearls of incomparable music that is true, as an art and as a means of meditation. All of this Treaty confusing and abstract to make you understand how difficult it is to describe the notes from the minds of genius Mikael Akerfeldt (guitar, voice, mind and soul of Opeth), and to make you understand how these cases play louder than words. I'm talking about one of my favorite bands, it is only normal that I celebrated in this way, a band that has given me a lot and I still raises a lot of beautiful emotions with every listen. It is not a band for all, are necessary a good preparation and a musically open mind to fully understand these young Swedes, but many times it happens to be their own music to be able to open their minds more obscure.
Current Line Up:
- Mikael Åkerfeldt (Guitar, Vocals)
- Fredrik Åkesson (guitar)
- Axenrot Martin (Drums)
- Martin Mendez (bass)
- Per Wiberg (keyboards)
ORCHID
(Year: 1995, Length: 65 minutes; Top Song: In The Mist She Was Standing, rating: 8)
The first step in the history of this great band. A concentrate of pure emotion, and the expanse of the first important characteristics of the typical Opeth sound. The songwriting is heavily influenced by the school so dear to the good death Mikael, but it is already full of melodies fleshed often harmonized guitars (Iron Maiden docet), on a double bass drum in triplet. The resulting tracks long, full of sound and starts coming off in full European style death metal. Even today it is unthinkable not to be astonished faced with tracks like the opener "In The Mist She Was Standing" or "Forest Of October" . The growl of Mikael is still rather young, and clean (a little on this first job) still needs a few years to be considered a hallmark of the sound of Opeth. Minor flaws aside, including a production understandable underpowered (which will also accompany the next two albums), this LP is a must in the record collection of every fan. A rare gem to own and a good start to approach for those unfamiliar with the world of Opeth.
Morningrise
(Year: 1996, Length: 65 minutes; Top Song: Black Rose Immortal; rating: 8.5)
The characteristics of the first disc are invariably taken in the second birth , one year later by the onset dreaming. The poetic and dreamlike atmosphere, riding on double bass, guitars harmonized and interchange between growls and clean elements remain unchanged in what is considered by many the masterpiece of the band. Each of the five tracks, oozes evil and despair by the death metal grooves, spaced more carefully detach from superbly crafted acoustic, that, inevitably, they manage to drag the listener into a vortex of emotions perceived sound ever before. On all the songs that shine with an increasingly mature songwriting, outstanding "Black Rose Immortal" , perhaps one of the most beautiful pieces designed by the mind of Akerfeldt: A suite of 20 minutes, still the epitome of the thought Opeth, represented a musical journey full of passion and poetry. Other highlights of the disc is the final "To Bid Your Farwell" , a long acoustic ballad (the first of the band), entirely sung in clean vocals. Simply, a masterpiece of music.
My Arms, Your Hearse
(Year: 1998, Length: 62 minutes; Top Song: Demon Of The Fall; rating: 8)
The beginning of the slow musical progression of Akerfeldt and company called My Arms, Your Hearse. A strange title for a concept album based on a story "romanticheggiante" ghosts. The atmosphere evoked by this album is, in fact, phantasmagoric, dream-like, desperate, incredibly addictive. Along the sequence of songs, apart from finding a significant improvement in trial of Michael singing, there is a more fanciful turn towards new openings technical and progressive, while maintaining the spirit of death (of course, as we now understand, in a sense everything Opeth) and the usual noise of a large class sections. In this album the riffs are less repetitive and the songs turn out to be shorter than before, making the disc more smoothly. "April Ethereal" , "When" and the dark "Demon Of The Fall" , all songs are evocative, eloquent and significant for understanding the evolution of sound and the songwriting of this band. Interesting, then, the two bonus cover placed on closing: "Circle Of The Tyrants" of Celtic Frost and "Remember Tomorrow" by Iron Maiden . Just to not forget their influences.
STILL LIFE
(Year: 1999, Length: 62 minutes; Top Song: The Moor; rating: 8.5)
The band's new course begins. The shift is progressive is definitely confirmed with another masterpiece, widely regarded as one of the creative apex of Opeth. The production is refined further, and a new love story phantasmagoric backdrop of highly successful seven tracks, where the rhythms are generally slowed, and the sections were finally embedded in noise within the duty of the songs, spread with a search of the arrangement and more perfect continuity with the rough parts. Note the beautiful opener "The Moor" , which (while keeping intact the usual features) immediately makes the listener understand what the new evolutionary course of the group, and two beautiful acoustic ballad, "Benighted" (when a simple acoustic guitar can do wonders), and the superb "Face Of Melinda" , jewel delicate and decadent. Another masterpiece simply unmissable. E 'in this album growl and clean Mikael reach a high level of completeness and indisputable and depth, to render a trademark in their sound.
BLACKWATER PARK
(Year: 2001, Length: 67 minutes; Top Song: Harvest; rating: 9)
As in the Still Life is made up of this former Blackwater Park, the most famous and popular album of the band, which allowed them to cross the threshold of anonymity and to expand its popularity to a wider audience. The timing and progressive scores take more space, in fact eliminating aggressive riffs and death-oriented, mid to long-time die almost alternative, topped by a 'ubiquitous and fascinating aura dark and gloomy. The album is engaging at the right point, poised between the deep growls and scores more convincing singing a good clean Mikael, including spare parts and metal tones. Now the band has used its public well to a certain type of sound, which are still used in more recent recordings. Each song serves as a potential ticket to the band, but all stand out on the unsettling "Bleak" , the sublime acoustic ballad "Harvest" and earth-shaking final title track, "Blackwater Park" . Finally a sign sull'artwork, still bare but essential, cold and gloomy, it suggests, as always, the themes of the band: decadence, poetry, art. And these are just some of the terms to describe its contents. If you want to know Opeth today, do not miss this gem.
