Author Topic: The Opeth Discography Thread  (Read 8304 times)

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Offline Casino-95

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #35 on: December 06, 2016, 09:47:30 AM »
Should I post BWP today or wait a bit more?

Composed entirely of lyrics from the album, here's a short poem chronicling the time from now until the BWP post is made:

"You wait by the window."
"So you wait and you savour the moment."
"Wilted scenes for us who couldn't wait."
"We know who must forever wait."
"Enough of this."
"Time is now."
"It was worth it for the wait alone."

Offline Elite

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #36 on: December 06, 2016, 09:55:39 AM »
YOUR BODY IS MINE TO AVAIL
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline Casino-95

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #37 on: December 06, 2016, 09:57:45 AM »
"I'm counting nocturnal hours."

I can't believe I forgot that line before.
« Last Edit: December 06, 2016, 10:21:39 AM by Casino-95 »

Online twosuitsluke

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #38 on: December 06, 2016, 10:07:39 AM »
Should I post BWP today or wait a bit more?

Composed entirely of lyrics from the album, here's a short poem chronicling the time from now until the BWP post is made:

"You wait by the window."
"So you wait and you savour the moment."
"Wilted scenes for us who couldn't wait."
"We know who must forever wait."
"Enough of this."
"Time is now."
"It was worth it for the wait alone."

10/10 best post I've read in a while  :rollin

Offline Scar

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #39 on: December 06, 2016, 09:25:59 PM »


Blackwater Park (2001)




Release date: February 27, 2001
Length: 67:13


Tracklist:
Bold denotes bonus track.

1. "The Leper Affinity"   
2. "Bleak"    
3. "Harvest"
4. "The Drapery Falls"
5. "Dirge for November"
6. "The Funeral Portrait"   
7. "Patterns in the Ivy"
8. "Blackwater Park"
9. "Still Day Beneath the Sun"
10. "Patterns in the Ivy II"
11. "Harvest" (multimedia track)



Personnel:

Mikael Åkerfeldt – vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar
Peter Lindgren – guitar
Martín Méndez – bass
Martin Lopez – drums
Steven Wilson - clean and backing vocals on "Bleak", "Harvest", "The Funeral Portrait" and "The Drapery Falls", keyboards, mellotron, additional guitar, production, engineering, mixing

August–October 2000, Fredman Studio, Göteborg, Sweden
Genre: Progressive death metal
Label: Music for Nations/Koch
Producer: Opeth, Steven Wilson



History / Background

Following a few live dates in Europe, Opeth's guitarist and vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt went to an old friend's house in Stockholm, Sweden, to record some demos and develop ideas for the new album. The album is named after the German progressive rock band of the same name and was the first album for which the group had a title before they started recording. A few months later when Åkerfeldt was having dinner with Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson, Åkerfeldt discussed the idea of Wilson producing the next Opeth album. After Åkerfeldt sent Wilson the demos he had recorded, Wilson agreed to produce the album.

Opeth entered Studio Fredman to begin work on Blackwater Park on August 10, 2000. The band had no previous lyrics written and had only rehearsed three times before entering the studio. The band's engineer Fredrik Nordström had arranged for the group to stay in a small room in the studio that had four beds. Opeth stayed there for around two weeks and then later rented out Dark Tranquillity member Mikael Stanne's flat. After recording the basic drums, rhythms, bass and acoustic guitars, Wilson arrived to produce the clean vocals and add some guitar leads. Åkerfeldt wrote that Wilson had an "immense impact on the recording" and after working with him the group entered "a new phase".

Åkerfeldt described the recording of the album as "rather smooth". Soilwork was recording in the studio at the same time as Opeth. Åkerfeldt wrote that Opeth felt like "a bunch of amateurs in comparison. They were working all the time. When they came into the kitchen for a break, we're still there, on the same break we took 3 hours ago. We don't want this to become a 'job', or something you do because you have to. We wanna have a good time, and thus we only work when it feels right."

Music

Following the piano chord that occupies the very first seconds of Opeth's 2000 release, Blackwater Park, a crashing riff comes in, that promises that the album to come will take the listeners on a roller coaster ride through heavy peaks and soft, soothing moments. Opeth's Blackwater Park is a clear example of how both beauty and absolute brutal mayhem can be combined into one near perfect package. This album is one of the progressive death metal bands most popular releases.

