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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: KevShmev on August 09, 2012, 12:07:28 AM
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With the previous one at 100 pages, I think it is time for a new Opeth thread! :)
:metal :metal
NP: Famine
I'd just like to say that while Heritage wasn't one of their best albums, I really like where they went on it, and I can't wait to see what they come up with next. :coolio
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Just got done listening to Blackwater Park (the song).
Yes, folks - Debbie is STILL on her Opeth binge. :caffeine:
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Ghost Reveries is the greatest album ever.
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I heard rumor about another Katatonia/Opeth tour this fall in North America. I need that to happen! Songkick.com has a few dates listed, but no announcement yet
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Just got done listening to Blackwater Park (the song).
Yes, folks - Debbie is STILL on her Opeth binge. :caffeine:
:metal
Ghost Reveries is the greatest album ever.
How can that be the greatest album ever when it isn't even their greatest album? ???
Hint: Still Life is better. :)
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lol
you're funny :p
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Ghost Reveries is the greatest Opeth album ever.
Fix'd for teh Zydar.
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Still Life is the Best Them
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Did anyone hear the rumor that Mikael Akerfeldt is secretly a member of Ghost? I don't believe it, but I want it to be true. That would be wicked awesome.
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I feel like he'd have no time for that, and even if he was, Ghost is ALL about the Undead Pope :hat
I love that guy.
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Did anyone hear the rumor that Mikael Akerfeldt is secretly a member of Ghost? I don't believe it, but I want it to be true. That would be wicked awesome.
I know who the lead singer is and I'm pretty sure the other members are associated with the lead singer's other bands. Check out my Subdivision thread somewhere here in the GMD
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So what's the word on the new Opeth album? I've heard nothing regarding any plans about it and seeing as how Storm Corrosion surely kept Mike busy for a bit I'm guessing we're still at least two years away since the last two albums were spaced in 3-year increments.
Also, do y'all think Mikes growling is on its deathbed or have any DM singers ever been able to recover their Satan?
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Also, do y'all think Mikes growling is on its deathbed or have any DM singers ever been able to recover their Satan?
I hope the growlies aren't gone. :'(
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There's a new Opeth album being worked on? EXCITED
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There's a new Opeth album being worked on? EXCITED
No, there ain't as far as I know. I just didn't word my post clearly enough. I basically meant "whatever their next album happens to be, whenever it happens to come out" when I referred to it as "the new Opeth album."
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Ah. ok.
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I'm hopefully seeing Opeth unplugged in December. Haven't gotten tickets yet, but my birthday is coming up fairly soon so I might wish for tickets. :P
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So what's the word on the new Opeth album? I've heard nothing regarding any plans about it and seeing as how Storm Corrosion surely kept Mike busy for a bit I'm guessing we're still at least two years away since the last two albums were spaced in 3-year increments.
Also, do y'all think Mikes growling is on its deathbed or have any DM singers ever been able to recover their Satan?
In this interview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lGsMsWtYs0) from June he says he hasn't really worked on new songs but he thinks the next album will be a bit more "hard rock". I assume this means we'll hear more energetic up-tempo songs like Devil's Orchard, Slither and The Lines in My Hand.
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Meh... doesn't sound so interesting to me. I'm sure it will end up being good though.
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Meh... doesn't sound so interesting to me. I'm sure it will end up being good though.
Count me out. It was a humongous letdown to have my first 6-8 months of owning Heritage be a "growing" period that, as of now (11 months), has plateaued at a half-hearted "it's pretty good." Opeth is one of the very few bands where I actually like the vocals and the possible permanent omission of growls coupled with what looks like possibly saying goodbye to metal altogether is borderline heartbreaking for me musically speaking.
I understand that the album that comes out after the upcoming one could feature some of their familiar style from earlier albums but that outlook is gloomy at best when you consider this will be their third straight album where the old style is basically being abandoned (Heritage), halfway abandoned with definition of the word "familiarity" being stretched a good bit (Watershed), or tentatively abandoned (upcoming album based on the hard rock mention in the interview that ? linked.)
I miss Opeth.
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I'll still be following Opeth, but if they're going for a more "Hard Rock"-sound then it's not very appealing to me. I guess it depends on how they do it, but a song like "Slither" for example was one of my least favorites from Heritage, and I'm not really that interested in Hard Rock because a lot of the genre feels very plain for me.
Still, I love Åkerfeldt and I love Opeth, and I will obviously check out what they do.
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Hey gais. Is the new album still streaming?
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I'm not a fan of hard rock either but I don't think they'll go all Whitesnake! :lol I enjoy Heritage and my favorite songs are Famine, Folklore and I Feel the Dark so I hope they'll concentrate on stuff like that instead of songs along the lines of Slither and The Lines in My Hand, but if he means that the next album will be a bit more rough-edged and energetic overall, I'm ok with it.
Who knows, maybe after 1 or 2 more non-metal albums Mikael might feel the death metal spark again. However, it doesn't seem like Opeth is going back to growls and heavy riffs anytime soon - Mikael seems extremely happy with Heritage and I just can't see him going back to metal right now, especially after all those comments about his lack of interest in the genre. To be honest his growls haven't been that great lately and I wouldn't mind if he never growled on any new Opeth song again. The worst thing to do would be a crowd-pleaser album written without any real passion or enthusiasm just to win the metal fans back. I mean, you can listen to the old songs from the albums or go to a concert hoping they'll play some classics or simply find a good new proggy death metal band to follow, for example Barren Earth (who are great, by the way!).
All in all, I'm curious to see what they will do in the future and hopefully I'll like it, like I enjoyed Heritage.
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I still haven't listened to a couple Opeth albums. I think I'm still trying to let the ones I have heard sink in.
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Interestingly enough, Opeth is the ONLY "death metal" band I've ever gotten into. I've tried a few others and I just never could find an appreciation for them. For some reason, with Opeth, especially the run of albums from Still Life >> Blackwater Park >> Deliverance >>
Damnation >> Ghost Reveries >> Watershed
I think I started appreciating the growling more when he started doing it less. I think it has more impact when it's used sparingly. That's probably why Watershed is my favorite Opeth album.
I bought Heritage, I listened a few times, but I find it to be rather "meh" for the most part.
Bands change over time, and Opeth is obviously no exception. I'll enjoy their previous material for years to come, but I think I'll be hopping off the Opeth bandwagon if they're going to make "hard rock" now. It's just not something I'm interested in.
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I heard rumor about another Katatonia/Opeth tour this fall in North America. I need that to happen! Songkick.com has a few dates listed, but no announcement yet
Well, they were trying to get dates after Katatonia's tour with Devin Townsend (Sept 24) and before they go to Europe (Nov 2). Two of the dates showed up on Ticketmaster a couple of weeks ago and are now listed as cancelled. Don't know if they were cancelled because the tickets went up on sale too early or they cancelled the tour. We will have to wait and see.
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Should I be ashamed that I'm getting into Opeth just now?
I'm going by discography. I didn't really care for Orchid, Morningrise had quite a few great moments, My arms your hearse had few great moments, and Still life blew me away. I'm listening to Blackwater park right now, I'd say it has potential. ;D
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Should I be ashamed that I'm getting into Opeth just now?
I'm going by discography. I didn't really care for Orchid, Morningrise had quite a few great moments, My arms your hearse had few great moments, and Still life blew me away. I'm listening to Blackwater park right now, I'd say it has potential. ;D
I feel the same way about those albums.
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WHITE FACED
HAGGARD GRIN
THIS SERENITY PAINTED DEATH
WITH A HALO OF BITTER DISEASE
BLACK PARAGON IN LINGERING BREATH
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WHITE FACED
HAGGARD GRIN
THIS SERENITY PAINTED DEATH
WITH A HALO OF BITTER DISEASE
BLACK PARAGON IN LINGERING BREATH
:2metal:
Should I be ashamed that I'm getting into Opeth just now?
Hell no, dude - I just got into them SRSLY HARDCORE this year, so don't be ashamed at all. :) Oh, and Still Life is awesome (it's REALLY been kicking my ass the last few weeks). As is Blackwater Park. AND Ghost Reveries (happy Drew? :lol ;) ).
Meh... doesn't sound so interesting to me. I'm sure it will end up being good though.
Count me out. It was a humongous letdown to have my first 6-8 months of owning Heritage be a "growing" period that, as of now (11 months), has plateaued at a half-hearted "it's pretty good." Opeth is one of the very few bands where I actually like the vocals and the possible permanent omission of growls coupled with what looks like possibly saying goodbye to metal altogether is borderline heartbreaking for me musically speaking.
I understand that the album that comes out after the upcoming one could feature some of their familiar style from earlier albums but that outlook is gloomy at best when you consider this will be their third straight album where the old style is basically being abandoned (Heritage), halfway abandoned with definition of the word "familiarity" being stretched a good bit (Watershed), or tentatively abandoned (upcoming album based on the hard rock mention in the interview that ? linked.)
I miss Opeth.
If that's true, then I really don't know how to feel. When my "OMG OPETH!!1 :caffeine: " binge started, I was definitely more of a fan of the growlie stuff than the clean stuff. Case in point - it took me longer to get into Damnation than it took for Blackwater Park, Ghost Reveries and Watershed.
I really really hope the growlies aren't permanently gone. :(
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I think it is easy to say, "I don't want hard rock," or, "I want growls," or, "I want metal," but what if the next album is hard rock, no metal and no growls, but is, in 80s terminology, totally awesome? ;) I suspect most of you would change your mind real quick about what you want the most out of Opeth.
In other words, don't get too hung up on what the label is of what they are doing and see if you enjoy it for what it is. :)
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I'm fine with whatever direction they want to take in the future. All I expect is quality.
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I think Mikael is a tremendous musician. I love his clean voice, his harsh voice, his guitar playing style, songwriting style, everything. His whole deal totally speaks to me. Therefore whenever he releases anything, whether it's under the Opeth name, something else like Storm Corrosion or an Alan Parsons cover album called The Mikael Akerfeldt Alan Parsons Project Project, I will definitely check it out and most likely enjoy it to some degree.
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I've been personally been getting back into Opeth recently, listening to Morningrise right now. I have all their albums, but haven't listened to them regularly for the better part of the last 6 years, aside from the occasional listen. I got into them during the Deliverance era, when I was in high school, but my first new album as a fan was Ghost Reveries; after just graduating high school, and it became my favorite of theirs, and still is, in fact, I think it's their best one. When I got into more prog rock and jazz-fusion, I lost a lot of interest in metal, and even coming back to metal in recent years, I never went back to any death/black metal bands. I checked out Watershed when it came out, but I was not in the mood for that music.
But I always remembered how much I liked Opeth in high school, and when I heard Heritage was coming out, I listened to a couple albums here and there, and bought Heritage when it came out, and actually enjoyed it a lot. Only recently have I been digging back into their other albums again. As I said before, I'm listening to Morningrise right now, probably the first time I've listened to it in 6 years or more. I forgot how good Deliverance and Damnation were as well, along with Still Life. I re-visted Watershed, and I can't believe I panned it back when it came out. I'm re-visiting their albums, and still have to go through more of their albums like Blackwater Park, Ghost Reveries, MAYH, and Orchid, but it's all been good. Strange that this is happening in the middle of summer, as I recall enjoying their music in the fall, and I've been listening to jam bands a lot, which is the opposite of Opeth's music hah.
Sorry for going on a tangent there.
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I think it is easy to say, "I don't want hard rock," or, "I want growls," or, "I want metal," but what if the next album is hard rock, no metal and no growls, but is, in 80s terminology, totally awesome? ;) I suspect most of you would change your mind real quick about what you want the most out of Opeth.
In other words, don't get too hung up on what the label is of what they are doing and see if you enjoy it for what it is. :)
Good point. Like I said - I don't know how to feel about this, because it's still purely hypothetical/conjecture at this point.
I'm fine with whatever direction they want to take in the future. All I expect is quality.
Another good point.
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As I said, I will still be following Opeth, buying their stuff and seeing them live, and obviously be excited for new stuff. But the news themselves about Åkerfeldt going for something more "Hard Rock", that itself doesn't get me that excited. I know he loves classic Hard Rock and how much it has influenced him, but me myself (while I can appreciate it) don't really listen to it, and IF we're talking more songs like Slither, then it won't be that exciting. But obviously the result may be very different from what everyone is expecting, it might still be awesome.
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C'mon, Opeth have albums like Damnation and Heritage, which got people worried, but in my opinion, those albums are still classic Opeth, even a transitional album like Watershed is still an amazing album. I sense that people think it's going to be some 70s/80s hard rock inspired album. I think Mikael just wants to bring some aggression back to the music, either composition-wise, or production wise, considering Heritage was a very low-key album as far as production went. Even though I've fallen in and out of love with Opeth over the years for personal reasons, they have never truly disappointed.
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I love Heritage, and I think it's a stronger album than Watershed. So sign me up if Mikael wants to keep taking the band in different directions. He has yet to really misstep.
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Having gone through much of their discography, it's time for obligatory list:
Ghost Reveries :hefdaddy
Deliverance :metal
Heritage :hefdaddy
Blackwater Park :metal
Still Life :tup
Watershed :tup
Damnation :hat
Morningrise :hat
My Arms, Your Hearse :metal
Orchid :-\
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Ghost Reveries is the greatest album ever.
Yes you are right.
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Just gonna do them in tiers, since I don't know the exact order.
Awesome: Blackwater Park, Ghost Reveries
Excellent: Watershed, Heritage, Deliverance
Great: MAYH, Damnation, Still Life
Haven't listened to: Orchid, Morningrise
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Orchid and Morningrise are both great.
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Eh, I'll read the reviews, listen to what other people think. "Heritage" is pretty much a coffee coaster. Did not like the change of direction at all, and based on the interview that came with the special edition of "Heritage" my guess is I am done buying Opeth albums, but we'll see what happens.
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Funny, Heritage is pretty much why I've begun to get back into Opeth. When Watershed came out, it seemed a little "more of the same" and/or "they might be actually running out of ideas". I see that album differently now, but it's still how I felt back then.
It seems like Heritage is garnering similar opinions and statements online that were garnered when Damnation came out. Yet, nowadays, it's seen as one of their best albums. Opeth are actually being progressive, pretty much always have been.
In the words of Edgard Varese - "An artist is never ahead of his time but most people are far behind theirs."
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Why is Deliverance their least popular album from the post-My Arms, Your Hearse era? Both critically, and popularity-wise, it is always lower. I always thought it was an awesome album, up there with BWP, SL, and GR.
On ProgArchives:
Still Life - 801 ratings
Blackwater Park - 822 ratings
Deliverance - 497 ratings
Damnation - 711 ratings
Ghost Reveries - 776 ratings
Watershed - 653 ratings
Heritage - 621 ratings
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Deliverance is my second favorite Opeth album. People are just crazy.
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Having gone through much of their discography, it's time for obligatory list:
Ghost Reveries :hefdaddy
Deliverance :metal
Heritage :hefdaddy
Blackwater Park :metal
Still Life :tup
Watershed :tup
Damnation :hat
Morningrise :hat
My Arms, Your Hearse :metal
Orchid :-\
Pretty much my list, just switch deliverance and Blackwater Park
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Personally, I love both Damnation and Heritage. For an album with a little bit more bite, I tend to gravitate towards GR or Still Life.
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Time to rank:
Fucking Awesome:
Blackwater Park
Still Life
Damnation
Watershed
Great:
Ghost Reveries
Deliverance
Decent:
Heritage
Orchid
Bad:
My Arms
Lol:
Morningrise
Ghost Reveries might jump up a few spots.
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1. Ghost Reveries
2. Deliverance
3. Blackwater Park
4. Still Life
5. Morningrise
6. Damnation
7. My Arms, Your Hearse
8. Watershed
9. Heritage
10. Orchid
Dirge For November is the only reason BWP isn't #2.
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I'll follow Opeth no matter what :laugh:
I can't really get into Still Life, which drives me insane. :'( Considering I have it on CD and it's on my iPod, taking up space :lol I love Watershed and Ghost Reveries the most :heart
And, my mom has a crush on Mikael :lol
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I forgot that I enjoy the Blackwater Park bonus track "Still Day Beneath The Sun". It's not on my copy, but it's on my computer; 'bout to throw that on. Opeth's bonus tracks usually seem to be bad, as far as I know, but BWP's are good.
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I'll follow Opeth no matter what :laugh:
I can't really get into Still Life, which drives me insane. :'( Considering I have it on CD and it's on my iPod, taking up space :lol I love Watershed and Ghost Reveries the most :heart
And, my mom has a crush on Mikael :lol
I've also never understood the love that Still Life gets myself. As an album, I think it's good, but not a masterpiece. I love The Moor, Benighted, and Face of Melinda, and the rest is good. Then again, I love Deliverance, and many fans don't, so..........
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Still Life is AMAZING - I feel sorry for those of you who don't dig on it. :sad:
I DO understand that people's tastes differ, though.
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Still Life
My Arms, Your Hearse
Blackwater Park
Morningrise
Ghost Reveries
Orchid
Watershed
Damnation
Heritage
Deliverance
I wouldn't rank any of them under a 7/10. That might make me sound like a softie, but hey, #YOLO.
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The problem with Deliverance is that the opening and closing tracks are both just okay. This will be the cue for fans of those songs to jump in and talk about how great they are, but sorry, I just don't see it. Deliverance and A Fair Judgement are two of their best songs ever, but there is nothing else on that CD that I go back to with any regularity.
Damnation is great for what it is. Their 4th best album, IMO, behind Still Life, Ghost Reveries and BWP.
Watershed is rock solid and a good mixture of modern day Opeth, but lacks that little extra something to put it over the top and be among their best, for me anyway. I do love Hessian Peel, Burden and The Lotus Eater, however. :metal
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Heritage has fallen a bit over time for me, I'm not so eager to listen to it anymore. I guess it hasn't aged terribly well, though I still think it's a solid record.
For me there are only two tiers in Opeth: three albums that could take number 1 at any time (though it's usually BWP) and four albums that I love but are a notch below the others:
The Best Them: Blackwater Park, Still Life, Ghost Reveries
Very good: Heritage, Damnation, Deliverance, Watershed
Ashamed I still haven't listened to them: MAYH, Orchid, Morningrise
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The Best Them: Blackwater Park, Still Life, Ghost Reveries
Very good: Heritage, Damnation, Deliverance, Watershed
Ashamed I still haven't listened to them: MAYH, Orchid, Morningrise
The only changes I'd make to your list:
I'd add Heritage to "ashamed I still haven't listened to" and bump Watershed up to The Best Them.
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1. Ghost Reveries
2. Blackwater Park
3. Watershed
4. Still Life
5. Deliverance
6. Heritage
7. Damnation
I've barely listened to their first three so I can't rank them.
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The tits:
(https://www.snakenetmetalradio.com/Bible/Images/albums/Large/opeth-orchid.jpg)(https://i43.tower.com/images/mm106791031/morningrise-opeth-cd-cover-art.jpg)(https://www.teufelstomb.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/opeth-stilllife.jpg)(https://sputnikmusic.com/images/albums/1817.jpg)(https://i43.tower.com/images/mm106357495/my-arms-your-hearse-opeth-cd-cover-art.jpg)
Quite foxy:
(https://images.artistdirect.com/Images/artd/amg/music/cover/3405944_opeth_200.jpg)(https://www.sputnikmusic.com/images/albums/1832.jpg)(https://s.recordshopx.com/cover/normal/9/95/9522.jpg?cd)
Wonderful personality:
(https://www.heavyharmonies.com/cdcovers/O/OPETH-HERITAGE-ALBUM-ART.JPG)(https://images.artistdirect.com/Images/artd/amg/music/cover/4667784_opeth_200.jpg)
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So basically, according to black_floyd, Opeth is an aging woman.
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Yeah, but at least Mike has a say in the matter whereas your frumpy aunt Frieda don't.
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:rollin
So... question, floydie - is your list in any particular order?
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1. Blackwater Park
2. Still Life
3. Ghost Reveries
4. My Arms, Your Hearse
5. Morningrise
6. Orchid
7. Watershed
8. Damnation
9. Deliverance
10. Heritage
Love all of them though.
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Blackwater Park
Ghost Reveries
Deliverance
Watershed
Damnation
Orchid
My Arms, Your Hearse
Still Life
Morningrise
Heritage
Deliverance would be higher if not for the closing track. I like Wreath and the title track and MA and AFJ are top ten songs but BTPISIO just drags the album down and is why I don't listen to the album more. GR would be better if it didn't have the slow songs - I know most people love them but I find them dull save for the first half of Hours Of Wealth. It has higher highs than BP (especially with the addition of keys) but lacks the consistency, even in the best songs there are moments I'd cut. And I've never understood the love for Still Life. To me it's one incredible song (The Moor), two decent - by Opeth standards - songs - (SPD/FOM) and five that are forgettable.
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So... question, floydie - is your list in any particular order?
Sorta.
Top tier:
Basically has MAYH as the #5 slot. It's a gorgeous album but I bought it impulsively when Barnes and Noble didn't have BWP and I wore the grooves out on that fucker until I could afford BWP and all the while it was just the Splenda tiding me over when I was pining for a diabetic dosage of some BWP shoogah. In time MAYH has gotten even better than it initially was but I guess I prematurely made it "old" to my ears before it could be seen as anything more than a poor man's BWP to my heart.
The other 4 albums in this tier can change not only by the day but even by the hour for me since I'm so thoroughly in love with them.
BWP will likely never be any worse than tied for #1 as far as my Opeth rankings go. Although Demon of the Fall was the first Opeth song I ever heard, and I loved it instantly, it was Bleak and TLA and Harvest that really won the war early on for Opeth becoming my favorite band since early '04.
Orchid and Morningrise are absolute gems imo and have a fragile wintery beauty to both of them that makes them stand out in the Opeth discography far more than any of their other works. They're so different in the way they have such epic buildups and how Mike's screams are so blood-curdling and emphasized to great effect with the heavy reverb.
I understand why folks generally don't like these two all that much on first listen because I didn't either. I used to just listen to them as full albums while playing San Andreas or some other game I could get lost in for a few hours and eventually I'd hear a riff or section I really liked...then another...and yet another until the walls came crashing down and I wondered why I ever had any reservations in the first place.
Still Life was actually the last Opeth album I got into theoretically since I got into it in mid '06 and the last two albums had yet to come out. After some cheech and chong recreation, songs like The Moor, Godhead's Lament, Moonlapse Vertigo, and Face of Melinda were instant successes. In very little time, this album passed up Deliverance and Ghost Reveries. Damnation was bottom of the barrel for me at this time anyway.
Middle tier:
Deliverance has never crawled out of the lower ranks for me. It just has an uninvitingly cold and sterile vibe to it compared to the way that other efforts manage to have a tenderness and comforting nuance to their mayhem. The songs are fun to play on guitar and lack nothing in the area of kicking ass but something just seems missing. I do adore AFJ though and BtPISIO has an intro and verse 1-2 punch that I find to be the finest in Opeth's entire discography in terms of being unique and awesome. Certain things like the droning repetition of parts of Wreath and Master's Apprentices as well as the 4-minute outro of Deliverance really tank it for me and FAF is beautiful yet tedious at the same time.
Damnation is a very close second for worst first impression I've ever had with an Opeth album behind Heritage. It's grown very nicely in time though which is why I put it ahead of Deliverance in that post.
Ghost Reveries is my fave of the middle tier but it has my least fave Opeth track in Atonement (although I have to commend Marrow of the Earth for it's impressive effort to win that crown.) That track really destroys the album's flow for me and I think Hours of Wealth would tie BtM to R/HF a whole lot better. I basically see GR as a very good album that gets weighed down by Atonement, R/HF's overly-long/boring outro, and the over-simplicity of an otherwise good track, TGC. HoW is phenomenal though as is R/HF up until about the halfway part of the outro,
Bottom tier:
Watershed was basically just one and a half songs to me for the first few months I owned it, TLE and half credit to HA. HA soon reached full-quality status to me as did Burden and PH. Coil has reached a point where I like it for what it is, a quasi-ballad marking a definitive shift from being a band that's death-metal-first to one finding its way in this previously unexplored arena of prog metal that leans heavily toward prog rather than being a death metal band with folk and prog tinges. As an Opeth song, however, I still find Coil to be a little lacking. Hessian Peel is quite pretty and the heavy second half tickles my scrote gleefully but I just have never looked forward to listening to it since it just seems a bit awkward overall and I still can't properly articulate why I feel that way. Hex Omega is just boredom incarnate for me and I really hope that changes one day.
As for Heritage, I despised it thoroughly when I first got it but it's warmed up enough to where it's passed Watershed for #9. I still like The Lotus Eater and Heir Apparent way more than anything on it but Watershed's weaker tracks make it fall short of the more consistent Heritage. Famine's heaviness and woodwindcore, Folklore's energetic outro, and the many off-kilter yet beautiful melodies strewn throughout the remainder of the album have helped it really crawl out the shitter for me.
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Wow, wasn't expecting a War and Peace post. Excellently done! :tup
Damnation is a very close second for worst first impression I've ever had with an Opeth album behind Heritage. It's grown very nicely in time though which is why I put it ahead of Deliverance in that post.
I most definitely agree with this. I listened to Damnation once, really only liked Windowpane and then shelved it for a while. During a particularly bad day, I cued Damnation up on my MP3 player and didn't stop/change songs after Windowpane - REALLY liked what I heard then. I wouldn't rank it above what I agreed with Xanthul on as the best them, but it has some really decent songs on there if you're not having the best of days. To Rid The Disease is just amazing, and I can belt out Death Whispered a Lullaby with great ease. In My Time Of Need is also quite pleasing - "summer is miles and miles away". Ooof. LOVE that passage. Hits me juuuust so.
Still Life was actually the last Opeth album I got into theoretically since I got into it in mid '06 and the last two albums had yet to come out. After some cheech and chong recreation, songs like The Moor, Godhead's Lament, Moonlapse Vertigo, and Face of Melinda were instant successes. In very little time, this album passed up Deliverance and Ghost Reveries. Damnation was bottom of the barrel for me at this time anyway.
Still Life was definitely a grower for me, but it's lodged in my grey matter quite nicely. Moonlapse Vertigo is nothing short of pure musical sex, and so's White Cluster. Shit... the whole album is MINT. LOVE it.
Ghost Reveries is my fave of the middle tier but it has my least fave Opeth track in Atonement (although I have to commend Marrow of the Earth for it's impressive effort to win that crown.) That track really destroys the album's flow for me and I think Hours of Wealth would tie BtM to R/HF a whole lot better. I basically see GR as a very good album that gets weighed down by Atonement, R/HF's overly-long/boring outro, and the over-simplicity of an otherwise good track, TGC. HoW is phenomenal though as is R/HF up until about the halfway part of the outro,
See... here's where our opinions kind of diverge. But that's all good in the hood. I happen to think that GR is part of the best them, but I can can climb on board for Atonement, even though I do like that one. Just not as much of Ghost of Perdition or what I think is my favorite from GR, The Baying of the Hounds (having a MAJOR affair with that one :heart ). I can also climb on board for the gripe about R/HF's outro, but it's still got more good parts than bad. TOTALLY agreed on Hours of Wealth though - another fine example of musical sex. Wow.
Watershed was basically just one and a half songs to me for the first few months I owned it, TLE and half credit to HA. HA soon reached full-quality status to me as did Burden and PH. Coil has reached a point where I like it for what it is, a quasi-ballad marking a definitive shift from being a band that's death-metal-first to one finding its way in this previously unexplored arena of prog metal that leans heavily toward prog rather than being a death metal band with folk and prog tinges. As an Opeth song, however, I still find Coil to be a little lacking. Hessian Peel is quite pretty and the heavy second half tickles my scrote gleefully but I just have never looked forward to listening to it since it just seems a bit awkward overall and I still can't properly articulate why I feel that way. Hex Omega is just boredom incarnate for me and I really hope that changes one day.
I skip Hex more often than not, but there's just something about the bass line in the song that grabs me tightly and doesn't let go. Hessian Peel is outstanding, too - agreed on the awkwardness though. But I love its disjointedness (if that's not a real word it should be). Burden reminds me of someone I know, and it happened that she tried to kill herself (she wasn't successful) during the time I was getting into this song - it reminds me of her, because even though she's on her way to becoming a good person she's a real drama magnet ("the burden of sorrow is you"). The Lotus Eater is the best them on this album, fo sho.
That's all I can really comment on now, I think.
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I like Watershed but it's just so dense. Opeth albums usually are but that one in particular is just tough to get into. Aesthetically it is awesome, though.
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1. MAYH (excellent concept and flow)
2. Watershed (very diverse yet the songs work well together)
3. Ghost Reveries (many strong top 10 Opeth songs)
4. Orchid (excellent atmosphere despite some rough transitions)
5. Heritage (fresh, unique album)
6. Damnation (mellow yet not too monotonous)
7. Morningrise (good album but they did this style better on Orchid)
8. Still Life (some excellent stuff but also some skippable songs)
9. BWP (first half is awesome, second half is meh)
10. Deliverance (overlong, repetitive, monotonous songs with the exceptions of title-track and MA)
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My favorite albums are Ghost Reveries, Blackwater Park and Watershed. I love every single song on them.
With that being said...I think that Damnation holds up better for me than any of those albums. There's just something magical about the simplicity of it all. The strong melodies, Mikael's beautiful voice, Steven Wilson's harmonies, the never-ending Mellotron... To me, it feels like the most personal album Mikael has ever written. I love listening to it with headphones, with a glass of wine and the raining pooring outside. Most Opeth albums are like rides, like taking a trip to your favorite place. Damnation is like taking a trip inside the mind of a very tormented but still beautiful individual.
That might be my most pretentious post ever. I'll just stop now.
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That might be my most pretentious post ever. I'll just stop now.
Daniel Gildenlöw would be proud.
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BtPISIO has an intro and verse 1-2 punch that I find to be the finest in Opeth's entire discography
1,000,000 million times this
that intro kicks serious astronomy
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I just realized... I completely forgot to yak about Blackwater Park in my last post! :blush
BWP will likely never be any worse than tied for #1 as far as my Opeth rankings go. Although Demon of the Fall was the first Opeth song I ever heard, and I loved it instantly, it was Bleak and TLA and Harvest that really won the war early on for Opeth becoming my favorite band since early '04.
My top two are kind of interchangeable right now - BWP and GR (with Still Life in the top 3). Bleak and Harvest reeled me in, The Leper Affinity and Blackwater Park threw their arms around me and wouldn't let me go. Not complaining at all, mind. Have a lot of love for The Drapery Falls and The Funeral Portrait too. Just a stellar album. :heart
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Yeah, TFP's solos are majestic. More people should wake up on that one.
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(https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/bizarredevotedfan/Randomness/agree.gif)
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It's an incredible track but one of my least faves on the album :) Not saying much though, the album is very even in quality.
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And very good too.
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Dirge For November and The Funeral Portrait are the songs that drags down BWP a bit for me. There's not much wrong with them, I just feel like the other songs are much better, and when it comes to the whole album, I think Opeth has stronger albums.
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And that's the lovely thing about opinions, folks. :)
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While we're on the subject of their albums, I would probably rank them something like this right now:
1. Ghost Reveries
2. Deliverance
3. Still Life
4. My Arms, Your Hearse
5. Blackwater Park
6. Orchid
7. Watershed
8. Morningrise
9. Heritage
10. Damnation
I really like them all though, even the lowest ones.
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Time for album-by-album rankings!
Orchid first!
1. The Twilight is My Robe
2. Forest of October
3. The Apostle in Triumph
4. In the Mist She Was Standing
5. Silhouette
6. Requiem
7. Under the Weeping Moon
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1. In Mist She Was Standing
2. Under the Weeping Moon
3. Forest of October
4. Twilight is My Robe
5. Apostle in Triumph
6. Silhouette
7. Requiem
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Thanks Zanta Claus! I wasn't expecting others to play along this quickly given Orchid's nearly black sheep status around here.
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Orchid is amazing. :heart
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Yep. I remember playing the Maidencore riff around the 5:47 mark for like 5 minutes straight the day I decided to work it out by ear. Not that it was hard or anything, I just never thought to before that.
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1. In Mist She Was Standing
2. Twilight is My Robe
3. Apostle in Triumph
4. Under the Weeping Moon
5. Forest of October
6. Silhouette
7. Requiem
I have a soft spot for Orchid, a fun album to listen to during the Winter.
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Just listened to Orchid again because, fuck, it's been a year and a half since I've touched any of those songs. It's better than I remembered, but it still suffers from the same flaw I remember it having: the songs are all really long and not all of them fill up that time with um worthwhile material. What's weird about it is that UtWM is my favorite and it has that long, droning ambient section, so I'm probably just full of shit. :lol
Here's how I'd rank it now.
1. Under The Weeping Moon
2. The Twilight Is My Robe
3. In Mist She Was Standing
4. The Apostle In Triumph
5. Silhouette
6. Forest of October
7. Requiem
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I like songs from Orchid when they come up on shuffle but I rarely listen to the album.
1. The Twilight Is My Robe
2. The Apostle In Triumph
3. Under The Weeping Moon
4. In The Mist She Was Standing
5. Forest Of October
6. Silhouette
7. Requiem
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My favorite albums are Ghost Reveries, Blackwater Park and Watershed. I love every single song on them.
With that being said...I think that Damnation holds up better for me than any of those albums. There's just something magical about the simplicity of it all. The strong melodies, Mikael's beautiful voice, Steven Wilson's harmonies, the never-ending Mellotron... To me, it feels like the most personal album Mikael has ever written. I love listening to it with headphones, with a glass of wine and the raining pooring outside. Most Opeth albums are like rides, like taking a trip to your favorite place. Damnation is like taking a trip inside the mind of a very tormented but still beautiful individual.
That might be my most pretentious post ever. I'll just stop now.
Pretentious or not, it was well said. I love me some Damnation as well. For what it is, it is absolutely terrific, and looking at my iTunes, my seven most-listened-to Opeth tracks are from Damnation. :hat
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I'll give this a whirl, the album is quite fresh in my memory, even though I didn't like it that much...
1. The Twilight is my robe
2. In mist she was standing
3. The Apostle in triumph
4. Under the weeping moon
5. Forest of October
6. Requiem
7. Silhouette
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I can't participate yet, as I haven't given the first three any spins. :blush
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Man I miss Opeth. :(
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Like the traditional prog/death style or did someone gank your iPod?
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I assume he's talking about the "RORORORO *some acoustic guitars* RORORORO *some riffing* CLEAN VOCALS"-Opeth. :P
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That's Bleak, right?
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:lol :clap:
Edit: Back when the RAH DVD first came out, I watched it... dug some of the stuff but nothing to really make me say "I need to check these dudes out." That didn't really happen until probably the beginning of this year, maybe February... Anyway, I watched the DVD again tonight and HOLY SHIT... can you say religious experience? WOW. :hefdaddy Wish they would've played something different from Damnation besides Hope Leaves. It's a good song, though, don't get me wrong... I just think In My Time Of Need would've been a better choice. This may also prompt me listening to the first three albums finally.
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My Orchid ranking:
1. Forest of October
2. In Mist She Was Standing
3. The Twilight is My Robe
4. Under the Weeping Moon
5. Silhouette
6. The Apostle in Triumph
7. Requiem
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Morningrise time!
I still hope to see other folks posting their Orchid rankings but I just had an itch to post my Morningrise list since I wasn't sure how long we'd have a steady stream of Orchid lists given its bottom-tier status around here.
1. The Night and the Silent Water
2. Nectar
3. To Bid You Farewell
4. Black Rose Immortal
5. Advent
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1. The Night and the Silent Water (top10 Opeth song overall)
2. Advent
3. Black Rose Immortal
4. To Bid You Farewell
5. Nectar
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Hmm, let's see...
1. Advent
2. Black Rose Immortal
3. The Night and the Silent Water
4. To Bid You Farewell
5. Nectar
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1. To Bid You Farewell
2. Advent
3. Black Rose Immortal
4. The Night And The Silent Water
5. Nectar
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1. To Bid You Farewell
2. Advent
3. The Night And The Silent Water
4. Black Rose Immortal
5. Nectar
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1. Black Rose Immortal
2. The Night and the Silent Water
3. Advent
4. To Bid Your Farewell
5. Nectar
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Time for My Arms Your Hearse rankings!
1. When
2. Demon of the Fall
3. Karma
4. Madrigal
5. April Ethereal
6. The Amen Corner
7. Prologue
8. Epilogue
9. Credence
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Sorry i need to get in my opinion/troll post
1. To Bid You Farewell
2. Night at the Silent Water
3. lol
4. lol
5. lol
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Morningrise
1. Nectar
2. Advent
3. To Bid You Farewell
4. The Night and The Silent Water
5. Black Rose Immortal
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So what's so bad about Nectar? There are about three DTFers other than me that I've ever seen speak well of it and everyone else generally lists it no better than second worst on Morningrise. I don't have any problem with folks liking the other 3 or 4 better but I'm honestly curious to hear what are the dealbreakers for it in each individual DTFer's opinion.
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There's nothing wrong with Nectar, it's just unremarkable. Especially when compared to the other 4 songs on Morningrise.
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There's nothing wrong with Nectar, it's just unremarkable. Especially when compared to the other 4 songs on Morningrise.
Its remarkably good. The bass in,perticular is great. I really enjoy the riffs and the chord progressions.
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There's nothing wrong with Nectar, it's just unremarkable. Especially when compared to the other 4 songs on Morningrise.
This. I've heard it 25-30 times and I still can't remember much about it.
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8:02
"SMI-LING IN THE MIDST OF THE MOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
And then that exquisite melodic section that immediately follows it. Good lord! Awesome overload.
Also, when the next section kicks in at 8:53, I'm beyond shocked that I've never heard anyone note that as foreshadowing for 2:17 of Demon of the Fall.
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Nectar is an amazing song - I consider almost every opeth album very consistent, so there really is no or little difference between top and bottom spots.
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Same here, Wyatt Jirp. Aside from Atonement, The Drapery Falls, half of Watershed, and Marrow of the Earth, the entire remainder of their discog is quite evenly-keeled for me. Shit, the door's not even closed for Marrow since I hated that whole album 6 months ago so who knows what the future holds?
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What's wrong with The Drapery Falls? ::)
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And Atonement? I love them both.
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Morningrise ranking:
1. To bid you farewell
2. The Night and the silent water
3. Advent
4. Nectar
5. Black rose immortal
It's a damn good album. :metal
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On a second thought, I would maybe rank Nectar above TBYF but the other songs are simply better. I do love the last few minutes of the song starting with the acoustic section, though. Anyway, my Hearse ranking:
When
April Ethereal
Demon of the Fall
Epilogue
Karma
Credence
The Amen Corner
Madrigal
Prologue
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What's wrong with The Drapery Falls? ::)
Nothing. I think it's a lovely song and do like it overall but it's probably my least favorite on BWP because I find it drags a little bit during the first half and even though it's a signature of Opeth's sound to wear out a song's main anthem through repetition while the drums, bass, and sometimes 2nd guitar go off with their own embellishments, I guess I'm just not smitten with this anthem in particular to enjoy how much it's emphasized and repeated. For that reason, there's separation between TDF and the other 7 songs thereby making it one of the few cases in Opeth's discog where I don't have a consistent opinion of an album's tracks which was the criteria set forth by Jirpo that I was referring to when I voiced that opinion. It wasn't me saying I disliked it overall.
And Atonement? I love them both.
Not a whole lot. In fact it pleasantly comes off as SuperMario64DesertLevelcore but once the soothing chill factor subsides, it just doesn't fuck my ears the way the rest of their discog does. It's probably tied with Marrow of the Earth for the title of being my least favorite Opeth song.
Lastly, will someone please comment on the Nectar/Demon of the Fall similarities I mentioned a few posts ago?
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1. Demon of the Fall
2. Karma
3. When
4. The Amen Corner
5. April Ethereal
6. Credence
7. Epilogue
8. Madrigal
9. Prologue
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This ranking I'm not to sure about since MAYH is probably the album I've listened to least other than Heritage.
1. Demon Of The Fall
2. The Amen Corner
3. April Ethereal
4. When
5. Karma
6. Credence
7. Madrigal
8. Epilogue
9. Prologue
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1. When
2. April Ethereal
3. Demon of the Wall
4. The Amen Corner
5. Creedence
6. Karma
7. Epilogue
8. Prologue
9. Madrigal
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Lastly, will someone please comment on the Nectar/Demon of the Fall similarities I mentioned a few posts ago?
NO
MAYH ranking will be difficult, as its probably my favorite Opeth album now.
When
April Ethereal
Karma
Demon of the Fall
Credence
The Amen Corner
Epilogue
Madrigal
Prologue
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YES
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Cut it out with the red, you're giving me a headache. ;D I'd address the similarities if I gave the songs a few more listens. I don't know about ranking the songs on MAYH, except that I know April ethereal is my favorite.
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Calm down man. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were seeing red.
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Calm down man. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were seeing red.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKj4upY1VYI
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You rode the reeeed!
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I need to re-listen to MA,YH again before I rank anything. Thing is, I JUST fell out of my Opeth mood. Maybe tomorrow night or something...
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I always have a hard time getting past Madrigal, but I guess my ranking would be something like this
1. When
2. April Ethereal
3. Demon of The Fall
4. Karma
5. The Amen Corner
6. Madrigal
7. Credence
8. Epilogue
9. Prologue
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MAYH is good, but the only songs I go back to a lot are The Amen Corner, Demon of the Fall and Credence.
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Yeah, Orchid and MAYH are the only Opeth I can't really get into.
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I still need the first three albums. I'm really into Still Life at the moment, it has some great riffage.
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Karma
When
Demon Of The Fall
April Ethereal
The Amen Corner
Credence
Epilogue
Mardrigal
Prologue
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MAYH is one of my top Opeth records.
Demon of the Fall
Karma
The Amen Corner (WAY too underrated, every second is brilliant)
April Ethereal
When
Epilogue
Credence (though the heavier version they used to play on tour into Bleak was awesome)
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Karma
When
Demon Of The Fall
April Ethereal
The Amen Corner
Credence
Epilogue
Mardrigal
Prologue
Fuck yeah! 0:55=my favorite transition in any song ever except for maybe when Any Colour You Like immediately starts following the ending of Us and Them.
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Karma
When
Demon Of The Fall
April Ethereal
The Amen Corner
Credence
Epilogue
Mardrigal
Prologue
Fuck yeah! 0:55=my favorite transition in any song ever except for maybe when Any Colour You Like immediately starts following the ending of Us and Them.
Also DAT OUTRO.
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Still Life ranking time!
1. Serenity Painted Death
2. The Moor
3. Godhead's Lament
4. Moonlapse Vertigo
5. Face of Melinda
6. White Cluster
7. Benighted
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This is the first album that I could potentially rank since I know it, unlike the previous three. However, Still Life has always been kind of a whole thing for me, I can hardly tell what the different songs sound like from memory. Without cheating to check them, I'd probably do something like this:
The Moor
Moonlapse Vertigo
Face of Melinda
Serenity Pained Death
Godheads Lament
Benighted
White Cluster
After doing a quick check to identify them in my mind, it's kind of similar except Godhead might be second, I don't know. This is such a hard album to rank, it's incredibly consistent. It's definitely one of those cases in which ranking a song last doesn't mean anything because they are all excellent.
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1. The Moor
2. Serenity Painted Death
3. Face of Melinda
4. Godheads Lament
5. White Cluster
6. Moonlapse Vertigo
7. Benighted
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1. The Moor
2. Serenity Painted Death
3. Godheads Lament
4. Face of Melinda
5. White Cluster
6. Moonlapse Vertigo
7. Benighted
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1. The Moor
2. Serenity Painted Death
3. Face Of Melinda
4. Godhead's Lament
5. White Cluster
6. Moonlapse Vertigo
7. Benighted
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The Moor
Serenity Painted Death
Godhead's Lament
White Cluster
Face of Melinda
Benighted
Moonlapse Vertigo
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1. The Moor
2. Godhead's lament
3. Benighted
4. Face of Melinda
5. White cluster
6. Serenity painted death
7. Moonlapse vertigo
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This is the first album that I could potentially rank since I know it, unlike the previous three.
Yep, me too. And from what it looks like, my list is going to be completely different from what's been posted thus far.
However, Still Life has always been kind of a whole thing for me
Me too. Okay, to the list!
Serenity Painted Death
White Cluster
Moonlapse Vertigo
Godhead's Lament
The Moor
Face of Melinda
Benighted
This is such a hard album to rank, it's incredibly consistent. It's definitely one of those cases in which ranking a song last doesn't mean anything because they are all excellent.
Bingo, completely agreed.
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1. The Moor
2. Benighted
3. Face of Melinda
4. Godheads Lament
5. White Cluster
6. Moonlapse Vertigo
7. Serenity Painted Death
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This changes every other day, but for today...
1. Face of Melinda
2. White Cluster
3. The Moor
4. Godhead's Lament
5. Moonlapse Vertigo
6. Benighted
7. Serenity Painted Death
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The Moor is my clear favourite on the album.
1. The Moor
2. Face Of Melinda
3. Benighted
4. White Cluster
5. Moonlapse Vertigo
6. Godhead's Lament
7. Serenity Painted Death
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WHY IS MOONLAPSE VERTIGO SO LOW :angry:
1: Moonlapse Vertigo
2: The Moor
3: White Cluster
4: Serenity Painted Death
5: Face Of Melinda
6: Godhead's Lament
7: Benighted
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Finally we get to da best Opeth album:
1. THE MOOR
2. Face of Melinda
3. Serenity Painted Death
4. Godhead's Lament
5. Moonlapse Vertigo
6. White Cluster
7. Benighted
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This is a very consistent album. Difficult to rank.
Serenity Painted Death
Face of Melinda
The Moor
Godhead's Lament
White Cluster
Moonlapse Vertigo
Benighted
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1. The Moor (my favorite Opeth song)
2. Face Of Melinda
3. Godhead's Lament
4. Serenity Painted Death
5. White Cluster
6. Benighted
7. Moonlapse Vertigo
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I just got Still Life earlier this week and I've only listened to it twice so I'm sure my rankings will change. I can't believe I held off on getting it for so long!
1. Face of Melinda
2. The Moor
3. Godhead's Lament
4. Benighted
5. Serenity Painted Death
6. White Cluster
7. Moonlapse Vertigo
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WHY IS MOONLAPSE VERTIGO SO LOW :angry:
GOOD QUESTION. :angry:
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Moonlapse Vertigo has one of my favourite Opeth riffs in it. It's one of the first songs from Still Life that I actually learned the title of (which means it is one of the ones which stood out first)
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i cant believe how poorly White Cluster is doing!! :omg:
The Moor, Godhead's Lament, and White Cluster could all make my all time top 10 Opeth songs. maybe even my top 5. and on a good day (for Still Life), maybe even my top 3!
Feces of Melinda also owns. and Benighted is decent for what it is.
For some reason, i could never fully embrace the other two tracks...maybe they were the My Farms,Your Horse hangovers of the album.
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Feces of Melinda also owns. and Benighted is decent for what it is.
I've always thought it was the shit as well.
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My Farms,Your Horse hangovers of the album.
i'd never thought of that before. that's actually one of the reasons i like "Serenity" so much!
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i cant believe how poorly White Cluster is doing!! :omg:
Me too. It's a crying shame. :'(
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Blackwater Park ranking time!
1. Bleak
2. Patterns in the Ivy
3. The Leper Affinity
4. Dirge For November
5. The Funeral Portrait
6. Blackwater Park
7. Harvest
8. The Drapery Falls
Interview with Mike from somewhere between 08.02.12 and 08.04.12 (https://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=178039) about upcoming stuff. Not very informative or earthshattering but fuck it it's all we got right now.
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:footloose:
Blackwater Park
Bleak
The Leper Affinity
Harvest
The Funeral Portrait
The Drapery Falls
Dirge For November
Patterns in the Ivy
Interesting that floydie and I have TLA and TFP ranked in the same spot. :metal
Edit: Now, like my rankings for Still Life, just because I have a song ranked last/close to last doesn't mean jack shit. I LOOOOOOOOVE Blackwater Park. Like SRSLY - BWP, Ghost Reveries and Still Life all flip flop around in my Top 3 Opeth albums constantly.
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I'll bet my My Two Dads DVDs that no one ranks PiTI higher than I did.
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You're probably right about that.
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I'll probably never believe that anything other than its short run time is the reasoning for its constant low ranking :blackfloyd:
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Did you catch the edit on my post? Last ranking don't mean shit to me, as it's on a fucking stellar album.
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Actually my gripe was with the consensus. I had focused more on your higher rankings when I first read it.
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Whoops. :facepalm: :blush
:ontome:
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No probs since it was clearly addressing a group to which your opinion was a part of but not at all relative to your post specifically.
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I'm too paranoid as it is, so thanks. :)
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The Drapery Falls
Blackwater Park
The Leper Affinity
Harvest
Bleak
Still Day Beneath The Sun
Dirge For November
Patterns in the Ivy
The Funeral Portrait
Patterns in the Ivy II
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Does anyone know what Mikael says at the beginning of Demon of The Fall? :huh:
It has always sounded like DROWN YOU BEGGAR to me.
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Bleak (Also my favorite Opeth song)
Blackwater Park
Leper Affinity
Harvest
Dirge For November
The Drapery Falls
Patterns in the Ivy
The Funeral Portrait
All songs are great on this though
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Does anyone know what Mikael says at the beginning of Demon of The Fall? :huh:
It has always sounded like DROWN YOU BEGGAR to me.
it's a backwards bit of a demo yet unused/heard beyond the intro. he's so muffled in the trve cvlt demo production that i doubt anyone could hear proper words, even with his well-defined growl!
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Patterns in the Ivy is awesome; probably my 4th favorite tune on BWP behind Bleak, The Drapery Falls and Bleak. :metal
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Blackwater Park
Bleak
The Drapery Falls
The Leper Affinity
The Funeral Portrait
Harvest
Dirge for November
Patterns in the Ivy
Leper Affinity, Funeral Portrait, and Harvest are in the "muddy, undecided middle" even though they're all fantastic songs.
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Patterns in the Ivy is awesome; probably my 4th favorite tune on BWP behind Bleak, The Drapery Falls and Bleak. :metal
I'm interested in what you think of the whole album since you always make intriguingly structured arguements to express your points of view. Try to post a full ranking if you'd care to.
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BLACKWATER PARK :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
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.
.
.
.
.
.
The Leper Affinity
Bleak
The Funeral Portrait
The Drapery Falls
Harvest
Dirge For November
Patterns In The Ivy
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There is a wide gap between the top 5 and bottom 3 for me.
1. Bleak
2. The Drapery Falls
3. Harvest
4. Patterns in the Ivy
5. Blackwater Park
6. The Funeral Portrait (love the intro with the acoustic)
7. Dirge for November (incredible outro, but a rather average song before that)
8. The Leper Affinity (love the solo in the middle and that gorgeous outro, but the growling does nothing for me in this song, making the singing parts rather ho-hum to me)
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I feel like some balance in the world has been restored as I realize how dissimilar our rankings are much like our opinions on many things sports related. Thanks for obliging :metal
About Dirge For November: No love for the intro?
-
Oh yeah, the intro to that is really cool, too. But like The Leper Affinity, the growling vocal parts do nothing for me in this tune.
Edit: I just listened to both again and probably like Dirge for November more than The Funeral Portrait, so flip those two on my earlier list.
-
1. Patterns In The Ivy (should've been a longer song)
2. The Funeral Portrait
3. The Drapery Falls
4. The Leper Affinity
5. Bleak
6. Harvest
7. Blackwater Park
8. Dirge For November
Haha, just noticed the top 4 all have "the" in their name.
-
1. The Drapery Falls
2. Bleak
3. The Leper Affinity
4. Harvest
(Patterns 2)
(Still Day Beneath the Sun)
*huge quality drop*
5. The Funeral Portrait
6. Patterns in the Ivy
7. Blackwater Park
8. Dirge for November (bottom 5 Opeth song)
-
1. Bleak
2. The Drapery Falls
3. Harvest (the first Opeth song I ever heard)
4. The Funeral Portrait
5. Patterns In The Ivy
6. Blackwater Park
7. Dirge For November
8. The Leper Affinity
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1. The Leper affinity
2. Harvest
3. The Drapery falls
4. Bleak
5. The Funeral portrait
6. Patterns in the Ivy
7. Blackwater park
8. Dirge for November
I'm not too crazy about the bottom four, and even Bleak isn't really that awesome. However, I bought their most recent DVD yesterday, the one that features the entire Blackwater park, and I hope that will help me appreciate this album a bit more.
-
1. Blackwater Park
2. The Leper Affinity
3. The Drapery Falls
4. Bleak
5. Harvest
6. Patters in the Ivy
------------
------------
------------
------------
7. The Funeral Portrait
8. Dirge For November
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1. The Leper Affinity
2. Blackwater Park
3. The Drapery Falls
4. Bleak
5. The Funeral Portrait
6. Harvest
7. Dirge For November
8. Patterns In The Ivy
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As September is only a few days away, fall is around the corner. Which means Opeth season for me. They don't really feel like a summer band.
-
While I agree with that, I'm still getting into them so they really don't have a specific season for me yet.