Deliverance
(Year: 2002, Length: 61 minutes; Top Song: Deliverance, rating: 7)
After the success of with the best Blackwater Park, the band makes the author (so far) only just failed the test in its history record. Deliverance comes from the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating an album oriented sounds on purely death metal album at the same time creating a "twin" of acoustic songs (the following Damnation). This new platter consists of 6 tracks, one of which is a simple and brief interlude of guitar. The length of the tracks becomes significant. Despite the interesting idea of \u200b\u200bopposing two albums, this Deliverance, except for a couple of songs really succeeded (the title track "Deliverance" and "A Fair Judgement" ), no big ideas, going to fall back on riff unconvincing and too repetitive, where some parts even seem to be too forced. However Deliverance is not an album to forget, in the first place because the two aforementioned tracks alone are worth the price of the disc, and secondly because the style in songwriting and the classic sound characteristics of Opeth will remain unaffected. Perhaps, in light of previous works, it is inevitable to expect more from a mind like that of prolific Akerfeldt.
Damnation
(Year: 2003; Duration: 43 minutes; Top Song: Windowpane; rating: 9)
said than done: Mikael us now forget the misstep of Deliverance already half a year later, with the magnificent Damnation, the "good brother" in the previous work. In fact, it is a very special chapter in their discography, tended to emphasize and enhance further the poetic and the Septuagint (the final hearing "Weakness" ) the music of Opeth. Here we find 8 tracks from our sight, almost entirely acoustic and clean key, in which there is no trace of either metal or scores of hellish growls. The result is a jewel of a sensitive and passionate emotion that finds its apex in the progressive "Windowpane" and touching "Hope Leaves" (according to him, a favorite of the same Akerfeldt). The other songs of note, and all contribute in order to unleash infinite array of emotions, through exemplary guitar arrangements, accompanied by the warm voice of Mikael, free to speak only on clean tones. In this album appears to Wiberg's keyboard (which is officially in this year as the first keyboardist of the band), giving a magical touch to the sound, which reports directly to the prog rock of the '70s. In short, an experiment succeeded in full, passionate work, relaxing and evocative, that every listener can not appreciate good music.
Ghost Reveries
(Year: 2005 Duration: 66 minutes; Top Song: Ghost Of Perdition; rating: 8.5)
two years by the excellent experiment Damnation, the new masterpiece of Akerfeldt and company bears the name of Ghost Reveries: eloquent title, from the beautiful cover, leads us to relive some ghostly atmosphere through the music of Opeth. The growling of Michael, after the experience Damnation, increasingly begins to decrease, leaving more space to clean vocals engaging, warm and evocative. The album has 5 songs "metal", 4 of which is longer than ten minutes, and 3 ballads shorter, more and more influenced by a popular taste for the atmosphere of '70s prog rock, so dear to the leader of the band. After just a few ideas of Deliverance, the return of Opeth to sound metallic and aggressive, is marked by a return to brilliant ideas and brilliant inspired by Mikael. The result is an intense album, incredibly fresh and engaging, poised between alternative rhythms, doom-death and progressive tantrums. All this is reflected in songs like the hypnotic opener "Ghost Of Perdition" , the workhorse "Harlequin Forest" , or the closing ballad "Isolation Years" , delicate gem of true music and inspired. An album so varied and complex to understand and appreciate more plays, and a clear proof that Akerfeldt and company, after 10 years of recording career, they still have much to say.
THE ROUNDHOUSE TAPES
(Year: 2007 Duration: 96 minutes, Live Album, Rating: 9)
First witness live for today, in an hour and a half and more than set-list, embody historical and recent pieces in the provision of fire. Opeth, a band as well as being very valuable disk, show a remarkable ability to live, displayed great technique in being able to repeat their repertoire: not a note out of place, not a distraction instrument. Everything is faithfully repeated, such as disk, and that makes a concert an event of Opeth's music class, an event to fully enjoy the magic that knows how to unleash. Sounds perfect, clean, Akerfeldt's voice is in perfect shape, and the other musicians play professionally and without smudging their role. Not least is the ladder that goes to fish out, wisely, historic tracks from each disc (except for Deliverance), and there is nothing more satisfying in listening to songs like "Night And The Silent Water" (from Morningrise), or "Under The Weeping Moon" (from Orchid) with a new and powerful production, which gives us confirmation that the old songs, despite their lack of original production, are still valid and sublime as ever. The loyal audience is warm, you feel, we interact and Mikael, drawing entr'actes often funny (as has the feel of the band, improvising a tune at the end of the majestic "Blackwater Park" ). Artists are unique and unsurpassed even live. Hearing is believing.
WaterShed
(Year: 2008, Length: 55 minutes; Top Song: The Lotus Eater, rating: 8)
Title Opeth weblog in the new chapter says it all: "watershed". To see what it refers to that end, we will have to wait for the future work of the Swedish band, but in the meantime we are content with this Watershed: an album varied, hard to describe, taste more and more "retro" because of settantiane atmosphere (the ballad "Burden" , or the long "Hessian Peel" ) or almost "baroque" (how else can you define as a masterpiece of stylistic complexity "Lotus Eater" ?) More and more palpable. The songs are shorter (about 8 minutes, usually), the growl to leave more room for hot clean vocals, the rhythms of the songs are slow, in most cases, making it very hard to calm and "reflective", far the first production, but very diverse arrangements and never boring. Maybe slightly less than we're used to old masterpieces, this is nevertheless capable of Watershed give us moments of high and intense music, evidence of how the mind of the leader Mikael is always ready to explore and experiment with new solutions, while remaining anchored to its creed. At this point, waiting to hear a new album in the future of undoubted quality, we are left to do is travel back nell'ebriante musical journey marked Opeth.
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