Album opener The Leper Affinity is the perfect song to showcase both the bands talent and the bands signature sound. For a while, this song is absolutely bone crushing, with some very heavy riffing, great growled vocals from Mikael Akerfeldt, and then, all of a sudden, the song changes. The way this song flows from the heavy to the soft is simply breath taking, and this song is the perfect introduction to Mikael's vocals. He can do very low growls, which neither lack emotion nor energy, and then he can also do some gorgeous clean vocals, that soothe the ears. I can honestly not think of many better vocalists out there then Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt.

If the opener wasn't enough of a ride, then track 2 certainly will be. Bleak has always been my favorite song Opeth ever put out. This song is fantastically composed, beginning with an extremely heavy and yet atmospheric section, before going into a blues section in the middle, and then building back up to a thrilling finale. The growls on this song are some of the best on the album, and the clean vocals do not slack off either. The guitar work for this song is utterly amazing, with some powerhouse riffs in there, and the gorgeous instrumentals in the middle section. This song is one of the most perfect songs ever released.

"Harvest" and "The Drapery Falls" are two much more atmospheric songs, that drag on for a while and showcase some more great clean singing from Mikael. "Harvest" is one of the bands most popular songs, and the reason is immediately clear, with the fantastic use of various dynamics to create one of the most perfect atmospheres found in music. This song was an indication of what later albums would bring, as it had no metal found in it whatsoever. "The Drapery Fall"s contains some growls, and great lyrics to accompany them, but is more focused on building a mood and a real feeling of desperation unmatched by any other song. Also, the ending of "The Drapery Falls" is so damn catchy and good.

"Dirge For November", "The Funeral Portrait" and "Patterns In The Ivy" are all brilliant in their own right, with the former being a song that contains 2 minutes of acoustic work, before the real heavy side of the band kicks in and it is, as usual, perfectly put together. "Patterns In The Ivy" is a pure instrumental acoustic song that merely leads as a warm up to the absolute brutality that is the title track. This song contains some utterly crushing riffs, quite possibly the heaviest on the album, and the song is just made even better by the 2 minute softer part in the middle. The lyrics to this song are extremely well written, depicting an evil environment that does not bare thinking about. This is Opeth at their absolute peak of brutality.

My Thoughts

The instrumental work on this album is fairly technical, and fantastically written, with some real talent behind it. Each song conveys the emotions and mood that the lyrics would suggest brilliantly, creating a sense of dread that is missing from so many albums. This is a text book album on how to create a dense atmosphere without ever once compromising the musical integrity of the album. The growls and clean vocals are nearly perfect on here, proving Mikael time and time again to be one of the fore runners in the metal vocals scene. This album is a flat out classic that may take a few listens to get into, but once it has you hooked it will never let you go. Utterly incredible

Personally, my ranking for this album is:

1. Bleak
2. Harvest
3. The Drapery Falls
4. Dirge for November
5. Leper Affinity
6. The Funeral Portrait
7. Blackwater Park
8. Patterns in the Ivy
"Suicide sometimes proceeds from cowardice, but not always; for cowardice sometimes prevents it; since as many live because they are afraid to die, as die because they are afraid to live."
-Charles Caleb Colton

Offline Onno

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #40 on: December 07, 2016, 07:53:53 AM »
Probably my favourite Opeth album, and for good reason. It was also the first Opeth album that clicked for me. I think The Funeral Portrait is the weakest song here for me, but it's still really really good.

Offline ChuckSteak

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #41 on: December 07, 2016, 08:06:10 AM »
Probably also my favorite Opeth album.

1. Blackwater Park
2. The Funeral Portrait
3. The Drapery Falls
4. The Leper Affinity
5. Bleak
6. Dirge For November
7. Harvest
8. Patterns In the Ivy

Offline Elite

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #42 on: December 07, 2016, 08:08:15 AM »
Probably my favourite Opeth album, and for good reason.

Yeah. And a top 10 album overall. Absolutely phenomenal.
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline Casino-95

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #43 on: December 07, 2016, 08:15:38 AM »
This was the first Opeth album I bought; I think it was in 2006.  To this day, BWP is one of my favorites along with Still Life.

1. Bleak
2. Blackwater Park
3. The Drapery Falls
4. Harvest
5. The Leper Affinity
6. The Funeral Portrait
7. Dirge for November
8. Patterns in the Ivy

I don't think it has any weak songs.