And what's this "fall" thing you speak of?
-
With Fall I mean Autumn.
-
It's interesting how Opeth turned out to be my summer band this year. I usually get into something lighter, cheesier and prettier. :lol
-
With Fall I mean Autumn.
Whazzat?
-
With Fall I mean Autumn.
Whazzat?
(https://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/autumn/t120006.gif)
DEMON OF THE FAAAAAALL
-
:rollin :rollin :rollin
Well played, dude. :metal
-
Opeth are DEFINITELY an autumn/winter band. I'm not sure I listen to any "summer" bands. Debra, what's your favourite Opeth album? :laugh: If you've already said, I've missed it.
-
No worries, it's kind of buried in my long gushing posts anyway :lol
These three swap places all the time:
Blackwater Park
Ghost Reveries
Still Life
-
really not understanding the "Dirge for November" placements, but then i suppose i regard nearly every song on BWP equally. there's just no way to lose anywhere on the album for me!
-
Theres no seperate tiers on this album, and its all very similar to me. If the highest track was a 10, the lowest would be a 9.
The Drapery Falls
Bleak
Blackwater Park
The Leper Affinity
Dirge for November
The Funeral Portrait
Harvest
Patterns in the Ivy
-
really not understanding the "Dirge for November" placements, but then i suppose i regard nearly every song on BWP equally. there's just no way to lose anywhere on the album for me!
After spending some time at an Opeth forum, I can safely say that DTF is quite far from being representative of Opeth's fanbase at large. On this forum, songs with zero clean vocals and shorter songs tend to be far less popular than the rest of the lot. Dirge may have clean vox in the intro but it's still basically an all roar song for all intents and purposes since it's more or less an a capella intro over some sparse guitar before the song kicks into full swing.
-
Bleak
The leper affinity
Patterns in the ivy
Blackwater Park
Dirge for November
(small gap)
The Drapery Falls
The Funeral Portrait
Harvest
Love them all but there is a small gap between the first five and the last three. BWP is my favorite Opeth album and I don't think that's changing anytime soon.
-
I've always found it very interesting to compare the studio version intro of Dirge Of November to the live version on the Royal Albert Hall CD/DVD. It's amazing how much Mikael has developed his clean vocals. So much more confidence and POWAH on the live version.
I wonder how Damnation would sound if recorded today?
-
Listened to the first disc of Royal Albert Hall yesterday. Good stuff.
I dunno, all the songs are pretty damn good. I always liked The Leper Affinity and The Funeral Portrait the best, I suppose, with Patterns In The Ivy getting an honorable mention. There's really not a bad song here. Very consistent album.
I think my favorite overall moment is the quiet part of the title track oozing back into the heavy part. BABABAAAA-BAAAdodododoooo....
-
I think my favorite overall moment is the quiet part of the title track oozing back into the heavy part. BABABAAAA-BAAAdodododoooo....
Ooo, LOVE that part myself. :caffeine: :heart
-
I think I've said this before, but Blackwater Park is probably one of the only albums where every track bar one is a 10; for me anyway.
The Drapery Falls (one of my favourite tracks by any band)
The Leper Affinity
Blackwater Park
Bleak
Harvest
The Funeral Portrait
Patterns in the Ivy
Dirge for November (the 9.5)
The top four make it into my top 10 Opeth tracks, too. Simply brilliant album.
-
Blackwater Park is for sure in my Top 15 albums of all time.
-
1. Patterns In The Ivy (should've been a longer song)
2. The Funeral Portrait
3. The Drapery Falls
4. The Leper Affinity
5. Bleak
6. Harvest
7. Blackwater Park
8. Dirge For November
Haha, just noticed the top 4 all have "the" in their name.
Where are those DVDs _floyd? :lol
-
I'm confused. I thought you were talking about Patterns being longer on the Royal Albert Hall DVD but, after checking it, there's barely any difference. Enlighten me please, good sir.
-
I'll bet my My Two Dads DVDs that no one ranks PiTI higher than I did.
-
Can we rank Deliverance yet?
-
:lol Of course. I sure as shit don't own this thread :)
Deliverance ranking time!
1. A Fair Judgement
2. By the Pain I See in Others
3. Deliverance
4. Masters Apprentices
5. Wreath
6. For Absent Friends
I'll bet my My Two Dads DVDs that no one ranks PiTI higher than I did.
But I never even took it out of the cellophane yet :(
-
1. Master's Apprentices
2. A Fair Judgement
3. Deliverance
4. Wreath
5. For Absent Friends
6. By The Pain I See In Others
-
1. Deliverance (top 10 Opeth song)
2. Master's Apprentices (great)
3. Wreath (has grown on me recently and I like it but it's still not one of their best songs)
4. A Fair Judgement (ok throughout but includes the most boring outro in any Opeth song, save Dirge for November)
5. For Absent Friends (nice little interlude, nothing more)
6. By the Pain I See in Others (don't think I need to say anything about this one! :lol)
-
1. Deliverance
2. Master's Apprentices
3. A Fair Judgement
4. Wreath
5. By the Pain I see in Others
6. For Absent Friends
-
1. Master's apprentices
2. Wreath
3. Deliverance
4. By the pain I see in others
5. A Fair judgement
6. For absent friends
Great album, one of my favorites. :metal
-
I know we're in the middle of a Deliverance discussion, but I wanted to say the wife and I listened to most of My Arms, Your Hearse last night. What an awesome album! I hadn't listened to much of it before, maybe a song here or there, mainly in the background while doing something else.
-
1: Deliverance
2: Master's Apprentices
3: A Fair Judgement
4: By The Pain I See In Others (don't understand all the hate for this song)
5: Wreath
6: For Absent Friends
-
1. Deliverance
2. A Fair Judgement
3. Masters Apprentices
4. For Absent Friends
5. Wreath
6. By the Pain I See in Others
Just because a song is at the bottom of a list does not mean anyone "hates" a song, which is a strong word to use anyway. But.... something has to be on the bottom of the list, right?
-
1: Deliverance
2: Master's Apprentices
3: A Fair Judgement
4: By The Pain I See In Others (don't understand all the hate for this song)
5: Wreath
6: For Absent Friends
:hearts:
1. Deliverance
2. A Fair Judgement
3. Masters Apprentices
4. For Absent Friends
5. Wreath
6. By the Pain I See in Others
Just because a song is at the bottom of a list does not mean anyone "hates" a song, which is a strong word to use anyway. But.... something has to be on the bottom of the list, right?
After running the Opeth survivor for the last two years and posting regularly in whatever was/is the current Opeth thread in General Music for about as long as I can remember being a part of this community (6 years), I can say, quite confidently, that I don't think we've ever had a point in DTF's history where more than a small handful of folks would openly say anything better than neutral comments about it. That basically puts it on par with the lower half of Orchid's tracklist as far as opinions around here go.
I wish it wasn't that way though since I love the intro and that acoustic verse riff with the eerie guitar volume-swelled notes (or is it Steven Wilson on keyboard?) is such an awesomely unique moment in their discography.
-
I wish it wasn't that way though since I love the into and that acoustic verse riff with the eerie guitar volume-swelled notes (or is it Steven Wilson on keyboard?) is such an awesomely unique moment in their discography.
This, and the finale with the faster tempo is fantastic.
-
By the Pain I See in Others is one of my favorite Opeth songs. That intro is sooo killer.
-
Buddyhunter1, Big Hath, and _floyd: charter members of the By the Pain I See in Others club :metal
-
I am not a member, I am a free man.
Oh wait...
1. Deliverance
2. Masters Apprentices
3. A Fair Judgement
4. Wreath
5. For Absent Friends
6. By the Pain I See in Others
-
Listened to it again and yeah, I think I like it a bit better than A Fair Judgement.
1: Deliverance
2: Master's Apprentices
3: By The Pain I See In Others
4: A Fair Judgement
5: Wreath
6: For Absent Friends
-
This was tough, because Deliverance isn't my favorite of the albums after MAYH. I think I got it pretty much down, though.
Deliverance
By The Pain I See In Others
Master's Apprentices
A Fair Judgement
For Absent Friends
Wreath
-
A Fair Judgment
Wreath
Deliverance
Master's Apprentices
By the Pain I See in Others
For Absent Friends
-
Buddyhunter1, Big Hath, and _floyd: charter members of the By the Pain I See in Others club :metal
we gotta let Deb in too. Unless it's one of those he-man woman hater clubs.
-
:hearts:
I'm sure there's some kind of weird cross-gender "jump in" though. :lol
-
Buddyhunter1, Big Hath, and _floyd: charter members of the By the Pain I See in Others club :metal
we gotta let Deb in too. Unless it's one of those he-man woman hater clubs.
Not at all. She just posted after I made that post.
Hear ye! hear ye! We, the DTF chapter of the By the Pain I See in Others club, shun no comers on the basis of gender, race, creed, religion, handicap, bowel integrity, nor love for/lack of love for bacon* /19th century travelling salesman hype voice complete with porkpie hat, pinstriped blazer, handlebar mustache, and unsettling ED brought on by unsavory cathouse sugar wall contact.
*Shit. Beggars can't be choosers :|
:hearts:
I'm sure there's some kind of weird cross-gender "jump in" though. :lol
Plastic whiffle ball bats are fairly forgiving :P
-
1. Deliverance (despite the outro...)
2. A Fair Judgement
3. Master's Apprentices
4. By The Pain I See In Others
5. Wreath
6. For Absent Friends
-
Hear ye! hear ye! We, the DTF chapter of the By the Pain I See in Others club, shun no comers on the basis of gender, race, creed, religion, handicap, bowel integrity, nor love for/lack of love for bacon* /19th century travelling salesman hype voice complete with porpie hat, pinstriped blazer, handlebar mustache, and unsettling ED brought on by unsavory cathouse sugar wall contact.
*Shit. Beggars can't be choosers :|
:rollin
I dunno - the bacon thing COULD be a club killer. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of pork fat and kickass jams! :2metal:
I'm sure there's some kind of weird cross-gender "jump in" though. :lol
Plastic whiffle ball bats are fairly forgiving :P
A football bat works in a pinch too. Just sayin.
-
My fave Opeth album.
1. Deliverance
2. A Fair Judgement
3. Wreath
4. Master's Apprentices
5. By the Pain I See in Others
6. For Absent Friends
-
Damnation ranking time!
1. Windowpane
2. Hope Leaves (but this song could easily be #1 for me on any given day but I'm not a huge fan of ties in ranked lists)
3. Death Whispered a Lullaby
4. To Rid the Disease
5. Ending Credits
6. Closure
7. Weakness
8. In My Time of Need
-
1. Closure
2. Death Whispered a Lullaby
3. Ending Credits
4. Windowpane
5. Hope Leaves
6. To Rid the Disease
7. In My Time of Need
8. Weakness
-
1: Windowpane
2: Ending Credits
3: To Rid The Disease
4: Closure
5: Hope Leaves
6: In My Time Of Need
7: Death Whispered A Lullaby
8: Weakness
-
Just dropping in to remind everyone that Folklore is quality. Yep.
-
1. To Rid The Disease
2. Hope Leaves
3. Windowpane
4. In My Time Of Need
5. Death Whispered A Lullaby
6. Ending Credits
7. Closure
8. Weakness
-
1. Windowpane
2. Hope Leaves
3. To Rid The Disease
4. Closure
5. In My Time Of Need
6. Death Whispered A Lullaby
7. Ending Credits
8. Weakness
-
1. Weakness
2. Windowpane
3. Hope Leaves
4. In My Time of Need
5. To Rid the Disease
6. Closure (I don't think the studio version is nowhere near as good as the live version)
7. Death Whispered a Lullaby
8. Ending Credits
-
1. Windowpane
2. To Rid the Disease
3. Hope Leaves
4. In My Time of Need
5. Closure
6. Death Whispered a Lullaby
7. Weakness
8. Ending Credits
-
Blackwater Park has been voted the #2 best metal song of the 21st Century.
https://loudwire.com/opeth-blackwater-park-top-21st-century-metal-songs/
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1. In my time of need
2. Windowpane
3. Ending credits
4. Weakness
5. Death whispered a lullaby
6. Closure
7. Hope leaves
8. To rid the disease
I like them all, though.
-
1. In My Time of Need
2. To Rid the Disease
3. Windowpane
4. Hope Leaves
5. Closure
6. Death Whispered a Lullaby
7. Ending Credits
8. Weakness
-
1. Hope Leaves
2. Death Whispered A Lullabye
3. Closure
4. Weakness
5. In My Time of Need
6. Windowpane
7. Ending Credits
8. To Rid The Disease
-
Windowpane
Hope Leaves
Weakness
In My Time Of Need
To Rid The Disease
Death Whispered A Lullaby
Closure
Ending Credits
-
Blackwater Park has been voted the #2 best metal song of the 21st Century.
https://loudwire.com/opeth-blackwater-park-top-21st-century-metal-songs/
Why is ranking songs/albums more interesting than this? I think this is awesome! :metal
-
I'm surprised that particular song got picked, I'm not too crazy about it.
-
It just so happens to be my 2nd favorite song of all time, so :tup
-
I'm surprised that particular song got picked, I'm not too crazy about it.
+1
I like rocking out to it but two of Opeth's biggest aspects aren't well represented in it:
1. Their acoustic passages: I like it but yeah it does drag on somewhat.
2. Mike's clean vocals: I fucking adore some of their songs that have zero clean vocals but I'd have to really think it over to be confident in choosing a song of theirs without 'em to be the representative song of their discography.
-
What makes the acoustic passage in Blackwater Park so great is that it makes the rest of the song after it sound even more brutal than it already is. The moment when the calm section ends and the bombastic BUH DUH DUH DUH DUUUUUUUH riff bursts in is one of the greatest things ever.
-
Like my rankings for Still Life and Blackwater Park, just because a song is in last place doesn't mean I don't like it/it sucks/etc. So, now that I have that out the way...
Death Whispered a Lullaby
Hope Leaves
In My Time of Need
To Rid the Disease
Windowpane
Weakness
Ending Credits
Closure
What makes the acoustic passage in Blackwater Park so great is that it makes the rest of the song after it sound even more brutal than it already is. The moment when the calm section ends and the bombastic BUH DUH DUH DUH DUUUUUUUH riff bursts in is one of the greatest things ever.
:iagree: :tup
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What makes the acoustic passage in Blackwater Park so great is that it makes the rest of the song after it sound even more brutal than it already is. The moment when the calm section ends and the bombastic BUH DUH DUH DUH DUUUUUUUH riff bursts in is one of the greatest things ever.
The live version on Royal Albert is incredible!
-
Especially because of the fail-tastic audience clapping during the calm bit.
-
What makes the acoustic passage in Blackwater Park so great is that it makes the rest of the song after it sound even more brutal than it already is. The moment when the calm section ends and the bombastic BUH DUH DUH DUH DUUUUUUUH riff bursts in is one of the greatest things ever.
For me it's the other way round: I think the acoustic section comes too early on and kills all the momentum the song had built up to that point. When the distorted guitars and drums finally come back, I've already lost my attention and interest.
I like rocking out to it but two of Opeth's biggest aspects aren't well represented in it:
1. Their acoustic passages: I like it but yeah it does drag on somewhat.
2. Mike's clean vocals: I fucking adore some of their songs that have zero clean vocals but I'd have to really think it over to be confident in choosing a song of theirs without 'em to be the representative song of their discography.
Yeah, this is exactly why I can't think of it as THE Opeth song or even one of their best.
-
Is the second leg with Katatonia not happening?
-
Apparently not, and it makes me a sad guy...
-
Just rediscovered Blackwater Park last night. Can't stop listening!
-
I was just listening to Still Life the other day and I seriously think they need to perform it in its entirety when it reaches an important anniversary.....it's one of their most well-balanced albums for sure.
-
I was just listening to Still Life the other day and I seriously think they need to perform it in its entirety when it reaches an important anniversary.....it's one of their most well-balanced albums for sure.
This x 1,000,000
-
I was just listening to Still Life the other day and I seriously think they need to perform it in its entirety when it reaches an important anniversary.....it's one of their most well-balanced albums for sure.
:iagree:
-
I was just listening to Still Life the other day and I seriously think they need to perform it in its entirety when it reaches an important anniversary.....it's one of their most well-balanced albums for sure.
I completely agree. It regularly occupies the spot of being my favorite album by them. Such a warm uplifting vibe to much of it (clean vocals in The Moor's first chorus, acoustic section in Godhead's, clean-sung bridge near the end of Moonlapse) while still delivering excellent dosages of heaviness (first roar during The Moor's intro, blood-curdling roars between the mellow section and the solo of Serenity.)
I love your idea but I think if it were to have to be tied to any milestone, our best bet would be the 15th anniversary in 2014 at a time when Mike has no preoccupying involvement with Storm Corrosion and has yet to fully dive into writing the new Opeth album. He may already be free from any obligations to SC already since he's highly dismissed the feasibility of playing SC's stuff live given how many people would be necessary to pull it off as well as the fact that I've heard nothing about a followup as of yet.
If it doesn't happen in 2014, and Mike was only interested in doing it as an anniversary show in the first place, I'd sadly think it'd never happen since Mike's death metal voice has been moderately to almost badly in decline for some time now and by 2019 (20th anniversary), it'd be nothing short of miraculous for him to be able to pull it off unless he was actively working on rehabilitating it. Given his very low interest in making brutal music these days, I'd be surprised if he was addressing that issue at all.
Hopefully he'll just do it for the fuck of it at some point in the near future while he still has some gas in the tank.
Anyhoo...
Ghost Reveries rankings!
1. Reverie/Harlequin Forest
2. Hour of Wealth
3. Ghost of Perdition
4. Beneath the Mire
5. Baying of the Hounds
6. The Grand Conjuration
7. Isolation Years
8. Atonement
-
1: Reverie / Harlequin Forest
2: Ghost Of Perdition
3: The Baying Of The Hounds
(These top three could be switched around pretty easily)
4: Beneath The Mire
5: Isolation Years
6: Atonement
7: The Grand Conjuration
8: Hour Of Wealth (Would be much, much higher if the 2nd half was as good as the 1st half)
-
1. The Grand Conjuration
2. Ghost of Perdition
3. Reverie / Harlequin Forest
4. Beneath The Mire
5. Isolation Years
6. Atonement
7. Baying Of The Hounds
8. Hours Of Wealth
God, that was hard to rank. :(
-
1. Baying of the Hounds
2. Isolation Years
3. Atonement
4. Reverie/Harlequin Forest
5. Ghost of Perdition
6. The Grand Conjuration
7. Beneath the Mire
8. Hours of Wealth
-
I was just listening to Still Life the other day and I seriously think they need to perform it in its entirety when it reaches an important anniversary.....it's one of their most well-balanced albums for sure.
Yeah, Still Life is a great album although not one of my favorites. However, a full performance of that album is pretty unlikely as Mikael has said the reason they don't play much SL material live is that the songs are so technical and hard to play. He also dislikes Moonlapse Vertigo, saying it should've been scrapped.
My GR ranking:
1. Harlequin Forest
2. Ghost of Perdition
3. Hours of Wealth
4. Beneath the Mire
5. Baying of the Hounds
6. Isolation Years
7. The Grand Conjuration
8. Atonement
-
1. The Baying Of The Hounds
2. Harlequin Forest
3. Ghost Of Perdition
4. The Grand Conjuration
5. Beneath The Mire
6. Hours Of Wealth
7. Atonement
8. Isolation Years
-
1. The Baying of the Hounds
2. Isolation Years
3. Ghost of Perdition
4. Harlequin Forest
5. Beneath the Mire
6. Atonement
7. The Grand Conjuration
8. Hours of Wealth
-
Ghost Of Perdition
Reverie/Harlequin Forest
Beneath The Mire
The Baying Of The Hounds
Hours Of Wealth
Atonement
Isolation Years
The Grand Conjuration
Btw, Favorite Opeth album by far!
-
Reverie/Harlequin Forest
Ghost of Perdition
The Baying of the Hounds
Isolation Years
The Grand Conjuration
Atonement
Hours of Wealth
Beneath the Mire
-
1. The Grand conjuration
2. Isolation years
3. Reverie/Harlequin Forest
4. Hours of Wealth
5. Ghost of Perdition
6. Beneath the Mire
7. Atonement
8. The Baying of the Hounds
One of my lesser favorite Opeth albums. It's okay, but it doesn't have that something that makes me go back to it again and again. Or maybe it's a grower, we'll see...
-
The Baying Of The Hounds
Ghost Of Perdition
Hours Of Wealth
Beneath The Mire
Atonement
The Grand Conjuration
Reverie/Harlequin Forest
Isolation Years
-
I was just listening to Still Life the other day and I seriously think they need to perform it in its entirety when it reaches an important anniversary.....it's one of their most well-balanced albums for sure.
Yeah, Still Life is a great album although not one of my favorites. However, a full performance of that album is pretty unlikely as Mikael has said the reason they don't play much SL material live is that the songs are so technical and hard to play. He also dislikes Moonlapse Vertigo, saying it should've been scrapped.
??? Moonlapse Vertigo is a great song! Seriously, Mikael is his own worst critic way too often.
-
That makes me very sad that Mikael thinks Moonlapse Vertigo should have been scrapped. I :heart that song. :(
Anyhoooooo... on to my rankings for Ghost Reveries! The Top 3 are sometimes interchangeable btw... and same as Still Life, Blackwater Park, and Damnation, last place don't mean shit.
The Baying of the Hounds
Ghost of Perdition
Hours of Wealth
Reverie/Harlequin Forest
The Grand Conjuration
Beneath The Mire
Isolation Years
Atonement
-
4th favourite Opeth album for me, behind Blackwater Park, My Arms, Your Hearse and Still Life.
Rankings nobody will be happy with:
1. Harlequin Forest
2. The Grand Conjuration
3. Ghost of Perdition
4. Atonement
5. Hours of Wealth
6. Isolation Years
7. The Baying of the Hounds
8. Beneath the Mire
-
1. Harlequin Forest
2. Ghost of Perdition
3. Beneath the Mire
4. The Baying of the Hounds
5. Isolation Years
6. The Grand Conjuration
7. Hours of Wealth
8. Atonement
-
Beneath the Mire
Ghost of Perdition
Harlequin Forest
Isolation Years
Baying of The Hounds
Hours of Wealth
The Grand Conjuration
Atonement
-
1. Ghost of Perdition
2. Harlequin Forest
3. Isolation Years
4. Beneath the Mire
5. Hours of Wealth
6. Baying of the Hounds
7. The Grand Conjuration
8. Atonement
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My favourite Opeth album.
1. Harlequin Forest
2. Isolation Years
3. Ghost of Perdition
4. Baying Of The Hounds
5. Atonement
6. The Grand Conjuration
7. Beneath The Mire
8. Hours of Wealth
TGC would be higher up if the 2nd half was as great as the 1st.
-
TGCs middle section is the best part of the song for me. THEEEE GRAAAANNNDDDD COOOONNN JUURRRR RAAAAA TTIOOONNN
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TGCs middle section is the best part of the song for me. THEEEE GRAAAANNNDDDD COOOONNN JUURRRR RAAAAA TTIOOONNN
^this
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My favorite part is the seemingly intentional reference to the Pit stage's music from the original Mortal Kombat for Genesis/Mega Drive:
The Pit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2uPcmFGnCE)
The Grand Conjuration (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC_-JsKlIOk#t=408s)
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My favorite part is the seemingly intentional reference to the Pit stage's music from the original Mortal Kombat for Genesis/Mega Drive:
The Pit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2uPcmFGnCE)
The Grand Conjuration (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC_-JsKlIOk#t=408s)
Ohlol, that is cool.
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My favourite part of it is the whole song. It's just that Harlequin Forest is a bit more solid altogether that makes me like it a bit more. Basically, for me, both songs slay.
oh, _floyd, that's awesome, I didn't know that :lol
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TGC is one of the most evil songs Opeth have ever done. I understand why people don't like it, but I think it has a great atmosphere and vibe.
Also, even though it is a bit repetitive, I love the riff.
-
That song is brilliant. If only the rest of the album was more like it... :metal
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Its alright. I don't really listen to,it that much, don't know why. It is a great song in the music describes the lyrics, like witnessing the birth of the devil.
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I liked it a lot at first, but it got reeeeally old after a while.
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TGC is one of the most evil songs Opeth have ever done. I understand why people don't like it, but I think it has a great atmosphere and vibe.
Also, even though it is a bit repetitive, I love the riff.
Yeah, I think I'm with you on this even though I had TGC at 5 in my ranking.
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I'll just chime in, put this here, and chime out:
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/44861895/Opeth+vlcsnap2010041105h16m11s59.png)
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I would love to have heard his response to that. I bet it was hilarious.
-
I would love to have heard his response to that. I bet it was hilarious.
"You read my mind."
-
I would love to have heard his response to that. I bet it was hilarious.
"You read my mind."
Isn't that bit on the Roundhouse Tapes DVD?
-
The show I was at a couple of years ago at a festival, Mikael asked for some sun lotion, because it was ridiculously hot and sunny. Someone from the audience actually threw a bottle up on the stage and he used it. For the next song (I believe it was during Godhead's Lament) at any time he could, you could see him trying to wipe the stuff from his fingers. They must have gotten slippery from the sun lotion.
Don't know, I just thought of that :P
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I'll just chime in, put this here, and chime out:
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/44861895/Opeth+vlcsnap2010041105h16m11s59.png)
:rollin
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I would love to have heard his response to that. I bet it was hilarious.
"You read my mind."
Isn't that bit on the Roundhouse Tapes DVD?
Yeah, it was pretty funny! :lol
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Um... Watershed rankings? :)
-
Watershed rankings.
1: The Lotus Eater
2: Heir Apparent
3: Porcelean Heart
4: Hessian Peel
5: Burden
6: Hex Omega
7: Coil
Such an underrated album.
-
1. Hessian Peel (I'm listening to it right now - damn, it's awesome! Might even be my favorite Opeth song...)
2. The Lotus eater
3. Burden
4. Heir Apparent
5. Hex Omega
6. Coil
7. Porcelain Heart
-
1. Hex Omega
2. Heir Apparent
3. Burden
4. Hessian Peel
5. Porcelain Heart
6. Coil
7. The Lotus Eater
-
1. Hessian Peel
2. The Lotus Eater
3. Burden
4. Porcelain Heart
5. Heir Apparent
6. Hex Omega
7. Coil
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My 2nd favourite Opeth album, after BWP.
1. Heir Apparent
2. Hessian Peel
3. Lotus Eater
4. Porcelain Heart
5. Burden
6. Coil
7. Hex Omega
-
1. The Lotus Eater
2. Hessian Peel
3. Heir Apparent
4. Coil
5. Hex Omega
6. Porcelain Heart
7. Burden
-
Burden
Hessian Peel
Porcelain Heart
The Lotus Eater
Coil
Hex Omega
Heir Apparent
-
Burden
Coil
Hessian Peel
The Louts Eater
Porcelain Heart
Hex Omega
Heir Apparent
-
Like some of the rankings that came before, last place don't mean shit.
The Lotus Eater
Porcelain Heart
Hessian Peel
Burden
Heir Apparent
Hex Omega
Coil
-
Everyone seems to love TLE - it is actually my least favourite, with Hessian Peel and Heir Apparent fighting for the top spots. Killer album, though, and probably my favourite Opeth record.
:opeth:
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Once we're done with Heritage, someone should totally go through all the posts and rank all the songs based on average score, like Big Hath's top 50 albums spreadsheet.
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Once we're done with Heritage, someone should totally go through all the posts and rank all the songs based on average score, like Big Hath's top 50 albums spreadsheet.
you wouldn't be able to do all the songs together because each ranking was only done within the context of each album. You could get a compilation ranking for each album (and maybe that's what you meant).
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Once we're done with Heritage, someone should totally go through all the posts and rank all the songs based on average score, like Big Hath's top 50 albums spreadsheet.
you wouldn't be able to do all the songs together because each ranking was only done within the context of each album. You could get a compilation ranking for each album (and maybe that's what you meant).
Yeah, that's true. But a compilation ranking for each album would be really cool.
-
Watershed rankings.
1: The Lotus Eater
2: Heir Apparent
3: Porcelean Heart
4: Hessian Peel
5: Burden
6: Hex Omega
7: Coil
Such an underrated album.
Damn son! Between our mutual love of By the Pain I see in Others and our fairly similar Watershed rankings, you're coming dangerously close to having a copy of Ball Blazer for the Atari 7800 mailed to you on my behalf.
1. The Lotus Eater
2. Heir Apparent
3. Hessian Peel
4. Porcelain Heart
5. Burden
6. Coil
7. Hex Omega
We're virtually identical considering we matched on spots 1, 2, and 5, and have the same pairs for 3&4 and 6&7 except they're just flip-flopped.
-
Watershed rankings.
1: The Lotus Eater
2: Heir Apparent
3: Porcelean Heart
4: Hessian Peel
5: Burden
6: Hex Omega
7: Coil
Such an underrated album.
Damn son! Between our mutual love of By the Pain I see in Others and our fairly similar Watershed rankings, you're coming dangerously close to having a copy of Ball Blazer for the Atari 7800 mailed to you on my behalf.
1. The Lotus Eater
2. Heir Apparent
3. Hessian Peel
4. Porcelain Heart
5. Burden
6. Coil
7. Hex Omega
We're virtually identical considering we matched on spots 1, 2, and 5, and have the same pairs for 3&4 and 6&7 except they're just flip-flopped.
You ranked the title track to Blackwater Park at #6 on that album.
We do not think alike.
:P
-
1. The Lotus Eater
2. Coil / Heir Apparent (cuz they're meant to go together)
3. Burden
4. Porcelain Heart
5. Hessian Peel
6. Hex Omega
-
You ranked the title track to Blackwater Park at #6 on that album.
We do not think alike.
:P
Ouch! :lol
-
let me take this opportunity to say how I adore Opeth.
-
So, my dad just woke me up with tickets for the unplugged Opeth show in December. (they're only doing 4, all here in Sweden) If they don't bring out Isolation Years now, I don't think they ever will. So they better do it! :hat
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Eh, with Mike's roar in continual decline all of their non-roar songs' chances of being played at some point in time are increasing by default. Hours of Wealth please.
-
1- Hex Omega
2- Heir Apparent
3- Coil
4- The Lotus Eater
5- Hessian Peel
6- Burden
7- Porcelain Heart
I just decided I'm going to listen to Watershed
-
let me take this opportunity to say how I adore Opeth.
:2metal:
-
Hessian Peel
Heir Apparent
The Lotus Eater
Burden
Hex Omega
Coil
Porcelain Heart
-
Once we're done with Heritage, someone should totally go through all the posts and rank all the songs based on average score, like Big Hath's top 50 albums spreadsheet.
you wouldn't be able to do all the songs together because each ranking was only done within the context of each album. You could get a compilation ranking for each album (and maybe that's what you meant).
Yeah, that's true. But a compilation ranking for each album would be really cool.
ok, it's in progress. I have all the rankings people have done so far in a spreadsheet.
After Heritage, we should also do non-album/bonus/cover songs:
Into the Frost of Winter
Eternal Soul Torture
Circle of the Tyrants
Remember Tomorrow
Still Day Beneath the Sun
Patterns in the Ivy II
Soldier of Fortune
Derelict Herds
Bridge of Sighs
Den ständiga resan
Pyre
Face in the Snow
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Stats and Observations on the Orchid rankings:
Song Ranking
Orchid Avg Rank
The Twilight is My Robe 2.00
In Mist She Was Standing 2.43
Under the Weeping Moon 3.57
The Apostle in Triumph 3.71
Forest of October 3.86
Silhouette 5.71
Requiem 6.71
- Silhouette and Requiem both had relatively low standard deviations, so they were clearly the least favorite songs. Requiem received 5 last place votes (out of only 7 ranked lists)
- Twilight received the most first place votes with 3. Mist received 2 votes for first.
- UtWM received a first place vote as well as a last place vote contributing to it's high relative standard deviation making it perhaps the most polarizing song on the album
-
Just wanted to pop in and say that Black Rose Immortal is fucking awesome. :metal :metal
-
Thanks for doing these composite rankings Hath :)
-
no problemo
I'll get the other albums out before too long
-
Might as well do Heritage if people are done with Watershed.
1: Folklore
2: The Devil's Orchard
3: Famine
4: Haxprocess
5: The Lines In My Hand
6: I Feel The Dark
7: Marrow Of The Earth
8: Nepenthe
9: Slither
10: Heritage
Also a very underrated album.
-
1. Häxprocess
2. Famine
3. Folklore
4. The Lines in My Hand
5. Heritage
6. I Feel the Dark
7. Slither
8. Nepenthe
9. The Devil's Orchard
10. Marrow of the Earth
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I can't rank Heritage since I don't know it well enough. I can however tell you that Folklore is the best song on it by a very long way.
-
Nepenthe
Folklore
I Feel The Dark
Haxprocess
The Devil's Orchard
The Lines In My Hand
Slither
Heritage
Famine
Marrow Of The Earth
-
Orchid Avg Rank
The Twilight is My Robe 2.00
In Mist She Was Standing 2.43
Under the Weeping Moon 3.57
The Apostle in Triumph 3.71
Forest of October 3.86
Silhouette 5.71
Requiem 6.71
A bit surprising to see that TTIMR is so well-liked and Forest of October isn't as popular as I thought.
Heritage ranking:
Folklore
Famine
I Feel the Dark
Häxprocess
Devil's Orchard
Slither
Lines in My Hand
Marrow of the Earth
Nepenthe
Heritage
-
Famine
Folklore
I Feel the Dark
Nepenthe
Häxprocess
Devil's Orchard
Lines in My Hand
Marrow of the Earth
Slither
Heritage
-
I Feel The Dark
Famine
Devil's Orchard
Folklore
Lines in my Hand
Nepenthe
Häxprocess
Slither
Marrow of the Earth
Heritage
-
1. Nepenthe
2. Lines in my hand
3. I feel the dark
4. The Devil's orchard
5. Folklore
6. Slither
7. Marrow of the earth
8. Famine
9. Häxprocess
10. Heritage
I thought this album was pretty great, but if they continue with prog rock, their next album will be even more impressive.
Nice statistics about Orchid, and I'm happy to see TTIMR being the best ranked song of the bunch, because it's easily my favorite on the record.
-
Fucking right on the Twilight love, Mladen :tup Also, congrats on your nearing 5000th post :metal
-
Folklore
Lines in my hand
Slither
The devils orchard
I feel the dark
Nepenthe
Heritage
Marrow of the earth
Famine
Haxprocess
-
Also, congrats on your nearing 5000th post :metal
Ooh, good point, I didn't even notice that! Better make that post meaningful. It's hardly gonna happen, though. ;D
-
Stats and Observations on the Morningrise rankings:
Song Avg Rank
The Night and the Silent Water 2.50
Advent 2.50
To Bid You Farewell 2.63
Black Rose Immortal 3.38
Nectar 4.00
- Ok, this was an interesting album to analyze. Each song received at least one first place vote.
- I guess you have to give the number one ranking to TNatSW since it tied for first in avg rank and had 2 first place votes with 0 last place votes. Advent had 1 first place vote and 1 last place vote.
- To Bid You Farewell had the most first place votes with 3, and it had 0 last place votes, however it also had several for 3rd and 4th bringing down its average.
- Nectar seemed to clearly be the least favorite song since it received 5 of the 8 last place votes. But it did get 1 first place and 1 second place vote as well.
-
Folklore
The Devil's Orchard
The Lines In My Hand
Famine
I Feel The Dark
Slither
Nepenthe
Haxprocess
Heritage
Marrow of the Earth
-
Famine seems to be doing better than I thought, most people seemed to dislike that one when the album came out.
-
Famine seems to be doing better than I thought, most people seemed to dislike that one when the album came out.
It's been my favorite pretty much all along. Most people are fawning over Folklore though, which I think is great, but I don't like the outro that much.
-
The Devil's Orchard
Slither
I Feel The Dark
Folklore
Nepenthe
Heritage
Marrow of the Earth
Famine
The Lines In My Hand
Haxprocess
-
Famine seems to be doing better than I thought, most people seemed to dislike that one when the album came out.
I think a lot of people outside this forum still dislike it but it's good to see it doing well in the rankings here.
-
Stats and Observations on the My Arms Your Hearse rankings:
Song Avg Rank
When 2.11
Demon of the Fall 2.33
April Ethereal 3.22
Karma 3.44
The Amen Corner 4.67
Credence 6.33
Epilogue 6.89
Madrigal 7.33
Prologue 8.67
- When and DotF were clearly the top two songs. When received 5 first place votes and Demon received 3. Karma was the only other song to receive a first place vote with 1.
- Prologue is undeniably the least favorite with 7 out of the 9 last place votes.
- April Ethereal actually had the most second place votes, but two 4th places and two 5th places along with no first place votes placed it behind Demon.
-
We should call you "Stat Man", Hath. :tup
-
No surprises there. I wish April Ethereal were higher, though...
-
Still Life ranking will be posted tonight
-
:caffeine:
-
Stats and Observations on the Still Life rankings:
Song Avg Rank
The Moor 1.69
Face of Melinda 3.19
Serenity Painted Death 3.63
Godhead's Lament 3.88
White Cluster 4.69
Moonlapse Vertigo 5.19
Benighted 5.75
- The Moor dominated with 10 of the 16 first place votes. It had one 5th place vote, but the rest were 1st, 2nd or 3rd.
- The race for 2nd place was very interesting. Face of Melinda received two 1st place votes, SPD received three, and Godhead's Lament received zero. However the rankings for SPD were all over the map. It also received 3 last place votes and ultimately got at least one vote for each of the 7 possible slots giving it the highest standard deviation on the album. Of the 16 votes, Godhead's Lament received 13 that were 2nd, 3rd, or 4th, giving it the lowest standard deviation on the album.
- Moonlapse Vertigo received one 1st place vote and four last place votes
- Benighted was clearly the least favorite song getting half the last place votes with 8.
-
I do not approve of the Still Life rankings. :tdwn
-
Nice, although I'm surprised Serenity painted death is that high.
-
I do not approve of the Still Life rankings. :tdwn
This.
-
The only album I don't own, for some reason. But, I've listened to it, and its,a great album.
-
Nice, although I'm surprised Serenity painted death is that high.
It had the second most 1st place votes, and the same number of 2nd place votes as FoM.
-
SPD is great. It's easily up there with Demon of the Fall as far as being their de facto ass kicker yet has that gorgeous first solo and melodic section leading into what's probably Mike's most hell-summoning roars ever (5:28-6:14) plus there's a beautiful air of despair in the clean vocal section after the 2nd solo. Also gotta love the random Peewee Hermancore outro.
-
Heritage
1. I Feel the Dark
2. Lines in my Hand
3. Nepenthe
4. The Devil's Orchard
5. Haxprocess
6. Folklore
7. Marrow of the Earth
8. Famine
9. Slither
-
When this is over the forum is never allowed to rank Opeth songs again.
-
When this is over the forum is never allowed to rank Opeth songs again.
God, that would be great.
-
SPD is great. It's easily up there with Demon of the Fall as far as being their de facto ass kicker yet has that gorgeous first solo and melodic section leading into what's probably Mike's most hell-summoning roars ever (5:28-6:14) plus there's a beautiful air of despair in the clean vocal section after the 2nd solo. Also gotta love the random Peewee Hermancore outro.
I'd voted it #1 in my rankings so I'm totally agreeing with this. LOL @ Peewee Hermancore... :lol :tup
When this is over the forum is never allowed to rank Opeth songs again.
Party pooper. (https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/bizarredevotedfan/Randomness/pff.gif)
-
When this is over the forum is never allowed to rank Opeth songs again.
This. I only contributed to Heritage because there weren't many replies. XD
-
Why is anyone burnt out on the rankings? Barely anybody else was even posting in this thread for the last few months and, even with the rankings going on, this thread seldom had even 10 posts in a day so it's not like it was getting in the way of anything.
-
Really, especially since there's not a new Opeth album to speculate about/post about. I thought it was a nifty way to move the thread along and chat with other of you nice like-minded folks about my musical obsession for 2012.
-
Also, the nice thing about these rankings was the fact that we did it from the beginning so every album was represented. Also, the turnout seemed to be a bit higher than other rankings since the way it usually goes is someone picking an album willy nilly and ranking it and then some other folks either rank that album or just pick another album out of order and interest drops off altogether soon thereafter. I think the way folks avidly participated in this thing was very good for the thread.
-
I'm just happy that I was able to participate.
-
you guys ready for the Blackwater Park rankings?
-
Of course :lol I doubt anyone would be bothered if you didn't ask first.
-
Stats and Observations on the Blackwater Park rankings:
Song Avg Rank
Bleak 2.63
The Leper Affinity 3.31
The Drapery Falls 3.38
Blackwater Park 3.63
Harvest 5.00
The Funeral Portrait 5.50
Patterns in the Ivy 5.88
Dirge For November 6.69
- Fairly clear separation between the top four and bottom four songs.
- Bleak had five 1st place votes. The Drapery Falls and Blackwater Park each had four 1st place votes, although TDF did have one last place vote.
- The Leper Affinity only had two 1st place votes and it had two last place votes, but TDF and BP had a lot more lower votes bringing their averages down.
- 6 of the 8 songs received at least one last place vote. Patterns and Dirge each had five last place votes, tied for the most.
- Of the 16 votes, Dirge had 11 that were last or next to last.
-
Blackwater Park is three spots too low.
-
Three people voted it next to last place and two others had it at 6th. That's what brought it down.
-
I was one of the 6ths. I like it and frequently catch myself working out parts of it for the sheer fun of it when my guitar's in drop D but I just happen to like 5 others more than it. I like this album more than most folks would think.
-
Blackwater Park is three spots too high.
Fixed for me.
-
o/
-
:angry:
Screw you two, Blackwater Park (the song) is the fucking tits. THE FUCKING TITS, I SAY.
:angry:
-
Blackwater Park is three spots too low.
Three people voted it next to last place and two others had it at 6th. That's what brought it down.
I was one of the 6ths. I like it and frequently catch myself working out parts of it for the sheer fun of it when my guitar's in drop D but I just happen to like 5 others more than it. I like this album more than most folks would think.
-
o/
\o
Blackwater Park (the song) is the fucking tits. THE FUCKING TITS, I SAY.
If "the fucking tits" is the synonym for "a song that starts promisingly but loses all momentum after a few minutes and drags on towards the end", then I totally agree with you.
-
I don't know why, but I've lost a lot of momentum in my love for Opeth. Granted, that isn't to say I don't like them any less or that their discography has waned; more that I'm finding it hard to want to listen to them. Despite that, I still love their music and they're still a special band to me, but lately I've just had absolutely no desire to listen to anything but Heritage. That probably sounds so very weird given that the most ferocious, vicious of songs of Opeth are my favorite; but BTBAM has filled the hardcore part of music, which leaves the soft beauty open, and Heritage does that part very well. Another side of me is very eager to hear from the guys again, and I'm kind of worried for their future as it seems they're in a bit of a bind. No matter what they do they will alienate a group was again. If they continue the route of going down a more 70's-psychedelic vibe without any growls, they will disappoint the group that figured this would be a one-shot; and if they go back to the old stuff, they will disappoint the (small) group that wanted that road to go even further.
That said, if they had an album with the best of Heritage and went back to a few growling songs with some harshness, that would be perfection. So I'm really eager to hear from them. I'm not sure what'll happen but for some reason I'm a bit worried for the bands future. Either way, I'm sure I'll be spinning Heritage and Deliverance soon enough. Marrow of the Earth is such a wonderful Fall song to :hat to during those cold, breezy nights. Alone.
-
If "the fucking tits" is the synonym for "a song that starts promisingly but loses all momentum after a few minutes and drags on towards the end", then I totally agree with you.
your opinion is bad and you should feel bad
-
Blackwater Park is three spots too low.
Three people voted it next to last place and two others had it at 6th. That's what brought it down.
I was one of the 6ths. I like it and frequently catch myself working out parts of it for the sheer fun of it when my guitar's in drop D but I just happen to like 5 others more than it. I like this album more than most folks would think.
Yeah, my comprehension skills were for shit earlier this morning. :facepalm:
If "the fucking tits" is the synonym for "a song that starts promisingly but loses all momentum after a few minutes and drags on towards the end", then I totally agree with you.
Cute. That's not what I meant and sarcasm about it isn't funny.
your opinion is bad and you should feel bad
:)
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I don't know how I would rank its songs, but after re-listening to Blackwater Park recently, all I have to say is this: What a monster of a friggin' album. Absolutely amazing.
-
Completely agreed, dude. BWP is nothing short of completely friggin outstanding.
-
I don't know why, but I've lost a lot of momentum in my love for Opeth. Granted, that isn't to say I don't like them any less or that their discography has waned; more that I'm finding it hard to want to listen to them. Despite that, I still love their music and they're still a special band to me, but lately I've just had absolutely no desire to listen to anything but Heritage.
I agree. I haven't lost my interest in Opeth but I haven't really been in the mood for them in a while, except for occasional listens of the mellow stuff. I don't know if I've become exhausted of the prog death sound, it's just that I prefer bands like Paradise Lost and Katatonia right now and for me they're the best bands to listen to in the fall.
your opinion is bad and you should feel bad
Ok... :lol I just don't get the massive " :omg: :hefdaddy" hype people have for that song - I simply find it pretty meh compared to songs like Bleak, Leper Affinity and The Drapery Falls, let alone the highlights of the other Opeth albums.
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I recently had to reacquire Heritage and I haven't listened to the album in a long time but tonight I happened upon the song, "Folklore" and I must say, that song is so beautiful...
It was like I was transported into the vessel of a tired, adolescent boy spending the night at his friend's house, whom woke up during the night and had to urinate. As he tiptoed through his friend's house toward the bathroom and passed his friend's mother's room, he accidentally caught a glimpse at his friend's hot, single mother's breasts as she changed into a night gown. Overjoyed with happiness and raging hormones, he then died from heart failure. :-\
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Stats and Observations on the Deliverance rankings:
Song Avg Rank
Deliverance 1.62
Master's Apprentices 2.54
A Fair Judgement 2.77
Wreath 4.08
By the Pain I See in Others 4.46
For Absent Friends 5.54
- Like Blackwater Park, Deliverance had clear separation between the top and bottom half.
- Deliverance, Master's Apprentices, and A Fair Judgement all received at least two 1st place votes and no last place votes. Deliverance was clearly the top track with 9 of the 13 1st place votes. Interestingly, the other four votes for Deliverance were all for 3rd place.
- Wreath, By The Pain, and For Absent Friends all received at least one last place vote and no 1st place votes.
- For Absent Friends received 8 of the 13 last place votes.
- And many people were confused by the sheer awesomeness of the song, because By The Pain had 4 last place votes.
-
Move By The Pain I See In Others up two slots and that ranking is perfect.
-
unfortunately the numbers are the numbers
-
- And many people were confused by the sheer awesomeness of the song, because By The Pain had 4 last place votes.
That's kind of what I'm thinking.
-
By the Pain I see in Others is nowhere near as bad as some people make it sound. It's not one of Opeth's best, but it has a lot of great moments.
-
I really like By the pain I see in others, but it's hard to follow up Master's apprentices, obviously. ;D
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By the Pain I see in Others is nowhere near as bad as some people make it sound. It's not one of Opeth's best, but it has a lot of great moments.
indeed it does, especially the main riff after the intro (a true bit of genius Åkerfeldt writing). however, i find the song feels long for the sake of being long, as does "Wreath." the rest of them feel appropriately paced.
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Have they denounced Heritage and started working on an album that doesn't suck yet?
-
lolu
-
Have they denounced Heritage and started working on an album that doesn't suck yet?
Wouldn't make much sense, since it's one of their best albums.
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Have they denounced Heritage and started working on an album that doesn't suck yet?
Wouldn't make much sense, since it's one of their best albums.
This guy ain't no guinea pig. Since only guinea pigs don't know what awesome sounds like.
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Stats and Observations on the Damnation rankings:
Song Avg Rank
Windowpane 2.50
Hope Leaves 3.17
To Rid the Disease 4.25
In My Time of Need 4.33
Death Wispered a Lullaby 4.67
Closure 5.17
Ending Credits 5.92
Weakness 6.00
- The rankings for this album were interesting. Every track with the exception of Ending Credits received at least one 1st place vote. And 5 of the 8 tracks received at least one last place vote.
- Windowpane was the favorite with five 1st place votes and no last place votes.
- Hope Leaves was a solid 2nd place getting five 2nd place votes.
- There was no real separation between To Rid, In My Time, Death Whispered, and Closure.
- The "race" for last was very close as Weakness actually garnered a 1st place vote but also had 5 last place votes. Ending Credits had 4 next-to-last place votes and 3 last place votes.
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Interesting how To Rid the Disease, In My Time of Need and Death Whispered a Lullaby all got lumped real close together.
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while it is a great album, a lot of the songs seem to have the same sort of mood and sound, so I guess that could tend to bunch them together
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Yeah, you've got a good point there.
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Why is Ending Credits so low? D: Such a beautiful song.
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How are you doing those rankings?
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I just took all the song rankings everybody posted for each album and input them in table format in excel. Something like this:
The Moor 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 3 1 2 1 3 1 2
Godhead's Lament 3 5 4 3 4 3 2 4 4 4 6 6 4 4 3 3
Benighted 7 6 7 7 7 6 3 7 2 6 3 7 7 7 6 4
Moonlapse Vertigo 4 2 6 6 6 7 7 3 6 5 5 1 5 6 7 7
Face of Melinda 5 3 3 4 3 5 4 6 3 1 2 5 2 2 2 1
Serenity Painted Death 1 4 2 2 2 2 6 1 7 7 7 4 3 1 4 5
White Cluster 6 7 5 5 5 4 5 2 5 2 4 3 6 5 5 6
From there it's simple to get some stats.
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Like I said - Stat Man! :tup
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Interesting how To Rid the Disease, In My Time of Need and Death Whispered a Lullaby all got lumped real close together.
Yep. Impressive work once again, man. :tup
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has everyone done their Heritage track ranking that were planning on doing one?
If so, do you guys want to rank the non-album/bonus/cover songs? Here is my suggested list, but I may have missed one or two.
Into the Frost of Winter (bonus on Orchid reissue)
Eternal Soul Torture (bonus on Morningrise reissue)
Circle of the Tyrants (Celtic Frost cover, bonus on MAYH reissue)
Remember Tomorrow (Iron Maiden cover, bonus on MAYH reissue)
Still Day Beneath the Sun (bonus on Blackwater Park reissue)
Patterns in the Ivy II (bonus on Blackwater Park reissue)
Soldier of Fortune (bonus on Special Edition of Ghost Reveries)
Derelict Herds (bonus on Special Edition of Watershed)
Bridge of Sighs (bonus on Special Edition of Watershed)
Den ständiga resan (bonus on Special Edition of Watershed)
Mellotron Heart (bonus on promo CD, pre-order digital download, and Burden single)
Would? (Alice In Chains cover, bonus on Burden single)
The Throat of Winter (digital EP soundtrack of God of War III)
Pyre (bonus on Special Edition of Heritage)
Face in the Snow (bonus on Special Edition of Heritage)
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Sure. You missed The Throat of Winter though, so I threw it in.
Derelict Herds
The Throat of Winter
Pyre
Still Day Beneath the Sun
Patterns in the Ivy II
Bridge of Sighs
Den Ständiga Resan
Face in the Snow
Mellotron Heart
Would?
Soldier of Fortune
Remember Tomorrow
Eternal Soul Torture
Circle of the Tyrants
Into the Frost of Winter
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Complete list here (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=33830.0).
I think the only ones missing after the addition of The Scrote of Winter are Mellotron Heart and Would? (not a question, the actual song title ends in a "?")
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ah yes, Mellotron Heart. That was strictly a download wasn't it?
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so everyone, if you are going to rank the bonus tracks, please listen to and rank ALL of them. The compiled rankings don't work unless everyone ranks ALL the songs. That goes for you as well, Zantera.
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Sure, I'll add Mellotron Heart and Would? as well.
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Random question: What is the best riff on My Arms, Your Hearse?
Right now, I'd have to go with that second one in The Amen Corner or the outro to Karma.
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Definitely outro to Karma.
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Eh TOX, by "riff" do you mean guitar-only, any single instrument's part, or can it be any section of a song?
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First thought was 2:34 in Demon, though outro to Karma is definitely up there.
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That outro was ruined by growls, they make an otherwise great riff practically unlistenable.
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>Being an Opeth fan
>Griping about growls
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That outro was ruined by growls, they make an otherwise great riff practically unlistenable.
The ending is made by that galaxy-crushing growl; it devours death itself and then rapes its tiny little asshole and pukes all over its face and fucks the stigmata in its frail hands and then it gives your sister (or grandfather) the best consensual sex s/he has ever had and then it consumes your peach cobbler. You must be deaf. Deaf people don't belong here. They're nasty. You're nasty. And wrong. Go away.
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(https://splitsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/cliff.jpg)
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That outro was ruined by growls, they make an otherwise great riff practically unlistenable.
The ending is made by that galaxy-crushing growl; it devours death itself and then rapes its tiny little asshole and pukes all over its face and fucks the stigmata in its frail hands and then it gives your sister (or grandfather) the best consensual sex s/he has ever had and then it consumes your peach cobbler. You must be deaf. Deaf people don't belong here. They're nasty. You're nasty. And wrong. Go away.
(https://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/20120607035837_auto.gif)
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You must be deaf. Deaf people don't belong here. They're nasty. You're nasty. And wrong. Go away.
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Damn, guys, those are some really good points, you've given me a lot to think about.
Not. ;D
Sometimes the growls sound like they're there just for the sake of being there and making a certain section more brutal and twisted than it should be. This is just my opinion, of course. I got into Opeth this summer and I wouldn't call myself an Opeth fan yet, because I'm still having problems with the growls here and there. On some albums like Still life, Blackwater park and Deliverance they work perfectly, though. But I adored Damnation and Heritage as well, where Mikael just shines with his clean vocals.
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Damn, guys, those are some really good points, you've given me a lot to think about.
Not. ;D
Well, to be fair, you didn't quite provide the most earthshatteringly eloquent argument to express your feelings by saying:
That outro was ruined by growls, they make an otherwise great riff practically unlistenable.
We get that you're not enamored with growls and that's fine but if you scoff at something like that outro in such a dismissive manner right after folks made it clear that they really like it and write it off as "unlistenable" merely for having growls, which are a cornerstone of their sound, people may be inclined to respond with equally dismissive comments. And I don't mean that you deserve to be spoken down to but I'm just saying if you knock something popular and present that knocking in a gruff manner, it may not invite the most kind replies.
Sometimes the growls sound like they're there just for the sake of being there and making a certain section more brutal and twisted than it should be. This is just my opinion, of course.
I think the growls are pretty justifiable in that context and I'll briefly nerd out here and give my reasoning why. Opeth's style, and a major component of why they're so revered, is based on their ability to deftly create moods through dynamics utilizing a multitude of approaches, some conventional, some not. Sometimes Mike roars over melodic parts (The verse of The Night and the Silent Water [0:00, 1:01]) or sings over heavier parts (Reverie/Harlequin Forest's verses [0:00, 1:36] as well as the bridge [7:19] and also the bridges for Deliverance [5:03, 6:20.])
It's all a result of Opeth's apparent desire to not just shoehorn things into some kind of "fire and ice" mentality in that there are a fair number of bands out there that think all there is to dynamics is making the heavy sections as brutal as Satan diarrheaing on a gargoyle who's engulfed in flames and making the melodic parts as tender as a Summer's Eve commercial with Yanni playing piano while dressed in a Care Bear suit.
Basically, Opeth's formula is based on creating a series of peaks and valleys with their distribution of heavy and soft parts and they keep that fresh by using a very wide variety of patterns to employ that so every song doesn't simply become ultra heavy-wussy-ultra heavy or vice versa plus they take that diversity a step further by making sure the riffs that represent "heavy" and "melodic" sections aren't always completely heavy or melodic.
In Karma's outro, I think the growls were very fitting if you look at the pacing of the song:
0:00-2:54 General heaviness.
2:54 A dynamic shift into a melodic section well executed with acoustic guitar arpeggios softly fading in against the backdrop of the sustained A5 power chord that's warmly distorted.
3:53 Very pretty and softer section begins in order to take that shift towards a softer, melodic sound even further.
4:41 The gradual return to heaviness begins.
5:24 Evil riff starts new section and increases heaviness.
6:28 Diabolical riff that borders on cartoony villainy. This is probably the closest anything in this song comes to sounding "out of place" to me but it's actually my second favorite part of the song (behind that incredible transition from 0:56-1:01) since that cartoony evilness is a real trademark of their sound and a big part of what drew me into them originally.
6:38 Full-on heaviness is resumed completing the gradual increase in aggression started at 4:41. We have choppy, evil, palm-muted*, distorted chords paired up with fast double bass drums. It's a very heavy section and heaviness of that caliber mixes very well with growls. I get that you aren't into growls but parts like this are nearly perfectly cut out for soaring roars to cry out over them.
*I use too much guitar jargon sometimes forgetting that not everyone plays so just in case you aren't familiar with the term "palm muting", it's a technique used to lightly muffle the strings with your picking hand which helps produce a much thicker sound. Think of Enter Sandman's verse riff for instance.
I got into Opeth this summer and I wouldn't call myself an Opeth fan yet, because I'm still having problems with the growls here and there. On some albums like Still life, Blackwater park and Deliverance they work perfectly, though. But I adored Damnation and Heritage as well, where Mikael just shines with his clean vocals.
Mike has blossomed into a really good singer over the years no doubt and I'm a big fan of his singing. Just try to focus on the music while somewhat ignoring the roars. I didn't like growls at all in the late 90s and only barely warmed up to them as a labor of love so I could enjoy the excellent music of bands like Death, Cynic, and Arch Enemy. By 2004, I was at a point where I was at least relievingly neutral towards 'em. My love for Opeth finally broke down the walls for me. I obviously can't make any guarantees for you but I'll gladly try my best to help you try out some different approaches so the music you like won't have to involve any tolerating and can hopefully become a thoroughly enjoyable experience for you.
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Don't bother explaining me the terms. I'm a guitarist myself and, as a matter of fact, I actually learned how to play a couple of Opeth riffs. I'm not a bragger, though. As if that was something to really brag about, I'm sure wolfking and you can play more than half of their catalog. :biggrin:
The riff in Karma is truly gorgeous despite the palm muting and double bass pedal, I think the last couple of chords make it sound more melodic, but to my ears it would have been better off without the growls - there are no lyrics or anything that makes me think how bad-ass the growls in that section are to make me appreciate them more. The first two time you get to hear the riff without any growls on top of it, and just as I get overwhelmed by the beauty, the growls kick in and I'm suddenly not into it anymore. They sound out of place, even when I take the song's lyrics into consideration. At one point near the end you can't even hear the riff because the growls are so noisy. I honestly can't see what the growls added to the riff, but apparently most of you can, so good for you.
I think the entire My arms, your hearse is way too aggressive for me and I'll guess an earnest comment like this will cause some flame as well, but there you go. That's what I get for such a blasphemy, I'm well aware of how beloved this album is, but I as far as I know, the album is considered to be fairly heavier than their later works, so you can understand how that might throw someone off. Songs like April ethereal have some incredible moments (the melody that kicks in at 4:42 really gets me), but at one point later the song get way too heavy again and I completely lose my interest. It's not like I have that problem with all Opeth songs, though. Tracks like The Leper affinity, Godhead's lamenth, Advent, Wreath and The Lotus eater for example keep me focused throughout. I feel there's much more balance in these songs than in Karma.
I appreciate that you broke down the song into sections for me, it made me remember how much I like the clean section and especially the part starting at 3:53, bits like that made Morningrise such an enjoyable listen. Some cool riffs follow, but as it gets more brutal, less I'm into it. From 6:06, I feel like pressing the skip button to get to the wonderful Epilogue, but no. I keep listening to the song to hear just the first two times that riff that caused this discussion is played, and look forward to the relief I feel right after Mikael shuts his mouth and that nice chord finishes the song that's pretty much hit and miss. I love some parts, I hate some parts. Maybe I should have chosen my words more carefully, but I dislike those growls so much that I'm trying way too hard not to dismiss it. I'll work on it, I promise.
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Look - if you don't like it that's all fine and good. Just don't flame the rest of the peeps in this thread that DO like it.
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I don't think I flamed anyone. Did I? ;)
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Um... reread _floyd's post to you above? ;)
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My Arms, Your Hearse is my second least favorite Opeth Album. I enjoyed parts of it and the concept but it feels its missing sonething,, might be the bass being written by Mikael and played by him so it doesn't have the feel of Martin or their other bassist.
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I can agree that the bass is kinda lacking on MYAH. Still, the songs are so damn good I oddly find myself not caring about that ever. Its probably my favorite Opeth album at this point.
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The bass in The Amen Corner's outro is pretty awesome, especially that little harmonic lick.
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My Arms, Your Hearse is definitely and hands-down my second favourite Opeth album, after Blackwater Park. I love the heaviness of it and the way the songs are delivered. Great awesome music.
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To me, it's one of those albums that's consistently good throughout the whole thing, but doesn't really have any specifically amazing songs.
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April Ethereal, When, Demon of the Fall and Karma disagree :)
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April Ethereal, When, Demon of the Fall and Karma disagree :)
THE AMEN CORNER was just mentioned and you left it out!
honestly, the only actual song that isn't so great is "Credence" (although they performed it live much better on the Deliverance tour).
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Well, I can't name every song on the album right? :lol
Besides, those are my personal favourites from the album..
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Can anyone think of a better transition in any Opeth song than 0:56-1:01 of Karma?
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The heavy to acoustic transition in Master's Apprentices is better. It's so damn seamless it's amazing.
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I'd be surprised to see anyone mention any sections from Heritage for this question considering how jarring most of those transitions were.
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I'd be surprised to see anyone mention any sections from Heritage for this question considering how jarring most of those transitions were.
The transition into the 2nd doomy riff in Famine is freaking awesome.
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Tullcore :metal :metal :metal
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My Arms, Your Hearse is my second least favorite Opeth Album. I enjoyed parts of it and the concept but it feels its missing sonething,, might be the bass being written by Mikael and played by him so it doesn't have the feel of Martin or their other bassist.
ben_jamin has personified my (kinda) perceived opinion!
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Um... reread _floyd's post to you above? ;)
I reread it and I still don't think I flamed the posters. I did critique the riff, though. And I think it's funny how I gave my best to clear my side, explain myself, acknowledged black_floyd's thoughtful response and dedicated quite some time to carefully replying to it, yet my post got almost ignored. I kinda expected to cause a wider discussion, but if you guys think there's nothing to discuss, that's fine.
Talking about awesome transitions, because I guess that's what we're talking about right now, my vote goes to the part in The Moor that starts at 7:21 and leads into the clean section.
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My Arms, Your Hearse, Still Life, and Blackwater Park represent the golden period of Opeth for me. Three consecutive masterpieces that just destroy my soul everytime.
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Still Life :heart
Blackwater Park :heart :heart
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To me, Opeth's golden era started at My Arms, Your Hearse and is still going. I love Heritage and Watershed.
Also, MAYH > Still Life.
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To me, Opeth's golden era started at My Arms, Your Hearse and is still going. I love Heritage and Watershed.
That's 80% of their whole discography. :lol You're right, though.
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I agree that MAYH was the first true kickass album, but Orchid and Morningrise are great as well.
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Orchid-BWP for me, cuz.
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To me, Opeth's golden era started at My Arms, Your Hearse and is still going. I love Heritage and Watershed.
Also, MAYH > Still Life.
Yes, yes. Good man. MAYH is my favorite Opeth album and I agree wholeheartedly. I love the brutal stuff but the beautiful eeriness of Heritage fits them just as well. I'm definitely going to be spinning that album soon. It's so good for those cold, windy Fall nights with a demon by your side. Or a dead body. Or just a bowl of hot soup.
MADE FROM HUMAN BLOOD. :metal
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What do you guys think about Ghost Reveries? I know it's a fan favorite in many circles, but I've never enjoyed it that much personally.
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What do you guys think about Ghost Reveries? I know it's a fan favorite in many circles, but I've never enjoyed it that much personally.
It was my favorite before, but now it's my 2nd favorite.
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Tied with Deliverance for my favorite Opeth album.
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i've never held GR in high regard amongst their discog. I think it's a bunch of small factors that combined to work against it and had I heard it any sooner than some of their other albums I may like it better than I do.
1. First two tracks feel kinda samey. I think it had something to do with the fact that they're played in D and that was a rarity before GR (Demon of the Fall and BWP are the only two I can immediately think of) so it subconsciously feels like I'm listening to a different band or something weird like that.
2. It was the first Opeth album to feature a song I actually disliked at first listen, Atonement. Isolation Years was also kinda ugh at first for me as well (though I like it now.)
3. I was already in love with BWP and MAYH at the time since I'd just discovered them in early '04 and got GR not long after it came out in mid-'05. I suppose I got a little set in my ways about what aspects of those albums tickled my fanny (this word doesn't mean that in America, you British perverts!) and since GR was venturing into different territory and felt VERY different from a typical Opeth album after track 3, it was a weird feeling. I say this because after Beneath the Mire, 3 of the last 5 tracks are bereft of any heaviness whatsoever and, of the two that are heavy, TGC was about as simplistic a heavy song as they'd ever made coupled with the fact that the intro lick sounded like a half-hearted rehash of the riff in the middle of Demon of the Fall to me at first.
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What do you guys think about Ghost Reveries? I know it's a fan favorite in many circles, but I've never enjoyed it that much personally.
It's in my Top 3 Opeth albums, most often at the #3 spot (sorry Drew).
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Stats and Observations on the Ghost Reveries rankings:
Song Avg Rank
Reverie/Harlequin Forest 2.41
Ghost of Perdition 2.53
The Baying of the Hounds 3.88
Beneath the Mire 4.88
Isolation Years 4.88
The Grand Conjuration 5.35
Hours of Wealth 5.65
Atonement 6.41
- Five of the eight tracks received at least one 1st place vote, and six of the eight received at least one last place vote.
- Although the average rank was close, Reverie/Harlequin Forest was the clear top choice with 7 first place votes. Ghost of Perdition only received 2 first place votes, but also had 13 second or third place votes.
- The Baying of the Hounds also had a strong showing with 5 first place votes, but it also had 10 votes ranging from 4th place to last place whereas R/HF and GoP only had 6 such votes combined.
- The Grand Conjuration had two 1st place votes and one 2nd place, but had 11 votes for 6th, 7th, and last place.
- Another fairly close race for last as Hours had 5 for last place and Atonement had 6.
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I would put Ghost of Perdition at number one, followed by Harlequin Forest. After that, I don't have any strong preferences. I would comfortably put The Grand Conjuration last, though.
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That's...
Pretty much exactly right.
:tup :tup :tup
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I would put Ghost of Perdition at number one, followed by Harlequin Forest. After that, I don't have any strong preferences. I would comfortably put The Grand Conjuration last, though.
I really don't understand peoples hate for that song. It is easily my favorite on GR. I love the build up.
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I would put Ghost of Perdition at number one, followed by Harlequin Forest. After that, I don't have any strong preferences. I would comfortably put The Grand Conjuration last, though.
I really don't understand peoples hate for that song. It is easily my favorite on GR. I love the build up.
It's one of the most boring songs they've ever recorded.
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What do you guys think about Ghost Reveries? I know it's a fan favorite in many circles, but I've never enjoyed it that much personally.
GR is in my top 3 Opeth albums easily, I've always found it better than BWP.
Song Avg Rank
Reverie/Harlequin Forest 2.41
Ghost of Perdition 2.53
The Baying of the Hounds 3.88
Beneath the Mire 4.88
Isolation Years 4.88
The Grand Conjuration 5.35
Hours of Wealth 5.65
Atonement 6.41
I mostly agree with this ranking, but Hours of Wealth is WAY too low :angry:
I would put Ghost of Perdition at number one, followed by Harlequin Forest. After that, I don't have any strong preferences. I would comfortably put The Grand Conjuration last, though.
I really don't understand peoples hate for that song. It is easily my favorite on GR. I love the build up.
It's one of the most boring songs they've ever recorded.
I wouldn't say it that extremely, but yeah, it relies way too much on the same riff/melody line - the only vocal melody in the song is based on it and the last few minutes are basically repeating the same riff and it gets old so fast. This is one of the rare occasions where I prefer the edited version.
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I mostly agree with this ranking, but Hours of Wealth is WAY too low :angry:
WORD. :angry:
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Expected results for Ghost reveries. It's a shame The Grand conjuration and Isolated years are in the bottom half, they're my two absolute favorites on the record.
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I wouldn't call The Grand Conjuration boring, but it doesn't do a whole lot for me. For my money, easily the least best song on the record. And I consider Ghost Reveries a top 3 Opeth record. Top 2 on certain days. :metal :metal
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Ghost Reveries is my favourite Opeth album.
The Grand Conjuration is great, at least the first half. It's the second half that keeps it from being in my Top 3 on that album.
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1. First two tracks feel kinda samey. I think it had something to do with the fact that they're played in D and that was a rarity before GR (Demon of the Fall and BWP are the only two I can immediately think of) so it subconsciously feels like I'm listening to a different band or something weird like that.
Already know how you feel about GR and why, but I wanted to zero in on your first point (about Ghost of Perdition and The Baying of the Hounds). I don't know if anyone else sees it this way, but I think that the two sound the same because the songs are connected. Not exactly in two halves of a whole way, but pretty damn close. You could almost say that Harlequin Forest also relates to this, more to Baying than to Ghost ("Baying behind me/I hear the hounds"), and Baying relates to Beneath The Mire in a small way thanks to the AWESOME middle section ( :heart ). There's a lot of interrelation on this album. Not so much that it's a true concept album, but enough to make me think that a lot of it was intertwined for a reason. Now, what that reason is? No clue. :lol
I know that this probably won't convince you of anything, I just wanted to share some of my thoughts on why it's in my Top 3. :)
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I don't like Beneath the Mire. The intro sucks.
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Beneath the Mire is one of the best Opeth songs!
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I don't like Beneath the Mire. The intro sucks.
The intro is the best part.
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I don't like Beneath the Mire. The intro sucks.
The intro is the best part.
Yeah, I like the intro.
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I don't like Beneath the Mire. The intro sucks.
The intro is the best part.
Yeah, I like the intro.
The intro is ok, but the song doesn't reach awesomeness until the section with the clean vocal part and the solo.
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I've come to the conclusion there is no better riff than 6:40 - 7:20 of Bleak. Really sensational stuff.
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Agreed, but the build up to it starting at 6:21 is pretty outstanding too.
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There's a lot of interrelation on [Ghost Reveries]. Not so much that it's a true concept album, but enough to make me think that a lot of it was intertwined for a reason. Now, what that reason is? No clue. :lol
well, the only thing stopping GR from being a concept album is "Isolation Years," so i'd say any similarities are intended. the first time i heard it, i thought the first two tracks were meant to be together too — the sudden end of "Ghost of Perdition" has just the right spacing to making the beginning of "The Baying of the Hounds" to sound like its ending.
I don't like Beneath the Mire. The intro sucks.
i also dislike the introduction. it's too bad, as the rest of the song has some of the best moments on GR.
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well, the only things stopping GR from being a concept album are "Isolation Years" and the fact that TGC isn't the opener.
Fixed.
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I'm really excited about the Unplugged-show in a month. I'm curious to what kind of setlist they will play. It's probably now or never we'll see/hear Isolation Years, so I really hope they bring it out.
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It'd be a fantastic troll effort if it was just Orchid in its entirety.
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It'd be a fantastic troll effort if it was just Orchid in its entirety.
HA!
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the first time i heard it, i thought the first two tracks were meant to be together too — the sudden end of "Ghost of Perdition" has just the right spacing to making the beginning of "The Baying of the Hounds" to sound like its ending.
So, may ask what your opinion of the interconnection of these two songs is now?
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the first time i heard it, i thought the first two tracks were meant to be together too — the sudden end of "Ghost of Perdition" has just the right spacing to making the beginning of "The Baying of the Hounds" to sound like its ending.
So, may ask what your opinion of the interconnection of these two songs is now?
(wow, i really fucked up the grammar of that sentence — think i was in zombie mode...)
i think they changed the spacing from the advance release, as the final version has too long between the songs to make them feel continuous. it's a bit of a dumb move they made in the mastering process there. any lyrical connections and storylines are fairly alien to me, as i generally don't give a shit what Åkerfeldt is growling and singing about, so...
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Stats and Observations on the Watershed rankings:
Song Avg Rank
The Lotus Eater 2.62
Hessian Peel 2.85
Heir Apparent 3.38
Burden 3.92
Porcelain Heart 4.77
Coil 5.23
Hex Omega 5.23
- Four songs received multiple first place votes, and the same number of soungs received multiple last place votes.
- The Lotus Eater had the most 1st place votes with 5. It also had 1 last place vote.
- Hessian Peel had 3 first place votes and had at least 1 vote in each position except last.
- Coil and Hex Omega each received five 6th place votes and three last place votes. Hex also had two votes for first place, making it the only song to have multiple first and last place votes on this album.
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I know the votes didn't support the opinion I'm about to post, but fuck it - Porcelain Heart is just WAY TOO LOW. :angry:
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it had a vote in each slot except first. Unfortunately it had 3 last place votes along with Coil and Hex.
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Had a feeling you'd say that, which was why I prefaced my post like I did.
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I know the votes didn't support the opinion I'm about to post, but fuck it - Porcelain Heart is just WAY TOO LOW. :angry:
Yeah, Porcelain Heart > Heir Apparent, easily.
I'm really excited about the Unplugged-show in a month. I'm curious to what kind of setlist they will play. It's probably now or never we'll see/hear Isolation Years, so I really hope they bring it out.
I'm curious about the setlist as well - someone on the Opeth forum said they read an interview with Mikael where he said they're working on an acoustic version of Demon of the Fall! It'll be interesting to see how that one will turn out if/when they play it and they also have lots of great mellow songs that have rarely, if ever, been played live so this would be the perfect occasion to perform them. Hoping for a DVD release of the London concert...
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I know the votes didn't support the opinion I'm about to post, but fuck it - Porcelain Heart is just WAY TOO LOW. :angry:
Yeah, Porcelain Heart > Heir Apparent, easily.
Definitely.
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Nice to see that Hessian peel is pretty much just as beloved as The Lotus eater. :smiley:
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The biggest bummer is Hex Omega not being nr1.
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The biggest bummer is Hex Omega not being nr1.
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yeah Hex really got some low marks.
Although Coil is lengthy compared to most prelude/intro tracks from Opeth, I still view it as such and usually those are easily at the bottom of the rankings. I guess many people really don't like Hex.
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I'd say The Lotus Eater is one of the more overrated songs on the album. It's not bad, but I can't help but feel that it's so high up because it's the most progressive/weird song on the album.
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Well, I can only say that personally The Lotus Eater is my favorite song on Watershed. Not because it's "weird". It's because I think it's a damn good song.
Hex Omega is good, don't get me wrong... but, IMO, the best part of Hex is the bass line - it just works its way into your very soul.
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I'd say The Lotus Eater is one of the more overrated songs on the album. It's not bad, but I can't help but feel that it's so high up because it's the most progressive/weird song on the album.
^Classic "I'm not fond of this song so others must have shitty reasons for liking it" post.
It hooked me instantly. The back-and-forth between singing and roaring during the verses was something that had never been done in any of their previous songs and, combined with the thrilling energy of the drums, it's my favorite part of the entire album. Beyond that, we have the Mariocore section. It's kooky in a good way and very unique compared to anything else in their entire discography. It seems contradictory for anyone to slag on a part of a song because they feel it got undeserved praise for being "weird" since there was a tremendous amount of support for Heritage around here because of it being unconventional and marking a "creative growth" for Opeth.
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:clap:
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I'd say The Lotus Eater is one of the more overrated songs on the album. It's not bad, but I can't help but feel that it's so high up because it's the most progressive/weird song on the album.
^Classic "I'm not fond of this song so others must have shitty reasons for liking it" post.
Haha, pretty much.
The Lotus Eater is great.
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Also Zantera, after seeing the first line of my last post quoted, I realized it may sound kinda smug. I hope it didn't come across rudely.
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I actually have no problem with the song at all, I think it's a good song. My thought behind the post was not to make it sound like "this is the only reason people rank it high", but I think the song has a certain progressiveness to it (the way the verses are built up, and the goofy keyboard-solo which is quite cool) and I think these are two attributes that would appeal to someone who already has an interest in progressive music.
If that makes sense. :P
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Hessian Peel is amazing and way better than the Lotus Eater. That is all.
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Hessian Peel is amazing and way better than the Lotus Eater. That is all.
I agree 100%.
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Hessian Peel is amazing and way better than the Lotus Eater. That is all.
I'm ready for a debate :)
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:corn
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(https://gifsoup.com/webroot/animatedgifs2/3193444_o.gif)
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Dafuq? :lol
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(https://i46.tinypic.com/2dgrwon.jpg)
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The Lotus Eater is great. I think it embodies probably the best combination of old style Opeth and new, prog-rock Opeth and it does much better than
all the majority of Heritage.
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If anything, Hessian Peel is even more progressive/disjointed than The Lotus Eater. Hessian sounds like two completely different songs. Now, while I don't necessarily have a problem with that... I find TLE to be LESS disjointed.
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That's true, but I like TLE better, so it's more successful IMO. :laugh:
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Oh, I agree completely.
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Hessian Peel is amazing and even better than the Lotus Eater. That is all.
I agree 100%.
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Hessian Peel is amazing and way better than the Lotus Eater. That is all.
I'm ready for a debate :)
Around the 5:30 mark in Hessian Peel. :D
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I do like HP but I guess the TLE gets a big win imo because so much of HP's draw is based on subtleties, contrasts, and the payoffs following buildup sections whereas TLE is almost nonstop gratification except for the somber sounding sparse part before that bluesy-sounding lick that leads into the mariocore section. But that tends to help it out in a competition against HP since it gives it some buildup to compete with the numerous buildups in HP.
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I like The Lotus Eater better because it's more fun - while I love Hessian Peel the quiet section at the beginning sometimes feel a little bit drawn out and I lose interest, but TLE keeps me interested throughout and I feel like the song flies by.
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I like The Lotus Eater better because it's more fun - while I love Hessian Peel the quiet section at the beginning sometimes feel a little bit drawn out and I lose interest, but TLE keeps me interested throughout and I feel like the song flies by.
This.
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TLE isn't just the best song on the album, it's in the running for their best song ever imho. Pure brilliance and creative genius. It's a unique animal that explores new territory unlike any other track in their catalog.
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Perfectly said, Ortho. It's one of my favorites, and while Watershed as a whole isn't, that one song makes the album for me.
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Opeth with Anathema a week Tuesday, I can't wait :caffeine:
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Opeth with Anathema a week Tuesday, I can't wait :caffeine:
Opeth unplugged here in a month. :angel:
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Ooooh that'll be awesome!
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Opeth with Anathema a week Tuesday, I can't wait :caffeine:
:'( (aka Debbie is quite jelly)
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Nip on over to Glasgow and come see 'em with me! ;)
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Be right over! :biggrin:
Oh wait... :(
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Maybe someday we'll end up at a gig together. Someday...
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Oh, it WILL happen. :metal
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:metal
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May have to move heaven and earth and win the lotto to do it though... :-\
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Yeah. But you never know what'll happen, we might end up nearby at some point!
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That is very true, my dear. :)
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I'd say The Lotus Eater is one of the more overrated songs on the album. It's not bad, but I can't help but feel that it's so high up because it's the most progressive/weird song on the album.
I feel the same. Coil is still my favorite piece of music on Watershed with Burden 2nd.
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I love Coil and Burden (like I love most of Watershed) but Coil works best as the intro to Heir Apparent. On it's own, it's still good just not as good.
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Stats and Observations on the Heritage rankings:
Song Avg Rank
Folklore 2.73
I Feel the Dark 3.55
The Devil's Orchard 4.09
The Lines in My Hand 4.73
Famine 5.09
Nepenthe 5.27
Haxprocess 6.09
Slither 6.55
Marrow of the Earth 8.27
Heritage 8.64
- Folklore and I Feel the Dark were easily the top 2 songs. Folklore received 4 first place votes and Dark received 2. Neither received any votes for 7th, 8th, 9th, or last place.
- However, Dark didn't receive a single second place vote, but 5 for third place. Orchard, Lines, and Famine each had multiple second place votes.
- Famine voting was all over the place. Six votes for first through 4th place, and 5 votes for 8th and 9th place.
- Marrow and Heritage were easily the bottom two tracks. Every vote for Marrow was 7th, 8th, 9th, or last place. And Heritage had the most last place votes with 6.
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Where are you getting all the data for this? I don't see any polls.
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earlier in this thread people just posted their track rankings for each album. From page 3 to page 11 or so.
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Guess I should look more closely at the thread next time. :justjen
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Move Slither up to the second or third place and I could live with that ranking.
The lack of love for Slither makes me a very sad panda.
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Famine and Häxprocess should be much higher and Nepenthe lower IMO.
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Move Slither up to the second or third place and I could live with that ranking.
The lack of love for Slither makes me a very sad panda.
It is sad the love is low. But its more sad my faves are all low.
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Damn, I love Heritage. :heart
I'm cool with that order, especially with The Lines in My Hand being that high.
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Marrow Of The Earth is so beautiful. It might be my favorite track on the album. It just hits home for me, without saying a goddamn word. Those petty little words. This lil' track dude is like "Hey, follow me into this here decayed forest of lore and ancient wanderings of beings so corrupt, Satan knows to not look into their eons-old eyes. Well, if Satan were real, y'know. You know. Let's go. Through the forest of ancients." And then we do and it's awesome.
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I keep thinking why Pyre was relegated as a mere bonus track, I find it to be great enough to be a "regular" album track.
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I'd say The Lotus Eater is one of the more overrated songs on the album. It's not bad, but I can't help but feel that it's so high up because it's the most progressive/weird song on the album.
I feel the same. Coil is still my favorite piece of music on Watershed with Burden 2nd.
Yeeees Coil and Burden are so beautiful, they were my favourites when I was first getting into Opeth
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Yep, Burden was my favorite Opeth song at first too. Back when I didn't really care for the growls yet.
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Watershed was my first Opeth-album, and the first thing I fell in love with was the contrast between Coil and Heir Apparent. One of the most memorable song-combos I've ever heard. By that I'm not talking about just quality, but rather the shift in dynamics from a very light and beautiful ballad, to a dark and scary beast of a song.
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Watershed was my first Opeth-album, and the first thing I fell in love with was the contrast between Coil and Heir Apparent. One of the most memorable song-combos I've ever heard. By that I'm not talking about just quality, but rather the shift in dynamics from a very light and beautiful ballad, to a dark and scary beast of a song.
"Yes I can see you, running through the field of sorrow" then bam, darkness covers the fields.
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Watershed was my first Opeth-album, and the first thing I fell in love with was the contrast between Coil and Heir Apparent. One of the most memorable song-combos I've ever heard. By that I'm not talking about just quality, but rather the shift in dynamics from a very light and beautiful ballad, to a dark and scary beast of a song.
One of my favorite Opeth moments. And one of the big reasons I stuck around while getting used to the growls.
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That's why both Coil and Heir Apparent are among my favourite Opeth songs :metal
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Last night's setlist (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2012/rock-city-nottingham-england-53da93c1.html)
Nice to see they finally played Famine! :tup The rest of the song picks, while not surprising, are good as well, except for BWP. I bet they'll save the special songs for the acoustic shows. Now if only they and Anathema could come to Finland... :sadpanda: What kind of "Scandinavian tour" doesn't include any Finnish (or Norwegian) dates? Even the support band there is Finnish (Von Hertzen Brothers).
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Last night's setlist (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2012/rock-city-nottingham-england-53da93c1.html)
Nice to see they finally played Famine! :tup The rest of the song picks, while not surprising, are good as well, except for BWP. I bet they'll save the special songs for the acoustic shows. Now if only they and Anathema could come to Finland... :sadpanda: What kind of "Scandinavian tour" doesn't include any Finnish (or Norwegian) dates? Even the support band there is Finnish (Von Hertzen Brothers).
Holy shit, epic setlist!
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Dat setlist :sadpanda:
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I'm seeing them Unplugged in a few weeks. Can't wait to see what they will play.
Isolation Years and I would die happy.
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Man, they REALLY like Napalm Death.
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Yeah, You Suffer is like the longest song in the history of mankind.
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They like the song so much they played it twice in a row.
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Going to see them tonight in Glasgow with Anathema :coolio
Bit of a last minute thing, I forgot about the gig then checked for any upcoming shows in Glasgow because I've got a couple of days off this week. A nice surprise to those 2 bands :D
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That's one fine setlist. Wouldn't mind seeing White cluster, Deliverance and Hessian peel at all. :metal
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THAT IS THE SETLIST I NEED TO SEE. DAMMIT OPETH.
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THAT IS THE SETLIST I NEED TO SEE. DAMMIT OPETH.
I KNOW, RIGHT?! :sadpanda:
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One of their best setlists in a long time.
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yeah, that looks pretty sick. And lol at the comments about the back-to-back Napalm Death.
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I almost want someone who went to the concert to come in here saying "Nah, that's no screw up...they really played that song twice. In a row".
Last time I saw Opeth, which was way too long ago in '08; their setlist solidified me as a devout zealot. Setlist from that concert (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2008/warehouse-live-houston-tx-2bd6acc2.html) for anyone interested. But this is a good return to glory for the guys, and I'm wondering how much of this is for the fans, or if the band is getting back into their old groove. Either way, good stuff; wish I could have seen it.
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I almost want someone who went to the concert to come in here saying "Nah, that's no screw up...they really played that song twice. In a row".
that would be :rollin
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Last time I saw Opeth, which was way too long ago in '08; their setlist solidified me as a devout zealot. Setlist from that concert (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2008/warehouse-live-houston-tx-2bd6acc2.html) for anyone interested.
ZOMG so JELLY :sadpanda:
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:angel: It was truly remarkable! When TNATSW came on I just about lost it, I never thought I'd hear that song live, and the show was right after I had really started to get into them. I really don't think I'll feel the way I did at that concert at any other one. It was like I took a Viagra for the soul and ecstasy for the ears.
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Setlist from that concert (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2008/warehouse-live-houston-tx-2bd6acc2.html) for anyone interested.
Whoa, The Night and the silent water! That's quite a set list as well, I'm sure my neck would hurt like hell after the first three songs. :metal
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Setlist from that concert (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2008/warehouse-live-houston-tx-2bd6acc2.html) for anyone interested.
Whoa, The Night and the silent water! That's quite a set list as well, I'm sure my neck would hurt like hell after the first three songs. :metal
That looks like the setlist I saw at my one and only Opeth concert a couple years ago. It was awesome. Hope to see them again, with Michael in his true form again.
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HARLEQUIN FOREST
Ohgodohgodohgod I remember they played that when I saw them on PN09 in London. It was the first time I'd heard any Opeth (I'd not even heard any of their albums, but I picked up BWP and Watershed that night), and I remember being fascinated and blown away by the bit at the end (and I still have not managed to get the rhythm right, but it's amazing).
Yeah. Love that song so damn much.
My mother and cousin also thought it was amazing (because those are totally the people who you take to prog metal festivals).
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Setlist from that concert (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2008/warehouse-live-houston-tx-2bd6acc2.html)
yeah, that's the same setlist I saw during the Watershed tour in Raleigh. Awesome show.
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Last time I saw Opeth, which was way too long ago in '08; their setlist solidified me as a devout zealot. Setlist from that concert (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2008/warehouse-live-houston-tx-2bd6acc2.html) for anyone interested.
Not to be a dick or anything, but the setlist from when I saw them the next day in New Orleans (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2008/house-of-blues-new-orleans-la-4bd10bc2.html) kinda owns the shit outta the one you posted.
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Last time I saw Opeth, which was way too long ago in '08; their setlist solidified me as a devout zealot. Setlist from that concert (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2008/warehouse-live-houston-tx-2bd6acc2.html) for anyone interested.
Not to be a dick or anything, but the setlist from when I saw them the next day in New Orleans (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2008/house-of-blues-new-orleans-la-4bd10bc2.html) kinda owns the shit outta the one you posted.
you mean the exact same setlist?
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Last time I saw Opeth, which was way too long ago in '08; their setlist solidified me as a devout zealot. Setlist from that concert (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2008/warehouse-live-houston-tx-2bd6acc2.html) for anyone interested.
Not to be a dick or anything, but the setlist from when I saw them the next day in New Orleans (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2008/house-of-blues-new-orleans-la-4bd10bc2.html) kinda owns the shit outta the one you posted.
Dayyyuuuuum, Blackie!! That setlist is the shit, I must concede to you, brethren. :azn:
P.S. It being in a HOB kinda does make it srsly better; I didn't like the venue I was at all that much. Not bad, but could have been a lot better.
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Last time I saw Opeth, which was way too long ago in '08; their setlist solidified me as a devout zealot. Setlist from that concert (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2008/warehouse-live-houston-tx-2bd6acc2.html) for anyone interested.
Not to be a dick or anything, but the setlist from when I saw them the next day in New Orleans (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2008/house-of-blues-new-orleans-la-4bd10bc2.html) kinda owns the shit outta the one you posted.
you mean the exact same setlist?
(https://static1.fjcdn.com/comments/4201814+_13acb23c760a88a5fd38ae02ba10bdf9.jpg)
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I'm uber jelly of you peoples who saw them before Heritage. :'(
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(https://static1.fjcdn.com/comments/4201814+_13acb23c760a88a5fd38ae02ba10bdf9.jpg)
:huh:
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I'm uber jelly of you peoples who saw them before Heritage. :'(
Bad time to mention I saw Opeth four times before Heritage then?
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:censored
:'( :'( :'(
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Not to add fuel to the fire here, but I was at this show. ;D
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2010/wiltern-theatre-los-angeles-ca-1bd4fdb4.html (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2010/wiltern-theatre-los-angeles-ca-1bd4fdb4.html)
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FML :'(
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HARLEQUIN FOREST
Ohgodohgodohgod I remember they played that when I saw them on PN09 in London. It was the first time I'd heard any Opeth (I'd not even heard any of their albums, but I picked up BWP and Watershed that night), and I remember being fascinated and blown away by the bit at the end (and I still have not managed to get the rhythm right, but it's amazing).
They played it when I saw them on PN09 too (in Stockholm). I didn't know that much Opeth at the time, had I known it would be one of my favourite Opeth songs ever I would have enjoyed it even more.
:metal
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I don't know what the f*ck is going on with Turkey. No Dream Theater, No Opeth, No Anathema this year?! And they always visit, especially when the new album comes out.
Debra, if someone is being uber jelly it's going to be me. Sorry. :lol
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Debra, if someone is being uber jelly it's going to be me. Sorry. :lol
But... we could be uber jelly togethers... :'(
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I gladly accept to be jelly with you. Share my burden. :(
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Once upon a time I did carry a burden inside... :(
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You've given up the ghost?
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Yup. :(
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Speaking of Burden, I really hope they play it when I see them in a few weeks.
It would be kinda logical since it's an unplugged show, but there have been rumours/talks about them doing Demon of the Fall acoustic which makes me very confused regarding what to expect. :lol
Some songs I would love to hear though:
Isolation Years, Burden, Hours of Wealth, Weakness, In My Time of Need, Face of Melinda & To Bid You Farewell.
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HARLEQUIN FOREST
Ohgodohgodohgod I remember they played that when I saw them on PN09 in London. It was the first time I'd heard any Opeth (I'd not even heard any of their albums, but I picked up BWP and Watershed that night), and I remember being fascinated and blown away by the bit at the end (and I still have not managed to get the rhythm right, but it's amazing).
They played it when I saw them on PN09 too (in Stockholm). I didn't know that much Opeth at the time, had I known it would be one of my favourite Opeth songs ever I would have enjoyed it even more.
:metal
Ditto that. There's just so much epic in that song.
Not to add fuel to the fire here, but I was at this show. ;D
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2010/wiltern-theatre-los-angeles-ca-1bd4fdb4.html (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2010/wiltern-theatre-los-angeles-ca-1bd4fdb4.html)
So much jelly here that this thread is no longer suitable for vegetarians.
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If the talk about doing an acoustic version of DotF is actually more than just a red herring, I really hope they don't do something silly like taking the piss out of it and reworking it into something that's bereft of fire and brimstone. Most of all, for the love of all things sacred, retain the roaring please.
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Man, they REALLY like Napalm Death.
At least they didn't play You Suffer 4 times like they did at some UK gig last year! :biggrin:
Someone at Opethforum.com posted scans of an interview with Mikael from Prog Magazine and he said they will play some heavy songs acoustically at the unplugged shows and DOTF could be one of them. Too bad the forum is (once again) down right now, the interview was pretty interesting.
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When the forum is back up, link to the interview please? :P
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If the talk about doing an acoustic version of DotF is actually more than just a red herring, I really hope they don't do something silly like taking the piss out of it and reworking it into something that's bereft of fire and brimstone. Most of all, for the love of all things sacred, retain the roaring please.
You yourself agreed in this thread that the roaring may be done for, though.
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I don't think I ever said that. I think I only said that his ability to do so was in decline.
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You should really give me more of a challenge sometime, my dear. (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=33525.msg1367538#msg1367538) ;)
(the winking emote should connotate playfulness, not bitchiness :) )
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You're reaching. Nothing in that post indicates that I felt his roaring was already dead nor do I think I ever said they were. All I've said is that his roaring has been in decline and the rest of the post you linked only involves my speculation about Mike abandoning roaring due to choice of creative direction, not physical limitation.
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Oh, cool your jets - I was just trying to have some fun.
Also - I incorrectly assumed something, so for that I apologize.
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I wasn't trying to get surly, but I guess folks trying to correct folks despite no error being made in the first place is a pet peeve of mine.
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Did I not just say that I made an incorrect assumption? You didn't specifically state what I thought you did - fault is mine, not yours.
I should read more often, yes?
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I wasn't trying to rake you over the coals. What I said about the pet peeve was in regard to my response to the post where you linked my old post.
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I KNOW THAT! :lol
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ok, you two, break it up. Do we need to get out the boxing gloves?
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:rollin
Though that might help and would probably be outstandingly stupendous. :metal
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The unplugged setlist (London) (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2012/union-chapel-london-england-6bdafa46.html)
...and a clip of DOTF (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKY0Ck8JLa4)
The vocal melodies sound a bit monotonous, but obviously it isn't easy to replace growl parts with clean singing. Anyway, interesting version - sounds like it could've been on Heritage!
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Man, looks like Opeth and I will be going our separate ways.
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Didn't Mikael say they were going to go in the hard rock direction for the next release? Not excited about that at all. I'm all for bands doing what they want, but if you're going to change the sound that's defined the band for the better part of a decade, then you should change the band name. Chuck Schuldiner did with Death, he understood changing the vocals to clean would upset fans if released under Death, and thus the awesome Control Denied kicked ass, not Death completely changing and leaving fans hanging.
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Does it really matter? I mean if you have no interest in music without growls, don't listen to the new Opeth albums if they won't have any growls. It seems kinda silly to me that it would be necessary to break up the band and form Opeth 2.0 making music that still sounds fairly like Opeth, except for the no growls part.
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Does it really matter? I mean if you have no interest in music without growls, don't listen to the new Opeth albums if they won't have any growls. It seems kinda silly to me that it would be necessary to break up the band and form Opeth 2.0 making music that still sounds fairly like Opeth, except for the no growls part.
I listen to just as much music without growls as much as I do without growls. Also Control Denied was the exact same line up except with a new singer. It's just when you have a defined sound and just abandon it it's kind of a what the fuck for fans. Control Denied was also pretty similar to Death musically, The Sound of Perseverance was originally going to be Control Denied's first album, but Death owed their label one more record so Chuck reworked it a bit to fit his harsh vocals a bit more. I guess what that whole tangent I got into is that it's more of a courtesy thing to the fans, and it preserves the legacy of the band in my opinion.
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Yeah. Darky's on point. Also, why do people so often feel the need to generalize others as "not liking music without growls" when they voice dissatisfaction with bands that initially attracted them with a style that was growl-dominant only to abandon it later on? Same shit happened in the Cynic thread.
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I'm not suggesting that you only listen to growl-music or anything, but it kinda comes across as the only reason Opeth is good is because of the growls. :P
While being completely subjective, I love bands changing. Bands playing it safe and making the same album over and over and over and over again gets so boring for me, and in that way I really appreciate Watershed and Heritage for being a step forward soundwise, even if neither are among my favorite Opeth-albums.
Speaking of Watershed I feel like it's one of the most appreciated Opeth-albums on this forum, and it has very little growl on it. At least compared to other albums.
While Heritage was hit or miss for most people, I feel like Opeth can probably make a stellar album without growl-vocals.
Regarding making a new band or not I just think it's silly. They don't owe anything to us fans, we might have supported them and liked their music, but nobody is forcing us to keep listening if we don't like the change.
They've built up a music-career over 20 years and become one of the most successful bands within the Progressive-scene, why should they abandon that and start from scratch with a new project? People can hate on Heritage as much as they want, it still sounds Opeth.
There are plenty of bands who have kept evolving and changing their sound over the years (and some in even more drastic ways than Opeth, like Ulver starting out Black Metal and later on making Electronic music) and I think it's silly to demand that Opeth would remake another band just because they've dropped the growls. It's still Progressive music. It still sounds Opeth, even if the distorted guitars and the growl vocals are not there.
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Didn't Mikael say they were going to go in the hard rock direction for the next release? Not excited about that at all. I'm all for bands doing what they want, but if you're going to change the sound that's defined the band for the better part of a decade, then you should change the band name. Chuck Schuldiner did with Death, he understood changing the vocals to clean would upset fans if released under Death, and thus the awesome Control Denied kicked ass, not Death completely changing and leaving fans hanging.
This is interesting though. Why should the name of the band performing the music impact your enjoyment of the music? If Control Denied's music was awesome, why would it have been any less awesome if it were released under Death?
I guess what that whole tangent I got into is that it's more of a courtesy thing to the fans, and it preserves the legacy of the band in my opinion.
I think you've kind of answered my question here. I get what you're saying, but I disagree that radical style changes are bad for legacies.
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I'm not suggesting that you only listen to growl-music or anything, but it kinda comes across as the only reason Opeth is good is because of the growls. :P
While being completely subjective, I love bands changing. Bands playing it safe and making the same album over and over and over and over again gets so boring for me, and in that way I really appreciate Watershed and Heritage for being a step forward soundwise, even if neither are among my favorite Opeth-albums.
Speaking of Watershed I feel like it's one of the most appreciated Opeth-albums on this forum, and it has very little growl on it. At least compared to other albums.
While Heritage was hit or miss for most people, I feel like Opeth can probably make a stellar album without growl-vocals.
Regarding making a new band or not I just think it's silly. They don't owe anything to us fans, we might have supported them and liked their music, but nobody is forcing us to keep listening if we don't like the change.
They've built up a music-career over 20 years and become one of the most successful bands within the Progressive-scene, why should they abandon that and start from scratch with a new project? People can hate on Heritage as much as they want, it still sounds Opeth.
There are plenty of bands who have kept evolving and changing their sound over the years (and some in even more drastic ways than Opeth, like Ulver starting out Black Metal and later on making Electronic music) and I think it's silly to demand that Opeth would remake another band just because they've dropped the growls. It's still Progressive music. It still sounds Opeth, even if the distorted guitars and the growl vocals are not there.
Red text #1: Kinda seems like you were.
Does it really matter? I mean if you have no interest in music without growls, don't listen to the new Opeth albums if they won't have any growls. It seems kinda silly to me that it would be necessary to break up the band and form Opeth 2.0 making music that still sounds fairly like Opeth, except for the no growls part.
And the generalizations continue. The growls have been a signature part of their sound. It's like trying to call someone unreasonable because they're pissed that their favorite pizza place now serves soups, salads, and sandwiches instead and the pizza is gone.
Red text #2: So, is PT making the same album over and over again by never having growls? Seriously, you sound like you have some condescending agenda against folks who are big fans of growls the way you jump to conclusions about this.
Red text #3: They don't owe the fans anything from a legal standpoint but if nobody bought their albums, concert tickets, or merchandise, they'd be playing cramped coffee houses in Gothenburg in no time. A little more consideration for the folks who've loved your art enough to help you rise from being a misunderstood band fighting tooth and nail to make a name for yourself in the Swedish death/black metal scene to being a top 40 act in several countries would be nice.
Red text #4: Even people on opethforum.com are iffy at best toward their support of that album. If you aren't even winning the battle on your home field then I'd say that the new album doesn't sound like you.
Red text #5: That's like saying even though it has no wheels or internal combustion engine, it's still a car. They made 7 out of their first 8 albums in that style and Watershed still had a lot of that style as well so it's beyond the point of being their calling card. I think you're trying to shape reality around your point of view just because you aren't bothered by the change in creative direction.
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Red text #3: They don't owe the fans anything from a legal standpoint but if nobody bought their albums, concert tickets, or merchandise, they'd be playing cramped coffee houses in Gothenburg in no time. A little more consideration for the folks who've loved your art enough to help you rise from being a misunderstood band fighting tooth and nail to make a name for yourself in the Swedish death/black metal scene to being a top 40 act in several countries would be nice.
I agree with this with regard to the Heritage tour. The setlists Opeth were playing on that tour were not catered to fans at all, which is a real concern because most of the fans probably blew a lot of money on the show, between tickets, merchandise, and travel.
Red text #4: Even people on opethforum.com are iffy at best toward their support of that album. If you aren't even winning the battle on your home field then I'd say that the new album doesn't sound like you.
I'm a little confused here. Are you saying that Opeth forum members didn't like Heritage, Opeth forum members didn't think Heritage sounded like Opeth, or all of the above?
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Red text #4: Even people on opethforum.com are iffy at best toward their support of that album. If you aren't even winning the battle on your home field then I'd say that the new album doesn't sound like you.
I'm a little confused here. Are you saying that Opeth forum members didn't like Heritage, Opeth forum members didn't think Heritage sounded like Opeth, or all of the above?
Sort of both in a cause and effect way. If people like a band enough to actively participate in the biggest existing forum for their fans and the consensus is leaning more toward "thumbs down" on something, it's pretty likely they didn't think it sounded like the band since if they had released something that sounded true to their style, I doubt you'd have that massive of a chunk of hardcore fans dissenting. (opethforum is fan-run like DTF as Opeth haven't had an official forum since some absurdity laid the groundwork for their forum on Ultimate Metal Forums being permanently closed)
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Red text #2: So, is PT making the same album over and over again by never having growls? Seriously, you sound like you have some condescending agenda against folks who are big fans of growls the way you jump to conclusions about this.
Implying that the only way to not make the same album over and over again is to add or subtract growls.
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1. Sorry if that came across as the point, but I didn't mean that you only like music with growls, just that your reaction sounded to me like "oh no it wont have growls, it possibly can't be any good".
2. I don't think Opeth has made the same album over and over again, because they have changed slightly from album to album. Personally I feel like they have pretty much perfected their sound on albums like Blackwater Park, Ghost Reveries, Deliverance, Still Life and My Arms, Your Hearse. These albums are all awesome, and I don't think Opeth can possibly top these albums with another album of the same quality in that "sound", and I also don't think they have any interest to make an album in that "sound".
3. I see your point. Opeth playing mainly Heritage stuff on the Heritage-tour is logical though. It's a tour for Heritage, and having mostly songs from that album in the setlist made sense. However, I can agree that having a few classics in the setlist would have been cool as well, though personally I consider "A Fair Judgement" and "Face of Melinda" classics, so getting them was awesome. However, I do feel like they made up for this later on. They did start playing classic-songs with growl eventually, so I guess they also felt a bit bad for not doing so in the first place.
4. I think the problem is that a lot of what Mikael listens to (and is mostly inspired by) is fairly obscure, and making an album very inspired by some obscure bands will lead to the music being a bit harder to swallow.
Personally I'm not really surprised, from my experience Opeth has a lot of metal-fans (as in people who are more appealed by the metal-side than the progressive-side) and being a metal-band and going from harsh vocals to no harsh vocals is pretty much a death sentence even if you're Opeth.
5. I don't really agree. Some of the tracks on Heritage are more experimental, but a song like Folklore for example still sounds very much like Opeth, even if you hate it.
Also, I love growl vocals. But it's not something that has to be in the music for me to be able to appreciate it. If Mikael doesn't want to growl anymore, I'd rather have him make something he's passionate about than to make music 100% for the fans which would sound soulless.
And last off, I think it's funny with Opeth because a lot of people have complained over the years about them having growls "oh it's shit, why can't he sing normally?" and when they start to go into that direction, it's not good either because the music is too weird, or lacks that dimension. :lol
And this is by no means related to this discussion, just an observation of how people have been reacting on different sites.
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Sort of both in a cause and effect way. If people like a band enough to actively participate in the biggest existing forum for their fans and the consensus is leaning more toward "thumbs down" on something, it's pretty likely they didn't think it sounded like the band since if they had released something that sounded true to their style, I doubt you'd have that massive of a chunk of hardcore fans dissenting.
I don't think this logic fully works: to use DT as an example, Systematic Chaos is a pretty typical DT album, but the majority of people on this forum don't rate it very highly. I think the main reason some Opeth fans are disappointed is the songwriting itself, not necessarily the style. How is Heritage any less Opeth than Damnation? At least I can clearly hear some typical Opeth elements on Heritage despite the lack of growls - they just took the Watershed style further. And even if they had made Blackwater Park II, some people would've been disappointed.
Anyway, the Opeth Forum is still down, but I managed to find the interview I talked about. Here are the scans:
Page 1 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0090.PNG
Page 2 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0091.PNG
Page 3 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0092.PNG
Page 4 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0093.PNG
Page 5 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0094.PNG
Page 6 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0095.PNG
Page 7 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0096.PNG
Page 8 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0097.PNG
He mostly talks about his passion for prog and record collecting, but on the last page he discusses the current tour and the next album. This is what he says about the latter:
I want to do something heavy, not in a death metal sense, but like a complex, guitar-based record, something that's a bit more ugly and maybe even a bit heavier and not so pretty.