I almost ranked the bonus tracks, but I think they're too different from the rest of the album.  I highly recommend them to anyone who hasn't heard them.
« Last Edit: December 20, 2016, 09:26:31 AM by Casino-95 »

Offline seasonsinthesky

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #44 on: December 07, 2016, 01:03:07 PM »
BWP is perfect, as far as I'm concerned. Super well-paced tracklist, no excess of fadeouts because Mike couldn't figure out a better ending (a problem suffered very badly on some other Opeth albums), the best mix I've heard in metal, and great artwork.

The 'legacy edition' really fucked this album up. The new cover art is shite, the live bonus track is worse shite, and the 5.1 mix fundamentally alters the music by changing the drum samples (for the worse) and removing a lot of reverb that was in no way a problem on the original (in opposition, perhaps, to Still Life, though I love that mix anyway). It was done by Jens Bogren, who usually does a great job, but was asked to fuck up BWP for no reason.

I wish they'd reissue the vinyl with the original art and no bonus track.

1. Leper
2. Funeral Portrait
3. BWP
4. Dirge
5. Bleak
6. Harvest
7. PITI
8. Drapery

(So ranked because I wore out Bleak, Harvest & TPF.)

Offline ?

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #45 on: December 07, 2016, 01:52:29 PM »
My 2nd least favorite album behind Deliverance. The first half includes some of the best Opeth songs ever, but the quality drops dramatically with Dirge. The title-track has grown on me, but I still find it a little overlong and overrated.

Offline ChuckSteak

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #46 on: December 07, 2016, 03:36:35 PM »
^

That sure is a controversial opinion. :)

Offline The King in Crimson

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #47 on: December 07, 2016, 10:38:02 PM »
This is a good album. After initially dismissing it, I've slowly come around over the years though my assessment of it is nowhere near as positive as the rest of Opeth's fanbase is. It's not in my top three it probably sits somewhere firmly in the middle of the pack. I think my biggest issue is how bland and samey I find some of the album aside from a couple of tracks that stand head and shoulders above the others, the rest just kind of flow one into the other without distinguishing themselves much. I always find myself just half paying attention to most of the album, very little catches me and grabs hold. I can see and admit that it is a good album, a lot of it just does nothing for me.

Offline Casino-95

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #48 on: December 08, 2016, 02:19:50 PM »
Quote
Fever mirrored ghosts
Night time consolation, cross the line
Draw murder into art
Sleep inside through days

In the wake of this relief
Shivering, longing for more
Insanity at its peak
Love me to my death

I completely forgot about this until today.  Not long after I got this album, I had to write a paper about Hamlet for my high school AP English class.  In it, I quoted the above lyrics from "The Leper Affinity."

If I remember correctly, I compared them to Shakespeare's play and how the themes are still relevant today.  This was in the paper's intro, and I then transitioned to the main topic, which I believe was about Hamlet's fake madness.

I did ultimately get an A on that paper.  :metal
« Last Edit: December 08, 2016, 02:29:36 PM by Casino-95 »

Offline KevShmev

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #49 on: December 08, 2016, 06:02:45 PM »
I just realized I had not posted in this thread yet.

Still Life remains, to be, the best and most consistent Opeth album to date.  All seven songs are tremendous; no weak link in there at all.

Blackwater Park is nearly as good, but while I can listen to every song from Still Life without any hesitation, I find that I rarely listen to half of the songs from BWP.  Bleak, Harvest, The Drapery Falls and Patterns in the Ivy are all among my most-listened-to Opeth tunes, but I don't reach for the other four that often (even though I like them all).

Offline Serah Farron

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #50 on: December 08, 2016, 07:15:59 PM »
I just realized I had not posted in this thread yet.

Still Life remains, to be, the best and most consistent Opeth album to date.  All seven songs are tremendous; no weak link in there at all.

Blackwater Park is nearly as good, but while I can listen to every song from Still Life without any hesitation, I find that I rarely listen to half of the songs from BWP.  Bleak, Harvest, The Drapery Falls and Patterns in the Ivy are all among my most-listened-to Opeth tunes, but I don't reach for the other four that often (even though I like them all).

Really? What is your opinion on Deliverance and Damnation? I thought they were pretty consistent too. Although I agree that Still Life is amazing (though I haven't fully immersed myself to listen to it.)

Offline KevShmev

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #51 on: December 08, 2016, 08:42:47 PM »
I'll go into more details when those albums are featured, but for now I will just say that Deliverance is some great and some forgettable, while Damnation is as consistent as Still Life, but its highs aren't quite as high.

Offline Serah Farron

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #52 on: December 08, 2016, 08:50:32 PM »
Interesting! Can't wait! Thanks!

Offline Elite

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #53 on: December 09, 2016, 02:16:32 AM »
I'll blast this album later today.
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline seasonsinthesky

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #54 on: December 09, 2016, 05:17:23 AM »
I'll blast this album later today.

Exactly what I did yesterday to 'break in' my new monitors. To say it sounded sexual is, err, an understatement (or something).

Still my favourite mix on any metal album. The mastering is a bit too loud, of course, but it thankfully didn't blow out the mix. Everything sits just perfectly, nothing is out of proportion, it has just the right amount of reverb in just the right places, and the quad (I think) tracking of the guitars make those Laney amps sound like gargantuan walls of silk. (Coincidentally something it has in common with the album I played afterward, Panopticon by Isis.)

Offline Elite

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #55 on: December 09, 2016, 05:24:20 AM »
Really though, quad-tracking is the way to go.
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Online Zydar

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #56 on: December 09, 2016, 06:14:00 AM »
This album was my introduction to Opeth, with 'Harvest' being the first song of theirs I ever heard. I'd rank the album #2 after Ghost Reveries.
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Offline Scar

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #57 on: December 10, 2016, 06:39:29 PM »


Deliverance (2002)




Release date: 12 November 2002
Length: 61:50


Tracklist:
Bold denotes bonus track.

1. "Wreath"   
2. "Deliverance"    
3. "A Fair Judgement"
4. "For Absent Friends" (Instrumental)
5. "Master's Apprentices"
6. "By the Pain I See in Others"   

Personnel:

Mikael Åkerfeldt – vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar
Peter Lindgren – guitar
Martín Méndez – bass
Martin Lopez – drums
Steven Wilson - backing vocals, additional guitars, Mellotron, piano, keyboards, production, engineering

22 July 2002 – 4 September 2002 at Maestro Musik and Studio Fredman
Genre: Progressive death metal
Label: Music for Nations/Koch
Producer: Mikael Akerfeldt, Steven Wilson



History / Background

The band originally intended for Deliverance and Damnation to be released as a double album, but the record company eventually decided against this and released them separately, approximately five months apart from one another in order to promote them properly.

The recording sessions also became a writing session of two albums worth of material, causing the recordings to be long as there were no songs written prior to that point. Åkerfeldt wrote the songs in the night and recorded them with the band during the days.

The track "Master's Apprentices" was named after the Australian hard/progressive rock group The Masters Apprentices. The track "For Absent Friends" was named after a song of the same name, originally appearing on the album Nursery Cryme by progressive rock group Genesis.

At the end of "By the Pain I See in Others", the final note fades slowly and ends at 10:40. Silence follows until 12:00, followed by two backmasked verses from "Master's Apprentices" at 12:20 and 13:15. This two backmasking verses are a ghost track.

Music

Deliverance for me is an amazing album and easily my most favorite album. Deliverance is packed with almost everything: beautiful cleans, amazing growls, heavy riffing, instrumental sections....everything! The most immediately impressive aspect of Deliverance is the drumming of Martin Lopez. Despite Opeth scaling back the diversity and ambition of past releases, Lopez manages to go all out in speed and ferocity while avoiding dominating the spotlight.

A tumbling drum roll kicks off album opener “Wreath” into a bewilderingly fast metal number containing furious metal riffing over pounding drums and dissonant interludes. Gone are the doomy soundscapes and jazzy influences of previous releases. Deliverance is all about the speed and the metal, but it wouldn’t be Opeth without the lighter sections. “Master’s Apprentices” contains a beautifully pensive middle section with melodic guitar taking the spotlight alongside Åkerfeldt’s melodic singing. The middle section of “Deliverance” is similar, making use of drummer Lopez’s loose drumming style and off kilter beats before exploding into a shredding guitar solo section similar to “Wreath.” Among the most profound and emotive moments of Deliverance is the unsettling quiet section right before the crushingly heavy outro. Twin acoustic guitars strum riffs and chords, playing off of each other over more of Lopez’s fill-heavy drumming. Åkerfeldt gives one of his most menacingly subtle vocal performances, softly delivering the lines “Deliverance, thrown back at me. Deliverance, laughing at me.” It’s a perfect display of Opeth once again conveying emotion and grabbing the listener’s attention by taking a sharp departure from what was expected.