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Red text #2: So, is PT making the same album over and over again by never having growls? Seriously, you sound like you have some condescending agenda against folks who are big fans of growls the way you jump to conclusions about this.
Implying that the only way to not make the same album over and over again is to add or subtract growls.
I wasn't and you completely missed my point which was pointing out how ludicrous it is to suggest that having growls on every album will result in "making the same album over and over again."
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Well, personally I don't think Opeth has evolved that much, at least not compared to many other bands. I'm not saying that all their albums have been growl/heaviness/acoustic guitars, there has been minor changes along the way. The introduction of more keyboards on Ghost Reveries was nice, the more mixed heavy/soft ratio on Blackwater Park was also nice.
Personally I think the biggest change in Opeth's sound has been the last two albums.
So yeah, that's just my opinion. Someone else might think that Opeth has changed loads from album to album, and I'm cool if someone thinks that.
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I am sorry, but I think suggesting that the band change their name is laughable at best. If you don't like the new direction of the band, then don't listen anymore. As for them having a defined sound, where does it say that a band has to stick with that forever? Oh yeah, it doesn't say that anywhere. Opeth can be whatever they want it to be, can sound however they want it to, etc.
When it comes to live shows, I would concede that it is smarter to play a healthy mix of everything (some old, some new), acoustic shows like last night not withstanding, but when it comes to the studio albums, Opeth, like every other band in the world, should have free reign to do whatever the hell they want, and not feel restricted by the expectations of some fans.
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Personally I really love it when bands try to play something from each album. In some cases that gets impossible, like if the band has many albums or albums with more "awesome" songs. But at least try to throw in a nice variety of albums in the live-show.
Opeth's Roundhouse Tapes is a brilliant mix IMO. There's old stuff for the really hardcore fans, fan-favorites but also a nice mix. Nothing from Deliverance, but apart from that a really cool mix.
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I have no problem with a band changing their sound, just as long as what they change into is um interesting, which, IMO, Heritage is not, on the whole.
I think Watershed is one of their best and that was a pretty big change for them, meanwhile I consider Deliverance and Orchid to be pretty boring albums so it's not like I'm married to the traditional Opeth style. I just like well written songs.
It's really too bad that the Heritage detractors seem to be dominated by the 'no growls, it sucks' crowd because then those people that do not like the album, automatically get lumped in with the rest, regardless of whether or not their opinions match the rest.
Also, I enjoyed myself on the Heritage tour. Most of the Heritage songs sound so much better live. On the album, they sound incredibly sterile to me, but live, even the songs I didn't much care for were a good time. I wasn't a fan of the acoustic section though, brought the energy level crashing to a halt.
If I see Opeth again, I hope they have a better mix of songs. As much as I enjoyed the Heritage tour, I'm not sure I'd be up for seeing something like that from them again.
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I have no problem with a band changing their sound, just as long as what they change into is um interesting, which, IMO, Heritage is not, on the whole.
I think Watershed is one of their best and that was a pretty big change for them, meanwhile I consider Deliverance and Orchid to be pretty boring albums so it's not like I'm married to the traditional Opeth style. I just like well written songs.
It's really too bad that the Heritage detractors seem to be dominated by the 'no growls, it sucks' crowd because then those people that do not like the album, automatically get lumped in with the rest, regardless of whether or not their opinions match the rest.
Agree with this. A lot of people hated on Heritage because it abandoned the heavier, growling parts and for no other reason, while my reason for disliking it had nothing to do with the abandoning of metal, it was because I thought it was an unfocused, total mess of an album. The tour set list initially utterly abandoning metal, though, I'll admit is off putting. Bands have a right to change their sound, but they also can run the risk of alienating people like me who have supported the band for ages. And while it is their right to change, it's my right to say "I'll just stick to the albums I enjoy, thanks."
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I am sorry, but I think suggesting that the band change their name is laughable at best. If you don't like the new direction of the band, then don't listen anymore. As for them having a defined sound, where does it say that a band has to stick with that forever? Oh yeah, it doesn't say that anywhere. Opeth can be whatever they want it to be, can sound however they want it to, etc.
When it comes to live shows, I would concede that it is smarter to play a healthy mix of everything (some old, some new), acoustic shows like last night not withstanding, but when it comes to the studio albums, Opeth, like every other band in the world, should have free reign to do whatever the hell they want, and not feel restricted by the expectations of some fans.
I like Heritage, I think I even said I did. But if the next album is going to be hard rock, how is that Opeth at all? Progressive Death Metal aaannnddd it's gone.
Obviously a band can do what they want, but when you just up and change your sound on loyal fans, it's kind of lame. Also if Death had released the Control Denied album as Death, I would have been a bit unhappy, because that's not Death's sound, going from a progressive death metal band to a progressive power metal band would have really had me on the fence with them. Chuck, one of the smartest guys in metal ever realized this, and respected Death's legacy, and also because he cared about how the fans felt. I can't really see how people are okay with Opeth completely 180'ing on genres and just continuing on and forgetting about what made them and set them up as one of the biggest bands in metal.
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While its not the traditional Opeth sound, Heritage still manages to sound like Opeth. Control Denied on the other hand sounds nothing like Death, so I think that's why its fine for them to do what they want.
I do hope they make a better setlist though. The second time I saw them was mostly the same group of songs, except they added Windowpane, Burden, Lines in my Hand, Demon, and TGC, but the two death metal songs were after the audience was bored by so much non-growly stuff.
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From what I've heard (I can't verify it myself) Mikael's growls have apparently become worse and worse. If there's any truth to that, it might also be a reason for Opeth slowly going away from growl-material. There might be several reasons.
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His growls have definitely gotten worse. He said it was because of in-ear monitors, but the truth is, he's just getting old. It's put the band in a difficult predicament: Play the old songs with sub-par vocals, or play all clean songs at risk of boring the audience.
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I think one possible solution is to write new material that has heavy parts but no growls. A song like Porcelain Heart for example has no growls, but it has quite a few heavy parts. Hex Omega is a bit the same. Those songs are not "ballads/calm songs" like Face of Melinda or A Fair Judgement for example, but instead heavy with some softer passages.
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That or bring someone in to handle growls.
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A lot of people hated on Heritage because it abandoned the heavier, growling parts and for no other reason, while my reason for disliking it had nothing to do with the abandoning of metal, it was because I thought it was an unfocused, total mess of an album. The tour set list initially utterly abandoning metal, though, I'll admit is off putting. Bands have a right to change their sound, but they also can run the risk of alienating people like me who have supported the band for ages. And while it is their right to change, it's my right to say "I'll just stick to the albums I enjoy, thanks."
I agree with this a lot. Heritage has some great moments for sure, but they are few and far between. The lack of growls and metal can be excused, but the lack of focus can not. The album can drudge on for lengthy periods of time with very little happening. Too much ambiance and fluff for my taste. I realize there are folks who really enjoy that and that's fine. More songs like Folklore, Slither and Devil's Orchard and fewer songs like Heritage, Marrow of the Earth, Nepenthe and Haxprocess...
I hope Opeth can get back to metal, but if this is the new direction of Opeth 2.0 I will accept it, I think it can work and I have total faith that MA can pull it off.
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Fans....I am excited for the next release.
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Fans....I am excited for the next release.
Me too. I really like the direction they took with Heritage.
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That or bring someone in to handle growls.
I'm not sure what to think about this. Mikael has been the frontman since forever, and taking someone in to share that duty would just feel so awkward. If we were talking small portions and someone else in the band being able to do those vocals, I could see it work, but most of their songs with growls contains loads of them. So it's not just like 25 seconds of growls.
That combined with the fact that Mikael doesn't seem that into Metal anymore just doesn't make it very likely IMO. The most logical thing would probably be doing a set of songs, and then play 2-3 growl songs as an encore or mixed into the set. If his voice is already starting to have problems with it, there's only a matter of time before it's even more noticeable, so maybe in a few years they won't be able to play any of the classic songs containing growls.
Personally I feel like they've sorta gotten themselves in a tricky situation. Take away the growl-songs and you've taken out like 70% of the band's catalogue. That's quite a lot.
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Ultimately, I think they're going to have to get someone to handle the growls. Ten years from now, if Opeth are still touring, Mikael simply won't be able to do them anymore.
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Well, personally I think it's more believable that they wont do growl-songs. Just tour around with whatever new album is out, throw in some Damnation/Heritage-stuff, or songs like "Face of Melinda", "Burden", "A Fair Judgement" or "Harvest". Or something.
We'll see. :P
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I'm not sure what to think about this. Mikael has been the frontman since forever, and taking someone in to share that duty would just feel so awkward.
As awkward as the stylistic shift in Heritage? :neverusethis:
Personally I feel like they've sorta gotten themselves in a tricky situation. Take away the growl-songs and you've taken out like 70% of the band's catalogue. That's quite a lot.
Yep.
IF his voice really is going to shit, then this is really the only option if they don't want to limit themselves to merely playing growl-less songs from now on. It would be weird, but I'm sure we could adapt.
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If that's the case then I will thank my lucky stars that I got to see Opeth Live once when he was still doing his growls.
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That or bring someone in to handle growls.
I'm not sure what to think about this. Mikael has been the frontman since forever, and taking someone in to share that duty would just feel so awkward. If we were talking small portions and someone else in the band being able to do those vocals, I could see it work, but most of their songs with growls contains loads of them. So it's not just like 25 seconds of growls.
That combined with the fact that Mikael doesn't seem that into Metal anymore just doesn't make it very likely IMO. The most logical thing would probably be doing a set of songs, and then play 2-3 growl songs as an encore or mixed into the set. If his voice is already starting to have problems with it, there's only a matter of time before it's even more noticeable, so maybe in a few years they won't be able to play any of the classic songs containing growls.
Personally I feel like they've sorta gotten themselves in a tricky situation. Take away the growl-songs and you've taken out like 70% of the band's catalogue. That's quite a lot.
Nope. it's the fans, people who listen to music. I accept new opeth and will always accept them.
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If they're not really going to play any songs with growls live, I'm probably not going to be bothered to see them, which is a shame, as I used to hope to see them live some day :sadpanda:
I guess I can always hope Hung will be able to make it out someday :-\
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I would honestly rather have Mike Portnoy come in and do all the growls rather than them abandoning those songs completely.
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I would honestly rather have Mike Portnoy come in and do all the growls rather than them abandoning those songs completely.
Umm... no. Please God, no. I would rather never hear them again. And if all this speculation about the growling is at all accurate, and if he were to stop growling altogether, I think we would just never hear those songs again. And I'm okay with that.
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I would honestly rather have Mike Portnoy come in and do all the growls rather than them abandoning those songs completely.
Um.... HELL FUCKING NO.
The unplugged setlist (London) (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2012/union-chapel-london-england-6bdafa46.html)
...and a clip of DOTF (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKY0Ck8JLa4)
Underwhelmed looking at the setlist, but the clip you provided is really NOT that bad. I'll stick around to see where they go from here, but I obviously prefer the growlies (that's what drew me in, besides the awesome music) to the clean vox. But, the show I saw them at was REALLY good even though it was Heritage heavy and clean vox all the way through.
It's also understandable if Mike is getting too old to do the growls - honestly, I'm shocked he was able to keep it up for as long as he did.
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Looks like no-one paid attention to my post amidst all the debating, so I'll post the links to the Prog interview again (not scanned by me, the credit goes to a user at opethforum.com):
Page 1 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0090.PNG
Page 2 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0091.PNG
Page 3 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0092.PNG
Page 4 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0093.PNG
Page 5 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0094.PNG
Page 6 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0095.PNG
Page 7 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0096.PNG
Page 8 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21593326/prog/IMG_0097.PNG
But if the next album is going to be hard rock, how is that Opeth at all?
In the summer Mikael said it would be more hard rock than Heritage, not that they're turning into Bon Jovi. Besides, if you read the last page of the interview above, you'll see that Mikael says he wants to make the next album more evil-sounding and "evil" is not an adjective that first comes to mind when you talk about hard rock.
I am sorry, but I think suggesting that the band change their name is laughable at best. If you don't like the new direction of the band, then don't listen anymore. As for them having a defined sound, where does it say that a band has to stick with that forever? Oh yeah, it doesn't say that anywhere. Opeth can be whatever they want it to be, can sound however they want it to, etc.
When it comes to live shows, I would concede that it is smarter to play a healthy mix of everything (some old, some new), acoustic shows like last night not withstanding, but when it comes to the studio albums, Opeth, like every other band in the world, should have free reign to do whatever the hell they want, and not feel restricted by the expectations of some fans.
I agree completely on both points. Changing the name would be understandable if Mikael, the mainman of the band and the only member who has appeared on every album, suddenly decided to leave the band, but the rest of the guys wanted to continue playing together (not that it's gonna happen - just an example!). But only Per left and even he played on the album itself - the line-up is the same as on Watershed. Why should a band change its name because of a stylistic change, which isn't even THAT huge after all?
And about the live shows, I agree that they should continue to play a mix of different stuff to make the setlists more balanced - that way there'll be something for everyone. But as time goes on and Mikael's growls get even worse, they should A) play the death metal stuff with clean vocals and actual vocal melodies or B) just stick to the clean vocal stuff. They've played an acoustic version of Demon of the Fall already and I could see some other songs working that way as well, but there are certain limitations - I can't imagine Heir Apparent with clean vocals! But as long as Mikael can growl, I bet they'll keep the death metal stuff in the setlist; the current European tour is a good example. I think Mikael even said last year's tour was just an experiment and maybe he realized that most people want to hear heavy stuff. IMO they should consider fans' views when making the setlist, but when it comes to new music, they should do whatever they want and not give a damn about fans.
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I saw the links the first time but I guess I forgot to comment, haha. Some cool stuff, and it's quite interesting. Their set at Union Chapel had an interesting setlist, but it was quite short (probably because they're touring with Anathema right?) and here I don't think they will have an opening-act, so the setlist should be longer hopefully.
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Thanks for the links, I missed them the first time around.
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I remember seeing them play a festival before Heritage but after Evolution XX came out and his growls sounded really good. The live clips I saw from the Mastopeth tour were a bit hit or miss.
I'd like to see more metal songs, and if they have to have clean vocals so Mike can sing them down the line, that's fine. As long as they're good.
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I really hate how people rely on vocals instead of the actual music. I love growls yet love soft melodic vocals, am I an underappreciated kind, whom enjoys music as music regardless of vocals.
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As long as they play Black Rose Immortal as the encore at each gig I'll be happy.
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Nectar and The Twilight is My Robe would be nice as well seeing as how I think they may have never played either live ever before.
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I really hate how people rely on vocals instead of the actual music. I love growls yet love soft melodic vocals, am I an underappreciated kind, whom enjoys music as music regardless of vocals.
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Uhm, of course the backing music is still great, but when you get stuff like Demon of the Fall, it's just meant for terrifying growls of doom, not singing...
Also Vocals are just as important as the music behind it, and growls and vocals are like another instrument. Don't really understand what you're trying to say, I also enjoy both growls and soft melodic vocals?
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I really hate how people rely on vocals instead of the actual music. I love growls yet love soft melodic vocals, am I an underappreciated kind, whom enjoys music as music regardless of vocals.
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Uhm, of course the backing music is still great, but when you get stuff like Demon of the Fall, it's just meant for terrifying growls of doom, not singing...
Also Vocals are just as important as the music behind it, and growls and vocals are like another instrument. Don't really understand what you're trying to say, I also enjoy both growls and soft melodic vocals?
Duh
I'm just tired of people complaining about vocals.
Also, Nectar needs to be played. An underrated gem.
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I really hate how people rely on vocals instead of the actual music. I love growls yet love soft melodic vocals, am I an underappreciated kind, whom enjoys music as music regardless of vocals.
Vocals are a PART of the music.
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I really hate how people rely on vocals instead of the actual music. I love growls yet love soft melodic vocals, am I an underappreciated kind, whom enjoys music as music regardless of vocals.
Vocals are a PART of the music.
I know that, it's just the talk. I guess it's instinct since vocals are our instruments.
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I really hate how people rely on vocals instead of the actual music.
Are vocals not part of the music now?
Edit: ninja'd
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I really hate how people rely on vocals instead of the actual music. I love growls yet love soft melodic vocals, am I an underappreciated kind, whom enjoys music as music regardless of vocals.
Vocals are a PART of the music.
^Exactly. I wonder how many folks would be cool with them omitting guitars altogether and then playing the guitar parts with mellotrons (SW doesn't count.)
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I really hate how people rely on vocals instead of the actual music. I love growls yet love soft melodic vocals, am I an underappreciated kind, whom enjoys music as music regardless of vocals.
Vocals are a PART of the music.
^Exactly. I wonder how many folks would be cool with them omitting guitars altogether and then playing the guitar parts with mellotrons (SW doesn't count.)
I would enjoy it.
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Looks like the setlist is getting even more metal-oriented (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2012/den-atelier-luxembourg-luxembourg-7bdaf2f4.html) - The Devil's Orchard has been replaced with Heir Apparent.
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Well, at least if Mike's roar is indeed dying out, it's nice to see him going out with a bang. However, if he does still have it, then I think this bodes well for the possibility of more roarcore in the future.
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Looks like the setlist is getting even more metal-oriented (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2012/den-atelier-luxembourg-luxembourg-7bdaf2f4.html) - The Devil's Orchard has been replaced with Heir Apparent.
Hmmm. Kinda digging BWP as the encore. Like, a LOT. :hat
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Looks like the setlist is getting even more metal-oriented (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2012/den-atelier-luxembourg-luxembourg-7bdaf2f4.html) - The Devil's Orchard has been replaced with Heir Apparent.
I'm seeing them early December. If the setlist then will be anything like that I will bang my head off, literally.
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I'mma be so mad if you post how awesome the concert is afterwards. You tell me how awesome it is WITH YOUR DEATH.
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So I've been listening to Watershed a lot and god damn is it still amazing.
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I'mma be so mad if you post how awesome the concert is afterwards. You tell me how awesome it is WITH YOUR DEATH.
:lol
But yeah, SRSLY.
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So I've been listening to Watershed a lot and god damn is it still amazing.
Yes.
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So I've been listening to Watershed a lot and god damn is it still amazing.
:iagree:
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So in preparation for seeing them again tomorrow, I've been spinning some Opeth this week. Probably haven't listened to the band actively in over a year, mostly because I've been fairly busy with new music discoveries, so I haven't really had the time.
Coming back to Opeth after this time, I must say that Mikael has one of the most clean growls there is. Compared to many other vocalists who use harsh vocals, it's just so easy to hear what Mikael is singing.
GHOST OF MOTHER
LINGERING DEATH
GHOST ON MOTHER'S BED
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Compared to many other vocalists who use harsh vocals, it's just so easy to hear what Mikael is singing.
I agree, but it's still easy to mishear the lyrics in some songs:
"Black parrot cock in lingerie bread" (Serenity Painted Death)
"Face down beneath the waterline, gay singing doo-da-dee" (Deliverance)
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You sod. Whenever I listen to Serenety Painted Death, that's all I'm going to hear.
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DEADLY BADGERS MADE MY WREATH
PHOSPHOROUS IN YOUR WAKE
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THERE IS A DREAM I AM RAPING
-Master's Apprentices
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JEDIIIII
JEDI SCARP IN MY COFFEE
SURVEY THE SMOKE
Survey the smoke
(....)
DINOSAUUUUUUUUURR!!!!!!
- Advent
The first part is starting at around 08:29, the dinosaur line is at 09:56.
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I've never been able to hear these, nor have I ever really found them all that funny.
Thus I am a crotchety old Opeth fan.
P.S. I was browsing another forum (I'M SORRY DTF!) and saw a guy keep using "peth" to refer to Opeth.... I mean... I just. I just wish I had an inter-computer-face-rape ability. CH'YEAH DUDE THE 'PETH ARE RAD.
I'm starting to listen to them a lot more now that it's that time of year. But god-fucking-damn-it I hate this stupid state. Literally RIGHT as we hit December...it goes up to 80 for the week. Fuck you, Texas.
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Nectar and The Twilight is My Robe would be nice as well seeing as how I think they may have never played either live ever before.
they actually played "Nectar" on the BWP tour regularly.
kinda wondering why, after all these anniversary tours and stuff, they still haven't touched "Black Rose Immortal." clearly they aren't too enamoured with it if it escaped those celebrations of the past, which sucks, considering it's got some of their best moments! even if they played the second half it'd be great.
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Nectar and The Twilight is My Robe would be nice as well seeing as how I think they may have never played either live ever before.
they actually played "Nectar" on the BWP tour regularly.
Fuck. Seriously? I've never seen it on youtube despite there being videos of them playing live from as far back as '96. Link please if one exists?
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Would be really cool if Opeth did play Black Rose Immortal on a tour. People have been shouting for it for 10 years or so, would be kinda cool if they surprised us.
If I'm not mistaken I believe Mikael said that they rehearsed the song for the anniversary gigs or somewhere around that time, but then they didn't play it.
Would be really cool if they did one day.
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Nectar and The Twilight is My Robe would be nice as well seeing as how I think they may have never played either live ever before.
they actually played "Nectar" on the BWP tour regularly.
Fuck. Seriously? I've never seen it on youtube despite there being videos of them playing live from as far back as '96. Link please if one exists?
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Nectar and The Twilight is My Robe would be nice as well seeing as how I think they may have never played either live ever before.
they actually played "Nectar" on the BWP tour regularly.
Fuck. Seriously? I've never seen it on youtube despite there being videos of them playing live from as far back as '96. Link please if one exists?
i actually can't find backup about "Nectar" on the BWP tour like i said (i swore it was on The Smell of Death in Chicago bootleg, but it's not!), but there is an audio bootleg of 1996-11-13 in France that features "Nectar," so i'm not totally full of shit! :lol no YouTube though, sadly.
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Nectar and The Twilight is My Robe would be nice as well seeing as how I think they may have never played either live ever before.
they actually played "Nectar" on the BWP tour regularly.
They did? Basically all the BWP-era setlists I've seen feature Advent as the only Morningrise song.
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According to setlist.fm there are 13 different occasions when Nectar has been played. Different gigs between 1996-2001, most of these in 1996.
The Twilight is My Robe has 2 performances apparently, once in 1994 and once in 1996.
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I don't think they have every show Opeth played in that time period on file. I doubt they only played that song twice in their early days.
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Opeth didn't play many gigs in the early days, you can find a list of them here (https://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/opeth-archived/16390-mikael-opeth-gig-list-questions-you.html) (scroll down to see Mikael's post). It's missing the tour with Cradle of Filth they did in late '96, though.
But anyway, it is possible that Twilight might've been played only a couple of times, since most of those early gigs were support slots so they mostly played 3 or 4 songs per gig, depending on how much time they had. Mikael also confirmed in one post on that old forum that they played an abridged 5-minute version of Black Rose Immortal in a soundcheck back in '95.
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Nectar and The Twilight is My Robe would be nice as well seeing as how I think they may have never played either live ever before.
they actually played "Nectar" on the BWP tour regularly.
Fuck. Seriously? I've never seen it on youtube despite there being videos of them playing live from as far back as '96. Link please if one exists?
i actually can't find backup about "Nectar" on the BWP tour like i said (i swore it was on The Smell of Death in Chicago bootleg, but it's not!), but there is an audio bootleg of 1996-11-13 in France that features "Nectar," so i'm not totally full of shit! :lol no YouTube though, sadly.
Well thanks for the research anyway. I guess it's no coincidence that "nectar" and "recant" are anagrams :P
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DEADLY BADGERS MADE MY WREATH
PHOSPHOROUS IN YOUR WAKE
A LULLABY FOR THE ONES WHO ARE STONED
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According to setlist.fm there are 13 different occasions when Nectar has been played. Different gigs between 1996-2001, most of these in 1996.
The Twilight is My Robe has 2 performances apparently, once in 1994 and once in 1996.
indeed, perhaps i was thinking of the Den Bosch 2001 gig instead of Chicago — they also played "Moonlapse Vertigo" that night. would've been awesome!
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Just came home from the Unplugged-gig, was really cool. Seen the band two times before and while they didn't play any growl-songs the last time (almost a year ago on the Heritage tour), it was cool to see them now in a more scaled-down concert.
Some really cool and odd picks, and songs they might not play in a very long time (if ever again), so it was really cool to see it.
The setlist:
Heritage
Credence
In My Time of Need
Häxprocess
Var Kommer Barnen In? (Hansson de Wolfe United cover)
Solitude (Black Sabbath cover)
Benighted
Demon of the Fall
Hope Leaves
Atonement
Marrow of the Earth
Highlights for me were Atonement and Benighted, two really cool but generally overlooked from two of the best albums in Opeth's discography. They also played a rad version of Demon of the Fall which was pretty much entirely acoustic and sung in clean vocals. :)
So yeah, the next time I go see them I will hope for a more mixed setlist, but this was a really cool experience and I really loved it. Would have loved Burden and Isolation Years as well, but you can't get everything.
Oh yeah, The Von Herzen Brothers opened the show and did a good job. Hadn't heard them before, but they were pretty cool.
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Damn. I hope the roar ain't gone for good. It's an additional bummer that opethforum.com remains down as of now so there's virtually nowhere to turn to get decent insight (or at least well-thought speculation) on whether or not the roaring is gone altogether.
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I wouldn't be too worried. Right now they're doing a few unplugged shows (7 or 8 in total) but the rest of the gigs has this setlist:
The Devil's Orchard
Ghost of Perdition
White Cluster
Hope Leaves
Deliverance
Hessian Peel
Häxprocess
Reverie/Harlequin Forest
Encore:
Blackwater Park
So yeah, lots of growl-stuff there. :P
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Just came home from the Unplugged-gig, was really cool. Seen the band two times before and while they didn't play any growl-songs the last time (almost a year ago on the Heritage tour), it was cool to see them now in a more scaled-down concert.
Some really cool and odd picks, and songs they might not play in a very long time (if ever again), so it was really cool to see it.
The setlist:
Heritage
Credence
In My Time of Need
Häxprocess
Var Kommer Barnen In? (Hansson de Wolfe United cover)
Solitude (Black Sabbath cover)
Benighted
Demon of the Fall
Hope Leaves
Atonement
Marrow of the Earth
Highlights for me were Atonement and Benighted, two really cool but generally overlooked from two of the best albums in Opeth's discography. They also played a rad version of Demon of the Fall which was pretty much entirely acoustic and sung in clean vocals. :)
So yeah, the next time I go see them I will hope for a more mixed setlist, but this was a really cool experience and I really loved it. Would have loved Burden and Isolation Years as well, but you can't get everything.
Oh yeah, The Von Herzen Brothers opened the show and did a good job. Hadn't heard them before, but they were pretty cool.
I saw a clip of the acoustic Demon of the Fall on Youtube. It was amazing :metal
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Same here, I watched it right after reading that. The London one, supposedly their first show with that song. It was wonderful.
Even though I miss the old Opeth, I really, really want an album that's a mix of the two eras. I think it would be so beautifully badass to have a mix of the melancholic mellowness that's in Heritage combined with the brutality of their past work. Even so, I'd still be okay with something completely different or in the same direction as Heritage.
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Same here, I watched it right after reading that. The London one, supposedly their first show with that song. It was wonderful.
Even though I miss the old Opeth, I really, really want an album that's a mix of the two eras. I think it would be so beautifully badass to have a mix of the melancholic mellowness that's in Heritage combined with the brutality of their past work. Even so, I'd still be okay with something completely different or in the same direction as Heritage.
I completely agree with you^^
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I saw a clip of the acoustic Demon of the Fall on Youtube. It was amazing :metal
I'd have to agree on that - very different, yet very cool at the same time.
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So, I gave the second chance to Heritage if I like it, even a bit. I listened all night but no still this CD doesn't give me the joy. For me Heritage is a, how can I say, a big disappointment.
Folklore is still top 10 Opeth song for me, this is truly an epic but the rest is just bad. No desire to listen any of them. This saddens me.
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It is definitely a very hard album to get into apparently. For me, it clicked immediately and I fell in love with the atmosphere, the lyrics, the hollow, Earthy, ancient feeling that some of the songs emit. Well, at least I feel those things from it, and I really like it. But I can completely see someone trying to get into it with all their might and it just not clicking, it's almost a niche album.
Going back and reading this a few seconds later, I have no idea what I mean by niche album. But I said it. And it still sounds right. So wtf.
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coulda been awesome. they just meander a few times when they shouldnt.
off to go checkout this acoustic version of demon is so small. :corn
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So, I gave the second chance to Heritage if I like it, even a bit. I listened all night but no still this CD doesn't give me the joy. For me Heritage is a, how can I say, a big disappointment.
Folklore is still top 10 Opeth song for me, this is truly an epic but the rest is just bad. No desire to listen any of them. This saddens me.
I needed about 20 full listens to really get into Heritage, but after those 20 listens I loved it.
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It is definitely a very hard album to get into apparently. For me, it clicked immediately and I fell in love with the atmosphere, the lyrics, the hollow, Earthy, ancient feeling that some of the songs emit. Well, at least I feel those things from it, and I really like it. But I can completely see someone trying to get into it with all their might and it just not clicking, it's almost a niche album.
Going back and reading this a few seconds later, I have no idea what I mean by niche album. But I said it. And it still sounds right. So wtf.
I really get that vibe from Haxprocess which is why I love this album. I bet it'd sound better on vinyl, it feels like it was meant to be played on vinyl.
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Completely agree. I'm not sure if it was released on vinyl but if it hasn't been yet it should be soon. Especially since this time of year (despite the fact that it's 70-80 here in the asshole of hell) is Opeth-time and I asked for a vintage turntable for Christmas that I saw at this nice little antique shop. Ohhh that would make my year. Then I could start wasting money on Wilson vinyls. Mmmmusicalbonerz.
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It is definitely a very hard album to get into apparently. For me, it clicked immediately and I fell in love with the atmosphere, the lyrics, the hollow, Earthy, ancient feeling that some of the songs emit. Well, at least I feel those things from it, and I really like it. But I can completely see someone trying to get into it with all their might and it just not clicking, it's almost a niche album.
Going back and reading this a few seconds later, I have no idea what I mean by niche album. But I said it. And it still sounds right. So wtf.
I really get that vibe from Haxprocess which is why I love this album. I bet it'd sound better on vinyl, it feels like it was meant to be played on vinyl.
Heritage was released on Vinyl, I saw it in a local music store. Didn't buy it though, since I already have it on CD anyway and the CD sounds good enough for me. (Plus, I don't have enough money to get the same record twice.)
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Opeth Unplugged tonight. It's going to be awesome, it's the sixth time I'm seeing this band.
At least I hope it's going to be awesome, the weather is rather...extreme in Stockholm right now. It's snowing like all hell and the local traffic is an absolute mess. I'll leave home two and a half hour than I usually would and pray that I make it there on time.
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Opeth Unplugged tonight. It's going to be awesome, it's the sixth time I'm seeing this band.
At least I hope it's going to be awesome, the weather is rather...extreme in Stockholm right now. It's snowing like all hell and the local traffic is an absolute mess. I'll leave home two and a half hour than I usually would and pray that I make it there on time.
I hope it was a great show.
Tomorrow's show in Gävle (just a few miles south from where I live) was cancelled due to the extreme snow conditions. Not that I was going but anyway.
https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/article15886935.ab (https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/article15886935.ab) (A short article about it in Swedish)
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are people really that pumped about the "Demon of the Fall" acoustic arrangement? i find it pretty boring, honestly. the riffs don't translate well to acoustic guitar and the deadpan, unchanging vocal harmony approach makes it a snoozefest until the payoff ending, where it works just as well as the original. i could see the ending working well if it was put on the end of the regular electric version, but the whole song on acoustic just really isn't good, imo.
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I wouldn't say 'pumped', and I enjoy the original more; but yeah I enjoyed it and thought it worked well under the circumstances.
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are people really that pumped about the "Demon of the Fall" acoustic arrangement? i find it pretty boring, honestly. the riffs don't translate well to acoustic guitar and the deadpan, unchanging vocal harmony approach makes it a snoozefest until the payoff ending, where it works just as well as the original. i could see the ending working well if it was put on the end of the regular electric version, but the whole song on acoustic just really isn't good, imo.
I agree with all of this 100% and then some. Usually when bands avoid taking the easy route (simply playing the song identical to the album but with acoustic instruments instead) and make a sincere effort to revamp a song, the end result is something that ranges from "within a stone's throw of being as good as the original" to "wow! that was surprisingly better." In this case, I honestly think just playing it verbatim sans electricity for all instruments would've been a lot better. I know a keyboard uses electricity but it seems pointless to emphasize the unplugged thing but still have the keyboard using patches that are clearly something other than what a traditional piano can produce.
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Tonight's show in Holland had an epic setlist:
The Devil's Orchard
Ghost of Perdition
Hessian Peel
Häxprocess
White Cluster
Deliverance
Shame it was so short, but it was EPIC.
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It was good, but I think the other two times I saw them, especially the first time, they played a better set. Seeing White Cluster was amazing though, but considering they headlined a metal festival, they could have swapped out Häxprocess for something else.
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That's an epic set list. I would have switched Ghost of perdition with The Grand conjuration, though, and maybe picked a different song from Heritage instead of Häxprocess.
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Tonight's show in Holland had an epic setlist:
The Devil's Orchard
Ghost of Perdition
Hessian Peel
Häxprocess
White Cluster
Deliverance
Shame it was so short, but it was EPIC.
Damn, I would've loved to see most of those songs live. I really need to see these guys :metal
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That's an epic set list. I would have switched Ghost of perdition with The Grand conjuration, though, and maybe picked a different song from Heritage instead of Häxprocess.
Ghost of Perdition is probably my favourite Opeth song, and the only song I would've been happier with from Heritage was Famine.
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Every time I introduce someone to Opeth it's with Ghost of Perdition. That song defines all of Opeth's best qualities to me.
One hell of a song.
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I use Prologue.
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Awesome setlist. Those are some of the best Opeth songs.
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Burning Shed just put up orders for Deliverance and Damnation on clear vinyl. Damnation sold out before i got in on it :( but they're posting black vinyl editions next week, apparently.
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I have the clear vinyl of Damnation and Deliverance is on it's way. The weird thing is that both have been out for quite a while, so it's strange that they "appeared" on Burning Shed just now. Damnation came out like 2-3 months ago, and Deliverance last month.
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Every time I introduce someone to Opeth it's with Ghost of Perdition. That song defines all of Opeth's best qualities to me.
One hell of a song.
This.....also why it's my favorite!
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Just wanted to say that Patterns in the Ivy is criminally underrated. That main motif is a thing of beauty and can't think of another song in the the <2 minute range that I enjoy as much.
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Every time I introduce someone to Opeth it's with Ghost of Perdition. That song defines all of Opeth's best qualities to me.
One hell of a song.
You're doing it right.
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Great song indeed.
This is way late but I had my first "real" Opeth show a wee while back (last time there was no growls) it was so awesome. I'd never seen any live videos or anything so I couldn't really imagine Mikael making those noises cos he's so sweet and has such a soft singing voice :lol
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au4cWxpKR5A&feature=player_embedded
So, North American Tour? (if yes, this is the most awkward promotion video ever)
And apparently ""Tell me about your band" or something completely shit like that." was the most interesting interview question Mikeal got this year.
Full interview:
https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-survey-20121221
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I don't know what's so awkward about it... It's not very interesting, and it's not very imaginative. But it spells it out pretty clearly and...that, as they say, is that. Still, AWESOME! I think I'll go see them this time, regardless of what the setlists will be.
That's really sad about the interview thing... Sucks to hear this year sucked for 'ole Mike... :-\ At least, it is almost over and people can pretend that a new made-up calendar year brings about a fresh start despite the fact that not a single fucking thing changes WOOOOOOOOOOOO! No but really I hope next year is better for Mike and the band and they get some inspiration. Or a nice blowjob. (from my avatar)
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I can't believe some people actually misinterpreted that video as a promo for the upcoming Opeth album. :facepalm:
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Mikael seems like a pessimist. His best year would probably still be "pretty shit" for him. It's just his personality.
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I read that interview too. I hope Mikael doesn't feel his year has been "pretty shit" because of all the Heritage haters during the tours. There are enough people that love Heritage (including me).
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Heritage is amazing and the haters can suck my marrow of..my...earth....earthy dick. Mmmeh.
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No knock on the interview, but I really don't get the point of having one as short and unenlightening as that.
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Mikael does sound pretty pessimistic in that interview - I remember a few months ago someone posted an interview link on the Opeth forum and Mike's answers sounded pretty cynical in that one, too. Anders of Katatonia also said recently that the North American tour planned for this fall was cancelled because Mikael was so exhausted from all the touring.
Hopefully he isn't getting a burnout... I know I shouldn't speculate too much, but I have a feeling he might be starting to feel limited within Opeth. He still seemed pretty enthusiastic last spring in the Storm Corrosion interviews. And even though he's said he doesn't care what anyone thinks of Opeth, he may have been affected by all the shit he has taken from the metal fans who bash Heritage and beg them to return to metal. I hope Mikael won't pull a Steven Wilson and put Opeth on ice, but to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if he did. However, I'm sure there'll be at least one more Opeth album and hopefully Mikael will get his energy back after some rest.
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This is one of the first interviews of Mikael I read, and I am not familiar with his personality, but judging on this few scant lines he looks very down to me :-\
I hope he gets better. Even though I didn't like Heritage at all, we always need one more Opeth album. :)
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It would explain his lack of any cheerfulness at the last show I saw him (2 weeks ago).
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It would explain his lack of any cheerfulness at the last show I saw him (2 weeks ago).
Indeed, but it may have also been due to the large part of the audience that seemed to be bored during the show.
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Yeah, but what can he do, it's not his fault some people dislike Heritage. If I attended a show, I'd make my way to front row center and rock as hard as I can to Heritage tunes, until I manage to put a smile on his face. Here's to a better year for Mikael, and hopefully for another fine prog rock record as soon as possible. :smiley:
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I think people disliking it is one thing, but people death-threatening him and his family is taking it way too far. It's just music. While music personally means the world to me, and it's my biggest passion, going that far because you didn't like a certain album, that's just retarded.
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After-edit disclaimer: I kind of went of on some Opeth fans, none of which is directed to anyone here. Heated discussion with friends not too long ago combined with my less-than-intelligent decision to read Youtube comments on Heritage videos made me irritated and Hitler-esque.
Another after-edit: Funny you just posted that Zant. :lol Akerfeldt defenders UNITE!
I honestly wouldn't mind Akerfeldt pulling a Wilson and putting Opeth on hold to let his creative juices flow and get back into the groove of enjoying himself (or even if it was under Opeth's name, as long as the band members are cohesive in thought). I mean, in the end, if so many fans are that hellbent on him being what they want him to be, fuck each and every one of them that turned so quickly. I don't adhere to the 'fans make the band' mindset, and of course it is true to a certain extent, on the other hand it...kind of isn't at all. I really don't think Akerfeldt is the type of man to soak in the success such as a band similar to, say...Metallica; who clearly is out to make money and turn their musicianship into a business. Which is perfectly fine and I'm not downplaying that aspect of the music business at all; most musicians would love it if their love for music was lucrative...to a point.
No, this band, and more so Akerfeldt himself I believe, is here to make music for himself and if he makes fans in the process, he is/has been very grateful to them and that, as they say, is that. Too long has this poor fellow been berated by witless curs that bash him for doing something original and simply because it isn't their style or it isn't what they expected. It's ridiculous to think that so-called fans are that manipulative and go from devout worshipers to Iago in a second. Hell, even if people flat out hate it, that's perfectly fine, but all of the comments I've seen on all different types of media and in-person are so hateful and ridiculously angry simply because they don't like the music and what he's doing make it seem like the majority of Opeth fans are brainless cunts who want nothing more than to satisfy their own wants.
I would just really, really love to see Akerfeldt do what he wants and basically tell the people who are clammoring for 'GROWLS OR DEATH' to go fuck themselves and do what *GASPWEEZECOUGH* makes him happy. Be it another Heritage, an evolution of that train of thought, or something completely different yet again; it'd just be nice to see this man smile on stage as well as outside of it and enjoy what he is doing. Which he clearly does not right now, and I'm pretty sure it's because his once loyal fanbase went absolutely nuts based on the fact that they didn't like the album/direction and now shun him/the band (I actually hope it's that and not something personal in his life that went awry). I mean, it's not LuLu for codfish's sake, it's a beautiful album and many people love it, and even more people despise it. Why this means the man is a 'sell-out' (which doesn't make sense), a 'pussy' (which is just juvinille) and so many other names that I won't bother mentioning is the exact reason why fans fucking suck. They're great! But fuck them and they can die.
Phew! Alright I'm done bashing the fools. Most of which are not here thankfully. Go make awesome music, Akerfeldt; go frolic in the musical notes of your wonderfully insane mind. Even if I dislike the next one, if I see a smile on his face, I will garner so much enjoyment out of it.
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I honestly wouldn't mind Akerfeldt pulling a Wilson and putting Opeth on hold to let his creative juices flow and get back into the groove of enjoying himself (or even if it was under Opeth's name, as long as the band members are cohesive in thought).
Maybe I should've worded my post differently...
I think it would be ok if Mike put Opeth on hold if he doesn't feel like doing it anymore, but I hope he won't do it because of the narrow-mindedness of some metal purists, because this is his band and he can write any kind of music he wants. I also think he won't do that anytime soon, since the music he writes is pretty band-oriented with drums and keyboards and all that stuff, and around the release of Heritage he emphasized that there'll be more music from Opeth, because that album gave the band a new life. However, in the recent interview with Prog magazine he said the ideas his recent ideas could also be used for Storm Corrosion or even for some other project and that's kind of alarming, since before he's always written just for Opeth. I wouldn't be too surprised if he got tired of the studio-release-tour cycle and the whining of metal fans probably isn't very motivating either.
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As a weak fan of Opeth, it still feels like progressive death metal (if that's the appropriate genre) is their main musical identity. Heritage just seems like the weird, black sheep album, and not a landmark for a new beginning. I'd like to be optimistic about Opeth's future though. If this is what Mikael wants to do, then he should do it. Hopefully we'll get something powerful on the next release.
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After recently listening to Watershed again, I can now comfortably put it on my Mount Rushmore of Opeth albums:
My Arms, Your Hearse
Still Life
Blackwater Park
Watershed
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After recently listening to Watershed again, I can now comfortably put it on my Mount Rushmore of Opeth albums:
My Arms, Your Hearse
Still Life
Blackwater Park
Watershed
Weird. I just listened to it too and had the opposite reaction.
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Whats funny about it is if any fan watched the dvd they'd know Mikael mightve written their metal album, but Martin would've been dissappointed in it.
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After recently listening to Watershed again, I can now comfortably put it on my Mount Rushmore of Opeth albums:
My Arms, Your Hearse
Still Life
Blackwater Park
Watershed
And no Ghost Reveries?!?! :(
Definitely on mine
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Whats funny about it is if any fan watched the dvd they'd know Mikael mightve written their metal album, but Martin would've been dissappointed in it.
No offense to Mendez, but I care way more about hearing music I like than behind the scenes details.
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If the band themselves aren't happy with what they're making, it's better that they make something they're happy with, than to make an album and tour for 1 ½ - 2 years with material they dislike. That would probably lead to the band splitting up.
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If the band themselves aren't happy with what they're making, it's better that they make something they're happy with, than to make an album and tour for 1 ½ - 2 years with material they dislike. That would probably lead to the band splitting up.
Exactly. Some people have said Mikael should've released Heritage as a solo album, but the whole band was happy with Heritage so why should the band not release something they like? Besides, Mikael has said that if and when he makes a solo album, it will be just him on acoustic guitar and vocals.
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If the band themselves aren't happy with what they're making, it's better that they make something they're happy with, than to make an album and tour for 1 ½ - 2 years with material they dislike. That would probably lead to the band splitting up.
Considering the rotating door of Opeth, the only way they'd 'split up' was if Mikae quit. He's the only 'integral' member IMO.l
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Whats funny about it is if any fan watched the dvd they'd know Mikael mightve written their metal album, but Martin would've been dissappointed in it.
No offense to Mendez, but I care way more about hearing music I like than behind the scenes details.
Agreed. There are tons of great albums that had band members not happy with them for whatever reason. And then there are tons of subpar/average albums where the band members were all totally happy with it.
Moral of the story: take the opinions of the musicians who wrote the music with a grain of salt. Just because they wrote and played the music doesn't mean they are the authority on how good it is or isn't.
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I think the fans could tell the band is putting out metal tracks just for the sake of doing fans a favor, the honesty wouldn't be in there. Instead, the band did something that felt right for them. I for one am happy with their current sound, although mostly because I got into the band this summer, already knowing they went prog and not being used to their ''classic'' direction.
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Like I have all but said before, it's simple: if you don't like the new music an artist/band is putting out, then don't listen to them anymore. That is why I did with Queensryche over 10 years ago, and if people are unhappy with the direction Opeth is taking now, then stop listening to them. It's really not a difficult thing to do.
And to anyone who wants to cop the "Yeah, but if Akerfeldt is gonna change the band's whole sound, then he should call it something different than Opeth, out of respect to the band's legacy" attitude, I would say, "Who are you to tell them what they can and cannot do with the band?"
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Pointless discussion is pointless. People are cunts; 'fans' foaming at the mouth even more so, ten fold. True knockin', though. It's just too bad it will never end.
Listening to Marrow Of The Earth... I do love this track dearly. It's probably my favorite track off the album despite it's simplistic, limited nature. That is apart of the eerie beauty. It's funny, before we knew this was going to be completely 'soft' music, but after they had released the track listing (or it leaked...can't remember), I thought that this track 'sounded' as if it were really hardcore and evil, and now that I've heard the album and this track countless times over, I think that I really like it much better this way. It's almost much more melancholic and dark than if it were compounded with a barrage of the usual classic Opeth riffage and growls. There's something very evil going on behind those soothing guitars. The entire album's feel, and mainly this track which I feel encompasses the vibe of the album, is very Alighieri-esque. I fucking love it. It's soft and melodic and yet very brooding.
Ah, fuck it; ONCE MORE! I've listened to this album four times today and I can't stop, won't stop. Awesome Christmas music. :azn:
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Pointless discussion is pointless. People are cunts; 'fans' foaming at the mouth even more so, ten fold. True knockin', though. It's just too bad it will never end.
Listening to Marrow Of The Earth... I do love this track dearly. It's probably my favorite track off the album despite it's simplistic, limited nature. That is apart of the eerie beauty. It's funny, before we knew this was going to be completely 'soft' music, but after they had released the track listing (or it leaked...can't remember), I thought that this track 'sounded' as if it were really hardcore and evil, and now that I've heard the album and this track countless times over, I think that I really like it much better this way. It's almost much more melancholic and dark than if it were compounded with a barrage of the usual classic Opeth riffage and growls. There's something very evil going on behind those soothing guitars. The entire album's feel, and mainly this track which I feel encompasses the vibe of the album, is very Alighieri-esque. I fucking love it. It's soft and melodic and yet very brooding.
Ah, fuck it; ONCE MORE! I've listened to this album four times today and I can't stop, won't stop. Awesome Christmas music. :azn:
Exactly. It's why I enjoy it and say it is a really good record. It's got an uncomfortable, eerie, soothing, evil feel. I get the same feeling with Storm Corrosion as well. Which might be a reason people don't like it.
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Pointless discussion is pointless. People are cunts; 'fans' foaming at the mouth even more so, ten fold. True knockin', though. It's just too bad it will never end.
Listening to Marrow Of The Earth... I do love this track dearly. It's probably my favorite track off the album despite it's simplistic, limited nature. That is apart of the eerie beauty. It's funny, before we knew this was going to be completely 'soft' music, but after they had released the track listing (or it leaked...can't remember), I thought that this track 'sounded' as if it were really hardcore and evil, and now that I've heard the album and this track countless times over, I think that I really like it much better this way. It's almost much more melancholic and dark than if it were compounded with a barrage of the usual classic Opeth riffage and growls. There's something very evil going on behind those soothing guitars. The entire album's feel, and mainly this track which I feel encompasses the vibe of the album, is very Alighieri-esque. I fucking love it. It's soft and melodic and yet very brooding.
Ah, fuck it; ONCE MORE! I've listened to this album four times today and I can't stop, won't stop. Awesome Christmas music. :azn:
Exactly. It's why I enjoy it and say it is a really good record. It's got an uncomfortable, eerie, soothing, evil feel. I get the same feeling with Storm Corrosion as well. Which might be a reason people don't like it.
:tup :tup Hell yes. Many people will never get it. I concur on the topic of SC, the very same reasons apply except with SC it's magnified twenty times over; love it.
P.S. Not to knock people that don't like it. Not liking it and bashing the hell out of it because it's over your head are two different things... I have one friend whom used to worship Akerfeldt, and then listened to (after hearing Heritage for about ten seconds before never giving it a chance again) SC and kept asking me "Why the hell is it so quiet!?"... :| (and he wasn't speaking of the production, which I also explained to him a few times regarding the mastering stage being left out). It's a very specific cup of tea, but if you acquire a taste for it, it is so delicious.
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I find it funny how some death metal fans (not directed at anyone on this board) used to worship the ground Mikael walked on and thought they were SO open-minded when they listened to Opeth, because *gasp* THEY HAVE ACOUSTIC SONGS!!!11!1 :omg: Then, when Heritage was released, they were the first in line to call Opeth sell-outs. ::)
But to make the mood of this thread more lighthearted, I post this: Photoshopeth - The Drapery Falls (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqAFXG-KlQU)
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Well yeah, but that is not totally uncommon for metal fans. I'm not saying everyone is like that, but I've met so many people who are metal fans, who talk about bands being "true" or "sell outs", and it's just pretty lame to me.
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It's funny how the most vocal critics of those who miss the familiar Opeth style are those who like Heritage anyway. It's easy to unconditionally accept their output if you didn't have to deal with being bummed out by a new release. Show me someone who dislikes Heritage yet shares you guys' point of view.
Also, I somewhat like Heritage myself so I'm not just hating for the hell of it. I was just far from pleased with it overall.
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Well I don't really love it myself. I think it's a good album, but personally I'm from the standpoint that I'd rather see the band trying something new, which will at least be exciting, instead of making an album they've done before, and doing it worse.
And please lets not get into the "all Opeth albums sound the same" because that's not what I mean at all. I'm just happy they made Heritage instead of BWP part 2, that's all I'm saying. :P
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I wouldn't say I love Heritage, either, but it's far from their worst album IMO, and much more interesting than a basic Opeth album would've been.
Also, I'll repost this hilarious link so that people can see it on this page too:
Photoshopeth - The Drapery Falls (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqAFXG-KlQU)
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I like a few songs from Heritage: Title track, The Devil's Orchard, Folklore and Marrow of the Earth. That's it. Okay maybe 'I Feel the Dark'. The rest is entertaining for a while, but becomes ultimately forgettable.
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I Feel The Dark is beautiful. The whole album is beautiful but this is the 'heavy' track off the album that proved to me that they can do just fine without the growls and the usual Opeth 'gimmicks' (for lack of a better word, don't jump my ass. Or do. :police:) to portray a feeling of harshness. The "mother of lies" section is friggin incredible. Goosebumps errytime.
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It's funny how the most vocal critics of those who miss the familiar Opeth style are those who like Heritage anyway. It's easy to unconditionally accept their output if you didn't have to deal with being bummed out by a new release. Show me someone who dislikes Heritage yet shares you guys' point of view.
I'll take Symphony X for example. Iconoclast honestly didn't appeal to me at all. In fact, I can hardly listen to any song from that album apart from When all is lost, the rest of the album sounds far away from what I want to hear from those guys.
But I still realize that's the kind of music Symphony X wants to put out, that's what they find fresh and inspiring, and they obviously don't feel like putting out ten more albums in the vein of Divine wings of tragedy. More power to them, and I'm happy that they're successful with their new sound. I don't follow them anymore, I hardly get excited about any Symphony X news, but I can still put on Twilight in Olympus when I want to. I do miss the old sound of theirs, but I'm not going to cry over the change in style. There are many other bands that continue to make me happy. :metal
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None of us are saying they need to put out Ghost Reveries V.5.0 out, but to completely ditch a part of what made Opeth the band they are (vocals) just didn't sit well for a lot of people.
Just to answer BF's question, I do enjoy Heritage now, but it doesn't hold a candle to their earlier albums. Several points in that album would have been better to me with the inclusion of the growls.
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None of us are saying they need to put out Ghost Reveries V.5.0 out, but to completely ditch a part of what made Opeth the band they are (vocals) just didn't sit well for a lot of people.
Just to answer BF's question, I do enjoy Heritage now, but it doesn't hold a candle to their earlier albums. Several points in that album would have been better to me with the inclusion of the growls.
I'm with you 100% on this. Not just ditching the vocals, but the whole heavier sound as well. Then go out on tour and play a full show of all the 'softer' songs.
Was a slap in the face to all those fans, like me who have supported Opeth for a longtime.
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They were touring in support of heritage so they made a setlist that supported the sound of Heritage. It made complete sense to me.
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They were touering in support of heritage so they made a setlist that supported the sound of Heritage. It made complete sense to me.
Yeah this. And it still surprises me that people bitch about it. They ditched growl songs for ONE tour? boohoo. Look at it from the other angle instead, you might have witnessed a really unique gig considering some songs they decided to bring out, that was really cool.
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They were touering in support of heritage so they made a setlist that supported the sound of Heritage. It made complete sense to me.
It made sense, and the first time I saw them on that tour was pretty sweet because of the heavy stuff like Face of Melinda and Closure, even without the harsh growls (though of course I would have liked to see them).
The Mastopeth show though was pretty tame and needed more moments like that. Before the two growly songs, "Lines in My Hand" was the only song I really got into. Yeah, "Windowpane" was great to see, but surrounded by the other songs on the setlist I didn't feel as into it. I guess after seeing Ghost and being excited as all hell for Mastodon again I was really jonesing for heavier Opeth that weren't two of their most heavily played songs.
Hopefully though this NA tour will be as heavy as the recent Euro shows...
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I can't wait to see what Opeth do next musically. I think it often takes a few tries to master a certain sound, not many people consider Orchid or Morningrise to be among their best, but My Arms, Your Hearse and Still Life for example, more well crafted albums.
I think the Heritage-sound has the potential to be really awesome, I liked Heritage (but didn't love it), but maybe if they continue trying to perfect it, they'll make a 5/5 album in that sound.
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I love Heritage, and I wouldn't be disappointed at all if they released another album with a similar vibe. Heritage is right up there with their best albums for me. They absolutely nailed the mood they were going for with it.
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I love Heritage, and I wouldn't be disappointed at all if they released another album with a similar vibe. Heritage is right up there with their best albums for me. They absolutely nailed the mood they were going for with it.
^this
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I love Heritage, and I wouldn't be disappointed at all if they released another album with a similar vibe. Heritage is right up there with their best albums for me. They absolutely nailed the mood they were going for with it.
Agreed. Its one of my favorites as well. I have nothing against the heavy stuff but I prefer the more mellow, proggy side of Opeth.
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They were touering in support of heritage so they made a setlist that supported the sound of Heritage. It made complete sense to me.
Yeah this. And it still surprises me that people bitch about it. They ditched growl songs for ONE tour? boohoo. Look at it from the other angle instead, you might have witnessed a really unique gig considering some songs they decided to bring out, that was really cool.
My only complaint was that the acoustic section really killed what energy the band had going that night and combine that with the fact that I didn't like "The Throat Of Winter" live at all. Otherwise, great show, gave me some new appreciation for the Heritage songs and I like "Porcelain Heart" much more now.
I love Heritage, and I wouldn't be disappointed at all if they released another album with a similar vibe. Heritage is right up there with their best albums for me. They absolutely nailed the mood they were going for with it.
Agreed. Its one of my favorites as well. I have nothing against the heavy stuff but I prefer the more mellow, proggy side of Opeth.
I just hope that, if they continue on with this mellow, proggy stuff, they write some better songs.
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None of us are saying they need to put out Ghost Reveries V.5.0 out, but to completely ditch a part of what made Opeth the band they are (vocals) just didn't sit well for a lot of people.
Just to answer BF's question, I do enjoy Heritage now, but it doesn't hold a candle to their earlier albums. Several points in that album would have been better to me with the inclusion of the growls.
Just quoting this because it was glossed right over.
That being said, I really enjoy the first few tracks and outburst of madness, but I usually only fully listen to the album when going to bed.
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I can't wait to see what Opeth do next musically. I think it often takes a few tries to master a certain sound, not many people consider Orchid or Morningrise to be among their best, but My Arms, Your Hearse and Still Life for example, more well crafted albums.
I think the Heritage-sound has the potential to be really awesome, I liked Heritage (but didn't love it), but maybe if they continue trying to perfect it, they'll make a 5/5 album in that sound.
I like "I Feel the Dark" and "Lines in my Hand" most on the disc, so more of that could be cool. Proggy but still really intense.
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I love Heritage, and I wouldn't be disappointed at all if they released another album with a similar vibe. Heritage is right up there with their best albums for me. They absolutely nailed the mood they were going for with it.
Agreed. Its one of my favorites as well. I have nothing against the heavy stuff but I prefer the more mellow, proggy side of Opeth.
All of this.
Speaking of their mellow side, the last minute or so in Dirge for November is one of the best mellow Opeth moments ever. Just sayin'. :hat
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I love Heritage, and I wouldn't be disappointed at all if they released another album with a similar vibe. Heritage is right up there with their best albums for me. They absolutely nailed the mood they were going for with it.
Agreed. Its one of my favorites as well. I have nothing against the heavy stuff but I prefer the more mellow, proggy side of Opeth.
All of this.
Speaking of their mellow side, the last minute or so in Dirge for November is one of the best mellow Opeth moments ever. Just sayin'. :hat
:heart :heart :heart
Oh, hell yeah; it is amazingly entrancing and one of the most beautifully melancholic moments in their history. Right after a vehemently brutal onslaught of some of the best, most hardcore music they've written. Amazing track; my favorite outro perhaps.
None of us are saying they need to put out Ghost Reveries V.5.0 out, but to completely ditch a part of what made Opeth the band they are (vocals) just didn't sit well for a lot of people.
Just to answer BF's question, I do enjoy Heritage now, but it doesn't hold a candle to their earlier albums. Several points in that album would have been better to me with the inclusion of the growls.
I'm with you 100% on this. Not just ditching the vocals, but the whole heavier sound as well. Then go out on tour and play a full show of all the 'softer' songs.
Was a slap in the face to all those fans, like me who have supported Opeth for a longtime.
:| Wat...REALLY? That is immensely ridiculous. How exactly is that a "slap in the face to all those fans"? I absolutely cannot comprehend that thought process. I'm not trying to start an argument; I really do want to know how and why you see that as a betrayal of some kind. As if they're obliged to make music the way you or anyone else wants it. I find that completely illogical, self-centered and in some ways naive.
Opeth define who they are as a band and what they represent, not the fans or anyone else outside that circle; the fact that they changed their sound, no matter how drastic of a change that may have been, should tell you that they are ready to expand their horizons, to change what makes them Opeth. Sure, the vocals are a large part of who Opeth are as a band, but if that is all that any fan sees in them, they've missed a huge chunk of what makes this band so special; and it sure as shit doesn't rely solely on the vocals. Hell, even the harsh metal aspect, while obviously the larger body of the band, clearly isn't what the band themselves saw as a (stagnant) representation of who they are.
For anyone outside the band to say that their change is in 'who they are' apparently missed the memo that bands (read: not fan-slaves) sometimes change (drastically at times), evolve their sound and move in a different musical direction; to explore new avenues and to keep things interesting and fun, and maybe even challenge themselves. It is entirely possible that if they had catered to the masses that we would have gotten a half-assed, uninspired, generic, stale metal album that proved only to support the fact that something fresh is needed. The idea that it's a "slap in the face" to fans simply because the direction their heading musically isn't to your liking is...quite frankly, idiotic. Not you, but that train of thought. I can't wrap my head around that pompous state of mind. They make their own descisions and if you don't like it, that's really too bad; it happens. But why does that make them as a band somehow evil/stupid/sell-outs/less-of-an-artist/backstabbers/any other ignorant label.
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I love Heritage, and I wouldn't be disappointed at all if they released another album with a similar vibe. Heritage is right up there with their best albums for me. They absolutely nailed the mood they were going for with it.
Agreed, I think there's a lot more they still have left to explore from there. Hell, it's almost definitive of Opeth in a "you're not getting what you expect, but it'll still be good, if not better because of it" which defines their songwriting for me.
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@TioJorge
I completely agree that a band should be able to change direction on record, without having to explain themselves to, or cater to, the fans. However, to completely omit heavy, harsh vocals (which, like it or not, are 'a part of what made Opeth the band they are') is somewhat disrespectful to the fans who have put Opeth where they are today. I understand they wanted the Heritage vibe on that tour, but all it needed was Deliverance, for example, in the setlist, just as a nod to their past.
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I love Heritage, and I wouldn't be disappointed at all if they released another album with a similar vibe. Heritage is right up there with their best albums for me. They absolutely nailed the mood they were going for with it.
Agreed. Its one of my favorites as well. I have nothing against the heavy stuff but I prefer the more mellow, proggy side of Opeth.
All of this.
Speaking of their mellow side, the last minute or so in Dirge for November is one of the best mellow Opeth moments ever. Just sayin'. :hat
:heart :heart :heart
Oh, hell yeah; it is amazingly entrancing and one of the most beautifully melancholic moments in their history. Right after a vehemently brutal onslaught of some of the best, most hardcore music they've written. Amazing track; my favorite outro perhaps.
None of us are saying they need to put out Ghost Reveries V.5.0 out, but to completely ditch a part of what made Opeth the band they are (vocals) just didn't sit well for a lot of people.
Just to answer BF's question, I do enjoy Heritage now, but it doesn't hold a candle to their earlier albums. Several points in that album would have been better to me with the inclusion of the growls.
I'm with you 100% on this. Not just ditching the vocals, but the whole heavier sound as well. Then go out on tour and play a full show of all the 'softer' songs.
Was a slap in the face to all those fans, like me who have supported Opeth for a longtime.
:| Wat...REALLY? That is immensely ridiculous. How exactly is that a "slap in the face to all those fans"? I absolutely cannot comprehend that thought process. I'm not trying to start an argument; I really do want to know how and why you see that as a betrayal of some kind. As if they're obliged to make music the way you or anyone else wants it. I find that completely illogical, self-centered and in some ways naive.
Opeth define who they are as a band and what they represent, not the fans or anyone else outside that circle; the fact that they changed their sound, no matter how drastic of a change that may have been, should tell you that they are ready to expand their horizons, to change what makes them Opeth. Sure, the vocals are a large part of who Opeth are as a band, but if that is all that any fan sees in them, they've missed a huge chunk of what makes this band so special; and it sure as shit doesn't rely solely on the vocals. Hell, even the harsh metal aspect, while obviously the larger body of the band, clearly isn't what the band themselves saw as a (stagnant) representation of who they are.
For anyone outside the band to say that their change is in 'who they are' apparently missed the memo that bands (read: not fan-slaves) sometimes change (drastically at times), evolve their sound and move in a different musical direction; to explore new avenues and to keep things interesting and fun, and maybe even challenge themselves. It is entirely possible that if they had catered to the masses that we would have gotten a half-assed, uninspired, generic, stale metal album that proved only to support the fact that something fresh is needed. The idea that it's a "slap in the face" to fans simply because the direction their heading musically isn't to your liking is...quite frankly, idiotic. Not you, but that train of thought. I can't wrap my head around that pompous state of mind. They make their own descisions and if you don't like it, that's really too bad; it happens. But why does that make them as a band somehow evil/stupid/sell-outs/less-of-an-artist/backstabbers/any other ignorant label.
While bands do change sounds over time, to completely throw out key elements to Opeth's sound was kind of disappointing, I don't get why Growls and some more heaviness would have made it a "stale metal album" if anything it would have added more flavor to an album that could have used it. Some of it worked well, songs like The Devils Orchard, I Feel The Dark, Nepenthe, but the rest just didn't really gel. The flute felt out of place and weird, and Slither is a very "meh" song, which I really really hope they don't take that direction with the next album. Anywho, I don't get what's so wrong with thinking it could have been heavier, there could have been growls, and there should have been both, because Heritage needs it. The Devils orchard which I think is a 4/5 Opeth song would have been a 5/5 with some well placed growls, and that one part of I Feel The Dark would have been a 5/5 song as well if it'd just had Mikael howling.
But I guess it's opinions, so whatever.
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@TioJorge
I completely agree that a band should be able to change direction on record, without having to explain themselves to, or cater to, the fans. However, to completely omit heavy, harsh vocals (which, like it or not, are 'a part of what made Opeth the band they are') is somewhat disrespectful to the fans who have put Opeth where they are today. I understand they wanted the Heritage vibe on that tour, but all it needed was Deliverance, for example, in the setlist, just as a nod to their past.
The thing is, I don't think that Opeth at any moment in their career wrote songs with an intention to create a huge fanbase. They wrote Still life because that's the kind of music they wanted to write. They wrote Heritage because that's the kind of music they wanted to write.
It makes no sense to me that a band's creativity depends on the fans that wouldn't even be fans if the band didn't record and put out albums on their own terms.
Mikael put his heart and soul creating Heritage, yet some fans keep dissing it. Isn't that disrespectful and slap in the face to someone who made those exact fans happy for so long as well? But that brings me to another point, which is that, in my opinion, we should really pick words much more carefully when we're expressing our dissatisfaction with someone's music. I seriously can't remember the last time I called an album ''shit''. But that's a whole other story...
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@TioJorge
I completely agree that a band should be able to change direction on record, without having to explain themselves to, or cater to, the fans. However, to completely omit heavy, harsh vocals (which, like it or not, are 'a part of what made Opeth the band they are') is somewhat disrespectful to the fans who have put Opeth where they are today. I understand they wanted the Heritage vibe on that tour, but all it needed was Deliverance, for example, in the setlist, just as a nod to their past.
The thing is, I don't think that Opeth at any moment in their career wrote songs with an intention to create a huge fanbase. They wrote Still life because that's the kind of music they wanted to write. They wrote Heritage because that's the kind of music they wanted to write.
It makes no sense to me that a band's creativity depends on the fans that wouldn't even be fans if the band didn't record and put out albums on their own terms.
Mikael put his heart and soul creating Heritage, yet some fans keep dissing it. Isn't that disrespectful and slap in the face to someone who made those exact fans happy for so long as well? But that brings me to another point, which is that, in my opinion, we should really pick words much more carefully when we're expressing our dissatisfaction with someone's music. I seriously can't remember the last time I called an album ''shit''. But that's a whole other story...
Anything is subject to critisicm, and anyone has the right to think something is shit. I don't think it is, but it's near the bottom in my rankings, it's not nearly as breath taking as most of their other work.
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Of course you can think something is shit. But maybe think twice before you say it. That's a different story, though, but I kinda connected it with fans practically asking bands to show respect, while the fans themselves certainly don't do that.
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Like I said, Opeth can create whatever album they like, I'm not saying fans should dictate that. But I kinda think that when a band reaches a certain level in terms of touring capacity and size of venue (a level that both Opeth and DT have now reached), I think they should have some thought for what fans want to hear at a show. After all, it is now touring that brings the most money in for most bands.
A band can satisfy their musical desires in the studio, but playing live is a different business, and to omit a massive part of their 'heritage' (excuse the pun) from a setlist is, I believe, disrespectful. Fortunately it seems like Opeth have realised this, and have gone back to including heavy vocals in their live set. In my opinion, concerts are supposed to be a form of entertainment for paying customers, not an opportunity for a band to satisfy curiosities. As a result, bands are duty bound to cater to their fans' wishes to a certain extent.
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I'd also like to note that while it's definitely not everyone, but a lot of those who are for more Heritage here are members who don't listen to very much extreme metal, just something I'd like to point out. I feel like extreme metal fans on this forum are unforunately not that common :sadpanda:
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DC: I listen to plenty of metal, for the record; many different kinds at that, and while recently it's mainly either straight death metal or a mixture of progressive death metal, my opinion stands that despite the fact that I adore Storm Corrosion and Heritage, I also consider Morningrise to be a supremely sexy album. In fact I've stated in the past that I'm itching for and would love another Opeth album that harkens back to their true roots and is completely off-the-walls insane with the absolute harshest of vocals and the heaviest of music. Which brings me to something I'd like to correct; I never said this at all:
While bands do change sounds over time, to completely throw out key elements to Opeth's sound was kind of disappointing, I don't get why Growls and some more heaviness would have made it a "stale metal album" if anything it would have added more flavor to an album that could have used it. Some of it worked well, songs like The Devils Orchard, I Feel The Dark, Nepenthe, but the rest just didn't really gel. The flute felt out of place and weird, and Slither is a very "meh" song, which I really really hope they don't take that direction with the next album. Anywho, I don't get what's so wrong with thinking it could have been heavier, there could have been growls, and there should have been both, because Heritage needs it. The Devils orchard which I think is a 4/5 Opeth song would have been a 5/5 with some well placed growls, and that one part of I Feel The Dark would have been a 5/5 song as well if it'd just had Mikael howling.
But I guess it's opinions, so whatever.
You're taking it out of context. I said that were the band to continue down a path that catered to the fans specifically, meaning creating another heavy, usual Opeth album with all of the markings of a usual album, growls and all, we might get an album that feels stale because Mikael and co. clearly did not want to create a heavy, progressive-metal album with growls. Doing something one does not want to do, especially in a creative outlet such as music, could result in the music sounding, as I said, uninspired and stale. The fact that progressive-metal elements and growls would have been present doesn't even factor into the equation; it's the fact that Mikael and the band did not want to do that kind of record is what would make it stale. I hope that's clear because I do want, eventually, another Opeth record that makes my penis shrivel in fear and my bowels uncontrollably burst out my anus while I simultaneously reach orgasm that paints my walls a beautiful eggshell white. However, they can keep it if what we get is not something from the heart and is not something that the band cohesively reaches a decision to do because like it or not, the direction they went in is something they wanted to do and to my ears, it sounds very inspired and full of heart (granted, a cancerous, black-blood pulsing heart).
But yeah, fuckin' opinions 'n shit. Agree to disagree or something? *genital hug*
@TioJorge
I completely agree that a band should be able to change direction on record, without having to explain themselves to, or cater to, the fans. However, to completely omit heavy, harsh vocals (which, like it or not, are 'a part of what made Opeth the band they are') is somewhat disrespectful to the fans who have put Opeth where they are today. I understand they wanted the Heritage vibe on that tour, but all it needed was Deliverance, for example, in the setlist, just as a nod to their past.
The thing is, I don't think that Opeth at any moment in their career wrote songs with an intention to create a huge fanbase. They wrote Still life because that's the kind of music they wanted to write. They wrote Heritage because that's the kind of music they wanted to write.
It makes no sense to me that a band's creativity depends on the fans that wouldn't even be fans if the band didn't record and put out albums on their own terms.
Mikael put his heart and soul creating Heritage, yet some fans keep dissing it. Isn't that disrespectful and slap in the face to someone who made those exact fans happy for so long as well? But that brings me to another point, which is that, in my opinion, we should really pick words much more carefully when we're expressing our dissatisfaction with someone's music. I seriously can't remember the last time I called an album ''shit''. But that's a whole other story...
Cod almighty, thank you! Someone who gets it. So logical. So sexy. They never catered to the fans. They have and always should create music that makes them happy and that inspires them. If the fans lash out and call it 'disrespectful' (which I still do not fucking understand one bit and it still sounds completely ludicrous and incomprehensible) then they can cry themselves to sleep and move onto the next band who does nothing but create drivel under the guise of 'being all about the fans bro"! See, it doesn't matter if the fans catapulted Opeth into the stardom because I'm pretty damn sure that they would still be creating the music they wanted if they were playing in rotten shacks to a crowd of ten people. They should never cater to the fans specifically because of the immense bullshit that is the fans' mindset: You played this type of music for a really long time! Now you're not!? RESPECT ME! What the flying fuck? I will never understand. I don't think I want to.
Now that that's done with... I'm listening to My Arms, Your Hearse and I do indeed want another record like this. Let me clarify: Record like this = this type of inspiring, intense music; if that means harkening back to the old 'Dark Ages' brutality, fucking' awesome. If it means something completely different with that same feeling of commitment and intensity, even better.
Dark Castle, you did say one thing that I completely agree with: Slither is horribly boring. I really do not like it much at all and it is the only track that I don't completely adore for the absolute reasons I listed above: it sounds uninspired, stale and flat. Yet it has the markings (albeit a 'dumbed down' version) of their past catalog of metal, a galloping guitar rhythm and soaring vocals at times. When I found out it was a tribute to Dio, it made me dislike it even more. Not because I don't like Dio, and it's nice they made a tribute to him, but it's clearly the black sheep on the album because of that very reason. Tribute tracks almost always, in my experience, turn out this way because the person writing/playing it feels the need to force the type of music of the person that they're attributing to unto their own style. Which almost always comes out the way this did: Forced, out of place and ultimately boring.
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See, it doesn't matter if the fans catapulted Opeth into the stardom because I'm pretty damn sure that they would still be creating the music they wanted if they were playing in rotten shacks to a crowd of ten people.
Really? Music is a business, and I highly doubt they'd still be playing gigs at this stage if they were making very little money from it.
And you ignored my point which distinguished between the music they write for records and what they play live.
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Ah, you're right; I do agree with you on that front...to an extent. Studio versus stage are two different beasts, and I agree that paying fans that take the time to come see a show deserve a few bones thrown their way; but even then, there is a point that it becomes ridiculous to expect a band to cater to the fans' wants when it's pretty clear that by this discussion alone that it's impossible to please every group, even in a setting where the show is specifically for the fans. The most that a band should cater to the fans is exactly what Opeth is doing now: A mixture of the music that the band is supporting, be it a specific album tour or a series of special shows in commemoration of a milestone for the band, along with a few fan-favorites that cater to the majority of the fans' wants. If they attempted to please even half of every fan's incessant wants they would be playing the same setlists constantly, their sound would never evolve, they would be running in circles and end up never making music for themselves and probably hate every minute, and the newest album would be Black Rose's Immortal WaterPark (Part XI).
Which brings us to the next topic: Music is not a business for the band (aside from a literal sense, but I'm speaking in regards to the band's personal intentions); do they make money from it? Yes, but that does not mean that it is a business in a personal sense to the band. I'm not blanketing the entire industry as, in the broad sense of the word, it is a business. But in regards to Opeth and specifically Mikael himself, and I'm not speaking matter-of-factly as neither of us know, but I'm confident that one of their goals when starting this band was not "Make a shitload of money and become famous". Many musicians do and they are much more wealthy than Opeth collectively and they cater to the masses, waiting on hand and foot to every swinging dick and Nancy; I'm also quite certain that those people are the people that are in the music business. I'm quite certain that Mikael does not see the writing, recording, and touring process as 'going to work'. The record labels see music as a business, certain fans see music as a business, music industry companies see music as a business and while I cannot speak for the band, I'd be willing to bet my left nut that Mikael and co. absolutely do not see their love for playing, writing and making music as a business in and of itself. Are they happy that their once-hobby has now turned into a lucrative outlet? Sure as shit, they do. I also think that, yes, even if they made little money playing music, they would (with careers in other areas) fund their own gigs, play small shows, and enjoy themselves all the same, playing the music they want to play.
When they began, that's exactly what they were doing and it's how most every band that has love for music begins (sans the 'performers'). The lucrative side of the industry does spur some bands into performing, writing, and playing specifically for the fans and will listen to every numbskull that worships the ground they walk (y'know, until the band creates a album that isn't designed for the fans or goes against the grain). But fans come and go, they change daily, and they are for the most part completely unreliable and utterly fickle. There are exceptions of course, and once again, Mikael has made it clear he loves every fan for allowing him to have a career in the music industry; but why does that mean that he must cater to our wants? Lest we forget that it is just as much our choice to support the band as it is his for making the music. There is no law on either side that says that one must cater to the other. Don't like the music? Don't support it; I'm sure Opeth will be just fine without it. People like Steven Wilson and Mikael Akerfeldt hardly portray a sense of business perspective in regards to the music industry. That's kind of the point to record labels, and it's also why bands and labels clash so constantly because the labels clearly see the band as a money-making entity; the band and people involved personally, creatively and intellectually do not see it as such. Cue Dream Theater discussions regarding Falling Into Infinity and the battle between producer and creator. Etc. etc.
Case in point: We fans are so ever-changing and so two-faced that if they were to cater to us, they'd end up going insane and still not making very much money from it because very few bands/artists are in the music industry with the explicit purpose of having a career. The career part comes from the fans willful support of the band; a choice that we make because, supposedly, we like the music that they make and want them to make more. When the 'more' part comes and you no longer like it, the answer is simple: Do not support it. Fans do not have the right to be 'disrespected' because a band made music that they didn't like; it is not an equal marriage, it's not even a relationship. It is a support system built around the band. No support does not equal no music; it merely means that the band will have to be self-sufficient. I suppose the true test would be for every fan to stop support and to see if the band continues to put out music on their own. But hopefully that won't happen. Either way...I'm kind of going every which way now and I'm so very tired.
If it's tl;dr, you can eat my magical asshole in an attempt to become literate and less lazy. :angel: 'You' being anyone who decides to respond and the collective forum. Good discussion, even if it will never go anywhere and we may never see eye to eye; it was stimulating. :tup
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It is an interesting discussion, which I suppose is dictated mostly by what each of us deems to be the nature of the music industry in the current climate.
I certainly agree with a lot of what you say: bands should not be told what to do by anybody, be it fans or record companies. It would definitely make for a pretty boring musical landscape. I guess my main bugbear is that I think bands should do a little more to repay their fans' faith - without resorting to becoming a nostalgia act. A good (or bad, depending on how you look at it) example is Metallica. They've recognised that their pre-1992 material is much more loved by the fans and almost exclusively play material from those albums. Personally I think this is too much, but I certainly appreciated it when they played particular albums in full. That is a good idea and a nice compromise.
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Speaking as a very long term Opeth fan who has seen them four times and was disappointed in Heritage not because it abandoned the death metal trappings but because I simply, just plain, didn't like it; yes, the band has an obligation to make the music they want to make. They also have to realize that they run the risk, if they go too far afield, of alienating an audience that supports them, which they also require to continue. I expect Opeth to make music that interests me. Heritage didn't so they lost me there.
The Heritage tour, where they utterly abandoned being a metal band? I'm not going to call it a slap in the face, but it was ill advised. When a band does that sort of thing, they run the risk of appearing to say "oh, that music you liked from us before? It's utter crap, and you WILL like what we do now or else." The argument in support of Opeth largely seems to boil down to "they can do what they want, and they should." It ignores the fact that we also have the right to say "this album sucks, the set list is boring as fuck, and I'm out of here." Which is where Opeth is for me now. What made Opeth interesting to me was the blending of crushing heavy metal with more progressive influences; remove the crushing metal and they are, as I've said before, a particularly bland version of a prog rock band. The band doesn't have an obligation to keep making the same album over and over. But neither am I obligated to like what they do produce just because I'm an Opeth fan.
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I wouldn't say they utterly abandoned it. Face of Melinda, Porcelain Heart, Hex Omega, and A Fair Judgment were all pretty metal. There was nothing as crushing as something like Deliverance, but you can't say they totally abandoned metal.
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I think they did a great thing with selecting songs for the European leg this year, where they spent the first hour playing Heritage tracks and other mellow stuff, then busted out The Drapery falls, Ghost of perdition and the rest in the second half. That's quite a nice balance if you ask me - they're staying true to themselves with playing the new material which is different, and then play some fan favorites. So both the band and the fans are happy, can't improve on that. :smiley:
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You may remember this setlist:
(https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6237/6305185734_415e13f7cb_z.jpg)
Well, now I've found these 2:
(https://i.imgur.com/DFQBM.jpg)
(https://api.ning.com/files/4hLA7iif3QV3R7YUDrEhvD5B-ledUhMpM4eXGF2NFfwWNFOya76cgK5MSlJXq-z1bzyKqAupil5B2my2b3FvSA__/Opeth24.jpg)
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:lol
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Oh holy glob, those are awesome. :rollin
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These deserve to be posted as well:
(https://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/294/a/e/mikael_akerfeldt_dat_ass_by_rouofcoorflig-d4dhtiz.jpg)
(https://www.teamblind.de/zeuch/mikamage.jpg)
(https://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5564/rapeclown.jpg)
(https://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9321/opethblackmetal6gg.jpg)
(https://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l318/frostwake/immopeth.jpg)
(https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6144/6032531553_0cdfa4757d.jpg)
And obviously that Photoshopeth video on Youtube is full of hilarious classics, like those Porcupine Tree album covers! :lol
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(https://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9321/opethblackmetal6gg.jpg)
OH MY GOD I WANT OPETH TO WEAR CORPSE PAINT NOW
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Wonderful post, ?, just wonderful. :metal :rollin :rollin :rollin
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Hi guys
Firstly, best wishes to all on this board for 2013.
This may sound crazy and naive, but up until a few years ago, I dismissed Opeth as "just another death metal act".
This, I admit, was down to naivety and ignorance on my part.
I had heard about 20 seconds of about 3 or 4 of their songs and for some reason decided that they were not for me.
In the summer of 2009 I went to see Dream Theater at Leeds Academy and got talking to 2 chaps from Ireland outside before the gig.
We were going through all the usual stuff DT fans talk to each other about, and then we got onto which other bands we were into.
One of them mentioned Opeth to me and I said I'd not really heard much by them, but I didn't think they were really my thing. He said that I really should give them a good listen.
So I did.
It's been many years since I have come across such a brilliant and interesting band.
The arrangements and changes in direction in each song are truly breathtaking sometimes.
I started with Blackwater Park, but I now proudly own :
Blackwater Park
Damnation
Ghost Reveries
The Roundhouse Tapes
Watershed
Heritage
All superb albums - I'm just in the process of downloading Still Life as I type this message, and I am also looking forward to listening to that.
Cheers
Andrew
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Still Life is the best them, so you're in for a real treat.
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OH MY GOD I WANT OPETH TO WEAR CORPSE PAINT NOW
They wud b so tr00 and kvlt if they did so! (https://lauta.imperiumi.net/images/smilies/bmet.gif)
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You still need to check out my two favorite Opeth albums, Still life and Deliverance. :metal
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You owe it to yourself to get My Arms, Your Hearse right this instant... then move onto Still Life and Deliverance.
P.S. God damn, I love Haxprocess
Moon is riding hiiiiiiigh
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P.S. God damn, I love Haxprocess
Moon is riding hiiiiiiigh
Me too, and began loving it even more when I heard it live.
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Listening to Still Life now and it's just clicking on every level. Why haven't I given this album more spins earlier? Easily my favorite Opeth record of the ones i have heard :2metal:
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One year ago, if you'd asked me what the best Opeth album is, I would've said Still Life, no questions asked.
Now, I might say My Arms, Your Hearse. What a brilliant album. I can confidently say it has the best riffs they've ever written.
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Listening to Still Life now and it's just clicking on every level. Why haven't I given this album more spins earlier? Easily my favorite Opeth record of the ones i have heard :2metal:
VERY glad to hear this, dude. I love that album. I just hope you don't end up joining the legion of DTFers that consider Moonlapse Vertigo one of its lesser tracks. When you get done with that album, you may wanna check out either of their first two albums. The Twilight is my Robe is very awesome and is my pick from their debut, Orchid. As for its followup, Morningrise, I lean strongly toward The Night and the Silent Water.
Hope you like the recommendations :tup
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Still Life and My Arms, Your Hearse are the 2 albums I've never really enjoyed for some reason.
They always seem to get a lot of love though, I'll need to give them a few more spins.
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Still Life and My Arms, Your Hearse are the 2 albums I've never really enjoyed for some reason.
They always seem to get a lot of love though, I'll need to give them a few more spins.
I had that too first. Then I started listening to them more, and I discovered how awesome those two albums are.
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Yeah, I had that at first too.
Then I realized I didn't have my ears on.
No but srsly you should get your ears checked out, brohan.
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I just hope you don't end up joining the legion of DTFers that consider Moonlapse Vertigo one of its lesser tracks.
Mah n***a!! :hefdaddy :metal
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Listening to Still Life now and it's just clicking on every level. Why haven't I given this album more spins earlier? Easily my favorite Opeth record of the ones i have heard :2metal:
VERY glad to hear this, dude. I love that album. I just hope you don't end up joining the legion of DTFers that consider Moonlapse Vertigo one of its lesser tracks. When you get done with that album, you may wanna check out either of their first two albums. The Twilight is my Robe is very awesome and is my pick from their debut, Orchid. As for its followup, Morningrise, I lean strongly toward The Night and the Silent Water.
Hope you like the recommendations :tup
Well, I think the only track that didn't really click was "White Cluster" and I certainly enjoyed my fair share of "Moonlapse vertigo". As far as a follow up is concerned, I think I'll check out MAYH first since it seems to get a lot of praise and I haven't heard a note from it. I'll also listen to your recommendations, thanks! ;D
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The thing with Still Life for me is that the whole album is kinda samey so the individual songs don't stand out that much to me (except the ballads). This is the reason I keep it in the second tier of Opeth albums, but I still love it to death.
On an unrelated note, Heritage as fallen mightily in my rankings. For a while I liked it more and more with each listen and I even placed it second or third in a ranking I did a while ago, but now I find it a bit more boring, there's only three or four songs that I would categorize as excellent (Devil's Orchard, Slither, Lines in my Hand and Folklore).
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.The ever-evolving Swedish band Opeth will return to North America in support of their most recent studio album, Heritage. Released September 20, 2011, it garnered rave reviews from everyone from Rolling Stone who called the album "a career record that reimagines prog as actual rock 'n' roll" to Pitchfork saying "a pretty, well thought out collection” to NPR who called it “equally vast, thoughtful and heavy.” The tour will kick off on April 18th in Buffalo and will take the band throughout North America on a 30+ city tour. Katatonia has been confirmed as direct support for the tour.
There will be several dates of note during Opeth’ s North American run. On April 20th, Opeth will be making a stop to headline alongside Anthrax, Hatebreed and Suicidal Tendencies at the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival. The April 28th show in Clifton Park, NY will see Åkerfeldt’s Storm Corrosion collaborator and friend Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree join Opeth for a special evening that is not to be missed. There will also be two rare and intimate evenings with Opeth planned for Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on April 29th and The Roxy in Los Angeles on May 24th. These shows will allow fans the unique opportunity to experience Opeth like never before.
Opeth will also be offering VIP packages throughout the tour that will allow fans the following:
• 1 ticket to the show
• Access to a meet & greet with the band
• Early entry to venue after meet & greet
• Opeth fan pack which includes:
o Exclusive VIP T-shirt
o Exclusive VIP double 12" clear vinyl of Heritage
o Opeth tour photo book
o Commemorative VIP laminate & lanyard
Fan club pre-sales begin on January 10th at https://opeth.artistarena.com/ (https://opeth.artistarena.com/) followed by public on-sales on January 11th and 12th.
Tour Dates:
4/18 The Town Ballroom Buffalo, NY
4/20 New England Metal & Hardcore Festival Worcester, MA
4/21 Capitole Quebec City, QC
4/23 Halifax Forum Halifax, NS
4/24 Casino New Brunswick Moncton, NB
4/26 Guelph Concert Theatre Guelph, ON
4/27 Crocodile Rock Allentown, PA
4/28 Upstate Concert Hall Clifton Park, NY
4/29 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY
4/30 NorVa Theater Norfolk, VA
5/2 Culture Room Ft. Lauderdale, FL
5/3 State Theatre St. Petersburg, FL
5/4 Georgia Theatre Athens, GA
5/5 Lincoln Theatre Raleigh, NC
5/6 The Orange Peel Asheville, NC
5/8 Buster’s Billiards & Backroom Lexington, KY
5/9 The Vogue Indianapolis, IN
5/10 The Machine Shop Flint, MI
5/11 Mojoe’s Joliet, IL
5/12 House of Blues Cleveland, OH
5/14 The Venue Fargo, ND
5/15 Wooly’s Des Moines, IA
5/16 Pop’s Sauget, IL
5/17 Bourbon Theatre Lincoln, NE
5/18 Cain’s Ballroom Tulsa, OK
5/20 Fox Theatre Boulder, CO
5/21 Fox Theatre Boulder, CO
5/23 Rialto Theatre Tucson, AZ
5/24 The Roxy Los Angeles, CA
5/25 The Canyon Club Agoura Hills, CA
5/26 The Catalyst Santa Cruz, CA
.
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(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/734764_10151428382933410_49578903_n.jpg)
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DAGFUCKINGNABBIT THE ROXY GIG IS THE FRIDAY BEFORE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND AND I'M GOING TO BE OUT OF TOWN BUT I WANT TO FUCKING GO AND MOTHERFUCK!!!
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are you kidding me? Not a single Texas date?
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fml
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Hmm...yeah that really, really sucks. There's no way that I can travel out of state for both SW and Opeth... and I've seen Opeth already, but I was sure they'd have at least one Texas date. Odd. SW wins this one, I'm going to have to skip out on Opeth this year... Fuck...
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Oh great, a festival gig for MA. :/
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First time they are coming to St. Louis in eight years! :tup :tup
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Second time (not in a row, mind you) that they're skipped Toronto, and went to a way smaller, crappier city a few hours out from Toronto, Guelph. Strange, man.
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are you kidding me? Not a single Texas date?
Exactly my thought.
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First time they are coming to St. Louis in eight years! :tup :tup
:metal
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Are you fucking serious? Opeth decides to come to Raleigh and they choose to do it on the day I want to fly to fucking Africa?
Might need to adjust some travel plans...
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Especially since it sounds like several of our fellow DTFers will be there. ;)
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This will not do. South Africa, you'll have to wait. And I'm definitely buying VIP tickets. Screw it. Who needs money?
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Damn! VIP's too rich for my blood right now. I was gonna see if you wanted to meet up, TOX. Also, I can't seem to find out how much the regular tickets are. Does anyone know?
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The problem may be that regular/public ticket sales don't start until Friday and Saturday.
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Good point dude.
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Raleigh's VIP tickets are sold out already? No!
Regulars it is!
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Don't worry dude. I'll let you wear a popcorn tub with a hole in the bottom and make it up to you at the show :)
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postpixplzkthxbai :biggrin:
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I just listened to Windowpane and came to the conclusion that it's my favorite Opeth song. DAT SOLO! :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
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Windowpane is awesomesauce. :metal
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It's one of their many masterpieces, no doubt. It's probably my favorite song on Damnation too, although Closure, Hope Leaves, and To Rid the Disease are close.
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Agreed on all the ones you named, TOX. :tup
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Hope Leaves is fantastic on Damnation, but it's even better on the Royal Albert Hall DVD. Holy shit, that outro solo :hefdaddy
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WORD, Onno, word! :hefdaddy
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If you're bored and need some entertainment you can read some hilarious live quotes by Mikael here: https://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/opeth-archived/439446-mikaels-live-quotes.html
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If you're bored and need some entertainment you can read some hilarious live quotes by Mikael here: https://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/opeth-archived/439446-mikaels-live-quotes.html
Haha "We are heavy metal...but with some beautiful acoustic parts. Some people say thats pussy. Those are the people that get no pussy."
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(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qNOuK4elBck/T3p9wZP4kpI/AAAAAAAAAx4/bUt-7_No1zw/s1600/morning.jpg)
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRZzZFu_PN9Fu2Ivl_TcboPRFhl74t1L2pAWQAkN1gXbosTDsaEnw)
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Great album except for Black Rose Immortal.
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I'd say Nectar is the worst song on there. I actually quite like BRI, though it doesn't top the best song on the album; The Night and the Silent Water, or the second best song; Advent.
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Just checking to make sure "Blackwater Park" is still the greatest metal song ever........yep it is.
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It's my favorite Opeth-song, but there are metal-bands (and songs) I like more so.
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SICK LIAISONS RAISED THIS MONUMENTAL MARK
THE SUN SETS FOREVER OVER BLACKWATER PARK
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Just checking to make sure "Blackwater Park" is still the greatest metal song ever........yep it is.
This man knows what's up. :tup
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I think Bleak owns it.
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I think Bleak owns it.
This. Bleak is the best Opeth song.
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I'd say Nectar is the worst song on there. I actually quite like BRI, though it doesn't top the best song on the album; The Night and the Silent Water, or the second best song; Advent.
"To Bid You Farewell" is the clear standout for me, not just from Morningrise but from their entire early 'blackish prog' era. they've never written anything close to it and, from my impression, have never even bothered trying. the closest they get is "Face of Melinda," but that went in a far jazzier direction that stands out in a totally different way. i'd call TBYF a quintessential Opeth song and one of the best-written songs in metal.
not to say the rest of Morningrise isn't good — i quite like BRI once it gets past the opening 5 minutes or so (the 'piratey' parts), the end of TNATSW is absolutely amazing, most of "Advent" is great, and "Nectar" has some great sections, though i agree it's the lowest rung of the album.
and since they're basically twins, i must say Orchid has some amazing and underrated songs too, particularly "Forest of October" (a song i wish they'd still play on tour — the opening several minutes are just enormous, and the ending is sublime!).
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Always loved Advent. You have no idea how much I'd love to hear that in today's sound production quality.
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I think Bleak owns it.
This. Bleak is the best Opeth song.
That's a weird way to spell The Moor.
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Okey either no one got the joke or it wasn't as funny as I thought it was when I thought of it..
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Just checking to make sure "Blackwater Park" is still the greatest metal song ever........yep it is.
Unbant. :metal
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I think Bleak owns it.
This. Bleak is the best Opeth song.
That's a weird way to spell The Moor.
:tup
I really like Morningrise. Nektar is slightly less memorable except for the awesome outro and Black rose immortal really drags, but the rest of the album is fantastic.
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I think Bleak owns it.
This. Bleak is the best Opeth song.
That's a weird way to spell The Moor.
You all typed Windowpane wrong.
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Okey either no one got the joke or it wasn't as funny as I thought it was when I thought of it..
LOL MORNINGRISE = BONER
Yeah, that joke is as old as the album itself.
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LOL MORNINGRISE = BONER
Yeah, that joke is as old as the album itself.
Thought so, but hadn't seen it so just really wanted to.. x)
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(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qNOuK4elBck/T3p9wZP4kpI/AAAAAAAAAx4/bUt-7_No1zw/s1600/morning.jpg)
Nice bridge.
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Mikael gives an insight of his thoughts about metal nowadays:
"'Heritage' is a record I particularly love. I think in our catalog, it's probably my favorite record. Basically, I've been getting closer to the music I listen to. I don't listen to new extreme metal. I think it's dull, I think it's s--t — most of it. And I can't get impressed with bands that are fast, that play... Brutality, for me, does nothing. I've been into the whole death metal scene for ages, so it's not happening that I'm gonna be impressed by brutal music anymore. And I think metal has a new meaning to me than it did before."
"I think 'Heritage' is metal - I think it's rebellious, anyway. But a lot of people, obviously, would disagree. To a lot of people, metal is screaming vocals, double-bass drums, pretty much a computerized recording that sounds inhuman, and I think we just reacted towards that, I guess. To me, it's maybe a bold statement or whatever you call it, but in our catalog, I think, 'Heritage' is the most metal record."
Source (https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/opeth_frontman_it_would_be_impossible_for_metallica_to_write_another_master_of_puppets.html)
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Reader's Digest version:
"I had no problem writing metal when it was my best bet to sustain my career given the fanbase Opeth had at the time but now that I'm established enough to write whatever I want and still have a viable music career, I have no problem shitting on the genre that an overwhelming majority of my best material is from."
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I agree, I mean he's just flat out lying saying extreme metal has become boring, so much is happening in the scene that that is simply not true, and to call Heritage a REAL metal record is just being a twat. Sorry, I like Heritage now but that was nothing more than a wannabe '70s record.
I may not even check out the next Opeth record at this point, Akerfeldt is really putting me off lately :L
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Not really that surprising, considering how Heritage sounded and what Opeth has been doing for the last couple of years, I'm not really surprised that he ranks it as their best album, or that he is tired of metal.
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Mikael gives an insight of his thoughts about metal nowadays:
"'Heritage' is a record I particularly love. I think in our catalog, it's probably my favorite record. Basically, I've been getting closer to the music I listen to. I don't listen to new extreme metal. I think it's dull, I think it's s--t — most of it. And I can't get impressed with bands that are fast, that play... Brutality, for me, does nothing. I've been into the whole death metal scene for ages, so it's not happening that I'm gonna be impressed by brutal music anymore. And I think metal has a new meaning to me than it did before."
"I think 'Heritage' is metal - I think it's rebellious, anyway. But a lot of people, obviously, would disagree. To a lot of people, metal is screaming vocals, double-bass drums, pretty much a computerized recording that sounds inhuman, and I think we just reacted towards that, I guess. To me, it's maybe a bold statement or whatever you call it, but in our catalog, I think, 'Heritage' is the most metal record."
Source (https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/opeth_frontman_it_would_be_impossible_for_metallica_to_write_another_master_of_puppets.html)
Listened to the whole interview, and loved it.
Reader's Digest version:
"I had no problem writing metal when it was my best bet to sustain my career given the fanbase Opeth had at the time but now that I'm established enough to write whatever I want and still have a viable music career, I have no problem shitting on the genre that an overwhelming majority of my best material is from."
Look, I know that you're sometimes very tongue-in-cheek, and I don't know if the above is too. But if it's not, then here's my opinion. I don't think that he's shitting on death metal. I mean, he only says that he dislikes most contemporary modern metal, that is 2000s and later. He obviously came from the old school death metal background and that is very clear in the first few Opeth albums. Most Opeth albums are death metal or at least have a lot of death metal influences (aside from Heritage and Damnation of course), but most of them are also quite different from most other (contemporary) death metal. I think he still loves old school death metal and the death metal Opeth albums, but he's just grown a bit bored with it, which I do understand. After all, he's been playing it for 20 years. He just doesn't really like most modern day death metal, which I also understand. Hell, Opeth is probably the closest thing to death metal that I listen too.
I agree, I mean he's just flat out lying saying extreme metal has become boring, so much is happening in the scene that that is simply not true, and to call Heritage a REAL metal record is just being a twat.
Yeah, it's not really a metal record, though it contains some metal influences though.
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He's lying? :rollin Yeah, screw opinions other than your own...is what it sounds like you're saying. I know you're not, DC, but calling him a liar and then a twat for stating his opinion is getting dangerously close to the pot calling the kettle black. But whatevs. That's just, like, your opinion, man.
Good on Akerfeldt, this is what most musicians work for: to be able to have complete freedom when writing a record; one all of their own with no restraints. Which admittedly kind of sucks if you don't like Heritage or the direction he sounds like he's heading in, but that's the way the cookie crumbles, dooders. This isn't a new concept here...
I loved nearly every minute of Heritage (which is, you know...or maybe you don't, the badger who is reading this, my opinion...a subjective view completely separate to your own! *GASP*) and I look forward to their next album. Marrow Of The Earth is the most metal thing in recent history. :azn: :millahhhh Haters gonna mate.
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He's lying? :rollin Yeah, screw opinions other than your own...is what it sounds like you're saying. I know you're not, DK, but calling him a liar and then a twat for stating his opinion is getting dangerously close to the pot calling the kettle black. But whatevs. That's just, like, your opinion, man.
Good on Akerfeldt, this is what most musicians work for: to be able to have complete freedom when writing a record; one all of their own with no restraints. Which admittedly kind of sucks if you don't like Heritage or the direction he sounds like he's heading in, but that's the way the cookie crumbles, dooders. This isn't a new concept here...
I loved nearly every minute of Heritage (which is, you know...or maybe you don't, the badger who is reading this, my opinion...a subjective view completely separate to your own! *GASP*) and I look forward to their next album. Marrow Of The Earth is the most metal thing in recent history. :azn: :millahhhh Haters gonna mate.
:tup I had to listen to it literally about 20 times, but then I finally understood what Heritage is all about. And I absolutely love it.
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My two cents on this whole thing:
Yeah, it's kinda sad that we won't be getting any more traditional-sounding Opeth albums. That said, I really love Heritage. It's different, but it's really up my alley. It's got a fantastic atmosphere and I'd definitely rank it in my top five Opeth albums. If the following albums are just as good and they still keep playing the old songs during live sets, I won't be complaining.
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Saying that Heritage is an actual "Metal" album compared to most extreme metal out there today IS a lie. There are so many bands doing stuff that's not been done and so many extreme bands breaking ground, and I'd understand if he just said I don't dig it, or this new stuff just isn't his cup of tea, but to call the scene dull, shit, and to say bands are just trying to be as brutal as possible is stupid, because that's not what's happening at all.
Sorry Tio, but I feel completely justified by my statements, and I realize an opinion is an opinion, but just because something's an opinion doesn't mean it can't be criticized.
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He didn't compare it to most extreme metal, he only said it was a metal album. That I partly agree with, it has some metal bits and everything's influenced by metal but it's not all metal. He did say it was the most metal album they've done so far, but that's not true IMO. Obviously, Everything up to Watershed (excluding Damnation) was more metal.
There are so many bands doing stuff that's not been done and so many extreme bands breaking ground, and I'd understand if he just said I don't dig it, or this new stuff just isn't his cup of tea, but to call the scene dull, shit, and to say bands are just trying to be as brutal as possible is stupid, because that's not what's happening at all.
That part I do agree with. I think that there are a lot of bands that are dull or trying to sound as brutal as possible, but there are also a lot of bands in the extreme metal scene that are trying to do something different.
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It's an amazing album, and a work of art. It's the first Opeth album I've seen in that light. Yet I can totally see how he views this album as metal; albeit a very different take on the genre and one that breaks just about every 'rule' set, but that's also why I love it. It's haunting, brooding, and sometimes downright creepy, sprinkled with spots of light and some damn beautiful moments. When I think of it this way, it's not unlike (me) describing a BTBAM album. I see how this could be considered metal and I back the man for having the balls to do what he wants and not let fans dictate his work. Probably the most metal thing of all lolzlolooooooooo.
DC, you weren't just criticizing (which is fine), you called him a liar for an opinion, and just did it again. First you bash Heritage for calling itself metal (and thus breaking the mold of what a genre is...which is how sub-genres are created and so on and so forth), and then support the 'extreme metal bands' 'breaking new ground'. You're justified, yeah; you're also wrong in calling him a liar because that's impossible. It's an opinion. That's all there is to it. You can have the opinion that his opinion isn't an opinion, that's cool; but it doesn't make you or Akerfeldt any more entitled. Criticize all you want, I'm not debating that; everyone has their own opinion and you're entitled to like and hate whatever you like. Many people completely abhor Heritage, that's fine; I hate tomatoes. But saying that Heritage isn't 'metal' because you can't see it that way is ridiculous because.....well, you said you understood what an opinion is so I'm not sure where the hang-ups are... I'll leave this one be and say that oongachanga moongachanga miku pachu pichu.
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Although I didn't say it before, that's exactly what Mikael means with a 'metal' album IMO. And if you consider that, then yes, Heritage is their most metal album, just because it breaks so many metal rules.
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ITT: people continue to piss and moan cause Opeth isn't making the kind of music anymore that they want.
I agree, I mean he's just flat out lying saying extreme metal has become boring,
That is not a lie; it is his opinion. If you disagree with it, that is fine, but since how boring something is cannot objectively proven or disproven, it cannot be a lie.
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Akerfeldt is really putting me off lately :L
Yeah, me too. Every time I hear him expressing his opinions on metal lately, I feel like I'm hearing hate rhetoric from people on an internet forum who never even liked, let alone listened to, metal for any length of time remotely sufficient to validate their dismissive attitude toward it. Basically, the "LOL growlz iz dum" sector.
Look, I know that you're sometimes very tongue-in-cheek, and I don't know if the above is too. But if it's not, then here's my opinion. I don't think that he's shitting on death metal. I mean, he only says that he dislikes most contemporary modern metal, that is 2000s and later. He obviously came from the old school death metal background and that is very clear in the first few Opeth albums. Most Opeth albums are death metal or at least have a lot of death metal influences (aside from Heritage and Damnation of course), but most of them are also quite different from most other (contemporary) death metal. I think he still loves old school death metal and the death metal Opeth albums, but he's just grown a bit bored with it, which I do understand. After all, he's been playing it for 20 years. He just doesn't really like most modern day death metal, which I also understand. Hell, Opeth is probably the closest thing to death metal that I listen too.
Spot-on observation about my tongue-in-cheek posting style and I sincerely appreciate your tactfulness in asking about the intent of my post rather than jumping to conclusions and flying off the handle the way some people may have (myself included :blush )
In this case, I had a snarky and somewhat whimsical approach but the content is 100% sincere. I just feel like based on the way he's seemingly gone from writing material that is very dominated by death metal to suddenly being almost completely done with it (as far as his musical taste goes, not specifically accusing him of saying he's actually done with writing death metal) all in a span of two albums, it just seems like he's either lying about the length of time he's been jaded with metal or, if he really has been burnt out with metal for that long, that he was simply pandering to the fans to avoid a decline in record sales and once the coast was clear (as in the proggers that became enamored with them between GR and Watershed), he figured "Fuck it, now I can start phasing out metal and who cares if the longtime fans who've supported Opeth for years no longer get what they love from our music."
Good on Akerfeldt, this is what most musicians work for: to be able to have complete freedom when writing a record; one all of their own with no restraints. Which admittedly kind of sucks if you don't like Heritage or the direction he sounds like he's heading in, but that's the way the cookie crumbles, dooders. This isn't a new concept here...
Exactly. But Mike's been doing it his way from jump street anyway. He openly stated how it was looked down upon by the black metal scene he often found himself lumped in with to include the abundant amount of acoustic material they have in their music and he pushed that envelope even farther with To Bid You Farewell. Opeth have never played by anyone else's rules so the restraints you speak of never existed in the first place and If Mike was doing anything to satisfy anyone but himself/the band then it was his own decision to do so since he clearly didn't have his hands tied at any point in time since he was still able to sustain his career, even in its infancy, doing it his way.