Lyrical themes largely revolve around loss, regret, and death. Epic ballad “A Fair Judgement” includes dissonant guitar chords and leads with heartbreaking prose and imagery, “Losing sleep, in too deep. Fading sun, what have I done? Came so close, to what I need most, nothing's left here. Cut the ties, uncover disguise… Soul sacrifice, forgot the advice. Lost track of time, in a flurry of smoke. Waiting anxiety, for a fair judgement deserved.” After a quiet vocal and piano duet with Åkerfeldt heartbreakingly crooning of redemption and regret, Opeth once again pull the rug from under the listener with one of the heaviest and most dissonant outros of the album. A beautiful interplay of acoustic and electric guitar follows in the form of “For Absent Friends.” The short but sweet ballad serves as a much needed reprieve from the more intense, discordant moments of before.

What ultimately makes Deliverance such a success is the interplay of different musical stylings and dynamics in a more concise fashion. Never before have Opeth’s flirtations with light and dark played off each so successfully and consistently. The light section of “Masters Apprentices” becomes an album highlight when sandwiched between the death metal intro and crushingly heavy finale. The diversity and relentless tonal shifts of past releases are refined into a calculated and straightforward dichotomy of beautiful melodies interplaying with brutal heaviness. As a result, the songwriting is more digestible and gripping overall. The title track and “Masters Apprentices” contain enough twists and turns to keep the listener interested, while straightforward metal numbers like “Wreath” and “By The Pain I See In Others” exhaust every trick Åkerfeldt and co. have up their sleeves to keep the 10+ minute epics interesting. Not a single moment is wasted in the whole hour, and by the time the final piano note of “By The Pain…” fades into silence, you will be floored by the truly exhausting listen, containing elements of light, dark, and everything in between.

My Thoughts

This is an amazing album, my favorite, as I've stated. It has really melodious songs, as well has brutal songs. "By the Pain" also took hell of a while to get to me, but this song is truly a gem.

No album has ever affected me like this, this album is truly a masterpiece to behold.

Personally, my ranking for this album is:

1. "By the Pain I See in Others"
2. "Deliverance"
3. "Master's Apprentices"
4. "Wreath"
5. "A Fair Judgement"
6. "For Absent Friends"
"Suicide sometimes proceeds from cowardice, but not always; for cowardice sometimes prevents it; since as many live because they are afraid to die, as die because they are afraid to live."
-Charles Caleb Colton

Offline Serah Farron

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #58 on: December 10, 2016, 06:52:38 PM »
Bloody solid album.

"A Fair Judgement" is my favorite song off of this album. It is soo haunting and that guitar solo in the end into that fantastic outro. Bloody amazing.

Offline ChuckSteak

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #59 on: December 10, 2016, 07:56:25 PM »
This is a very love/hate album, but personally I find it fantastic. I am not a big fan of the production and I think the older albums sound better. Deliverance, Master's Apprentices, Wreath and A Fair Judgement are amazing songs and some of Opeth's best.

The ending of Deliverance (song) could have been shorter though. I think it drags unnecessarily a bit.

My ranking:

1. Master's Apprentices
2. Wreath
3. Deliverance
4. A Fair Judgement
5. By The Pain I See In Others
6. For Absent Friends

Offline ?

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #60 on: December 11, 2016, 05:03:16 AM »
To quote my earlier post from the official Opeth thread:
Deliverance is easily my least favorite Opeth album, though the title-track and Master's Apprentices are two of their best songs ever. Wreath and AFJ are alright but overstay their welcome, and BTPISIO is a bit of a mess with some good parts and some bad stuff. It feels like Mikael tried to write a heavy album, but he didn't have enough quality metal riffs so he ended up repeating the ones that he had ad nauseam. Damnation sounds so much more genuine and natural to my ears.
But speaking of the title-track, here's a creepy koala for ya :metal

Offline seasonsinthesky

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #61 on: December 11, 2016, 12:02:43 PM »
Can we talk about the mess that is Bruce Soord's new mix of this album? It's got more low end, but that's about all it has going for it. The massive, but tasteful reverb on the drums is completely gone, the guitars sound even more hollow – I dunno why they were okay with the 'SM57 direct on the cone' sound when their Laneys were so sexy on BWP – and he made a few weird mix choices that don't add anything to the dynamics. With the vocals too loud and the guitars pushed back too far, I think it's a great case for why you don't ask a guy who's never made metal in his life to mix a profoundly metal album.