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Don't know where I'm bashing Heritage, as I said I like it, but when he says it's their most Metal album in their catalog, I'm going to disagree, and I guess lying is a strong word, but it's simply not Metal. It has some metal influences for sure, but really, it's just a homage to '70s prog rock with some of the Akerfeldt flourishes and that's about it. There's nothing groundbreaking or amazing about the album, it's just a nice little album that kind of just sits there on the Opeth shelf.
OF COURSE what I just said there is all opinion, but hey if Akerfeldt can say Metal has become dull and shit, I can say the same thing about him ;D
And I'm not saying what makes something metal is screaming and double bassing either, so I'll cover that base before that one gets touched, many metal bands make some beautiful metal ex. Royal Thunder, Devin Townsend, Pall Bearer, Intronaut, DylanCouldGoOnForever etc. without the need for screaming and double bassing at 200 bpm and being BROOTAL.
It just seems like he felt like taking a low blow at the scene since he feels so highly of himself now.
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It's interesting how people are still bitching over Heritage.
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I can dig, DC. Likewise, 'bash' was a poor choice of words. What's that thing about opinions and pubic hair?
You're right, Floyd. That simply means he wasn't as true to himself throughout all those years; he apparently restrained himself because he wanted to keep a dedicated fanbase and stay in that scene. He also apparently knew that the moment he tried something different, many of those so-called 'fans' would immediately turn face and fart in his general direction; and he was right. He is acting a bit standoff-ish, but I don't personally have a problem with that because I like him acting like an asshole and not giving a shit about what anyone thinks. Probably because I'm having a hard time giving a shit about anything these days.
Thus, I bow before you, King Akerfeldt. Make thine music of the ambrosia of the Hufflepuffs.
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It's interesting how people are still bitching over Heritage.
Zantera, please do not start that, because that a lame duck.
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It's interesting how people are still bitching over Heritage.
Yeah. Debating music in the General Music Discussion subforum of a music forum. We really have lost our way.
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Just sayin' it was 2 years ago. Get over the fact that Mikael did an album that wasn't death metal.
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...
Guess we'll stop having our own opinions. Oh and that's not the reason some didn't like it.
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Gotta admit, I consider Heritage to be the most Opeth album of all of them. After all, they're known for their putting jazzy-proggy sections that are completely unexpected into the middle of really death-metal songs, so it makes perfect sense that after doing some really brutal death metal albums, there's a sudden jazzy prog album in a style that no-one expected. I love Heritage.
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Saying that Heritage is an actual "Metal" album compared to most extreme metal out there today IS a lie.
Just a comparison: Ghost IS more Black Metal than any Black Metal band for the last 10 years or more. Black Sabbath back in the day were more "Black Metal" than Dimmu Borgir or even Gorgoroth is today. Non of those bands play/played any harder music than there counterpart, so what is it then? Well my answer would be that they feel more metal because their music speaks not from how fast or how extreme they sound but from how diffrent they sound. There are about 10 million melodic death metal bands today and non of those bands feel more metal than Lemmy Kilmisters pinky toe.
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I'll just chime in and say Heritage is a fantastic record. Still life is untouchable, of course, but Heritage is almost up there with Deliverance and Damnation when it comes to my Opeth favorites. I don't think it's a metal album, though. ;D
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Just sayin' it was 2 years ago. Get over the fact that Mikael did an album that wasn't death metal.
Or... get over the fact that some people didn't like it as much as they wish they did and they're free to express their opinions? How is your having an issue with Heritage dissenters any more valid of an opinion than the Heritage dissent itself?
Also, why are people equating sounding different with being metal? Metal is basically rooted in rock music but expressed in a more heavy and intense manner. If something doesn't fit that criteria or strays from it enough through its absence of that criteria combined with its inclusion of other genres then it is something different, as in not metal.
Innovative attitudes and a "Fuck the fans' expectations" mentality are present in an innumerable amount of genres so it's desperately fishing for support of your argument to use that as a clear defining characteristic of metal when, once again, the music sounds anything but.
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I don't really care what people think about Heritage, I just thought everything had been covered by now. I honestly don't mind if people dislike Heritage, I'm not the biggest fan of the album either (though I like it), but seeing this discussion made me wonder if I had traveled back to 2011 again, because it's literally the same arguments and the same discussion.
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Who cares which genre it is as long as it rocks :metal
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Who cares which genre it is as long as it rocks :metal
This.
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Akerfeldt is really putting me off lately :L
Yeah, me too. Every time I hear him expressing his opinions on metal lately, I feel like I'm hearing hate rhetoric from people on an internet forum who never even liked, let alone listened to, metal for any length of time remotely sufficient to validate their dismissive attitude toward it. Basically, the "LOL growlz iz dum" sector.
Meh, he's just asked about that a lot in interview and it's simply his opinion. As seen in the setlists from the last year or so, he obviously doesn't dislike growling at all.
Spot-on observation about my tongue-in-cheek posting style and I sincerely appreciate your tactfulness in asking about the intent of my post rather than jumping to conclusions and flying off the handle the way some people may have (myself included :blush )
Why, thanks :) I hope to avoid discussions which turn out to be people misunderstanding each other instead of two people having different opinions, that's why I checked.
In this case, I had a snarky and somewhat whimsical approach but the content is 100% sincere. I just feel like based on the way he's seemingly gone from writing material that is very dominated by death metal to suddenly being almost completely done with it (as far as his musical taste goes, not specifically accusing him of saying he's actually done with writing death metal) all in a span of two albums, it just seems like he's either lying about the length of time he's been jaded with metal or, if he really has been burnt out with metal for that long, that he was simply pandering to the fans to avoid a decline in record sales and once the coast was clear (as in the proggers that became enamored with them between GR and Watershed), he figured "Fuck it, now I can start phasing out metal and who cares if the longtime fans who've supported Opeth for years no longer get what they love from our music."
In this case I have to disagree with you. Let's start with BWP, which was kind of a logical followup to the 4 albums before it, but still different. Then we got Deliverance and Damnation, which seemed to be the Opeth sound split into two parts; the mellow side and the heavy side. With GR, a lot more prog was put into the traditional Opeth sound. With Watershed, the growling already became less important, and the proginess became even more important. Let's face it: Heir Apparent is pretty Deliverance like. The Lotus Eater is also very heavy, but is more like GR. From there on, the only song with growls left is Hessian Peel, which features pretty much the core sound of Watershed. The other songs are either "standard" ballads (Burden, Coil) or proggy Opeth songs (Porcelain Heart, Hex Omega). And then we have Heritage, which at first sounds totally different. But the more I listened to it, the more Opeth I recognised in that album. After I listened to Heritage a few times, I put on Watershed again. And especially in the last few songs, I can really hear the connection between Heritage and Watershed, though it is not as obvious as the previous connections between albums I've made.
My whole point here is that I disagree on the bolded part in your quote for reasons stated above. I think the transition was really quite natural, but it's just not that obvious.
Good on Akerfeldt, this is what most musicians work for: to be able to have complete freedom when writing a record; one all of their own with no restraints. Which admittedly kind of sucks if you don't like Heritage or the direction he sounds like he's heading in, but that's the way the cookie crumbles, dooders. This isn't a new concept here...
Exactly. But Mike's been doing it his way from jump street anyway. He openly stated how it was looked down upon by the black metal scene he often found himself lumped in with to include the abundant amount of acoustic material they have in their music and he pushed that envelope even farther with To Bid You Farewell. Opeth have never played by anyone else's rules so the restraints you speak of never existed in the first place and If Mike was doing anything to satisfy anyone but himself/the band then it was his own decision to do so since he clearly didn't have his hands tied at any point in time since he was still able to sustain his career, even in its infancy, doing it his way.
Agreed. But I think that if he would've made something like Heritage in the BWP era, then the loss of fanbase would've been catastrophic. Though I must say that he probably couldn't have written something like Heritage in that era, just because he wasn't done with death metal yet.
Just sayin' it was 2 years ago. Get over the fact that Mikael did an album that wasn't death metal.
2 years ago I wasn't at this forum yet. Moreover, I really like to discuss shit like this. It makes you think more about the music and the way it was created.
Saying that Heritage is an actual "Metal" album compared to most extreme metal out there today IS a lie.
Just a comparison: Ghost IS more Black Metal than any Black Metal band for the last 10 years or more. Black Sabbath back in the day were more "Black Metal" than Dimmu Borgir or even Gorgoroth is today. Non of those bands play/played any harder music than there counterpart, so what is it then? Well my answer would be that they feel more metal because their music speaks not from how fast or how extreme they sound but from how diffrent they sound. There are about 10 million melodic death metal bands today and non of those bands feel more metal than Lemmy Kilmisters pinky toe.
Gotta admit, I consider Heritage to be the most Opeth album of all of them. After all, they're known for their putting jazzy-proggy sections that are completely unexpected into the middle of really death-metal songs, so it makes perfect sense that after doing some really brutal death metal albums, there's a sudden jazzy prog album in a style that no-one expected. I love Heritage.
Who cares which genre it is as long as it rocks :metal
You guys are right.
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I'm excite for the future of Opeth. :millahhhh :metal
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Hm, Akerfeldt must be hanging out with Steven Wilson a bit too much. He's really getting Wilson's knack down for pissing off his fanbase with his opinions. Next he'll be destroying iPods and wanking off about vinyl records or something. :lol
I think his opinion is pretty fucking silly when you get right down to it. I dunno, to me it seems like he's almost just trolling the internet, trying to get the most viceral reaction with that.
On the other hand, he does have a bit of a point. I mean, what is metal really? Metal runs the gamut from early Judas Priest and Black Sabbath to bands like Vektor, Bloodbath, Between the Buried and Me and Disturbed. That's a pretty wide avenue that incorporates a lot of different styles, so fair enough if he considers Heritage to be a metal album even if I, or others, don't. Hell, I barely consider early Judas Priest to be metal anymore.
I do think that if he really doesn't enjoy death metal or extreme metal anymore, then what does he think about Opeth's pre-Heritage music? If he honestly doesn't enjoy it anymore then, in my opinion, he should just end Opeth and start... something else. A solo career or a different band or something where he could freely do the kind of music that he wants to. The only reason I say this is because this frees him up from playing music live that he might not enjoy anymore. I know that I enjoyed the Heritage tour (more than the album...) but I went into it knowing that I was basically getting 70's Prog Rock Jazz-peth so I altered my expectations a bit. I think I might've felt ripped off if I had gone in without any knowledge of the setlist. So if he finished Opeth, he wouldn't have any 'obligation' to play all that music that he might not enjoy anymore, he could do whatever he wanted: acoustic Abba set, 30-minute bass jazz jamfests, covers of Camel songs, Heritage stuff and whatever else he wants to.
The fans can bitch but at the very least no one will be going to see Ackbba expecting to hear 'Deliverance' and getting an extended, 40 minute version of 'Folklore' that segues into 'Don't Stop Believing' instead.
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Mikael Akerfeldt can make any sort of music he wants to.
The beauty is, if it bores me senseless like Heritage did, I don't have to buy it. And based on his smug, superior attitude about what metal really is, I don't think I'll be missing much. And Opeth was once my favorite band, too.
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Yeah, it kinda seems like he's fallen into the smug elitist part of the prog crowd.
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If he honestly doesn't enjoy it anymore then, in my opinion, he should just end Opeth and start... something else. A solo career or a different band or something where he could freely do the kind of music that he wants to. The only reason I say this is because this frees him up from playing music live that he might not enjoy anymore. I know that I enjoyed the Heritage tour (more than the album...) but I went into it knowing that I was basically getting 70's Prog Rock Jazz-peth so I altered my expectations a bit. I think I might've felt ripped off if I had gone in without any knowledge of the setlist. So if he finished Opeth, he wouldn't have any 'obligation' to play all that music that he might not enjoy anymore, he could do whatever he wanted: acoustic Abba set, 30-minute bass jazz jamfests, covers of Camel songs, Heritage stuff and whatever else he wants to.
The fans can bitch but at the very least no one will be going to see Ackbba expecting to hear 'Deliverance' and getting an extended, 40 minute version of 'Folklore' that segues into 'Don't Stop Believing' instead.
I disagree. Why should he have to change the name of the project? Opeth can be anything he wants it to be; he can freely do the kind of music he wants to with the Opeth name. If you disagree, I'd love to hear a valid reason why not other than, "Because the metal fans don't want him to."
And as a businessman, since Opeth has name recognition, more than the name Mikael Akerfeldt, it is just good business to keep the name. If fans don't like it, well, like Jaq said, they don't have to keep listening.
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No one said he had to do anything in the first place; they just suggested it. Also, your comment "Opeth can be anything he wants it to be" says it all. It's basically been the Mike show ever since Watershed anyway. Here's some stuff that I'm fairly certain you're aware of but I'll inject my take on some details to broaden the perspective surrounding them:
Ghost Reveries: Opeth is in their golden lineup. Though only having Mike and Peter as original members, the Martins feel way more like original members than Anders and Nordin since Lopez had 6 albums under his belt at that point and Mendez had 5 since he missed out on playing on MAYH since he joined when they were either recording it or close enough to that stage that Mike ended up playing bass in the interest of time constraints.
Watershed: Peter and Lopez are gone, leaving us with just Mike and Mendez as long-tenured members. It was a pretty stark departure from the MAYH-GR sound which already had it feeling a fair bit unOpethish especially with having something as bright and ballady as Coil for the opener. Also, Hex Omega sounded way different from anything they'd done before.
Heritage: They're now on their 2nd keyboardist, the metal is completely gone, and the production is totally different from all albums before it
I'm not calling these musical differences positive or negative but just pointing them out as something that, when combined with the personnel instability, is more than enough reason for a name change to be a completely reasonable idea. The business angle really has no place in this either since potential earnings have nothing to do with artistic merit and this whole debate is about creative direction.
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The problem I have is not that it's a Bad album, in fact it's a pretty good one.
The real problem is that it came after Watershed, which is lightyears better, imo.
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I don't think a name change would be the best idea. As Onno said, Heritage is a natural progression from the previous few albums, plus the other guys are clearly supportive of the new direction and Mikael has always been the main writer anyway, so it's not like Opeth suddenly turned into Mikael Åkerfeldt and the Hired Hands. Besides, it's clear that they still like playing the old stuff live: if you take a look at the recent setlist for the Australian tour, you'll see that there are only 2 songs from Heritage while Ghost Reveries is represented with 3 and only the first 2 albums have been ignored completely.
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ITT: people continue to piss and moan cause Opeth isn't making the kind of music anymore that they want.
That's a bullshit statement. How many people bitched about Damnation?
The problem with Heritage is that it is apocalypticaly boring. Just bad songwriting.
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I wasn't a fan of Opeth when Damnation came out, but it would feel logical to assume that Damnation got a fair amount of haters when it came out. Apart from Heritage and Damnation both having no growls, there's really few similarities between them soundwise, so it's not really weird if someone would like one of the albums but not the other.
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No one said he had to do anything in the first place; they just suggested it. Also, your comment "Opeth can be anything he wants it to be" says it all. It's basically been the Mike show ever since Watershed anyway. Here's some stuff that I'm fairly certain you're aware of but I'll inject my take on some details to broaden the perspective surrounding them:
Ghost Reveries: Opeth is in their golden lineup. Though only having Mike and Peter as original members, the Martins feel way more like original members than Anders and Nordin since Lopez had 6 albums under his belt at that point and Mendez had 5 since he missed out on playing on MAYH since he joined when they were either recording it or close enough to that stage that Mike ended up playing bass in the interest of time constraints.
Watershed: Peter and Lopez are gone, leaving us with just Mike and Mendez as long-tenured members. It was a pretty stark departure from the MAYH-GR sound which already had it feeling a fair bit unOpethish especially with having something as bright and ballady as Coil for the opener. Also, Hex Omega sounded way different from anything they'd done before.
Heritage: They're now on their 2nd keyboardist, the metal is completely gone, and the production is totally different from all albums before it
I'm not calling these musical differences positive or negative but just pointing them out as something that, when combined with the personnel instability, is more than enough reason for a name change to be a completely reasonable idea. The business angle really has no place in this either since potential earnings have nothing to do with artistic merit and this whole debate is about creative direction.
Fine, if you want to discuss creative direction, I already addressed that. No band in the world should be tied down to a particular sound just because that is what the fans want or because some consider it heresy to ditch what was their core sound. I know some don't want him tainting the Opeth name with music they feel isn't really Opeth, but I give credit to Akerfeldt for figuring out that what we the fans want doesn't really matter. If that is the influence of his buddy Steven Wilson, well, I would say that is a good influence. The true artists in the music world are usually the ones who do what they want to do and without giving two shits what anyone else thinks.
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I didn't say they should be tied down to one sound. I said that, due to the combo of their seemingly complete move away from metal combined with the fact that 60% of the band has only been on board for 2 of their 10 albums, that there is virtually nothing about this band tied to what Opeth actually is/was. The angle of people saying "They've always done things differently from album to album" is a copout too since that just sweeps under the rug the fact that they are completely different now. From Orchid to GR, we always had a mix of death metal and softer music where neither ever accounted for more than a third of the overall sound (except for Damnation), so no, Heritage is very far from being representative of Opeth's true sound, good or bad (I do like the album somewhat btw.)
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Heritage isn't representative at all of Opeth's core sound, that's true. But the one important thing that ties this band to what Opeth was before and has been since the start is Mikael. He writes almost everything. Of course, with different band members things sound differently, but it's mainly his writing that caused the changes in Opeth's sound during their history.
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if you don't like Heritage don't listen to it
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I went to see Katatonia/Opeth show in Sydney last Friday.
They played an old theatre, sound was good, Katatonia were brilliant.
I left after about 60 minutes of Opeth, I was feeling pretty tired and to be honest, apart from MA in between song banter, Opeth were boring.
I don't know how long they had been on tour, but they seemed to be going through the motions.
Every song seem to drag on forever and after a hour, I couldn't take anymore and I was off.
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if you don't like Heritage don't listen to it
People can still voice their dislike..
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if you don't like Heritage don't listen to it
People can still voice their dislike..
Seriously. A post conveying butt hurt about the perceived butt hurt of others ain't that productive.
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I like Akerfeldt's nostrils and think that they're fine the way they are. You guys are nucking futs.
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Heritage is just okay. It has some good moments, but plenty of boring ones as well, and on the whole I don't think the sudden 180 really payed off for them. Very little of it sounded like a proggy version of Opeth, it sounded like Opeth mimicking 70s prog most of the time.
More than anything, I'll just be sad if this is the last we'll see of a metal Opeth. I'm seriously considering not going to the Raleigh show if I see the setlist and its mostly softer songs again. First time was fun and exciting, but the second time, by the time they got to the two heavy songs at the end of the set, everyone wasn't into it after hearing mostly soft stuff. You gotta mix it up, man!
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From the last I've seen, they've only played 2 Heritage songs in a 11 songs-set, with at least 5 songs containing harsh vocals. They seem to be mixing it up live at least.
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From the last I've seen, they've only played 2 Heritage songs in a 11 songs-set, with at least 5 songs containing harsh vocals. They seem to be mixing it up live at least.
Yeah I've noticed that, and the heavy songs (except BWP) are ones that feature clean vocals a lot. I'm totally cool with seeing a live set like that.
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If they don't play Into the Frost of Winter, I'm coming straight home and burning all of my Opeth gear.
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Maybe it's has already been discussed but anyone have any clue to what that "*opeth logo* spring 2013 - something's coming" on Roadrunner's youtube means?
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Maybe it's has already been discussed but anyone have any clue to what that "*opeth logo* spring 2013 - something's coming" on Roadrunner's youtube means?
It's the upcoming North American tour that was announced a while ago.
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Maybe it's has already been discussed but anyone have any clue to what that "*opeth logo* spring 2013 - something's coming" on Roadrunner's youtube means?
It's the upcoming North American tour that was announced a while ago.
Oh, hoped it'd be something a bit more interesting.. To me.
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So I listened to the setlists they're playing in Australia and everything works really well. I'd be more than happy to see that in Raleigh.
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If they don't play Into the Frost of Winter, I'm coming straight home and burning all of my Opeth gear.
:lol
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If they don't play Into the Frost of Winter, I'm coming straight home and mailing all of my Opeth gear to Deb.
Aw! You're so sweet! :biggrin: :heart
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opteh shud play eternal soul torture at every gig!!!1111
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:lol
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OPHET Y U NO COM TO INDONESIA!!
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OTEP BLACK ROOS IMORTAL!
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POET HTE FUNNERUL PERTRET
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OTEP BLACK ROOS IMORTAL!
HEVY METHYL! BLAK ROSE IMORTL!
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OTEP BLACK ROOS IMORTAL!
HEVY METHYL! BLAK ROSE IMORTL!
SLAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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POET HTE FUNNERUL PERTRET
I really don't know why I laughed so much at this :lol
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:metal :metal :metal BLERK!
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windowpane?
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windowpane?
FCK YAH WYUDOWPAAYNNNNN
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holy shit
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https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-fredrik-20130329/?cmpid=20130329/opeth/facebook/news-link/writing&utm_source=roadrunner&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=opeth-writing-03292013 (https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-fredrik-20130329/?cmpid=20130329/opeth/facebook/news-link/writing&utm_source=roadrunner&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=opeth-writing-03292013)
Opeth is currently writing material for their next album.
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https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-fredrik-20130329/?cmpid=20130329/opeth/facebook/news-link/writing&utm_source=roadrunner&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=opeth-writing-03292013 (https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-fredrik-20130329/?cmpid=20130329/opeth/facebook/news-link/writing&utm_source=roadrunner&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=opeth-writing-03292013)
Opeth is currently writing material for their next album.
Cool! Kinda wish they'd go back to metal, but as long as it's different from Heritage I'm ok with that (not that Heritage was bad, just not what I was hoping for).
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https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-fredrik-20130329/?cmpid=20130329/opeth/facebook/news-link/writing&utm_source=roadrunner&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=opeth-writing-03292013 (https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-fredrik-20130329/?cmpid=20130329/opeth/facebook/news-link/writing&utm_source=roadrunner&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=opeth-writing-03292013)
Opeth is currently writing material for their next album.
:metal :metal :metal
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Woop!
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AWESOME BLOSSOM!!!! Ohhhh I can't wait to hear what they come up with
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https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-fredrik-20130329/?cmpid=20130329/opeth/facebook/news-link/writing&utm_source=roadrunner&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=opeth-writing-03292013 (https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-fredrik-20130329/?cmpid=20130329/opeth/facebook/news-link/writing&utm_source=roadrunner&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=opeth-writing-03292013)
Opeth is currently writing material for their next album.
Interesting. :hat
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I've already tempered my expectations for their next release. Just wait and see.
Interesting that Fredrik is quick to point out this is a new direction from Heritage, but not a "step back". I'd imagine the majority of the fan base would be just fine with a step back to pre-Heritage material.
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I'd imagine the majority of the fan base would be just fine with a step back to pre-Heritage material.
Very true.
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I really need to start spending several hours a week on youtube in search of new bands. A combination of me getting burnt out on shit I've listened to for years as well as bands that were mainstays for me just declining in general has made me pretty damn musically stagnant.
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Whatcha feelin as of late Floyd? I can help you on this frontier B)
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I didn't like Heritage much, but somehow its more awesome in 5.1.
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I really need to start spending several hours a week on youtube in search of new bands. A combination of me getting burnt out on shit I've listened to for years as well as bands that were mainstays for me just declining in general has made me pretty damn musically stagnant.
I was trying to get you into Floater. :-\
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Whatcha feelin as of late Floyd? I can help you on this frontier B)
Virtually nothing, sadly enough. I did find myself enjoy Into Eternity's album, The Scattering of Ashes, quite a bit the other day though. It'd been a while so I'd forgotten how awesome they are.
I guess straightforward, non-gimmicky, thoroughly impressive metal should work well and thanks for the help :tup
I was trying to get you into Floater. :-\
They had their moments with me but just didn't hold up unfortunately. I have the feeling that it was bad timing since I probably would've liked 'em pretty well had I discovered them well before all the metal/proggy nerdcore I've spent the majority of my 1999-present listening to. I guess they just sound somewhat lacking after being spoiled by DT/Opeth/Spiral Architect/etc. for so damn long.
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I was trying to get you into Floater. :-\
They had their moments with me but just didn't hold up unfortunately. I have the feeling that it was bad timing since I probably would've liked 'em pretty well had I discovered them well before all the metal/proggy nerdcore I've spent the majority of my 1999-present listening to. I guess they just sound somewhat lacking after being spoiled by DT/Opeth/Spiral Architect/etc. for so damn long.
Fair enough.
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Maybe look into some music that is not metal?
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Sure thing. Suggestions?
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Sure thing. Suggestions?
im almost certain you won't like her, but Grimes is fucking awesome.
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Seeing as you're a big fan of Opeth, how about some... Abba?
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Sure thing. Suggestions?
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=36316.0 ;D
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I can't wait for the new album. I loved Heritage so my expectations are a bit high.
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If its going in the hard rock direction Akerfeldt hinted at, consider me lukewarm
Heritage has its moments and I expect the next to be similar, nothing great but something alright every once and awhile
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Even though Heritage isn't at all among my favorite Opeth albums my respect for the band was actually boosted with it's release. I just found it cool that they feel comfortable enough to do exactly what they want with an album and step aside from their usual sound like that.
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Heritage is the album that clicked with me. I like Damnation and Watershed, but I always dreamt of a combination of those albums. Heritage was that album, seeing them going back, stylewise, isn't really making my mouth water.
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I had a dream last night that I was watching a youtube trailer for the new Opeth album.
It was all smokey and green, and the word "Beast" was formed out of the wisps. Then you heard some clean guitar parts and a deep, layered, somber, ominous acapella intro from Mikael and company. Then the smoke blew away, said "coming soon," and then all the members of Opeth were standing in cloaks. They took off their hoods and fired magical blue arrows from magical blue bows at the screen before the video ended.
You heard it here first. The new album is called Beast and will feature an evil acapella intro.
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I'd love that. :metal
On a side note, Blackwater park (the album) is growing on me immensely. I used to think it's inferior to Still life and Deliverance because the second half of the album didn't do it for me as much as the first half did, but Dirge for November and The Funeral portrait are finally clicking big time. I'm still having a hard time digesting the title track, we'll see what happens...
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:metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal POET ERLBERRM
(Heritage was awesome, I am excited).
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I'd love that. :metal
On a side note, Blackwater park (the album) is growing on me immensely. I used to think it's inferior to Still life and Deliverance because the second half of the album didn't do it for me as much as the first half did, but Dirge for November and The Funeral portrait are finally clicking big time. I'm still having a hard time digesting the title track, we'll see what happens...
The title track is awesome, one of two songs so far I really like on the album.
You heard it here first. The new album is called Beast and will feature an evil acapella intro.
And the cover art will be green smoke and blue bows and arrows?
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Mikael's latest description of the kind of music he wants to make was interesting, so I'm looking forward to hear what they'll come up with.
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I had a dream last night that I was watching a youtube trailer for the new Opeth album.
It was all smokey and green, and the word "Beast" was formed out of the wisps. Then you heard some clean guitar parts and a deep, layered, somber, ominous acapella intro from Mikael and company. Then the smoke blew away, said "coming soon," and then all the members of Opeth were standing in cloaks. They took off their hoods and fired magical blue arrows from magical blue bows at the screen before the video ended.
You heard it here first. The new album is called Beast and will feature an evil acapella intro.
:metalol:
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This is where Akerfeldt actually does that to screw with your head.
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I had a dream last night that I was watching a youtube trailer for the new Opeth album.
It was all smokey and green, and the word "Beast" was formed out of the wisps. Then you heard some clean guitar parts and a deep, layered, somber, ominous acapella intro from Mikael and company. Then the smoke blew away, said "coming soon," and then all the members of Opeth were standing in cloaks. They took off their hoods and fired magical blue arrows from magical blue bows at the screen before the video ended.
You heard it here first. The new album is called Beast and will feature an evil acapella intro.
One of the funniest posts I've seen here in a while because it sounds just off kilter enough to be something Mike would orchestrate and it wouldn't surprise me at all given their ability to annoy me through putting "originality"/"expanding their horizons" ahead of shit I'd legitimately enjoy ever since Watershed.
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sounds kinda cool to me
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I know people will probably disagree with me... but I honestly hope they build upon what they started on Heritage. It's my my second favorite Opeth album next to Blackwater Park. I love the sound they found on that album and the production is just ace!
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I know people will probably disagree with me... but I honestly hope they build upon what they started on Heritage. It's my my second favorite Opeth album next to Blackwater Park. I love the sound they found on that album and the production is just ace!
Same here. I loved Heritage and it's also my second favorite Opeth album (after Damnation). Maybe it's because I'm more of a prog rock fan versus a metal/prog metal fan but I really liked the sound and atmosphere of Heritage. I also think that the songwriting was very good on it too, which probably puts me in the minority.
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I know people will probably disagree with me... but I honestly hope they build upon what they started on Heritage.
I agree, but with better songwriting. Don't get me wrong, I think all of the songs on Heritage are good, but most of them are merely that: just good. Give me that vibe and style, but with great songwriting, and I will eat that shit up with a spoon. :coolio
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I like the magical blue bows :lol
Honestly, I'd love for something more cohesive, if he refuses to do harsh vocals on new records, then at least be able to justify it. Heritage wandered to much and I felt some bits could have been better if he'd done harsh vocals instead if clean vocals
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I don't think the problem with Heritage was that it sounded different, but that it was new territory for the band at the time, and it takes time to master something. I still think it was good, but an album in that style could be even better. Look at the early albums, few people consider Orchid or Morningrise to be the peak of their sound, but after that they released My Arms, Your Hearse, Still Life and Blackwater Park.
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Possibly Mikael's best live growls ever? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2vfg1dJ20k) :o
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Possibly Mikael's best live growls ever? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2vfg1dJ20k) :o
They just might be. That was something else. :hefdaddy
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Possibly Mikael's best live growls ever? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2vfg1dJ20k) :o
Nice variety. :tup
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Possibly Mikael's best live growls ever? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2vfg1dJ20k) :o
:hefdaddy
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It's pretty disenchanting that everytime I try to produce some decent growls I see such an awesome performance shortly afterwards and immediately recognize how shitty my own vocals are.
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Possibly Mikael's best live growls ever? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2vfg1dJ20k) :o
they played "Godhead's Lament" AND "Advent" at that gig. yes please.
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Possibly Mikael's best live growls ever? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2vfg1dJ20k) :o
they played "Godhead's Lament" AND "Advent" at that gig. yes please.
Yeah, the full gig is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7yRAc2Sxas
It's pretty disenchanting that everytime I try to produce some decent growls I see such an awesome performance shortly afterwards and immediately recognize how shitty my own vocals are.
Mikael's style of growling isn't very hard to imitate actually; it's less loud than his clean singing and doesn't hurt your voice. Here's a sample of my growling: https://vocaroo.com/i/s1nf234BYLJR
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Mikael's style of growling isn't very hard to imitate actually; it's less loud than his clean singing and doesn't hurt your voice. Here's a sample of my growling: https://vocaroo.com/i/s1nf234BYLJR
that seems to be pretty low volume indeed ;D
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Mikael's style of growling isn't very hard to imitate actually; it's less loud than his clean singing and doesn't hurt your voice. Here's a sample of my growling: https://vocaroo.com/i/s1nf234BYLJR
that seems to be pretty low volume indeed ;D
It is :P Here's my attempt at Master's Apprentices (https://vocaroo.com/i/s1CeoWy8djMn) (not great, I know)
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Possibly Mikael's best live growls ever? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2vfg1dJ20k) :o
:omg: :hefdaddy
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:hefdaddy
So, Live at Royal Albert Hall kicks copious amounts of ass.
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It is a really good live release, but I prefer Roundhouse Tapes, because BWP is my second least favorite album and Mikael's growls aren't powerful enough on the RAH DVD. That said, it's awesome to have officially released live versions of Forest of October, Advent, The Moor and Harlequin Forest! :metal
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I actually really dig his growls on RAH, they retain the needed aggressiveness but are pretty easy to understand. Oh well, different strokes.
Also, there's some serious Patterns in the Ivy missing on your list. :alwayswatching:
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:hefdaddy
So, Live at Royal Albert Hall kicks copious amounts of ass.
yes. Yes it does.
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I actually really dig his growls on RAH, they retain the needed aggressiveness but are pretty easy to understand. Oh well, different strokes.
Also, there's some serious Patterns in the Ivy missing on your list. :alwayswatching:
In the past few years his growls have sounded kind of strained and a bit weak compared to what he used to sound like. Actually that's one of the reasons why I'm happy that Opeth have taken a non-metal path, especially when you take Mikael's ever-improving clean vocals into account.
Patterns is a nice little song, although it isn't even close to the excellence of the songs I mentioned IMO. If I had to add a few more to the list, I would mention April Ethereal and The Lotus Eater :metal
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so is he never doing harshes again on future albums? haven't been up to date with recent interviews, etc
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so is he never doing harshes again on future albums? haven't been up to date with recent interviews, etc
I don't recall him saying that, but he isn't planning to do them again yet.
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Mikael's style of growling isn't very hard to imitate actually; it's less loud than his clean singing and doesn't hurt your voice. Here's a sample of my growling: https://vocaroo.com/i/s1nf234BYLJR
that seems to be pretty low volume indeed ;D
It is :P Here's my attempt at Master's Apprentices (https://vocaroo.com/i/s1CeoWy8djMn) (not great, I know)
I can do the lows pretty well, but I just totally die doing the more higher pitched stuff (like in the video above when he does the "torn by the arrival of autumn" part).
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I can't do high pitched harsh vocals at all, and even my low growls are pretty bad; they don't sound too bad, but I just can't do it without hurting my throat a bit after a few lines.
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In the past few years his growls have sounded kind of strained and a bit weak compared to what he used to sound like.
Sounded pretty strong on Deconstruction.
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one more reason to finally get that album.
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GET DECONSTRUCTION IMMEDIATELY ITS SO GOOD
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so is he never doing harshes again on future albums? haven't been up to date with recent interviews, etc
I don't recall him saying that, but he isn't planning to do them again yet.
He's said that he will growl if that vocal style is needed in some song. However, I think there'll be little, if any, growling on the next album.
I can do the lows pretty well, but I just totally die doing the more higher pitched stuff (like in the video above when he does the "torn by the arrival of autumn" part).
Yeah, the deeper growls are easier to handle for me as well, although I can do some higher "screaming" too.
I can't do high pitched harsh vocals at all, and even my low growls are pretty bad; they don't sound too bad, but I just can't do it without hurting my throat a bit after a few lines.
Then you're using the wrong technique - growling and screaming shouldn't hurt. As I mentioned above, Mikael's output volume isn't that loud and the style he uses doesn't take that much toll on your vocal chords or throat.
In the past few years his growls have sounded kind of strained and a bit weak compared to what he used to sound like.
Sounded pretty strong on Deconstruction.
I've only heard the song he appeared on once when it was released (not a Devin fan), but I remember that the growls sounded similar to the RAH performance and other recent live clips, i.e. not too great.
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GET DECONSTRUCTION IMMEDIATELY ITS SO GOOD
my albums-to-check-out-list is so loooong :sadpanda:
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GET DECONSTRUCTION IMMEDIATELY ITS SO GOOD
my albums-to-check-out-list is so loooong :sadpanda:
Just do it.
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Mikael's growls were absolutely fantastic when I saw Opeth live last December.
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5 acoustic songs from Record Store Day in Massachusetts this Saturday.
https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-acoustic-20130422 (https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-acoustic-20130422)
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5 acoustic songs from Record Store Day in Massachusetts this Saturday.
https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-acoustic-20130422 (https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-acoustic-20130422)
Credence :heart
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5 acoustic songs from Record Store Day in Massachusetts this Saturday.
https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-acoustic-20130422 (https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-acoustic-20130422)
Good choice of songs.
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5 acoustic songs from Record Store Day in Massachusetts this Saturday.
https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-acoustic-20130422 (https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-acoustic-20130422)
And once again, Fredrik proves his awesomeness in Hope Leaves. Holy sweet Jesus, that outro solo is absolutely amazing.
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Opeth show was just ok in my opinion. The band was on but the crowd sucked. Like, total suckage. The set was pretty good--not that big a fan of Atonement, but whatevs. Deliverance was fucking brutal live. The acoustic Demon of the Fall was great as was BWP to end the show.
Katatonia also rocked but the fans sucked even worse for them which is unfortunate because when I saw them with Devin Townsend, the crowd went nuts and it made the show even better.
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And once again, Fredrik proves his awesomeness in Hope Leaves. Holy sweet Jesus, that outro solo is absolutely amazing.
he tore it up when i saw them last week as well. guy is just insane on that and the extended "Atonement" ending!
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Opeth show was just ok in my opinion. The band was on but the crowd sucked. Like, total suckage. The set was pretty good--not that big a fan of Atonement, but whatevs. Deliverance was fucking brutal live. The acoustic Demon of the Fall was great as was BWP to end the show.
Katatonia also rocked but the fans sucked even worse for them which is unfortunate because when I saw them with Devin Townsend, the crowd went nuts and it made the show even better.
The crowd was pretty mellow for the most part, but I didn't mind at all. I actually liked the fact that I didn't have to worry about getting hit by some random idiot running around like I have at many other metal concerts. I loved every song on the setlist. The Heritage tracks were great, opening with The Devil's Orchard was fucking epic. It was just an all around excellent performance, every song was great imo. I had an awesome night :tup
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Was a really good show in Albany tho I didn't know much Opeth (went more for Steven Wilson). Also the venue was shit I thought.
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Sorry for using two different threads for the same purpose but I didn't know if all of the people going to the Raleigh show on 5/5 had read the other thread. Y'all down for a meetup?
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According to some reports Mikael has been ill lately, so they've changed the setlist a little bit: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2013/the-norva-norfolk-va-53d81365.html
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According to some reports Mikael has been ill lately, so they've changed the setlist a little bit: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2013/the-norva-norfolk-va-53d81365.html
:omg: i'm so jealous ..
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The addition of Atonement is only atoned for by the fact that they're also playing Rev/Har.
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Atonement is awesome though... :sadpanda: Then again everything by Opeth is :biggrin:
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(https://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc55/black_floyd_2007/My%20Pics/OpethTriangleTroopersPic_zpsd3fcc782.jpg) (https://s213.photobucket.com/user/black_floyd_2007/media/My%20Pics/OpethTriangleTroopersPic_zpsd3fcc782.jpg.html)
_floyd, senecadawg2, TheOutlawXanadu
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Awesome!
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:metal
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According to some reports Mikael has been ill lately, so they've changed the setlist a little bit: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2013/the-norva-norfolk-va-53d81365.html
Wouldn't it make more sense to take out a growly song if he wasn't feeling well?
Oh well. Glad I got to see Hope Leaves last night in addition to all that!
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According to some reports Mikael has been ill lately, so they've changed the setlist a little bit: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2013/the-norva-norfolk-va-53d81365.html
Wouldn't it make more sense to take out a growly song if he wasn't feeling well?
Mikael recorded the vocal tracks for MAYH when he had a cold, so it doesn't prevent him from growling. Actually growling may be easier, because you don't have to struggle to stay in tune.
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I think growling (if you're doing it right) puts less strain on your voice than actual singing does. Of course, I could be wrong about that.
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Regardless, his clean voice was superb last night. No noticeable struggling on high notes, seemingly perfect pitch, and his vibrato is amazingly good these days.
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What songs did they play?
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Regardless, his clean voice was superb last night. No noticeable struggling on high notes, seemingly perfect pitch, and his vibrato is amazingly good these days.
He has probably recovered then :tup At least the recent setlists have been longer again.
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What songs did they play?
Off the top of my head:
The Devil's Orchard
Ghost of Perdition
White Cluster
Hope Leaves
Atonement
Deliverance
Häxprocess
Hessian Peel
Demon of the Fall (acoustic obviously these days)
Harlequin Forest
Blackwater Park
Definitely not that exact order, but that's the closest I could recall.
Edit: I filled in the setlist at setlist.fm but, while I'm completely certain that all eleven tracks I added were actually played, I'm very iffy on the order in which they were played and just wanna make sure I didn't leave out any tracks.
Here's the link: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2013/lincoln-theatre-raleigh-nc-2bd800de.html
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Haxprocess looks like a bizarre set list choice, but the rest of it looks great. Five days to go!!
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I think growling (if you're doing it right) puts less strain on your voice than actual singing does. Of course, I could be wrong about that.
I've heard this...but I think it involves doing it really gently and letting the microphone do all the work...I think people would be surprised how softly you can growl and really make it sound cool with your mouth *directly* on the mic (provided it's clean). You don't have to "push it to the limit" to get a good growl.
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^That's exactly how Mikael growls (and me too): the output volume isn't loud but you can do some deep grunts with ease. I remember Mikael once said that clean vocals are harder for him, because he has to sing louder than when growling.
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Haxprocess looks like a bizarre set list choice, but the rest of it looks great. Five days to go!!
It was very cool live. I'm sure I would have liked it more had people not been talking about how they were going to get beer just five feet from me. That was annoying :P.
I think B_F was pretty spot on with the setlist order except Haxprocess was after Hessian Peel, not before. Its pretty much identical to the other shows they've played this tour.
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Opeth Making 'Good Progress' On New Album
Akerfeldt says one song called "Goblin" colds like the band Goblin as a tribute. Another is a 70s-sounding ballad with a string vocal. "It doesn't have any super-technical riffs, it's just a strong vocal melody and a pretty sad-sounding song," he says.
The third new song harks back to Opeth's early style. "I was just lumping riffs on top of each other, arrangements, and it's all over the place. I've kind of outgrown that style of writing, because that's the way I used to write on the first, say, two records. And I was like, I have to stop myself here and arrange this a little bit. But then I was, like, 'Why?' OK, I'm just gonna let this song be the schizophrenic, kind of, it-doesn't-make-much-sense-but-I-kind-of-like-it-type song. So it's really long."
https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/upcoming_releases/opeth_making_good_progress_on_new_album.html (https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/upcoming_releases/opeth_making_good_progress_on_new_album.html)
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I'd be very surprised if the third song he mentioned bears any remote similarity to the earlier style. I say this because I have trouble seeing him writing anything like that given his current tiring of metal combined with how much of a stretch it was when he compared Heritage to 70s prog.
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^^ this
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I'm really looking forward to hearing the new album now after reading those descriptions. Goblin (the band) is great, so hopefully the song will be good without being too derivative. The other two sound interesting too. As a huge Heritage fan, I hope this album will be an evolution of that sound.
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Sounds good, that'll be one of my most anticipated albums of whatever year it'll come out.
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Sounds good, that'll be one of my most anticipated albums of whatever year it'll come out.
This.
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Sounds like more Heritage, and I agree with what Black Floyd said. :-\
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I agree with Steven Wilson's opinion on not having opening acts, because Katatonia was abysmal. No stage presence and their sound was really off. Didn't care for much of their songs either. Opeth sounded much better thankfully, and Mikael's jokes were terrific. I think I'm getting too old for concerts though, standing an hour with good spots and then an hour and a half through Katanonia/more waiting sucked.
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Interesting. Our show tomorrow night is doors open at 7 and show starts at 8, so how long is Katatonia playing? Just wondering what time Opeth will hit the stage.
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They played for an hour for me from 8-9, then Opeth didn't get on stage until 9:30.
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Okay, that sounds about right. The friend who is going with me is returning from a business trip late afternoon tomorrow, so there is no way we can be there by 7, but we saw Opeth at that same venue back in '05 and getting a good spot to see everything was easy, and I doubt he cares much about seeing Katatonia either (I liked some of their stuff I heard years ago, but none of it made a lasting impact), so we can probably get there right before Opeth hits the stage and be fine.
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Yeah it was nowhere near as difficult getting a spot as it was for SW's show.
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I agree with Steven Wilson's opinion on not having opening acts, because Katatonia was abysmal. No stage presence and their sound was really off. Didn't care for much of their songs either. Opeth sounded much better thankfully, and Mikael's jokes were terrific. I think I'm getting too old for concerts though, standing an hour with good spots and then an hour and a half through Katanonia/more waiting sucked.
I agree with all of this. I will say I very slightly enjoyed Katatonia for a little while but a lot of that probably had to do with the excitement of being closer to the stage (10 feet, dead center in this case) than I'd been for any show since being maybe 7 or 8 feet from Michael Romeo when I saw Symphony X in 2002 as well as the anticipation of Opeth lifting my spirits and also just being happy to meet up with senecadawg and TOX.
Beyond this, the music was (imo) dreadfully samey and monotonous plus the singer had worse stage presence than any singer I've seen in my life and I've seen Stroke 9 (horrible "Little Black Backpack" song from around '99/'00) against my will so the bar for that honor was already raised scarily high.
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Lack of love for Katatonia always makes me go :sadpanda:
To get this thread back on track, I have to say I'm eagerly looking forward to the new album, because it seems that not even Mikael himself has a proper idea of what's coming up yet. The comment about one song being written in the vein of Orchid/MR structurally sounds interesting, but I thought Heritage was a step back in that direction already because of some abrupt transitions. I had no problem with them (or Heritage itself, for that matter), but I hope the song won't sound too disjointed.
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Good to see I'm not the only one disliking Katatonia
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My biggest problem is how they've somehow become the most frequently mentioned band when the question is "I like Opeth a bunch. What band(s) do you know of that sound(s) like them?" Considering how Opeth is, for the most part, extremely heavier than them with far more varied song writing, largely based on roaring, and have way longer songs, I've never understood how that sentiment gained any momentum.
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Besides the fact that Mikael has been vocal about his support for Katatonia, I also don't get the comparisons. Compared to Opeth, as has been mentioned a few times already, Katatonia's music is incredibly dull and doesn't offer a very wide range of sounds. It's awfully samey.
As for the comments about the upcoming album, count me among those anxiously awaiting more. Heritage gave off such different vibes than any of their previous albums, so I'm very interested to see the direction they take with this one.
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I agree with Steven Wilson's opinion on not having opening acts, because Katatonia was abysmal. No stage presence and their sound was really off. Didn't care for much of their songs either. Opeth sounded much better thankfully, and Mikael's jokes were terrific. I think I'm getting too old for concerts though, standing an hour with good spots and then an hour and a half through Katanonia/more waiting sucked.
Oh well, I love hating on opening acts :P
I did want to check this band out though before the show, from reading the comments it doesn't sound like my thing, so I guess I'll pass. Anyway, tuesday can't come soon enough! :metal
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i was half there for Katatonia, so they blew me away — but i readily admit they loaded the set with a lot of material from Dead End Kings and Night is the New Day, two albums that i'd call "too samey too often." i can understand the boredom for people unfamiliar. with that said, they completely slayed "Teargas" and "July," so i was a happy camper :)
plus i think they're deliberately mixing the band 'unwell' so Opeth sound better, which is fairly typical practice now (sadly). their guitars were practically white noise.
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i think they're deliberately mixing the band 'unwell' so Opeth sound better, which is fairly typical practice now
I've never heard of this anywhere until now. Please elaborate. I'm not doubting you either but, if this is an actual thing, I'm shocked I've never heard of it until now.
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I love Katatonia, but I agree that they don't sound similar to Opeth at all. However, their music is more diverse than you might think - as SITS mentioned, the setlist focuses heavily on the new stuff, so this is like going to see an Opeth gig with few to no songs with growls and judging their music based on that.
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Fair enough.
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plus i think they're deliberately mixing the band 'unwell' so Opeth sound better, which is fairly typical practice now (sadly). their guitars were practically white noise.
Well i kind of agree with you atleast on bigger arenas the opening act usually gets less PAs and limited resources for the sound to make the main act go out in a blaze basically. But in this case with Opeth and Katatonia i'm not entirely sure that's the case though.
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Awesome show last night. Of course. Akerfeldt was funny as usual, the set list was the same as it has been at other shows on this tour and Haxprocess was a better live song that I thought it would be, so my previous "it seems like an odd choice to play live" comment was proven incorrect. :facepalm: :lol
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i think they're deliberately mixing the band 'unwell' so Opeth sound better, which is fairly typical practice now
I've never heard of this anywhere until now. Please elaborate. I'm not doubting you either but, if this is an actual thing, I'm shocked I've never heard of it until now.
yep, it's been practice for... well, ever, i am supposing. it's much, much more pronounced when you have a truly gigantic band headlining, and unknowns/locals opening. obviously there are always exceptions, and festivals have a lot more subtlety/shading; but, overall, the headliner is always, always given the best and the openers are lesser.
it's not just sound, either — Katatonia used the same lighting rig as Opeth at the show i saw, but most of Katatonia's effects were late even though they play every song to a click (for backing tracks). lights are always timed to the click, so either they programmed them late on purpose to make Opeth look better, or the lighting guy flew solo without the timed programming (a decision i'd weigh toward the 'making the band look less great' since human error would be obvious with lights; not to mention i doubt Opeth play to a click and the lights were spot on, so if the lighting guy was hitting cues by hand for Opeth, he clearly had great timing).
if they were co-headlining, i'm sure it'd be a different story!
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I think opening bands get screwed over like that simply because all the pre-show stuff is getting the headliners sounding perfect so there's not much wait between bands and not a lot of mic checking. So once all that's done, the openers have very little time to make sure they sound just as great. The headliners the star of the show, of course they get the most attention.
Katatonia sounded pretty good in Raleigh though, so maybe they had extra time.
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This sucks, my ride bailed on me so I might not be able to make the Boulder show. I am planning on attending, but no ride makes it a problem
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just got back to Dallas after watching the show in Tulsa last night.
I'm a fan of Katatonia's last four albums, so it was cool to see them live, especially with this set. The highlights from their set were "My Twin", "Burn the Remembrance", "Soil's Song", "July", and "Forsaker".
Opeth was awesome, as expected. They traded out "Hessian Peel" in favor of "Heir Apparant" which was cool, but to my disappointment they also traded out "Reverie/Harlequin Forest" for "The Lines in my Hand" which I saw last year in Dallas. "White Cluster", "Deliverance" and "Blackwater Park" were amazing. The acoustic "Demon of the Fall" was really cool. I never noticed before but Opeth has some pretty stellar live backing vocals with Fredrik and now Joakim. The idiot moshers brought the experience down a bit, but it was great overall.
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I really wish Mike hadn't lost his ability to tell when using a phase shifter ain't necessary (i.e. replacing parts that were recorded with an acoustic with it like the middle acoustic section of Blackwater Park or Demon of the Fall) or also when enough effect is being used (White Cluster's verses sounded like he was playing a didgeridoo.)
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ha! I know exactly what you're talking about with the studio acoustic/live electric stuff. It sounds so weird the way he's doing it live.
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Just got back from Opeth! Was fucking awesome. Because they did 2 nights here, we got a two song encore. Here's the setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2013/fox-theatre-boulder-co-6bd9be6a.html
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I got hold of Morningrise. The drums are pretty thin sounding, but I'm really enjoying the album itself.
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So far Morningrise is surprising me. Out of the 3 I've heard 2 have made "the list" when I thought none would make it. Opeth is actually doing better than expected in generall, 22/37 songs have so far made my list.
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Eh Blackie, what's this list you speak of?
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I listen through every song of every progressive band I can find and put the songs I think are good enough on a list from best to "least best". I will probably make a thread about it sometime when I'm done with the current 32 bands I'm working through. Opeth included.
Not that it's the most interesting stuff ever, but when I'm done it will have taken me a lot of time and I'll probably want to put it somewhere.
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DTFers and their lists :lol :metal
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I got hold of Morningrise. The drums are pretty thin sounding, but I'm really enjoying the album itself.
It's a fucking great album.
DTFers and their lists :lol :metal
:tup :lol
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I got hold of Morningrise. The drums are pretty thin sounding, but I'm really enjoying the album itself.
you know, the more i listen to those first two records, the more it sounds like they used triggered drums. honestly, all of Morningrise sounds straight up programmed to me, but i'd be willing to concede to the scenario of Anders Nordin playing an e-kit (or having his drums replaced). the technology was primitive at the time but was around, and the Swedes have always been at the edge of new recording and mixing techniques.
obviously, Dan Swäno and Edge of Sanity made Crimson the same year, so he was into using real drums in the records he produced at the time — anybody know of any other mid-'90s Swäno-produced albums that have fake-sounding drums besides Morningrise? does anyone else even think the same way about them here?
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Morningrise period sounds like a demo compared to a lot of mid-90s metal albums, as much as I like it. I never really thought in terms of replaced drums or programmed drums, I just thought in terms of "incredibly low recording budget." :lol
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Dan talks about the making of Morningrise here: https://unisound.se/book/black/#7 He isn't pleased with the drum sound, either. The same year he engineered and mixed Brave Murder Day by Katatonia, and that album has a pretty artificial drum sound too, but it fits the music perfectly IMO.
Regarding triggers, I remember reading a post by Mikael from the Watershed era on the old official Opeth forum and I think he said Damnation is the only Opeth album on which the drums weren't triggered (obviously they've released Heritage since then). I can post the link later if I find it.
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Ok so I've been just getting into the growly kind of vocals and I'm starting to appreciate some. I still LOVE heritage and its the only Opeth album I own. I want to expand my Opeth library. Where should I go from Heritage? Preferably less growly first? Then I'll build up.