The original is solid, if boring sometimes, but at least the original mix is totally listenable and huge.

Offline ChuckSteak

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #62 on: December 11, 2016, 12:12:50 PM »
The mix is horrible. Some solos literally disappeared.

Offline Casino-95

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #63 on: December 12, 2016, 08:21:34 AM »
I just relistened to Deliverance and Damnation, and neither one really did anything for me.  I need to take a break from them before I try again.
« Last Edit: December 20, 2016, 09:28:05 AM by Casino-95 »

Offline KevShmev

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #64 on: December 12, 2016, 08:52:02 PM »
The title track and A Fair Judgement are both killer; two of their best.

Master's Apprentice is good, but is one of those good songs I never listen to.

I have no use for the other three songs.

Offline Elite

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #65 on: December 13, 2016, 04:23:37 AM »
From this album, the only song I listen to regularly is the title-track. Master's Apprentices is probably the first Opeth track I ever heard, so that one has a special place with me as well. The other four tracks are good (Wreath gets way too much slack here), but I only listen to them when I listen to the album in full. A Fair Judgement is always a nice surprising listen on this record. Despite likely being their heaviest, I feel like this record is pretty dynamic as well. Good stuff, and far better than its counterpart, Damnation.
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline Zantera

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #66 on: December 15, 2016, 08:05:17 AM »
Deliverance might be their best album, definitely up there.

Offline Scar

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #67 on: December 15, 2016, 09:51:24 AM »
Will post Damnation tonight...

Nice responses.  :tup :tup
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Offline Ben_Jamin

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #68 on: December 15, 2016, 10:10:17 AM »
The only Deliverance songs I've heard are the ones played on Lamentations, and I loved them. My favorite being A Fair Judgement. Starting the set with Masters Apprentice was just awesome.

I'm amazed at myself because I haven't bought this album.
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Offline Scar

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Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #69 on: December 16, 2016, 02:49:12 PM »


Damnation (2003)




Release date: 22 April 2003
Length: 43:20


Tracklist:

1. "Windowpane"   
2. "In My Time of Need"    
3. "Death Whispered a Lullaby"
4. "Closure"
5. "Hope Leaves"
6. "To Rid the Disease"   
7. "Ending Credits"
8. "Weakness"

Personnel:

Mikael Åkerfeldt – vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar
Peter Lindgren – guitar
Martín Méndez – bass
Martin Lopez – drums
Steven Wilson - backing vocals, additional guitars, Mellotron, piano, keyboards, production, engineering

Recorded: 22 July – 4 September 2002
Maestro Musik, Studio Fredman

Genre: Progressive rock
Label: Koch
Producer: Opeth, Steven Wilson



History / Background

Damnation is the seventh full-length studio album by heavy metal band Opeth. It was released on 22 April 2003, five months after Deliverance, which was recorded at the same time. Damnation was produced by Steven Wilson. Mikael Åkerfeldt dedicated both albums to his grandmother, who died in a car accident during the time the albums were being recorded.

The album was a radical departure from Opeth's typical death metal sound, and the first Opeth album to use all clean vocals, clean guitars, and prominent mellotron, as well as being inspired by 1970s progressive rock, which typically features no heavy riffs or extended fast tempos. Despite the change in style from Opeth's previous albums, Damnation was critically acclaimed and boosted their popularity, leading to the release of Lamentations on DVD in late 2003.

Music

This album is the first album without any traces of death metal vocals. This is all Mikael's clean vocals as well as being acoustic for most of the album. This album is a real depressing album and mostly talk about regret, sadness, and being alone.

The first song "Windowpane", is a wonder to behold. The longest song in this album, clocking at 7 minutes, this song starts off with an acoustic intro. There are some really cool Lindgren/Akerfeldt guitar duets in this piece as well as Wilson's really haunting mellotron. I really love the outro when Mikael fades off at: "Given dreams all ridden with pain. And projected unto the last." The song ends with the mellotron and acoustic guitar.