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Ok so I've been just getting into the growly kind of vocals and I'm starting to appreciate some. I still LOVE heritage and its the only Opeth album I own. I want to expand my Opeth library. Where should I go from Heritage? Preferably less growly first? Then I'll build up.
Damnation doesn't have any growls, so that's probably a good choice.
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Ok so I've been just getting into the growly kind of vocals and I'm starting to appreciate some. I still LOVE heritage and its the only Opeth album I own. I want to expand my Opeth library. Where should I go from Heritage? Preferably less growly first? Then I'll build up.
Go with Watershed. Out of all their non-Heritage/Damnation albums, it features the least amount of growls and the most prog influences. After that, check out Ghost Reveries.
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Thanks Shadow and Buddyhunter. Ill check those out!
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Echoing what's already been said, with Ghost Reveries and Watershed they really started pushing the progrock influence alot more. More keys, mellotron, clean vocals etc.
With Deliverance and Damnation they went in opposite directions, so Damnation is the light album (only clean vox, no metal at all) and Deliverance is dark, brutal and heavy.
Before that, they pretty much kept refining, diversifying and nailing down their sound with each album, up to and including Blackwater Park.
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Damnation is actually sex to my ears +________+ where the fuck has Opeth been my whole life? :hefdaddy
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One does not simply listen to Windowpane without an erection.
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Death Whispered A Lullaby :tup
"Oooooh, sleep my chiiiild"
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One does not simply listen to Windowpane without an erection.
Just be careful what you do with that erection. I hear it ain't so easy to rid the disease.
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One does not simply listen to Windowpane without an erection.
Just be careful what you do with that erection. I hear it ain't so easy to rid the disease.
:clap:
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One does not simply listen to Windowpane without an erection.
Just be careful what you do with that erection. I hear it ain't so easy to rid the disease.
it depends on if it's a morningrise or not. It takes a while to get deliverance with one of those. It seems bleak at first, but eventually you have a grand conjuration.
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:lol
Culminating in a white cluster on the face of Melinda?
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. . . and scene.
Roll the ending credits.
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So Damnation is one of my top like 3 favorite albums of all time. I just love the vibe it gives off and his voice... brings tears to my eyes.
Then I threw on Watershed and its a pretty good album. Scares the shit out of me tho, the growls that come out of that mans mouth. I didn't think it was possible, even after seeing and hearing it live D: . Still a great album but I perfer Damnation and Heritage over watershed.
I guess Ghost Reveries is next. That will be for my next pay check!
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Watershed is nuts. I love it. I hope you will enjoy GR.
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One does not simply listen to Windowpane without an erection.
"Slow response erection returns"
Culminating in a white cluster on the face of Melinda?
:rollin :rollin :rollin
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:rollin :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :rollin
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Nice interview with Mikael (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKlW6FbOVHQ)
Not necessarily a lot of new information, but he talks in detail about his relationship with death metal and doing the growls. One of the things he said in Finnish at the end was "Do you want 200 kg of elk's shit?" :lol
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I can't get the link to work. Could you summarize what he said?
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Fixed the link, it's working now!
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:tup
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Opeth were guests on an Australian late night music program called Rage, where they spent a few hours playing videos of their choice. I recorded it and will sit down and watch it next weekend. And I'm sure the will have a few stories about some of these tunes, but for anyone interested here is the playlist that Mikael and Frederik selected. (Note: every band that guest programs has a few of their own videos played)
OPETH The Grand Conjuration
BLACK SABBATH Trashed
BLACK SABBATH - LIVE Neon Knights
GUNS 'N' ROSES Welcome To THE Jungle
KING KOBRA Iron Eagle (Never Say Die)
DEF LEPPARD Foolin'
MOTLEY CRUE Livewire
THIN LIZZY Chinatown
RAINBOW Long Live Rock and Roll
VAN HALEN Running With The Devil
VAN HALEN Tattoo
JUDAS PRIEST Freewheel Burning
JUDAS PRIEST Painkiller
AUDIOSLAVE Cochise
AUDIOSLAVE Show Me How To Live
DREAM EVIL The Book Of Heavy Metal
MASTODON Curl Of The Burl
GHOST B.C. Secular Haze
BLUE MURDER Valley Of The Kings
ALICE COOPER - Live Black Widow
ALICE COOPER Only Women Bleed
BJORK Play Dead
DAVID BOWIE This Is Not America
KRAFTWERK Autobahn
DEEP PURPLE Never Before
DEEP PURPLE Knocking At Your Back Door
FREE All Right Now
WHITESNAKE Still Of The Night
WHITESNAKE Give Me All Your Love
GARY MOORE Over The Hills And Far Away
ACCEPT Balls To The Wall
AC/DC Let There Be Rock
AC/DC Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
OZZY OSBOURNE A Shot In The Dark
OZZY OSBOURNE Lightning Strikes
KISS I Want You
KISS Unholy
IRON MAIDEN Number Of The Beast
IRON MAIDEN The Trooper
IRON MAIDEN Aces High
BLACK SABBATH TV Crimes
ALICE IN CHAINS Would?
KREATOR Betrayer
CORONER Masked Jackal
CANNIBAL CORPSE Priests Of Sodom
MESHUGGAH Bleed
HIGH ON FIRE Frost Hammer
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN I'll See The Light Tonight
HEART Barracuda
JIMI HENDRIX Crosstown Traffic
JEFFERSON AIRPLANE White Rabbit
THE BYRDS Turn! Turn! Turn!
JIMI HENDRIX - LIVE Red House
THE BLACK CROWES Head High Blues
AIR All I Need
AIR Playground Love
KATE BUSH Wuthering Heights (Studio Version)
PINK FLOYD One Of These Days
PINK FLOYD Us And Them
LED ZEPPELIN Kashmir
LED ZEPPELIN Over The Hills And Far Away
THE DOORS - LIVE THE End
JEFF BUCKLEY - LIVE IN CONCERT So Real
KATATONIA THE Longest Year
CHRIS CORNELL Can't Change Me
ENTOMBED Damn Deal Done
ENSLAVED Isa
THE HAUNTED Bury Your Dead
IHSAHN Invocation
OPETH The Devil's Orchard
OPETH The Grand Conjuration
OPETH Porcelain Heart
OPETH Burden
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They had a 73-song setlist? Also, was TGC actually played twice or is that a typo?
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They had a 73-song setlist? Also, was TGC actually played twice or is that a typo?
It's just the band picking their fav videos. They sit and introduce clips and give you stories on the bands and songs and why they chose them, it's a really cool concept. The program usually starts around midnight and the band gets about 5 hours of clips. Not sure if the clip for TGC was shown twice or not, that's what was on the website but I won't know for myself until I sit down and watch.
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The Lotus Eater <3
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Watershed <3
Oh yes
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i see what you did there... 8D
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Is Ghost Reveries as good as watershed?
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I think Ghost Reveries is their best one, so yeah.
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Nothing beats Ghost Reveries.
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Yeah, Ghost Reveries is probably the best one, followed by either Watershed or Blackwater Park.
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Ghost Reveries gets my vote for the top spot as well. Fantastic album!
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[IMO]
For to general metal standards, GR is pretty good. For Opeth standards, it's really weak.
Go on with one of their other albums.
[/IMO]
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IMO, ever since Opeth matured with My Arms, your Hearse/Still Life, they only had one weak album: Deliverance.
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How the hell is GR better than Deliverance :angry: ?
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GR is also my favorite followed by Still Life but their every album is great IMO.
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Nothing beats Ghost Reveries.
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Still Life is their best album, Ghost Reveries would be nr2. Deliverance is awesome as well.
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It's that time again is it?
1. Blackwater Park
2. Ghost Reveries
3. Still Life
4. Damnation
5. Watershed
6. Heritage
7. My Arms, Your Hearse
8. Deliverance
9. Morningrise
10. Orchid
Very tough to make a list. The top 7 are all great!
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I almost agree with that list, but I would swap Orchid and Deliverance. I really, really like "In Mist she was standing".
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It's that time again is it?
1. Blackwater Park
2. Ghost Reveries
3. Still Life
4. Damnation
5. Watershed
6. Heritage
7. My Arms, Your Hearse
8. Deliverance
9. Morningrise
10. Orchid
Very tough to make a list. The top 7 are all great!
With the exception of Morningrise and Orchid which I haven't heard, the rest of the list is EXACTLY like mine. Maybe I could consider swapping Ghost Reveries and Still Life depending on my mood, but that's nitpicking.
EDIT: Oops I'd place Watershed above Damnation, didn't notice that. Still close enough though.
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Okay...
1. Still Life
2. Ghost Reveries
3. Blackwater Park
4. Deliverance
5. My Arms, Your Hearse
6. Watershed
7. Orchid
8. Heritage
9. Morningrise
10. Damnation
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1. Blackwater Park
2. Ghost Reveries
3. Damnation
4. Watershed
5. Still Life
6. Deliverance
7. My Arms, Your Hearse
8. Heritage
9. Morningrise
10. Orchid
first 6 are freaking awesome. 7 and 8 are very strong. 9 and 10 are really good, but suffer from the band not having perfected their smooth transitions between song sections.
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1: Blackwater Park
2: Ghost Reveries
3: Watershed
4: Deliverance
5: Heritage
6: My Arms, Your Hearse
7: Damnation
8: Still Life
9: Morningrise
10: Orchid? (Haven't listened to it in full)
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1. Blackwater Park
2. My Arms, Your Hearse
3. Ghost Reveries
4. Still Life
5. Deliverance
6. Watershed
7. Heritage
8. Damnation
9. Morningrise
10. Orchid
2, 3 and 4 are so damn good they're practically interchangeable for me.
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Everyone seems to agree that Ghost Reveries is awesome.
I would post my list but I don't have it yet, I need to carefully evaluate each song first. I am working on it... Because I know you can barely wait.
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1. Ghost Reveries
2. Watershed
3. Damnation
4. Deliverance
5. Blackwater Park
6. Still Life
7. Heritage
8. My Arms, Your Hearse
9. Morningrise
10. Orchid
Everything is :metal, but the prog influence on the later albums is so awesome! I'm glad they're trying new things though, cause with Watershed I kinda felt that they had taken that style as far as it could go.
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1. Still Life
2. Backwater Park
3. Deliverance
4. Watershed
5. Damnation
6. My Arms Your Hearse
7. Morningrise
8. Ghost Reveries
9. Heritage
10. Orchid
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1. Damnation
2. Ghost Reveries
3. Watershed
4. MAYH
5. Heritage
6. Orchid
7. Still Life
8. Morningrise
9. Blackwater Park
10. Deliverance
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1: Ghost Reveries
2: Watershed
3: Blackwater Park
4: Still Life
5: Damnation
6: Heritage
7: My Arms
8: Deliverance
9: Orchid
10: Morningrise
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Of the ones I have heard:
Still Life
Ghost Reveries
Blackwater Park
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7. Still Life
8. Morningrise
9. Blackwater Park
10. Deliverance
:(
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the only albums i have:
Damnation
Heritage
Ghost Reveries
Watershed
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1. Ghost Reveries
2. Watershed
3. Deliverance
4. My Arms, Your Hearse
5. Blackwater Park
6. Damnation
7. Still Life
8. Heritage
9. Orchid
10. Morningrise
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1. Watershed
Of course, that's the only one I have, so.....
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I'd represent Blackwater Park, Still Life or Ghost Reveries next. GR is probably the closest in style to Watershed, but BWP and SL are often considered Opeth's creative pinnacle and are a must-listen for anyone that likes music in this style. Really, unless you don't pick up one of the first two albums (though they are pretty awesome as well, but they did take a long time to click) or Heritage (same thing, though it doesn't really have much in common with the classic Opeth sound), you'll be fine, though. Deliverance isn't an album that I'm quite fond of, but most people like it a lot, so don't take my word there.
-
I figure on getting Blackwater Park next. I saw it at the FYE I went to a couple weeks ago, but they had the Legacy Edition or something, and it was, like, $30. I can get cheaper on Amazon whenever I place my next order (i.e., when I have money).
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You guys are all crazy, Morningrise is like one of the best albums of all time. Only 9/10 or 10/10 songs on that album imo. I also seem to rate Orchid much higher than most.
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7. Still Life
8. Morningrise
9. Blackwater Park
10. Deliverance
:(
Sheeeeiiiiiiit! He's the first person to not have either Orchid or Morningrise in one of the bottom two spots. For that, he's absolved of any criticism whatsoever.
Rock on, ? :metal
Really, unless you don't pick up one of the first two albums (though they are pretty awesome as well...)
Dude, this is like the 7th or 8th post I've read from you in the last few days where I discovered we share the same unpopular opinion on DTF. Much love :floydapproves:
You guys are all crazy, Morningrise is like one of the best albums of all time. Only 9/10 or 10/10 songs on that album imo. I also seem to rate Orchid much higher than most.
Nectar is criminally underrated and TNatSW is a top 5 song. Also, more people need to give The Twilight is My Robe some love. That Maidencore section at 5:44 is one of their best ever. Also, TAiT has a fantastic array of different moods and sections.
I. Still Life
II. Blackwater_floyd
III. Orchid
IV. Morningrise
V. My Arms Your Hearse
VI. Ghost Reveries
VII. Deliverance
VIII. Damnation
IX. Watershed
X. Heritage
-
Still Life
Blackwater Park
Ghost Reveries
Deliverance
Watershed
My Arms, Your Hearse
Damnation
Heritage
Morningrise
Orchid
Haven't listened to Morningrise or Orchid enough to make a definite statement, but my impressions so far haven't been very good. And My Arms, Your Hearse has been on the rise.
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Guys.... Guys.... I think I'm obsessed with Opeth now D:
-
Morningrise is awesome, but unfortunately, Orchid never did anything for me except for IMSWS
Guys.... Guys.... I think I'm obsessed with Opeth now D:
This happens to all of us sooner or later :D
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Guys.... Guys.... I think I'm obsessed with Opeth now D:
Welcome to the club. It's pretty awesome. :metal
-
:metal
-
Rock on, ? :metal
:metal
Orchid is great despite some clumsy transitions and IMSWS and Forest of October are top 15 Opeth songs for me. The acoustic sections on the album are also wonderful and arguably the best they've ever written. Hell, I think I should've ranked Orchid above Heritage! It was a bit hard to come up with a ranking because I haven't listened to Opeth much recently.
Morningrise is a good album as well, but I think they did the same style better on Orchid, and the album feels less balanced because there aren't shorter instrumentals serving as breathers between the epics.
Guys.... Guys.... I think I'm obsessed with Opeth now D:
Enjoy while it lasts! :tup
-
Really, unless you don't pick up one of the first two albums (though they are pretty awesome as well...)
Dude, this is like the 7th or 8th post I've read from you in the last few days where I discovered we share the same unpopular opinion on DTF. Much love :floydapproves:
Much love back, big boy :hearts:
-
Rock on, ? :metal
:metal
Orchid is great despite some clumsy transitions and IMSWS and Forest of October are top 15 Opeth songs for me. The acoustic sections on the album are also wonderful and arguably the best they've ever written. Hell, I think I should've ranked Orchid above Heritage! It was a bit hard to come up with a ranking because I haven't listened to Opeth much recently.
Morningrise is a good album as well, but I think they did the same style better on Orchid, and the album feels less balanced because there aren't shorter instrumentals serving as breathers between the epics.
Guys.... Guys.... I think I'm obsessed with Opeth now D:
Enjoy while it lasts! :tup
I hope it lasts forevvvveeerrrrr
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I've been obsessed with Opeth for three or four years. Lasts a while. :D
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Much love back, big boy :hearts:
Says the guy who's 6 inches taller than me :lol
I've been obsessed with Opeth for three or four years. Lasts a while. :D
You really oughta try to catch 'em live some time.
-
The first time I heard Opeth it was at a live gig. It rocked balls good.
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Much love back, big boy :hearts:
Says the guy who's 6 inches taller than me :lol
Whoops, that was supposed to be bad boy. But anyway, I'm sure you're big enough in all the areas that count.
:eyebrows:
-
(https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/Smileys/default/floyd1.jpg)
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Aaaaaaand it all comes full circle :)
-
You really oughta try to catch 'em live some time.
If I saw them live, it would only be worth it if they played Ghost of Perdition, White Cluster, Hope Leaves, Deliverance, Harlequin Forest, and Blackwater Park at the same show.
Oh wait... THAT HAPPENED IN RALEIGH NC. :metal
(And every other show this tour. :P)
-
Oh cool. Hit me up if you ever wanna try to catch 'em together some time.
-
Just picked up Blackwater Park :metal
EDIT: WHY THE F**K DID NO BODY TELL ME THAT STEVEN WILSON SINGS ON AN OPETH ALBUM?!
-
Just picked up Blackwater Park :metal
EDIT: WHY THE F**K DID NO BODY TELL ME THAT STEVEN WILSON SINGS ON AN OPETH ALBUM?!
We thought the devious movement in our eyes would only move you from relief.
-
That's our Sketchy :lol
-
To be fair, when I realised those bits were Wilson, I squealed like a schoolgirl who's just seen a pink kitten with a garish yellow ribbon.
-
Just picked up Blackwater Park :metal
EDIT: WHY THE F**K DID NO BODY TELL ME THAT STEVEN WILSON SINGS ON AN OPETH ALBUM?!
WHY THE F**K DID you wait so long to pick up Blackwater Park? Don't blame us for the mistakes you make ;)
-
Just picked up Blackwater Park :metal
EDIT: WHY THE F**K DID NO BODY TELL ME THAT STEVEN WILSON SINGS ON AN OPETH ALBUM?!
:rollin Enjoy dude, I wish I could hear BWP for the first time again.
-
Yo I don't even know what to do... There has NOT been a single weak Opeth song thus far. Deliverance is on its way, so I'm excited to give that a listen too.
... This all makes me wonder what other poor decisions there are that I have made in my life...
-
1.Still Life
2.Blackwater Park
3.Ghost Reveries
4.Deliverance
5.Damnation
6.Watershed
7.My Arms You Hearse
8.Heritage
9.Morningrise
10.Orchid
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Yo I don't even know what to do... There has NOT been a single weak Opeth song thus far. Deliverance is on its way, so I'm excited to give that a listen too.
... This all makes me wonder what other poor decisions there are that I have made in my life...
Better approach Deliverance with modest expectations. Deliverance is basically the exact opposite of Damnation. There isn't much prog on it (probably even none), just run of the mill death metal. Now I don't mean to insult people who enjoy it. If you love pure death metal, Deliverance is an awesome album for you.
But judging from your posts, I assume that you could consider it the weakest Opeth album you've heard so far.
-
Thanks for that heads up. I'm really warming up to Akerfeldts harsh vocals, so well see.
-
I definitely disagree. The fact that Deliverance is a tad heavier than most other Opeth albums definitely doesn't mean it's standard death metal. I personally don't like pure death metal at all, but Deliverance is not only my third favourite Opeth album, but probably one of my favourite albums of all time. Of course, you are the one who decides if you like it or not, but I just don't think me7's description does the album any justice. I would rather call it a darker, more "focused" version of the BWP sound. If you enjoy BWP (and you seem to enjoy it), there is a pretty big chance you will like Deliverance as well. If BWP wasn't such an important album for me for personal reasons, I would even rank Deliverance over it. So definitely check it out, if you don't like it, okay, but at least give it a serious try. Or more than one. It took me a coupe of weeks to really get into it, especially Wreath was just way to different from the Opeth material I had heard before, but once it clicked, it was phenomenal.
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If you enjoy BWP (and you seem to enjoy it), there is a pretty big chance you will like Deliverance as well.
yeah, focus on this statement
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If you enjoy BWP (and you seem to enjoy it), there is a pretty big chance you will like Deliverance as well.
yeah, focus on this statement
Hey, I think my whole post is worthy of being read :P
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Yo I don't even know what to do... There has NOT been a single weak Opeth song thus far. Deliverance is on its way, so I'm excited to give that a listen too.
... This all makes me wonder what other poor decisions there are that I have made in my life...
Better approach Deliverance with modest expectations. Deliverance is basically the exact opposite of Damnation. There isn't much prog on it (probably even none), just run of the mill death metal. Now I don't mean to insult people who enjoy it. If you love pure death metal, Deliverance is an awesome album for you.
But judging from your posts, I assume that you could consider it the weakest Opeth album you've heard so far.
That analysis is way off. Deliverance only has 6 tracks and 2 of those are ballads. The remaining 4 all have the signature Opeth style consisting of heavy riffing, melodic interludes, roaring, clean singing, odd time signatures, constantly-changing riffs/moods, and long run times. If odd rhythms, numerous different sections, and diverse usage of moods and textures ain't enough to constitute prog then I can only assume you're just saying it isn't prog because you're not into the album and consider it to sound completely unlike other bands you consider to be prog regardless of whether it's progressive or not.
I think you're generalizing it to be "run of the mill death metal" just because some of the melodic sections are darker than usual and also because the heavy sections are some of their heaviest ever.
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Well then... Either way I think im going to enjoy it because, well, it's Opeth. :metal
Reading most of summaries(?) of the album you guys are posting, is making me more excited :metal
I'm thinking Ghost Reveries is now in the number 1 spot. I absolutely love the damn album. It's beautiful brutal and has the most memorable riffs and sections out of all the other albums so far.
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I wish I could like Ghost Reveries as much as you guys do. I tried so many times, but not even the best tracks on that album really do anything for me :\
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You can't always enjoy everything others like. For example, I find the second half of Blackwater Park really boring, which is why it's my second least favorite Opeth album. Deliverance is the weakest, though - I like the title-track and Master's Apprentices, but Wreath and A Fair Judgement are much longer than they should be and BTPISIO is a total mess IMO.
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You can't always enjoy everything others like.
see Am Universum :P :laugh:
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I would not call A Fair Judgement a ballad. Sure, it is a mellower song, especially for that album, but it rocks pretty good at times, and just doesn't sound like what most would call a ballad.
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I think for an Opeth-song, it's a ballad. But otherwise it has some rockier parts as well. My only really issue with it is the ending really. It feels stretched, a bit out-of-place, and while it's great music on it's own, I feel like the song would have been better with a more "traditional" and softer ending as well.
But one of their best songs for sure.
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I wouldn´t call Deliverance ´run of the mill´black metal. It´s a very good (if not the best) Opeth album. Certainly, the ´making of´ story of Deliverance and Damnation are worth being read/witnessed as well.
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Opeth checklist time! Post a chronological list of all the Opeth songs you've seen live that are your favorite from the album they're from:
Orchid: Nope. Only seen Under the Weeping Moon which is my distant worst.
*Morningrise: The Night and the Silent Water
*My Arms Your Hearse: Demon of the Fall
*Still Life: Serenity Painted Death
*Blackwater Park: Bleak
Deliverance: Nope. Only seen Deliverance and it's been at all 3 of their shows I've seen. It's only my 3rd fave on its album.
*^Damnation: Hope Leaves
^Ghost Reveries: Harlequin Forest
*Watershed: The Lotus Eater
^Heritage: Häxprocess
*Seen on the Watershed tour in October 2008
^Seen on the Heritage tour in May 2013
I gotta say, after experiencing the unfulfilling setlist when I first saw them on the Ghost Reveries tour back in 2006 which didn't feature any song I'd rank higher than 3rd on its respective album, that Watershed show in 2008 was a beast of immeasurable proportions since it featured my top picks from 6 of their 9 albums that were released up to that point. All I'm missing now is The Twilight is My Robe (not holding my breath on that) and A Fair Judgement.
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Sure why not
Orchid: Nope,
Morningrise: None
My Arms: Nope
Still Life: They did a minute and a half of Face of Melinda at the show I saw, does that count?
BWP: Nope
Deliverance: Title track, and it was one of the live highlights. Love that song.
Damnation: Nope
Ghost Reveries: Ghost Of Perdition
Watershed: Nope, though I'm not really sure what my favorite from that album is. But definitely not Heir Apparent.
Heritage: The Devil's Orchard
From the albums I'm missing, I'd really just love to see Bleak live. Maybe Windowpane. A full length Melinda would be pretty badass too.
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Orchid: No (In Mist She Was Standing)
Morningrise: No (The Night and the Silent Water)
My Arms, Your Hearse: No (When)
Still Life: No (The Moor)
Blackwater Park: No (Blackwater Park)
Deliverance: Yes (Deliverance)
Damnation: No (Windowpane)
Ghost Reveries: No (The Baying of the Hounds)
Watershed: Yes (Hex Omega)
Heritage: No (Famine)
My trackrecord is not good, despite seeing them live three times.
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Never seen them live :(
-
Never seen them live :(
-
Orchid - nada
Morningrise - The Night and the Silent Water Watershed Tour, Raleigh
MAYH - Demon of the Fall Watershed Tour, Raleigh; Heritage-Hunter Tour, Dallas; Heritage 2013 Tour, Tulsa
Still Life - Serenity Painted Death Watershed Tour, Raleigh
Blackwater Park - Bleak Watershed Tour, Raleigh
Deliverance - Wreath (it's such a quality song I'll count it) Progressive Nation 2008, Atlanta
Damnation - Windowpane Heritage-Hunter Tour, Dallas
Ghost Reveries - nope (Harlequin Forest) I got freaking Lines In My Hand as a trade out on the last tour
Watershed - The Lotus Eater Watershed Tour, Raleigh
Heritage - nope (Nepenthe)
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BTPISIO is a total mess IMO.
:angry:
I'm not adding to floydie's stats since I've only seen one Opeth show (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/opeth/2011/stubbs-bar-b-q-austin-tx-4bd07bb6.html), like... ever. :blush
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BTPISIO is a total mess IMO.
:angry:
It's just my opinion :D However, I know Mikael dislikes that song too.
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If Mike disliked jumping off a bridge would you dislike jumping off a bridge too?
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It would be a coincidence :lol I disliked the song before I even heard Mikael doesn't enjoy it.
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So you disliked it before it was cool?
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So i just got done with Deliverance. There are a lot of familiar riffs and sections that were used again in Ghost Reveries it seems which was pretty :metal . A very solid album, Loved it. Opeth has YET to disappoint me.
-
yeah, you're doin' it right
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So i just got done with Deliverance. There are a lot of familiar riffs and sections that were used again in Ghost Reveries it seems which was pretty :metal . A very solid album, Loved it. Opeth has YET to disappoint me.
Glad to see you liked it. Try out Blackwater Park or Still Life next.
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I have blackwater park already. Next up is My Arms, Your Hearse and Still Life. :metal
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Don't forget to check out the first 2 albums after those ;)
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Working towards them :D
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I'd say go for SL first before MAYH.
-
they're both pretty great
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Still Life is overrated. MAYH is definitely the best of the pre-BWP albums.
-
I'd say Still Life is their best, without a doubt for me.
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If Mike disliked jumping off a bridge would you dislike jumping off a bridge too?
:lol :lol :lol
So i just got done with Deliverance. There are a lot of familiar riffs and sections that were used again in Ghost Reveries it seems which was pretty :metal . A very solid album, Loved it. Opeth has YET to disappoint me.
Nice. Interesting about the familiar riffs/sections thing, I may have to pay more attention to that the next time I listen to both of those albums.
Still Life is overrated.
:angry:
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The ending to Harlequin Forest is basically the same idea as the ending to Deliverance. One of the rhythms in Deliverance is similar to another in Ghost of Perdition as well, can't remember the timestamps on those. It seems less like they were "nuggets" and more of the band being influenced by themselves. Maybe since Mikael doesn't like the album much he wanted to use the cool ideas on something better.
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Cool, didn't know that.
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The ending to Harlequin Forest is basically the same idea as the ending to Deliverance.
That's a bit of a generalization since you could also apply that to Advent and A Fair Judgement if the only criteria for similarity in this context is "similar concept" despite the music itself sounding nothing alike.
One of the rhythms in Deliverance is similar to another in Ghost of Perdition as well, can't remember the timestamps on those.
This intrigues me since I've listened to both a fair bit and never picked up on any of that. Post more info if you get the chance.
It seems less like they were "nuggets" and more of the band being influenced by themselves. Maybe since Mikael doesn't like the album much he wanted to use the cool ideas on something better.
I'm familiar with his dislike for BtPISiO but this is the first I ever heard of him thinking poorly of the album in general. You got a link for that interview by any chance cuz I'm curious what the whole context of it was and if he does indeed dislike the whole album if there are any songs or sections he likes in spite of his generally blah feelings toward it.
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That's a bit of a generalization since you could also apply that to Advent and A Fair Judgement if the only criteria for similarity in this context is "similar concept" despite the music itself sounding nothing alike.
I was thinking more, syncopated rhythms on the lowest chord (E in Deliverance, but D in Harlequin since the guitars are tuned down), varying levels of intensity on a vamp that lasted a couple minutes. With Harlequin it seemed like they were trying to capture a similar vibe to Deliverance. Maybe worth noting that they both segue into softer songs.
This intrigues me since I've listened to both a fair bit and never picked up on any of that. Post more info if you get the chance.
Okay, here you go. In Ghost of Perdition it's 6:58. In Deliverance it's 4:44. I dunno, those always sounded similar to me.
I'm familiar with his dislike for BtPISiO but this is the first I ever heard of him thinking poorly of the album in general. You got a link for that interview by any chance cuz I'm curious what the whole context of it was and if he does indeed dislike the whole album if there are any songs or sections he likes in spite of his generally blah feelings toward it.
Maybe not, I thought I read about his distaste for that album here. Maybe it's just BtPISiO. I know in Royal Albert Hall when he introduces Wreath he said something like "We're only playing this cause we're here, it's kinda shit but whatever". Knowing his humor it could've been a joke, but then again maybe not. If I come across the interview I'll post it here. I'm also basing this on the fact that they don't play a lot of it live. They do the title song a lot live but hardly anything else.
To be completely honest, apart from the first 3 songs I'm not very familiar with Deliverance. To me it always sounded like a bridge between BWP and GR, both being much better records. But when someone mentioned them reusing ideas from Deliverance in GR, I found it intriguing since those two examples always stuck out to me, but I never thought much of it.
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The ending to Harlequin Forest is basically the same idea as the ending to Deliverance.
Haha, yeah, I thought that the first time I heard it. It was basically them trying to do another Deliverance-type ending. It's a good ending, but it doesn't utterly destroy you like Deliverance's ending does. :metal :metal
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I actually prefer the Harlequin Forest one, but yeah both are pretty epic breakdowns.
I don't think they're that similar though, it's not the same riff or anything. It's just the only two songs that Opeth have done that end on such a breakdown, but other bands use that style as well.
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If Mike disliked jumping off a bridge would you dislike jumping off a bridge too?
:lol :lol :lol
So i just got done with Deliverance. There are a lot of familiar riffs and sections that were used again in Ghost Reveries it seems which was pretty :metal . A very solid album, Loved it. Opeth has YET to disappoint me.
Nice. Interesting about the familiar riffs/sections thing, I may have to pay more attention to that the next time I listen to both of those albums.
Still Life is overrated.
:angry:
After listening through it again, they're not TOO similar, but it seems like he had the same influences in mind while writing the music? I'm not sure. The first time listen they sounded kinda familiar.
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I love both songs but Deliverance really nails the outro. And it was so intense live. Harlequin Forest just sort of ends.
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The ending to Harlequin Forest is basically the same idea as the ending to Deliverance.
Haha, yeah, I thought that the first time I heard it. It was basically them trying to do another Deliverance-type ending. It's a good ending, but it doesn't utterly destroy you like Deliverance's ending does. :metal :metal
If you mean, destroys you with boredom then yes. :D
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I love both songs but Deliverance really nails the outro. And it was so intense live. Harlequin Forest just sort of ends.
I can get behind this. Though, like Rich, I do dig both outros.
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I'd say Still Life is their best, without a doubt for me.
YES!
Still Life Ghost Reveries is horribly overrated.
Agreed :P
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Still Life is overrated. MAYH is definitely the best of the pre-BWP albums.
No way. Still Life probably has the best balance of vibe/melody/heaviness of any of their albums. Tracks like The Moor, Godhead's Lament, and Serenity Painted Death, all have very good brutal sections yet, surprisingly, have melodic sections that sound a bit more warm and comforting than the usually melancholy direction their melodic sections take on other albums. Also, Moonlapse Vertigo has such a serene and peaceful verse before that scorchingly roaring chorus plus a superb middle section with the mellow jazzy motif.
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Serenity Painted Death, Godhead's Lament AND Moonlapse Vertigo all in the same paragraph. That's some fuckin WIN right there.
:swoon:
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o/
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*\o
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I think Harlequin Forest is better than Deliverance as a song, but I like the ending of the latter more. That said, I love how they look so concentrated during the HF outro on the RAH DVD.
Still Life has never been one of my favorites, although it isn't a weak album. It has some brilliant standout songs, though :metal
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Also, Moonlapse Vertigo has such a serene and peaceful verse before that scorchingly roaring chorus plus a superb middle section with the mellow jazzy motif.
Moonlapse Vertigo is my favorite song on the album, yet EVERYONE ranks it dead last. I really don't get it.
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Also, Moonlapse Vertigo has such a serene and peaceful verse before that scorchingly roaring chorus plus a superb middle section with the mellow jazzy motif.
Moonlapse Vertigo is my favorite song on the album, yet EVERYONE ranks it dead last. I really don't get it.
It's amazing. No doubt.
Still Life is probably in my Top 5 albums of all time.
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I'm digging this Moonlapse Vertigo circle jerk :hearts:
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Lets give this a shot, guys, what do you think? Top 10 Opeth songs:
10. To bid you farewell
9. The Leper affinity
8. Wreath
7. The Devil's orchard
6. April ethereal
5. The Drapery falls
4. Godhead's lament
3. Hessian peel
2. Master's apprentices
1. The Moor
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Ooh, tough one. Something like this:
10. Reverie / Harlequin Forest
9. When
8. Windowpane
7. Hessian Peel
6. In the Mist She Was Standing
5. Serenity Painted Death
4. The Drapery Falls
3. To Bid You Farewell
2. Bleak
1. The Moor
Honourable mentions to The Leper Affinity and Advent.
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In chronological order:
1. The Moor
2. Bleak
3. Harvest
4. The Drapery Falls
5. Deliverance
6. Ghost Of Perdition
7. Reverie / Harlequin Forest
8. Isolation Years
9. Burden
10. Folklore
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Ooh, tough one. Something like this:
10. Reverie / Harlequin Forest
9. When
8. Windowpane
7. Hessian Peel
6. In the Mist She Was Standing
5. Serenity Painted Death
4. The Drapery Falls
3. To Bid You Farewell
2. Bleak
1. The Moor
Honourable mentions to The Leper Affinity and Advent.
Nice picks, especially Windowpane and Mist! :tup I haven't listened to Opeth enough lately to come up with a list, but many of those songs would be there, except that I would also include Ghost of Perdition and maybe Deliverance.
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Something like this: (order is not important)
1. Blackwater Park
2. Deliverance
3. The Baying of the Hounds
4. The Moor
5. The Night and the Silent Water
6. In Mist She Was Standing
7. When
8. Serenity Painted Death
9. A Fair Judgement
10. Hex Omega
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Chronological order (not preference), and nothing from the first three because I don't know them enough (or from Deliverance because the title song, which is the one I like the most, does not make the cut). Some arguably "weird" choices but honestly these are the songs I enjoy the most.
The Moor
Bleak
Patterns in the Ivy
Dirge for November
Hope Leaves
Ghost of Perdition
The Baying of the Hounds
Coil
Hex Omega
Slither
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The Moor
Face of Melinda
The Lotus Eaters
Heir Apparent
The Grand Conjuration
A Fair Judgement
Folklore
Under The Weeping Moon
Ghost of Perdition
The Leper Affinity
In no real order because I'm posting from my phone.
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I only have Watershed, so mine would be a top 7. :lol
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No real order, though Bleak is always number one.
1. Bleak
2. Ghost of Perdition
3. Deliverance
4. Face Of Melinda
5. Windowpane
6. The Moor
7. Blackwater Park
8. Hessian Peel
9. Reverie/Harlequin Forest
10. Lotus Eater
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No particular order as these slots could changer from hour to hour.
1. Bleak
2. The Night and the Silent Water
3. Serenity Painted Death
4. Demon of the Fall
5. When
6. The Twilight is My Robe
7. Patterns in the Ivy
8. Moonlapse Vertigo
9. The Moor
10. Nectar
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I haven't listened to Opeth enough lately to come up with a list
This. I'll try anyways:
01. The Moor / Deliverance (impossible to decide)
03. When
04. The Drapery Falls
05. Serenity Painted Death
06. Heir Apparent
07. Wreath
08. Blackwater Park
09. Windowpane
10. Face Of Melinda
Apart from the Top 6, this list will probably be totally different in a couple of weeks.
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In this order.
1. Black Rose Immortal
2. Advent
3. April Ethereal
4. In The Mist She Was Standing
5. The Moor
6. To Bid You Farewell
7. When
8. Heir Apparent
9. Nectar
10. The Night And The Silent Water
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In no particular order...
Bleak
Deliverance
Ghost of Perdition
Demon of the Fall
The Drapery Falls
April Ethereal
When
The Moor
Serenity Painted Death
Reverie/Harlequin Forest
The list isn't set in stone though :lol To be quite honest, I haven't listened to Orchid and Morningrise quite enough to even be able to accurately gauge where they would land in my list. I've only had each album for a few months and they're already starting to grow on me; I previously listed both at the bottom of my album rankings just because I hadn't listened to them enough, but now it's safe to say that they are far from my "least favorite" Opeth albums. I don't like saying that with Opeth though because I like everything by them :lol
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Also, Moonlapse Vertigo has such a serene and peaceful verse before that scorchingly roaring chorus plus a superb middle section with the mellow jazzy motif.
Moonlapse Vertigo is my favorite song on the album, yet EVERYONE ranks it dead last. I really don't get it.
I don't know what my favourite from that album is, but Moonlapse is pretty high up there.
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I heard the full version of Ghost of Perdition on the radio today :2metal:
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Germany sucks so hard sometimes :(
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I heard the full version of Ghost of Perdition on the radio today :2metal:
Can Britain share Finnish radio too, please?
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A station called Radio Rock has had a "top 1000 rock songs of all time" list (based on a listener poll) going on this year and they reveal a certain amount of songs every week. GOP appears in it, which is why it was played. Demon of the Fall and Deliverance also made it to the list, but I don't think any Opeth songs would be played if they hadn't received votes in the poll. Then again, I never really listen to the radio, so I don't know :lol
(off-topic, but aprilethereal, Punish My Heaven by the other DT has appeared in that list as well, which is a pleasant surprise!)
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Still don't own The Gallery :blush
And stop making me even more jelly :D
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My Opeth Discog is now complete... Gotta listen two Orchid and Morningrise now
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They're both great albums. They definitely took a little more time to grow on me than most of Opeth's other stuff, but that's probably because I listened to them for the first time long after I had heard their more recent albums like SL, BWP, GR, etc.
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Yeah i went ass backwards with the discog. Heritage got me into Opeth, so i went from the most clean vocals and built up to the harsh stuff.
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Orchid and Morningrise are cool, but they're my 2 least favourite Opeth albums, even though I've listened to them many times.
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I really love Morningrise, especially Advent, The Night And The Silent Water and To Bid You Farewell, but Orchid is my least favourite album of theirs.
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Morningrise is amazing. To Bid You Farewell might just be my favourite Opeth ballad.
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I like Orchid and Morningrise better than anything released after Blackwater Park by a very large margin.
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Not a big fan of Morningrise, it's probably my least favorite Opeth album. Orchid has some really awesome stuff though, would be cool if they redid the whole thing with better production.
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Morningrise is fairly underrated imho, mainly because the rest of their catalog is so stellar, but it's actually a pretty solid album. Orchid is ok, but clearly MA is just getting his feet wet.
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Is there any way to get non MP3 Versions of "Pyre" and "Face In The Snow" I purchased the deluxe edition or whatever of Heritage and it has the songs on the DVD but not as audio tracks. Also it came with a ticket that was like "go to this website for the download" .. that expired like a year ago D:
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Scrub, I'll preface this by saying this post has nothing of value to aid you in your pursuit and is just a rant.
It's pretty bogus to shell out money for a special/deluxe/whatever edition yet still have the record label expecting you to jump through hoops just to get something that EASILY could've fit on the CD itself just so they can use you as a pawn in their marketing game to generate traffic and ad money for their website. Funny thing is, the songs were actually kinda boring anyway so I'll just say fuck it for now since I couldn't get 'em back then anyway since my computer wasn't working properly at the time. I'll just torrent them if I ever warm up to them.
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Is there any way to get non MP3 Versions of "Pyre" and "Face In The Snow" I purchased the deluxe edition or whatever of Heritage and it has the songs on the DVD but not as audio tracks. Also it came with a ticket that was like "go to this website for the download" .. that expired like a year ago D:
That sucks :-\
I'm not a fan of Heritage at all, so I never felt the need to check out the bonus tracks anyway :D
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Scrub, I'll preface this by saying this post has nothing of value to aid you in your pursuit and is just a rant.
It's pretty bogus to shell out money for a special/deluxe/whatever edition yet still have the record label expecting you to jump through hoops just to get something that EASILY could've fit on the CD itself just so they can use you as a pawn in their marketing game to generate traffic and ad money for their website. Funny thing is, the songs were actually kinda boring anyway so I'll just say fuck it for now since I couldn't get 'em back then anyway since my computer wasn't working properly at the time. I'll just torrent them if I ever warm up to them.
I agree, It is kinda BS. But I listened to them on the DVD and I reallllllly enjoyed Pyre which is why I'm trying to get them. I tried emailing RR and asking but no response :\
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I find that sort of system highly irritating as well, but I do like both tracks, and I include them as if they were always part of the album when I listen to it.
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I've mostly given up on bonus tracks. I can't afford to buy every special edition Japanese album these bands put out.
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Is there any way to get non MP3 Versions of "Pyre" and "Face In The Snow" I purchased the deluxe edition or whatever of Heritage and it has the songs on the DVD but not as audio tracks. Also it came with a ticket that was like "go to this website for the download" .. that expired like a year ago D:
DVD Audio Extractor. although i'm fairly sure all the audio on the DVD is AC3, which is basically the same as an MP3 anyway.
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"New Opeth album: Heavier, sinister, expensive..." (https://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/new-opeth-album-heavier-sinister-expensive/)
Link to whole interview (in Swedish, unfortunately) is included.
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Mikael will be producing. He loves the sound of Dio's Holy Diver, that early 80s sound where the 70s is still around but there is more weight in the whole production. Right now he's interested in getting a similar sound, one that is not retro but it sounds like real instruments and has a little more weight than Heritage.
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That's cool, thanks for the translation/info :)
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I'm excited and afraid at the same time :dunno:
Heritage made me lose all hope for the band when it came out, and I fear that happening again.
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Heritage is my #3 Opeth album :lol
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Yea Heritage is good. Would be nice to get something with a little bit more bite this time.
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Opeth is one of my favourite bands. Ghost Reveries must be in my top10 best albums ever.
Pretty excited about the upcoming album... Excited and afraid.
IMO Heritage is horrible ._. 0/10 . I hated it . But of course I completely understand if Åkerfeldt wants to evolve his music away from death metal.
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Opeth is one of my favourite bands. Ghost Reveries must be in my top10 best albums ever.
Pretty excited about the upcoming album... Excited and afraid.
IMO Heritage is horrible ._. 0/10 . I hated it . But of course I completely understand if Åkerfeldt wants to evolve his music away from death metal.
0/10? Wow... :lol How many times have you listened to it? I need 20 listens to like it, but then I immediately loved it.
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Heritage is horrible ._. 0/10 . I hated it .
0/10. Come on? :facepalm:
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I'd say 6/10. Ghost Reveries is barely a 7/10 IMO. Watershed on the other hand is about a 9.5/10 for me.
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Opeth is one of my favourite bands. Ghost Reveries must be in my top10 best albums ever.
Pretty excited about the upcoming album... Excited and afraid.
IMO Heritage is horrible ._. 0/10 . I hated it . But of course I completely understand if Åkerfeldt wants to evolve his music away from death metal.
0/10? Wow... :lol How many times have you listened to it? I need 20 listens to like it, but then I immediately loved it.
I have listened to it about 10 times during this 2 yr period. I know its propably not enough to really get "into it".
Heritage is horrible ._. 0/10 . I hated it .
0/10. Come on? :facepalm:
I like every other Opeth album but this one just too hard for me :D
First time I listened to it, I had to take couple of months before even touching it again.
It's rare that I come across album that despise so much :P
Maybe some day I'll get into it... maybe not.. I'll take a spin today and try to get thru it :)
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Why have you listened to it 10 times if you genuinely rate it 0/10. If I hated something that much I wouldn't even listen to it a second time.
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I dunno, if it's a band I like I'm willing to give it a chance even if I hate it on first listen.
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I don't see the problem since there has been plenty of albums I disliked at first but grew to really love. And on the other hand the albums that clicked the most on first listen tends to fade a lot. So I can totally see why someone would keep spinning an album like that.
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Why have you listened to it 10 times if you genuinely rate it 0/10. If I hated something that much I wouldn't even listen to it a second time.
I've been trying to get into it.
I have to edit my post a little bit;
"It's rare that I come across album that despise so much"
I meant that;
"It's rare that I come across album made by one of my favourite artists that despise so much
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We've been discussing Heritage and the upcoming album lately, so it's time for a blast from the past! I found an interview with Mikael from 1993:
(https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v32/MadTinus/various/Opeth_Mortician493_small.jpg)
I also have an issue of a Finnish rock magazine that featured an article on Progressive Nation 2009 and Mikael revealed what the first-ever Opeth show in '91 was like. However, I don't have any of my mags with me in my current apartment, so I can't do the translation until the weekend comes.
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“I am not a great singer" LIAR :lol
thanks for posting btw :tup
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I don't see the problem since there has been plenty of albums I disliked at first but grew to really love. And on the other hand the albums that clicked the most on first listen tends to fade a lot. So I can totally see why someone would keep spinning an album like that.
Sure, if it's not really grabbing me, or something about it doesn't sit right with me, or something like that, then yeah of course I'll give it another chance. But 0/10 has to mean absolutely no redeeming features, so I don't know why anyone would bother, considering how much great music there is out there.
I can sort of understand adastra's point about it being one of his favourite artists, but even so. If it's that bad, then just enjoy the stuff you like.
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“I am not a great singer" LIAR :lol
He was right - just listen to The Apostle in Triumph :D
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Orchid and Heritage are two albums I prefer not to think about :lol
Although IMSWS is phenomenal :metal
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"New Opeth album: Heavier, sinister, expensive..." (https://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/new-opeth-album-heavier-sinister-expensive/)
Link to whole interview (in Swedish, unfortunately) is included.
Sounds good to me. Perhaps something more akin to doom metal rather than death metal?
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I was actually hoping they would continue exploring their prog rock side, but if the new album is another shift in the sound for the band, that would be interesting as well.
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I'm with adastra. I too despised it for a while and had to force myself into sitting through followup listenings of it. After 8 months of owning it and literally making sure I was drinking when doing so (in an effort to make myself more tolerant to something I already had a very low opinion of), I finally started to like it a little. 15 months after that? I've nearly lost all interest and don't much care for anything other than Haxprocess, Famine, and Folklore.
Some of you fans of the album seem to have this presumptuous mindset that we dissentors either haven't given it a fair shot or will eventually "get it." Not everyone likes the same things and that doesn't make us stubborn or intolerant.
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That's true b_f, but I was curious how many times a person who rates it 0/10 had listened.
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Oh I wasn't specifically addressing your post but rather the prevailing "you're just set in your ways; Opeth can't just make the same death metal album 20 times in a row olol!"sentiment that this thread has been so polluted with.
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I wasn't assuming you were specifically addressing me :P Anyway, my point of view that a band can pretty much whatever they want. However, extreme changes in styles may obviously alienate fanbases. They can also keep making the same music, it's their call. Personally I tend to listen more to bands who show variation/change in their music simply because it interests me more. And obviously not everyone likes a sudden change like Heritage.
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Still absolutely adore Heritage, and I'm learning that Mikael has somehow Jedi-mind-tricked me into his train of thought as I'm, very sadly, starting to bore of their old sound. Don't get me wrong, I'm don't dislike it and I still have the utmost amount of respect for that type of genre and playing; but it's starting to wear on me and for some reason I don't have that...'goosebump-infused-listening-session' anymore where I'm just completely sucked into the music and loving every second. It's more akin to if I listen to old DT now; I understand I once loved it, I still can groove along, but the fire has certainly dimmed to a candle's flame.
That said, I am so excited to see what they come up with next, and ironically enough would be so completely happy if it was once again something completely different and out of left field. I'd also love a follow-up to Heritage with some Storm Corrosion infusion, but really at this point, anything that Mikael comes up with is going to be interesting to me even if its back to the old progressive-death-metal ways. Though I doubt that, this option would be the most exciting despite me becoming bored with the genre if he could somehow spruce it up with his new found psychedelic-70's-vibe.
Excited for the future of Opeth. I just hope it's not too long from now... I can only listen to Marrow Of The Earth so many times.
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I really loved the dark-ambient elements of Heritage (Haxprocess, Famine), so I hope that they experiment with that style more. But really, they could go absolutely anywhere for their next album, so I'll just wait and see.
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I'm also really looking forward to what they'll be doing on their next album! I'm not at all tired of their old sound though, but I just love Heritage.
Album ranking time then?
1. Blackwater Park
2. Watershed
3. Heritage
4. Ghost Reveries
5. My Arms, Your Hearse
6. Still Life
7. Damnation
8. Deliverance
9. Morningrise
10. Orchid
I haven't listened to Opeth in some time so I'll probably listen again soon and my ranking might change.
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1. Damnation
2. Ghost Reveries
3. Watershed
4. MAYH
5. Heritage
6. Orchid
7. Still Life
8. Morningrise
9. Blackwater Park
10. Deliverance
This is how I ranked them a couple of months ago. I've barely listened to Opeth lately, so the ranking could look different if I went through the discography now, but I know the bottom 2 albums will always be the same.
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Neither Orchid nor Morningrise are in your bottom two so that's good enough for me.
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1. Damnation
2. Ghost Reveries
3. Watershed
4. MAYH
5. Heritage
6. Orchid
7. Still Life
8. Morningrise
9. Blackwater Park
10. Deliverance
This is how I ranked them a couple of months ago. I've barely listened to Opeth lately, so the ranking could look different if I went through the discography now, but I know the bottom 2 albums will always be the same.
I missed that ranking, wasn't back yet from fieldwork then. BWP in the bottom... ouch. Cool to see Damnation on #1 though.
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1. Still Life
2. Ghost Reveries
3. Blackwater Park
4. Deliverance
5. My Arms, Your Hearse
6. Orchid
7. Morningrise
8. Watershed
9. Heritage
10. Damnation
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Is it ranking time again? :metal
1: Ghost Reveries
2: Watershed
3: Blackwater Park
4: Still Life
5: Damnation
6: My Arms, Your Hearse
7: Heritage
8: Orchid
9: Morningrise
10: Deliverance
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Still absolutely adore Heritage, and I'm learning that Mikael has somehow Jedi-mind-tricked me into his train of thought as I'm, very sadly, starting to bore of their old sound. Don't get me wrong, I'm don't dislike it and I still have the utmost amount of respect for that type of genre and playing; but it's starting to wear on me and for some reason I don't have that...'goosebump-infused-listening-session' anymore where I'm just completely sucked into the music and loving every second. It's more akin to if I listen to old DT now; I understand I once loved it, I still can groove along, but the fire has certainly dimmed to a candle's flame.
That said, I am so excited to see what they come up with next, and ironically enough would be so completely happy if it was once again something completely different and out of left field. I'd also love a follow-up to Heritage with some Storm Corrosion infusion, but really at this point, anything that Mikael comes up with is going to be interesting to me even if its back to the old progressive-death-metal ways. Though I doubt that, this option would be the most exciting despite me becoming bored with the genre if he could somehow spruce it up with his new found psychedelic-70's-vibe.
Excited for the future of Opeth. I just hope it's not too long from now... I can only listen to Marrow Of The Earth so many times.
I agree with pretty much everything you just said... can't wait for the next release!
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Woohoo! RANKING TIEM!
1: Ghost Reveries
2: Blackwater Park
3: Watershed
4: My Arms, Your Hearse
5: Morningrise
6: Still Life
7: Damnation
8: Deliverance
9: Orchid
10: Heritage
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1 - Ghost Reveries
2 - Morningrise
3 - Heritage
4 - Blackwater Park (didn't clicked with me yet)
5 - Still Life (didn't clicked with me yet²)
Pretty f*cked up ranking :rollin
(I have not heard the other 5 albums yet)
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Pretty f*cked up ranking :rollin
(I have not heard the other 5 albums yet)
:angry:
1. Blackwater Park
2. Ghost Reveries
3. Still Life
4. Watershed
5. My Arms Your Hearse
6. Deliverance
7. Morningrise
8. Damnation
9. Orchid
10. Heritage
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I remember the first time I listened to Opeth.. It was summer of 2006. I was working at my local post delivering packages.
My friend suggested that I should try this album called Ghost Reveries. So I did. And holy shit what a ride it was!