The next song "In My Time of Need" was first disliked by me, but over time, I began to really love and appreciate this song. One reason why this song is a real hit for me is because of Wilson's mellotron and his vocal contributions. He has a distinct high pitched voice and man, I love Wilson so much. This song begins with an acoustic introduction, as does most of the songs (so I won't be writing this every time), and has a vocal phrasing that turns people off. He sings one word at a time, putting a pause between each word. Anyways, the outro of this song brings me to literal tears every single time. :)

The third song, "Death Whispered a Lullaby" was written by Steven Wilson and he contributes vocally here also. This song's chorus is sung by death itself........I mean, Mikael sings it, but as the lyrics say, it is death speaking to its victim. This is such a sweet song and the outro man....the guitar work and how it all goes from crazy to silently fading.

"Hope Leaves", "Closure", and "To Rid the Disease" follow a similar pattern to the song. Those three songs are amazing, as they have fantastic chorus', Mikael sings them fantastically, really haunting instrumental works, and these songs really set the mood.

"Ending Credits" is not the last song of the album, though judging from the title, it should be, but this song is filled with haunting guitar melodies, fantastic mellotron work, and the impeccable Martin Lopez and Mendez. Guitar harmonies will knock you off your feet as you wake up from an adventure you just had from listening to really depressing stuff. :( :(

"Weakness" is a really interesting song. There are no traces of drums or bass, only mellotron and the guitar. Devil cracked the earthly shell. Foretold she was the one. Blew hope into the room and said: "You have to live before you die young".. Anyways, this song is dedicated to Mikael's grandmother who tragically died in a car crash. The ending of the song is Mikael only as the song fades out. I once had Ghost Reveries after this song and after Damnation finished and the soft introduction from Ghost Reveries came in, I thought the album was still Damnation so I had my eyes closed, guard down. Then Mikael's brutal vocals from "Ghost of Perdition "comes in and I'm scared shiteless.

My reaction? Doesn't Damnation have no harsh vocals??? WTF.

My Thoughts

To put it bluntly, I love everything about this album. I wouldn't say that this album is "metal," but that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. No other album I've ever listened to has connected with me in the same way. It is a truly sad and melancholy bunch of songs, and it is a great soundtrack to depression. I've recently gone through the worst depression of my life, as my relationship with the first woman I've ever truly loved came crashing down. When I listen to this music, I feel like Mikael and the rest of the band understand exactly what I'm feeling, and Akerfeldt's lyrics put into words the emotions I just can't fully express. Sure, the music is slow and has no elements of aggression whatsoever, but that is a good thing. This album wouldn't be as profound if it were heavy.

The vocals on this album are absolutely top notch. Mikael Akerfeldt truly shines here. As much as I adore his style of growled vocals, his clean singing is beautiful. The vocal melodies and harmonies are haunting, and I guarantee that after a few listens these songs will be stuck in your head. The lyrics are amazing as well, most dealing with loss and sorrow. My favorite lyrics on the album have to be "Hope Leaves." Although the song is about the bitter sorrow felt because of the death of a loved one, I can completely relate to the feeling of hopelessness after having the love of my life walk out on me.

The guitar work on this album is phenomenal. Lindgren and Akerfeldt are a perfect duo, complimenting each other all the time. There is no distortion on the guitars, which is another good thing. Because of the clean tones, the guitar feels fluid and natural. The chord choices and progressions are great, and the leads are tasteful and full of emotion.

Martin Mendez does a great job of holding down the low end on this album. His bass tone is warm, and his bass lines are tasteful and appropriate. He only adds to the music, and doesn't try to show off or take the spotlight (even though he is certainly skilled enough to.)

Martin Lopez is a great drummer and this album truly showcases his full abilities. There is no double bass here and the drums aren't as technical as a normal Opeth release. That's totally fine though, because his drumming is varied and impressive. He can do it all as he plays jazz-like parts or Latin styles with ease. The production of the drums is excellent as well, and Lopez is a great match for bass player Mendez.

One final note, the keyboards on this album are great. Handled by famed producer and musician Steven Wilson, the keys bring so much richness and atmosphere to the songs. The music greatly benefits from the use of keyboards and organ and wouldn't be the same without. I would love to give highlights, but I can't pick out any truly favorite parts. This whole thing is perfect from start to finish.

Personally, my ranking for this album is:

1. "Windowpane"
2. "To Rid the Disease"
3. "In My Time of Need"
4. "Closure"
5. "Death Whispered a Lullaby"
6. "Ending Credits"
7. "Hope Leaves"
8. "Weakness"
"Suicide sometimes proceeds from cowardice, but not always; for cowardice sometimes prevents it; since as many live because they are afraid to die, as die because they are afraid to live."
-Charles Caleb Colton