I had never heard music like that! It was haunting, beautiful and I remember that the singer was absolutely great!
I actually had to stop working while I listened to Ghost of Perdition. It had so huge impact to me!
Sry for this post xD Never before had music made me feel like that. I got so emotional by the whole atmosphere of the album.
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It's just wrong to have GR anywhere above the bottom three.
/thisopinionisafact
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This thread inspired me to listen to Heritage and it has some awesome drumming (disclaimer: i don't know the first thing about drumming so I don't know if it's good, technical or whatever, I just dig it).
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Based on that recent interview with Mikael, it sounds like the band is heading back in the right direction. Not that there was anything wrong with Heritage (I actually think it's a great album), but I definitely don't want Opeth to make another album like it. As long as there's some actual metal on the next record I will be satisfied. Also, the part about the string arrangements has me really intrigued.
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This thread inspired me to listen to Heritage and it has some awesome drumming (disclaimer: i don't know the first thing about drumming so I don't know if it's good, technical or whatever, I just dig it).
Well, I have enjoyed it as well, as a drummer. I didn't think Axe could write that good, I was kinda amazed when I've listened to it the first time.
It's just wrong to have GR anywhere above the bottom three.
/thisopinionisafact
Totally agree :tup
Based on that recent interview with Mikael, it sounds like the band is heading back in the right direction. Not that there was anything wrong with Heritage (I actually think it's a great album), but I definitely don't want Opeth to make another album like it. As long as there's some actual metal on the next record I will be satisfied. Also, the part about the string arrangements has really intrigued.
Same here. I definitely miss their metal.
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Axe's drumming on Heritage was so amazing. I probably like his drumming more than Lopez's.
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Yay, ranking time!
1. Blackwater Park
2. My Arms, Your Hearse
3. Still Life
4. Ghost Reveries
5. Morningrise
6. Deliverance
7. Watershed
8. Orchid
9. Heritage
10. Damnation
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I don't expect the next album to be "metal", but I really hope Mikael writes something unique again, instead of totally ripping off 70's prog. That was my biggest problem with Heritage, apart from the pretty weak songwriting for Opeth standards. Opeth always had some unique element, but that was completely gone on Heritage.
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I've been listening to Opeth for only a year, so my ranking changes from time to time, but right now it probably looks something like this:
1. Still life
2. Deliverance
3. Damnation
4. Heritage
5. Blackwater park
6. Morningrise
7. Watershed
8. Ghost reveries
9. My arms, your hearse
10. Orchid
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Pretty f*cked up ranking :rollin
(I have not heard the other 5 albums yet)
:angry:
Keep in mind it was an enjoyment ranking, not a quality one.
I don't think Heritage is better than BWP, Still Life or Morningrise (duh)... I just enjoy it more (if it makes sense :huh:).
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Pretty f*cked up ranking :rollin
(I have not heard the other 5 albums yet)
:angry:
Keep in mind it was an enjoyment ranking, not a quality one.
I don't think Heritage is better than BWP, Still Life or Morningrise (duh)... I just enjoy it more (if it makes sense :huh:).
It doesn't to me :P
I mean, how could you enjoy it more without saying is not better than the others? Maybe you mean, technically?
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Keep in mind it was an enjoyment ranking, not a quality one.
I don't think Heritage is better than BWP, Still Life or Morningrise (duh)... I just enjoy it more (if it makes sense :huh:).
It's all good, like whatever you want to like :tup
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Pretty f*cked up ranking :rollin
(I have not heard the other 5 albums yet)
:angry:
Keep in mind it was an enjoyment ranking, not a quality one.
I don't think Heritage is better than BWP, Still Life or Morningrise (duh)... I just enjoy it more (if it makes sense :huh:).
It doesn't to me :P
I mean, how could you enjoy it more without saying is not better than the others? Maybe you mean, technically?
Well, BWP and Still Life specially are much more creative and original than it (as Heritage is more of a tribute to 70's prog rock)... They're classic albums that inspired many bands, they have a signature sound, etc and etc...
But i enjoy Ghost Reveries and Heritage more (and they are the two first Opeth albums that i listened).
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Nothing wrong with liking Ghost Reveries more than Still Life and Blackwater Park. The three, together, make the holy trinity of Opeth albums for me, and any one of them can be my favorite on a given day.
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1. Damnation
2. Heritage
3. Blackwater Park
4. Ghost Reveries
5. Still Life
6. Morningrise
7. Watershed
8. My Arms, Your Hearse
9. Orchid
Never really listened to Deliverence, so I'm not ranking it.
I'm of the rare breed that really loved Heritage, regardless of it being under the Opeth moniker. Its got this sinister evil vibe that's haunting, like being alone walking through the woods with mist floating and eyes watching you. The perfect devils sound.
Remember from the dvd, mikael made entirely different songs, he presented them to the band and Martin said if those are gonna be the new Opeth he's gonna be disappointed.
I personally think people miss the distorted guitars, because Heritage IS Opeth stripped to the core.
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Nothing wrong with liking Ghost Reveries more than Still Life and Blackwater Park.
Everything is wrong with that.
Never really listened to Deliverence
Do it :metal
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Never really listened to Deliverence
Do it :metal
I plan to, don't know why I haven't yet. I barely got around to listening to Still Life, due to my friend buying it and showing me the songs.
I do know Deliverence and enjoy that song a lot.
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It's worth it.
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Everything is wrong with that.
Wrong as liking ADTOE more than IAW and SDOIT, Mr. April :tup
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Everything is wrong with that.
Wrong as liking ADTOE more than IAW and SDOIT, Mr. April :tup
Says the guy with an ADTOE username ;)
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It's worth it.
Definitely :tup
Master's Apprentices is one of my fav song :metal
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Last night I decided to listen Ghost Reveries. It's amazing how good album it is! Not a single weak song.
This has to be one of my top5 albums of all time.
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Everything is wrong with that.
Wrong as liking ADTOE more than IAW and SDOIT, Mr. April :tup
Says the guy with an ADTOE username ;)
Just a username ::)
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1. Blackwater Park
2. Ghost Reveries
3. Still Life
4. Watershed
5. Heritage
6. Damnation
7. My Arms, Your Hearse
8. Orchid
9. Morningrise
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1. Blackwater Park
2. Ghost Reveries
3. Still Life
4. Watershed
5. Heritage
6. Damnation
7. My Arms, Your Hearse
8. Orchid
9. Morningrise
Where's Deliverance? :P
Mine is:
1) Blackwater Park
2) Deliverance
3) Orchid
4) Ghost Reveries
5) My Arms, Your Hearse
6) Damnation
7) Watershed
8) Morningrise
9) Still Life
10) Heritage
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Great to see D1 that high, but Still Life at #9?!?! :o :o
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Great to see D1 that high, but Still Life at #9?!?! :o :o
The MOooooooOOOOOOoooooooOOOOooor!!!!
sry, I didn't have anything else to say. good song btw.
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The MOooooooOOOOOOoooooooOOOOooor!!!!
sry, I didn't have anything else to say. FUCKING AMAZING song btw.
FTFY
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Great to see D1 that high, but Still Life at #9?!?! :o :o
Yeah, I know, but it have never clicked on me that much. I really like The Moor tho ;D
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Oh hey are we doing lists again? Here goes:
1. My Arms, Your Hearse
2. Watershed
3. Blackwater Park
4/5. Ghost Reveries (tied)
4/5. Still Life (tied)
6. Deliverance
7. Heritage
8. Orchid
9. Morningrise
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I find it quite tricky to rank the albums specifically, easier to put them into tiers for me, with a sort of rough ranking within each.
Albums I've listened to the most and love:
Deliverance
Blackwater Park
Ghost Reveries
Albums that are great, but I don't listen to as much as the top tier:
Watershed
Morningrise
Orchid
Still Life
Albums I rarely listen to and don't enjoy as much as the others:
My Arms, Your Hearse
Damnation
Heritage
I don't hate any of the bottom 3, but I'm far less keen on them than the others in the discography.
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1-5. (Any album in this group could be as high as #1 or as low as #5 depending on my mood since I love them all)
Blackwater Park
Still Life
Orchid
Morningrise
My Arms Your Hearse
6. Ghost Reveries
7. Deliverance
8. Damnation
9. Watershed
10. Heritage
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Watershed at number nine? :sad:
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Heritage wasn't my favorite Opeth record, but I loved that they did something so different for them and, more importantly, did whatever the hell they wanted, instead of worrying about what the fans want. Hooray for creative freedom and artistic vision! I am sure they will continue to do whatever the hell they want on this next record, and I applaud them for that. :coolio
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Fuck it.
1.Still Life
2.Blackwater Park
3.Watershed
4.My Arms Your Hearse
5.Ghost Reveries
6.Damnation
7.Deliverance
8.Morningrise
9.Heritage
10.Orchid
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Watershed at number nine? :sad:
My reasoning:
Coil: If I didn't know it was Opeth, it'd be a pleasant (though not special at all) song which I'd consider to be barely on the good side of average.
Heir Apparent: A decent headbanger that appeals to my visceral, meatheady side with some enjoyable mellow bits here and there. It's about on par with the lesser tracks from the albums predating Watershed imo which is still good company considering Opeth's been my favorite band since 2004.
The Lotus Eater: A legitimately awesome track that would fit in quality-wise on any of their albums, The Mariocore middle section, though popular with fans and being generally liked by myself as well, does seem like an awkward fit for the rest of the song but I don't hold that against it since I believe if something appeals to my ears then I shouldn't be so conditional in my mindset.
Burden: Not bad at all but a tad pussy. I love every Opeth ballad prior to this and have no problem with the subdued energy level of any of their prior ballads but this one just didn't grip me. The musicianship is certainly there and it's nicely-written and executed but I get this hard-to-articulate, going-through-the-motions kind of feeling when listening to it that I don't when listening to earlier ballads. I just feel like Mike either fell in love with a boringly simplistic motif here or didn't try as hard as he usually does. The nauseacore outro is nice though.
Porcelain Heart: Good song in a new style that I actually dug for once. I think roaring would've helped it a bit though as it has some heavy parts that would've gone nicely with it.
Hessian Peel: Very enjoyable song but some parts drag a bit. 10+ minutes is no prob for an Opeth track though so I think the solution would've been to fill in the gaps a little better.
Hex Omega: There is nothing appealing about this song for me in any way whatsoever.
Conclusion: The wing tracks plus Burden could've been chopped off leaving behind a decent EP or they could've just included Derelict Herds and added a few more tracks of legit quality to round out an album of standard Opeth awesomeness but the end result we got was an album with too much dead weight that watered down the album to the point where the decent tracks couldn't even redeem it.
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So depressed at the low rankings of My Arms, Your Hearse.
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That album actually clicked for me recently. Definitely a favorite now.
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If I was to do a ranking, MAYH would either be the top or near the top...
Til the next day when I like Heritage more again. But MAYH will always have a special place in my dirty, skanky little heart.
Dat Karma outro.....AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Karma's vocal transition starting at 0:55 is one of my favorite moments in any song ever.
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Transitions are something Opeth excels at and that is probably the best in their whole catalog. :tup
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So depressed at the low rankings of My Arms, Your Hearse.
Yeah, that album is really great. I even have a MAYH T-shirt :metal
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The first two minutes of April Ethereal are some of the best material in the whole Opeth catalogue (hence my username ;)), as is the outro of When. The whole damn album actually :metal
MAYH and Morningrise amaze me every time I listen to them, which unfortunately doesn't happen very often, because when I feel the need to listen to some Opeth these days, I mostly go for Still Life, Blackwater Park, Deliverance, Watershed or Damnation. These are my favourites by the band, but since I love them so much, I tend to overlook MAYH and Morningrise :-\
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The first two minutes of April Ethereal are some of the best material in the whole Opeth catalogue (hence my username ;)), as is the outro of When. The whole damn album actually :metal
MAYH and Morningrise amaze me every time I listen to them, which unfortunately doesn't happen very often, because when I feel the need to listen to some Opeth these days, I mostly go for Still Life, Blackwater Park, Deliverance, Watershed or Damnation. These are my favourites by the band, but since I love them so much, I tend to overlook MAYH and Morningrise :-\
What about the acoustic part on The Moor? That's my favourite part on Opeth's catalogue :3
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If I had to choose one, I think it would be the "came with the moon" part of SPD and the solo before it :o
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My favorite moment in the Opeth catalog is at the end of "Benighted" when they use the verse to conclude the song. Amazing!
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decided to order Opeth - Still Life 2LP.. One of my least listened Opeth album o.o The MoooOOOooR!
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Surely this has been mentioned before, but the last few minutes of Hex Omega sounds a lot like the heavy parts of Shutdown by OSI.
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Dirt From a Holy Place is so amazing /off topic
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OSI is so amazing /off topic
I actually remember that 2 years ago someone posted Stockholm by OSI on Youtube as a fake leak of The Devil's Orchard.
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I actually remember that 2 years ago someone posted Stockholm by OSI on Youtube as a fake leak of The Devil's Orchard.
And that's how I got into OSI. :lol
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Yesterday I listened to Still Life. Yeah, kinda amazing is #9 in my ranking, but still. I just love the other albums more.
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I used to think Still Life was the greatest piece of music ever created. It's still amazing and my favourite Opeth album, but it's definitely not flawless.
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I promised to translate the bit where Mikael talks about the first Opeth gig in a Finnish interview last week, but I forgot it so here it is:
We opened for Therion in a suburb in Stockholm. Our then-vocalist David Isberg had a bad reputation in the metal circles and everyone hoped we would fail. We didn't let them down!
I was pretty much the only band member who knew the songs from start to finish. I stood with my back towards the audience, since I was trying to give our drummer signs about the changes between different riffs and parts. David disappeared backstage repeatedly and of course he didn't know the lyrics. In the end his improvisation mixed things up completely: if some riff was supposed to be repeated 4 times he would sing 3 or 5 lines. Soon nobody knew which part we were playing. At the end of the show someone threw snus on David and his mic stand was stolen. I still can't take that gig with humor, after 18 years.
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Ghost Reveries 2LP will be released this month o.o !!!!!!
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I promised to translate the bit where Mikael talks about the first Opeth gig in a Finnish interview last week, but I forgot it so here it is:
We opened for Therion in a suburb in Stockholm. Our then-vocalist David Isberg had a bad reputation in the metal circles and everyone hoped we would fail. We didn't let them down!
I was pretty much the only band member who knew the songs from start to finish. I stood with my back towards the audience, since I was trying to give our drummer signs about the changes between different riffs and parts. David disappeared backstage repeatedly and of course he didn't know the lyrics. In the end his improvisation mixed things up completely: if some riff was supposed to be repeated 4 times he would sing 3 or 5 lines. Soon nobody knew which part we were playing. At the end of the show someone threw snus on David and his mic stand was stolen. I still can't take that gig with humor, after 18 years.
Dang! :lol
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Is "snus" that tobacky shit? Otherwise I have no idea unless someone threw an anus at Dan and you accidentally typed an "s" instead of an "a".
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Is "snus" that tobacky shit?
Yeah, it's a Swedish thing.
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I used to think Still Life was the greatest piece of music ever created.
And now?
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I used to think Still Life was the greatest piece of music ever created.
And now?
"It's still amazing and my favourite Opeth album, but it's definitely not flawless."
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I meant...and now? What you think is the "greatest piece of music ever created"?
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I meant...and now? What you think is the "greatest piece of music ever created"?
Oh okay :lol
I don't think I can decide though. SFAM comes pretty damn close honestly, but so do many other albums I consider to be perfect.
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Today I'll listen to Heritage probably. Giving it another opportunity.
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Today I'll listen to Heritage probably. Giving it another opportunity.
Hope you like it :metal
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Today I'll listen to Heritage probably. Giving it another opportunity.
Hope you like it :metal
You know, I kinda liked it at the very first listening. It just went underwhelming right after.
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Just starting to get into this incredible talented band. Took a while with the growling vocals, but getting used to them
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Just starting to get into this incredible talented band. Took a while with the growling vocals, but getting used to them
Prepare for an incredible journey ;) :metal
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Just starting to get into this incredible talented band. Took a while with the growling vocals, but getting used to them
I was in your shoes roughly 6 months ago... Best... Journey... NA
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Great band...cant wait for their new album/tour. I saw them on the progressive nation tour, but that was a shorter set and I went primarily to see DT (of course)...
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The first time I saw Opeth was when I traveled to New York (from Houston) with a friend strictly to see DT...turns out when we got there that DT was a least of our wants. BTBAM and Opeth turned us both into fans at that point, and Opeth wore the crown that night. Master's Apprentices absolute tore our panties off and fucked us real good. SO REAL GOOD. Then I saw them in a really, really shitty venue in Houston called Terminal 5, and it was the worst venue experience I've ever had, and somehow Opeth turned it into (still) the best show I've ever seen. It was like being raped by god.
That said, I still want a follow up to Heritage. People seem to think in absolutes...as if they'd never do metal ever again if they did another 'soft' album. I think that's bullshit. They've got plenty of death metal, progressive death bunny rape metal and any other type of metal in their catalog; it's time for something new. They did one spectacular (IN MY DISGUSTINGLY USELESS, WEAK OPINION; COMPARED TO YOURS, WHOM IS READING THIS, WHICH IS FAR SUPERIOR) album and it absolutely defined their sound in a completely different way, so I'm ready for something else straight out of left field that shoves the purists in a far-out-corner of the universe. Then if they so chose and if the vocal-chord-god decides Mikael can still do it, they can go back to death-metal. If not, boo-fucking-hoo and accept reality...any type of metal will strain immensely, especially as well as Mikael does it and for as long as he has.
But really, I'm sick of the few friends who I know IRL that like Opeth constantly bitching about Heritage. Those little shits. I love 'em, but god fucking damn it are they closed-minded. I mean, it's not even about opinion at this point, it's the fact that Opeth had the audacity to do something that wasn't a brutal ass-fuck of a progressive death-metal album. *GASP*. Fuck your expectations. I hope they blow all of us out of the water and do a jazz-infused-disco album just to shove it in the faces of everyone that decided Opeth 'sucked' the moment they 'defied' the fans. Fuck fans.
/rantonclosedmindedignorance[boxyourselfinLOLLLLOOOOLOLOLOLO]
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amen, I just want them to do whatever they feel like doing.
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Just starting to get into this incredible talented band. Took a while with the growling vocals, but getting used to them
Your mind will be blown. No matter which album you're gonna listen to.
@TioJorge: I really can see your point of view, but I really hope they will create something closer to their roots. Just 'cuz I miss them that way, Heritage has anything to do with it.
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But really, I'm sick of the few friends who I know IRL that like Opeth constantly bitching about Heritage. Those little shits. I love 'em, but god fucking damn it are they closed-minded. I mean, it's not even about opinion at this point, it's the fact that Opeth had the audacity to do something that wasn't a brutal ass-fuck of a progressive death-metal album. *GASP*. Fuck your expectations. I hope they blow all of us out of the water and do a jazz-infused-disco album just to shove it in the faces of everyone that decided Opeth 'sucked' the moment they 'defied' the fans. Fuck fans
Mostly agreed. I don't have a problem with people just not digging the album, but hating it on the grounds that it isn't "metal" is really annoying.
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I feel like I've said this before so many times, but it's not that Heritage is a bad album, or that Opeth can't experiment... But to change your entire sound after 10+ years of an established "basic" sound just kind of sucks. Like it's totally okay to experiment with your sound, but Heritage really should have been under a different moniker, like Chuck Schuldiner did with Control Denied. Death and Control Denied are both fucking awesome, but it wouldn't have been a Death album if he'd just decided to for go changing band names, if you get what I'm saying. Heritage kind of feels like a different band and Mikael decided to for go changing the moniker. Heritage is still a good album, don't let this paragraph come across as me saying I don't like it, because I do a lot, lots of lush gorgeous moments on the album, and a few goosebump moments, but aside from Mikaels voice, and the guitar's general tone, it just doesn't feel at all like an Opeth album.
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I feel like I've said this before so many times, but it's not that Heritage is a bad album, or that Opeth can't experiment... But to change your entire sound after 10+ years of an established "basic" sound just kind of sucks.
I completely disagree. I'd take Heritage over Orchid and Watershed any day of the week. I don't think the change in sound does not 'sucks'. And I know I'm not alone in that opinion.
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I really meant that it only sucks in the context in keeping it under Opeth, which I know you still disagree with, but I'd take Orchid and Watershed ANY day of the week over Heritage.
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Fair enough.
And to be fair, I think they're all stellar albums ;D
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Just starting to get into this incredible talented band. Took a while with the growling vocals, but getting used to them
They were my first "growling vocals" band. At first they were something to suffer through while I heard the rest of the amazing music. Then I tolerated them, and over time I found I wouldn't want the songs any other way than with them. Now I enjoy them and love every bit of the extra dimension it brings to their sound.
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Nothing wrong with liking Ghost Reveries more than Still Life and Blackwater Park. The three, together, make the holy trinity of Opeth albums for me, and any one of them can be my favorite on a given day.
Quoted for absolute motherfucking truth. If I'm out of context, fuck all y'all. :biggrin: :heart
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:heart
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:'(
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I meant...and now? What you think is the "greatest piece of music ever created"?
Oh okay :lol
I don't think I can decide though. SFAM comes pretty damn close honestly, but so do many other albums I consider to be perfect.
I used to think the same (about SFAM) years ago (when i was obsessed with DT and progressive metal in general), then i started to explore all kinds of genres....now i hardly listen to metal anymore :-\
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:'(
'sup? ;D
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He doesn't want to accept that Ghost Reveries is a top 3 Opeth album :biggrin:
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He doesn't want to accept that Ghost Reveries is a top 3 Opeth album :biggrin:
:lol
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1 great song (The Baying Of The Hounds), 3 really good but unspectacular ones (Ghost Of Perdition, Harlequin Forest, Hours Of Wealth), 3 forgettable ones (Beneath The Mire, Atonement, The Grand Conjuration), and then there's Isolation Years which is nothing but horrible by Opeth standards. Without IY, the album would be good, but the way it is I can't even listen to it all the way through. How does that compare to the genius of Morningrise, MAYH, Still Life, BWP, Deliverance, Damnation and Watershed? What the fuck :angry:
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Aww, Isolation Years is one of my favorites on the album. Overall I'd say it's their second best after Still Life.
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Ghost of Perdition is the best Opeth song ever IMHO. The rest of the album is consistently good, the only bit I dislike is the intro to Beneath the Mire. The soft songs are actually great and the bonus cover of Soldier of Fortune adds a nice touch.
For me Ghost Reveries is only behind Blackwater Park and in the same class as Still Life and Watershed.
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I randomly decided to listen to Blackwater Park last night before I went to bed. Hadn't listened to it in ages, so it was fun to remember how absolutely brilliant that album is. :metal :biggrin: :tup
In a way, I think it's a bit of a disservice to Opeth to strictly view them as a metal band. Sure, they're insanely heavy and it's the closest single genre you could categorize them as, but I feel like Opeth transcends the genre. They're not strictly speaking metal; they're the musical culmination of absolute darkness. It's like there's this endless void of black in the musical world and Opeth is in the absolute center of it.
Thoughts?
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I don't care much for The Grand Conjuration and Isolation Years but :heart the rest.
The Baying of the Hounds is my favorite Opeth song :hefdaddy
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Ghost Reveries kicks so much arse the entire way through. Nowt forgettable 'bout that one.
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Ghost Reveries kicks so much arse the entire way through. Nowt forgettable 'bout that one.
This
And I will say over and over and over. Ghost Of Perdition == Quintessential Opeth and if you don't love it I don't know you anymore(not really I still love you :hearts:)
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Ghost Reveries kicks so much arse the entire way through. Nowt forgettable 'bout that one.
That.
And Isolation Years is one of the most beautiful songs ever. IMHO.
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Speaking about "quintessential song", just for curiosity, what is general consensus within Opeth fans about it?
Like, for DT, the consensus is that it is Metropolis pt.1.
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Ghost of Perdition
Like DAYUMN.
Demon Of the Fall is pretty much titacular as well.
If Ghost of Perdition didn't exist, it'd be so hard to choose.
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Speaking about "quintessential song", just for curiosity, what is general consesus within Opeth fans about it?
Like, for DT, the consensus is that it is Metropolis pt.1.
I'd say the quintessential Opeth song is either The Moor, Ghost of Perdition or Blackwater Park.
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Tough call, there are so many great songs that embody everything they are. You'll probably get a lot of different responses.
For me, it would be something like Ghost of Perdition, The Drapery Falls or Serenity Painted Death.
Ghost of Perdition is my personal favorite in their catalog, but I don't know that it's the "quintessential" song.
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Deliverance
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I would say either of: Deliverance, The Drapery Falls or Demon of the Fall. But that's just the general vibe I'm getting, and not my own top 3.
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First time I saw Opeth was on Gigantour, and Mikaels guitar didn't make any sound during the first soft part in Ghost of Perdition.
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I randomly decided to listen to Blackwater Park last night before I went to bed. Hadn't listened to it in ages, so it was fun to remember how absolutely brilliant that album is. :metal :biggrin: :tup
In a way, I think it's a bit of a disservice to Opeth to strictly view them as a metal band. Sure, they're insanely heavy and it's the closest single genre you could categorize them as, but I feel like Opeth transcends the genre. They're not strictly speaking metal; they're the musical culmination of absolute darkness. It's like there's this endless void of black in the musical world and Opeth is in the absolute center of it.
Thoughts?
That explanation is why I enjoy Opeth and consider Heritage their most sinister album.
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Probably "Deliverance". The only thing it's kind of missing is the beauty Opeth's capable of.
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Bleak for me as well as a decent chunk of folks from what I recall.
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Bleak is my favorite, though I don't know if I'd call it the quintessential. Maybe Ghost Of Perdition or Deliverance.
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The Moor for me. Not because it's my favorite Opeth song, but because I really thing it has everything the band is about.
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Blackwater Park, Master's Apprentices, The Moor, The Night And The Silent Water, Ghost of Perdition and Death Whispered a Lullaby are my fav. Can't really pick one.
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Just starting to get into this incredible talented band. Took a while with the growling vocals, but getting used to them
Your mind will be blown. No matter which album you're gonna listen to.
@TioJorge: I really can see your point of view, but I really hope they will create something closer to their roots. Just 'cuz I miss them that way, Heritage has anything to do with it.
Is Blackwater Park the album you guys would suggest starting with? Then maybe Ghost Reveries? I keep hearing those two raised here.
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Yeah..I'll say Blackwater Park, definitely.
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Blackwater Park, yes. I'd say skip Ghost Reveries :D
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Get Blackwater Park and then Still Life. :metal :tup
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Blackwater Park, yes. I'd say skip Ghost Reveries :D
I saw that coming :lol
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Stevie Wonder saw that coming :P
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Stevie Wonder saw that coming :P
:rollin :rollin :rollin
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Just starting to get into this incredible talented band. Took a while with the growling vocals, but getting used to them
Your mind will be blown. No matter which album you're gonna listen to.
@TioJorge: I really can see your point of view, but I really hope they will create something closer to their roots. Just 'cuz I miss them that way, Heritage has anything to do with it.
Is Blackwater Park the album you guys would suggest starting with? Then maybe Ghost Reveries? I keep hearing those two raised here.
Blackwater Park is probably the quintessential Opeth album, so yes. From there, if you move forward the production gets better whereas if you move backward, the production gets worse but you hit on their other masterpieces, Still Life and My Arms, Your Hearse.
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Quintessential Opeth song?
My heart wants to say Ghost of Perdition, but my head is telling me The Drapery Falls or Bleak.
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Quintessential Opeth song?
Deliverance. It has everything that makes Opeth so good. :metal :metal :metal
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Quintessential Opeth song?
Deliverance. It has everything that makes Opeth so good. :metal :metal :metal
Yeah. Damn I forgot when I mentioned my songs :censored
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Bleak for me as well as a decent chunk of folks from what I recall.
yeah, Bleak is the song that made my Opeth lightbulb turn on.
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Harvest was the one that got me hooked. Not really representative of their metal side though.
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Bleak for me as well as a decent chunk of folks from what I recall.
yeah, Bleak is the song that made my Opeth lightbulb turn on.
Same here, it was the song that made me forget that I don't like growling. I went full Akerfeldt from there on.
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Harvest was the one that got me hooked. Not really representative of their metal side though.
same for me. at the time, i was super big on Green Carnation's Light of Day, Day of Darkness one-song album, and discovered "Harvest" at the same time, and would listen to them together a lot. not sure why... maybe "Harvest" is a good way to wind down after that epic journey?
anyway, i had to check out the rest of BWP because of it, and was blown away, even by the songs considered 'lesser' like "The Funeral Portrait" and "Dirge for November" (two of my favourite Opeth tracks!).
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Bleak for me as well as a decent chunk of folks from what I recall.
yeah, Bleak is the song that made my Opeth lightbulb turn on.
Same here, it was the song that made me forget that I don't like growling. I went full Akerfeldt from there on.
Same here as well, although I don't consider it to be a good representation of their "classic" sound.
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I'd recently gotten into Death and a few of my online buddies from another site kept harping on about another "better" band called Opeth, whom I'd heard about on and off for a few years anyway, but never took the time to check them out. Eventually I ended up asking one of my friends what album they'd recommend me checking out if I wanted to get into Opeth, and they told me to look into Ghost Reveries. I ended up listening to "Ghost of Perdition" one afternoon and was impressed, though I didn't think the band was necessarily better than Death.
That night I ended up doing some more digging around into Opeth's albums and came across Blackwater Park. I was floored. I liked GR fine enough, but BP was on a whole other level. :metal
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I'd recently gotten into Death and a few of my online buddies from another site kept harping on about another "better" band called Opeth, whom I'd heard about on and off for a few years anyway, but never took the time to check them out. Eventually I ended up asking one of my friends what album they'd recommend me checking out if I wanted to get into Opeth, and they told me to look into Ghost Reveries. I ended up listening to "Ghost of Perdition" one afternoon and was impressed, though I didn't think the band was necessarily better than Death.
That night I ended up doing some more digging around into Opeth's albums and came across Blackwater Park. I was floored. I liked GR fine enough, but BP was on a whole other level. :metal
You're gosh darned diddly darn right that Death>Opeth (>>>> for me) :tup
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I'd recently gotten into Death and a few of my online buddies from another site kept harping on about another "better" band called Opeth, whom I'd heard about on and off for a few years anyway, but never took the time to check them out. Eventually I ended up asking one of my friends what album they'd recommend me checking out if I wanted to get into Opeth, and they told me to look into Ghost Reveries. I ended up listening to "Ghost of Perdition" one afternoon and was impressed, though I didn't think the band was necessarily better than Death.
That night I ended up doing some more digging around into Opeth's albums and came across Blackwater Park. I was floored. I liked GR fine enough, but BP was on a whole other level. :metal
You're gosh darned diddly darn right that Death>Opeth (>>>> for me) :tup
Yeah it was funny, because once I got into Opeth, those friends thought I was going to agree with them that Opeth was so much better than Death. I told them that to compare the bands against each other was a terrible idea because of how different both bands are in at their core (in other words, their band leaders).
Chuck Schuldiner was someone who wanted to reunite the sub-genres of metal and evolve it to a new level and Mikael Akerfeldt is someone whose music most closely resembles metal, but is arguably its own separate genre. There's similarities between the two, but at the core, there's a very notable difference between them.
Ironically enough, at least one of those friends ended up resenting Death after the band's recent resurgence in popularity over the past couple of years and I think he's started to resent Opeth now too. :lol Not kvlt enough for him, I guess. :biggrin:
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Quintessential Opeth song?
Deliverance. It has everything that makes Opeth so good. :metal :metal :metal
Nah I would definitely go with The Drapery Falls, I don't think Deliverance has enough good melodic stuff in it, whereas TDF really does have everything. Heavy stuff, gorgeous melodic stuff, and tons of atmosphere.
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Quintessential Opeth song?
Deliverance. It has everything that makes Opeth so good. :metal :metal :metal
Nah I would definitely go with The Drapery Falls, I don't think Deliverance has enough good melodic stuff in it, whereas TDF really does have everything. Heavy stuff, gorgeous melodic stuff, and tons of atmosphere.
Yeah, i think the "quintessential song" would come from their two most well regarded albums (BWP and Still Life).
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Nah I would definitely go with The Drapery Falls, I don't think Deliverance has enough good melodic stuff in it, whereas TDF really does have everything. Heavy stuff, gorgeous melodic stuff, and tons of atmosphere.
WHAT??
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I have not heard *all* things Opeth...but I've heard a few things...and I would definitely put my hat in with The Drapery Falls. From what I've heard, that is everything Opeth in a single song.
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Nah I would definitely go with The Drapery Falls, I don't think Deliverance has enough good melodic stuff in it, whereas TDF really does have everything. Heavy stuff, gorgeous melodic stuff, and tons of atmosphere.
WHAT??
This x1000. I think Deliverance has EVERYTHING that makes Opeth as awesome as they are, including the beautiful and melodic stuff.
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The melodic stuff on Deliverance has just never grabbed me.
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Deliverance kickass ending :metal :metal :metal
dadadaDA..........dadadaDAda..........dadadaDA.....DA.....DAdadaDAda......dgdgdgdgd
DA......DA...dadaDA...dadaDA...dadaDA...dadaDA...dadaDAdadaDA :lol :lol :lol
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After I listened to Watershed earlier this afternoon and now currently listening to Heritage, I'm wondering what the heck Opeth is going to do on their next album. Sure, it looks like it's going to be a return to the band's heavier side, but does that mean Mikael will bring back the death growls too?
I'm not really sure why, but I have a feeling the next album will be something more akin to doom metal than previous Opeth albums. Maybe we'll see Mikael growl a bit, but I think he still probably wants to focus more on his clean vocals right now.
What do you guys think we'll be getting from the band? :metal
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I've read that he wants to go in a more hard rock direction :sadpanda:
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Just starting to get into this incredible talented band. Took a while with the growling vocals, but getting used to them
Your mind will be blown. No matter which album you're gonna listen to.
@TioJorge: I really can see your point of view, but I really hope they will create something closer to their roots. Just 'cuz I miss them that way, Heritage has anything to do with it.
Is Blackwater Park the album you guys would suggest starting with? Then maybe Ghost Reveries? I keep hearing those two raised here.
Blackwater Park is probably the quintessential Opeth album, so yes. From there, if you move forward the production gets better whereas if you move backward, the production gets worse but you hit on their other masterpieces, Still Life and My Arms, Your Hearse.
Blackwater Park it is... thanks all for the input. Will focus on that record after DT 12...
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I've read that he wants to go in a more hard rock direction :sadpanda:
Mikael changes his mind all the time and the last time he talked about the hard rock thing was over a year ago, so at least I have no idea what to expect and I love that.
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I've read that he wants to go in a more hard rock direction :sadpanda:
All I've heard was that the new stuff sounded heavier than Heritage and that Mikael was looking at Dio's Holy Diver as influence for the production or something like that.
I've read that he wants to go in a more hard rock direction :sadpanda:
Mikael changes his mind all the time and the last time he talked about the hard rock thing was over a year ago, so at least I have no idea what to expect and I love that.
This too.
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Just starting to get into this incredible talented band. Took a while with the growling vocals, but getting used to them
Your mind will be blown. No matter which album you're gonna listen to.
@TioJorge: I really can see your point of view, but I really hope they will create something closer to their roots. Just 'cuz I miss them that way, Heritage has anything to do with it.
Is Blackwater Park the album you guys would suggest starting with? Then maybe Ghost Reveries? I keep hearing those two raised here.
Blackwater Park is probably the quintessential Opeth album, so yes. From there, if you move forward the production gets better whereas if you move backward, the production gets worse but you hit on their other masterpieces, Still Life and My Arms, Your Hearse.
Blackwater Park it is... thanks all for the input. Will focus on that record after DT 12...
I suggest starting with Ghost Reveries because it is more proggy (even have keyboards).
BWP and Still Life are more Death Metal with progressive elements while Ghost Reveries is more Progressive Metal with Death Metal elements (not so much really, just trying to make you understand).
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If "too much death metal" is a problem, I'd suggest Watershed. It's a really beautiful and proggy album, but the death metal elements are not as dominant as on their earlier releases.
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It's definitely going to be a string quartet album.
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So, I was listening to Watershed tonight, and as much as I love the album, I feel like Hex Omega is a bit of odd choice for a closer. Nothing wrong with the song itself, but... I don't know, just seemed odd to me.
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Bores me to tears. I think only Atonement is less appealing to me out of their entire pre-Heritage catalog.
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I enjoy while I'm listening to it, but afterward I'd be hard-pressed to recall anything from it.
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It's okay. Not bad, not great. They've got way worse.
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It's okay. Not bad, not great. They've got way worse.
This. I actually think the ending with the church organ is a good closure for the album.
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So, I was listening to Watershed tonight, and as much as I love the album, I feel like Hex Omega is a bit of odd choice for a closer. Nothing wrong with the song itself, but... I don't know, just seemed odd to me.
I listened to Watershed tonight too and thought the same thing. It seems anticlimactic, doesn't help that it's easily the weakest song on the album.
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Hex Omega is awesome
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Hex Omega is probably my favorite on Watershed, it's quite nice.
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I enjoy while I'm listening to it, but afterward I'd be hard-pressed to recall anything from it.
That's pretty much my exact reaction. :lol
While listening: "Hey! This song is pretty cool! Why don't I listen to it more?"
5 Minutes After Listening: "Um, what was the cool part about the song? I can't remember..."
I don't think I'd call it one the worst Opeth songs, it's not offensively bad or anything. It's just kind of... there. It is probably one of Opeth's worst album-closers though.
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New album update:
With their new album expected this year, guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive band Opeth spoke to Decibel magazine about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2011's Heritage. Åkerfeldt revealed that he plans to enhance at least a few of the new Opeth tracks with strings.
"I have about six songs done and another two or three just started," he said, "plus a million ideas that I haven't processed yet. Some songs are simple and stripped-down, while others are epic in the true sense of the word. Business as usual, hopefully with unusual music."
He adds: "Some of these things could easily be done with synthetic sounds or effects, but recording the Storm Corrosion LP with Steven Wilson made me realize what a massive difference it can mean to incorporate the real shit. I'm semi-pretentious in my songwriting and sometimes I go all in. I think it's time for 'all in' with strings and the full monty. Hopefully it won't be a mess."
About a new song described as a 'Goblin ripoff': "It's a jam I came up with during the Mastodon/Ghost B.C. tour, that we ended up soundchecking. After a few days, you'd hear people in the corridors humming it. It's a fucking hit! But basically it's a not-so-subtle headbanging-type nod in Goblin's direction. And to avoid confusion, the song is even called 'Goblin'. My rip-off deteriorates mid-song and becomes fusion-esque darkened prog rock like Mahavishnu or ELP (yikes!). But it swings! It really does."
Speaking to the Swedish newspaper Expressen last year, and asked if the forthcoming effort would be heavier or softer than Heritage, Mikael said: "Maybe a little bit heavier. Not death metal heavy, but hard rock/heavy metal heavy. There's also lots of progressive elements and acoustic guitars, but also more sinister-sounding riffs."
Very intriguing. Can't wait to hear how this turns out!
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Sounds pretty cool. Can't wait to hear it!
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AWESOMMMMMMMME!!! Cannot wait. I still adore Heritage.
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The "Goblin ripoff" and the use of strings sounds really intriguing. I loved Heritage so I'm really looking forward to this, as it sounds like it will be an evolution of that style.
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I still haven't gotten Heritage (meaning physically gotten it), but I've liked what I've head from it. I really need to pick it up sometime.
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I'd like some more Death Metal back into their sound, which unfortunately, sounds like a direction that they are steering away from.
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AWESOMMMMMMMME!!! Cannot wait. I still adore Heritage.
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I liked The Devil's Orchard, but the rest of Heritage didn't really do anything for me.
This latest info about the next album sounds interesting though :tup
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I thought Heritage was great, mostly due to its atmospheric side. Hopefully the new record doesn't cut that aspect down.
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Great to hear there'll be real strings on the album! That's something they haven't had before.
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Maybe we'll get real songs this time out too.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
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:lol
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Wait now come on. That one song with the solid riff followed by 4 minutes of near ambient twiddling around was nice.
And so was that other song with the 4 minutes of near ambient twiddling around followed by a solid riff.
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Heritage was such a great album. Hopefully the new one lives up to that standard.
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Well, I don't think they'll disappoint in that regard.
Wait now come on. That one song with the solid riff followed by 4 minutes of near ambient twiddling around was nice.
And so was that other song with the 4 minutes of near ambient twiddling around followed by a solid riff.
:lol
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Heritage is a really enjoyable listen, but it's lack of anything that makes me think "OMG, this is totally awesome!" makes it hard for me to rank ahead of anything from MA,YA through Watershed. I still love the vibe of the album, and mad props to them for having the balls to do something so different at the risk of alienating fans. :tup :tup
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Heritage is a really enjoyable listen, but it's lack of anything that makes me think "OMG, this is totally awesome!" makes it hard for me to rank ahead of anything from MA,YA through Watershed.
My Arms, Your Arse?
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Haha, exactly. I always mess that acronym up. :facepalm: :lol
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A porno starring Mikael Åkerfeldt...
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does he tell jokes between the sex scenes?
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Does he growl when he cums? :lol
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:omg:
guys
....
we figured out what's going to be on the next Opeth album
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A while back I remember telling some friends how I thought it'd be awesome if Angela Gossow roars during sex.
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Does he growl when he cums? :lol
He used to.
Now he just sings.
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:rollin
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A while back I remember telling some friends how I thought it'd be awesome if Angela Gossow roars during sex.
It's all about Alissa White-Gluz, man.
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Does he growl when he cums? :lol
He used to.
Now he just sings.
:clap:
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Holy crap. :lol
Missed that the first time. :lol
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"Is this the blowjob scene or the anal scene?"
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"This song is about the piece of skin between the pussy and the ass"
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"This song is about a trip to the doctor after visiting a prostitute. It's called 'To Rid the Disease.'"
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:lol
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SEMEN!!!!! SEMEN ON THE BALLS!!!!
SEMEN!!!!! SEMEN ON THE BALLS!!!!
SEMEN!!!!! SEMEN ON THE BALLS!!!!
SEMEN!!!!! SEMEN ON THE BAAAAAAAALLS!!!!
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CHOKING ON DIIIIIIIIIIICKS!!!!
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BLACK PARROT COCK IN LINGERIE BREEEAAAD
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holy hell... :\
:lol :millahhhh
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BLACK PARROT COCK IN LINGERIE BREEEAAAD
:rollin :rollin
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Guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH spoke to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2011's "Heritage".
"I have eight songs written and the direction is going straight into the territory of 'all over the place!'" he laughed. "I think that's our strength, that we can do all these different things. We have a couple of calm songs, a couple of really heavy songs, one proper heavy metal song and I have one epic old-school OPETH song that reminds me of the first two records, with lots of riffs stacked up! I'm really happy with it all. I think we have something big on our hands this time."
The last OPETH album, "Heritage", received mixed reactions, with some fans claiming that the group had detached itself from its death metal past and gone for a more experimental approach, changing its sound in various new ways.
As always, Mikael is not at all bothered about how his band's new material will be received.
"I can't say if 'Heritage' haters will love or hate this album," he told Metal Hammer. "I don't want to accommodate anyone, Like, 'Oh, sorry guys! We made a mistake! We'll make a proper record for you this time so you're all happy!' I don't think along those lines. This isn't going to be a death metal record. If you know me and what I like, it won't be such a big surprise. It's a metal record and a progressive record and something else too. Each song is representative of OPETH. It's what I want to listen to, so it's business as usual."
Read more at https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/opeth-mainman-on-next-album-its-a-metal-record-and-a-progressive-record-and-something-else-too/#eyjYbu40bReISYCB.99
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Guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH spoke to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2011's "Heritage".
"I have eight songs written and the direction is going straight into the territory of 'all over the place!'" he laughed. "I think that's our strength, that we can do all these different things. We have a couple of calm songs, a couple of really heavy songs, one proper heavy metal song and I have one epic old-school OPETH song that reminds me of the first two records, with lots of riffs stacked up! I'm really happy with it all. I think we have something big on our hands this time."
The last OPETH album, "Heritage", received mixed reactions, with some fans claiming that the group had detached itself from its death metal past and gone for a more experimental approach, changing its sound in various new ways.
As always, Mikael is not at all bothered about how his band's new material will be received.
"I can't say if 'Heritage' haters will love or hate this album," he told Metal Hammer. "I don't want to accommodate anyone, Like, 'Oh, sorry guys! We made a mistake! We'll make a proper record for you this time so you're all happy!' I don't think along those lines. This isn't going to be a death metal record. If you know me and what I like, it won't be such a big surprise. It's a metal record and a progressive record and something else too. Each song is representative of OPETH. It's what I want to listen to, so it's business as usual."
Read more at https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/opeth-mainman-on-next-album-its-a-metal-record-and-a-progressive-record-and-something-else-too/#eyjYbu40bReISYCB.99
Sounds good. I'm glad he's not just doing what people want him to, though I don't think that's ever been a problem with Opeth. :lol
edit: quoted the last post so it doesn't get lost.
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"I have eight songs written and the direction is going straight into the territory of 'all over the place!'" he laughed. "I think that's our strength, that we can do all these different things. We have a couple of calm songs, a couple of really heavy songs, one proper heavy metal song and I have one epic old-school OPETH song that reminds me of the first two records, with lots of riffs stacked up! I'm really happy with it all. I think we have something big on our hands this time."
Oh fuck yeah!
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Good stuff! I'm looking forward to whatever they come up with.
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Epic strings and Epic songs....I'm game
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Oddly enough, despite what I've said before, I find myself really enjoying Hex Omega today. Good to know it's never too late for a song to grow on you.
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Official Illustrated History of Opeth
To celebrate their 25th anniversary Opeth have teamed up with book publisher Rocket 88 to work on the official Opeth book.
In this amazing book the band will tell you their full story for the first time - the good, the bad, the ugly - in their own words, with a little help from former members, label bosses, management, producers, and anyone else that's been there for the key moments in the band's illustrious career.
Opeth's long and winding story will be illustrated throughout with rare and unseen images of life on the road, working in the studio, and other unique glimpses into the world of Opeth.
Rocket 88 Books are inviting fans to get in touch if they have any items of visual interest: photos/posters/ticket stubs/fliers/anything!
Don’t send images yet, just let Rocket 88 know what you have and they will review all that's sent in with consideration for inclusion in what will be a truly exceptional book about one of Metal's most important bands. Your stuff could be in the book!
Please e-mail Rocket 88 at: info@opethbook.com
I know Rich said he's working on another prog metal band book, but I didn't think that band would be Opeth. Having read Lifting Shadows, I have high expectations :metal
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I'm going to buy that, should be good!
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https://loudwire.com/opeth-hope-11th-studio-album-june/ (https://loudwire.com/opeth-hope-11th-studio-album-june/)
Fantastic news! :metal
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That would be a lot earlier than expected.
Either way, we're definitely getting some new Opeth this year. :metal
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the record features no guttural vocals
I'm out :yeahright
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Very nice. :coolio
Also, INB4 someone bitches about there being no growls.
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B4?
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the record features no guttural vocals
I'm out :yeahright
Were you really expecting any at this point?
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I didn't bother reading what was minimized to the max in that quote (since I usually find that kind of stuff silly), but I can probably guess now. :lol :lol
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the record features no guttural vocals
I'm out :yeahright
Were you really expecting any at this point?
Yeah, since Mikael talked about there being that classic trademark Opeth on the record(at least I'm pretty sure I remember reading that), one would and should consider those a huge part of it.
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Seriously. The majority of people who try to play the "chill out about the growls, brah" card are just folks who either don't like growls in the first place or didn't get into Opeth til Watershed was released. Not all, but the majority.
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Big deal. Instead of worrying about what the album won't have, why not wait and hear the album and see if you like it for what it is first? Oh wait, that would make way too much sense, right?
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Big deal. Instead of worrying about what the album won't have, why not wait and hear the album and see if you like it for what it is first? Oh wait, that would make way too much sense, right?
Tone down the snarkiness dude. I don't get this fucking mentality that people can't be disappointed by how much Opeth have changed their sound. It's called having an opinion and we're just as entitled to it as you are entitled to enjoy the drastic change Opeth has undergone.
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That's fine, but bitching about or dismissing an album before you've even heard a note of it seems rather silly to me. But whatever peels your potato. :biggrin:
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Well I think I have the ability to draw from what Mikael's said whether or not this will probably be something I'm very interested in or not.
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Awesommmmme!! I can't wait! I adore all Opeth. I miss the growls every once in a while, but I've been in a musical mood the past year or so in that I really don't have the urge to listen to any growl-focused songs (barring some Devin Townsend). But this was completely expected and I'm glad to hear it! I hope it's as mesmerizing and entrancing as Heritage and I really hope that Mikael isn't referring to a kind of 'Slither' heavy since that's my least favorite Opeth track. I really enjoyed the more melancholic and psychedelic moments of Heritage.
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I, too, was hoping for a return of the growls. But I am looking forward to hearing what they come out with nonetheless. Hopefully this one will be a little more memorable than Heritage!
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I could have used a bit more description of the music. All they really said about it was that there were no growls.
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I could have used a bit more description of the music. All they really said about it was that there were no growls.
Well, that seems to be the only thing that people care about, so can't blame 'em.
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He said their's that old trademark Opeth heaviness, turns around and says no death metal, then says Heritage haters will probably be disappointed in a different interview. I don't hate Heritage, but it's a subpar album with a few great songs, and some bright moments here or there separated by a lot of dullness..
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I'm not really attached to the growls, but I do feel like Heritage was rather subpar. Not bad, just sort of uninteresting. Hopefully I will enjoy this new one more.
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He said their's that old trademark Opeth heaviness, turns around and says no death metal
Akerfeldt's definition of "classic Opeth heaviness" is probably completely different than ours.
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I don't like growls. I loved Heritage.
I can't wait for the new one.
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I figured that, I think he went on to mention stacked guitars, so I'm figuring their might be a song with some heavy'ish riffs but that's about it.
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I like Heritage quite a bit, but I agree that it wasn't that great, although I don't think not having no growls was why, since Damnation also had no growls, and that record is utterly fantastic.
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That's not really why I think Heritage isn't great, although I do think there were a bunch of moments that would have benefited from a growl or some from Mikael.
And Damnation still manages to sound completely like Opeth, where as Heritage sounds at times like it's trying to ape early prog rock, and it falls waaaaaay short.
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I personally enjoy Heritage a lot more than Damnation, probably because the former has a ton of variety, while Damnation sounds pretty much the same throughout. Though Windowpane is easily the best song from both records.
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I didn't expect any growls, so I can't say I'm shocked. No big deal for me, as I love Damnation, and Heritage is good as well. At this point, I'd rather hear an album full of clean vocals than songs with Mikael's current growling voice.
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I like Heritage quite a bit, but I agree that it wasn't that great, although I don't think not having no growls was why, since Damnation also had no growls, and that record is utterly fantastic.
But Damnation was a completely different kettle of fish, and you wouldn't expect growls on that kind of album.
I'm bummed that the growls are gone, but gonna wait to judge when the record comes out. Heritage didn't do a lot for me.
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I'm hoping it'll sound akin to their cover of Iron Maiden's "Remember Tomorrow." While I like Mikael's growls fine enough, I do prefer his clean vocals. I'd love an album's worth of material with heavier music and only clean vocals. Thus far, he's only done that type of performance on softer Opeth albums.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEfUGp02Nz0
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I'd love an album's worth of material with heavier music and only clean vocals. Thus far, he's only done that type of performance on softer Opeth albums.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEfUGp02Nz0
This is a good point. I think he needs to mix it up a bit. If he wants to just do cleans, still keep it just as heavy, he doesn't need to think he has to soften the music for the vocals.
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I think he needs to do whatever the fuck makes him happy ;)
Anyway, hooray for new album coming so soon! I hope they stick to the June thing- good birthday present!
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The thing is, if Akerfeldt isn't feeling doing growls, and does them just because he knows some fans want them, the result will be uninspired and forced, and how can that possibly be good? An artist doing whatever makes them happy, first and foremost, usually yields far better results than trying to make the fans happy.
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It's obviously better when a band does whatever they want to do themselves, rather than doing something for the fans. With that said, I thought Heritage was okay. The problem for me was not the lack of growls, but rather that the album consisted of good songs, but no real standouts. I think Opeth can probably take the Heritage-sound and make it better, and hopefully that's something we will see on the new album. After all, a lot of people tend to overlook Orchid and Morningrise with the "they were still developing their sound"-argument, and it wasn't really until MAYH, Still Life and Blackwater Park when they truly perfected that sound. So it might take a few albums.
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The link won't work for me, but I'm really looking forward to the new album.
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Fuck yeah, should be great! :metal
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Might be good, might be uninspired and dull like Heritage. Let's see.
/imo
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new interview with Mikael: https://metalassault.com/Interviews/2014/03/20/opeth-mainman-mikael-akerfeldt-discusses-new-album-artwork-more/ (https://metalassault.com/Interviews/2014/03/20/opeth-mainman-mikael-akerfeldt-discusses-new-album-artwork-more/)
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:metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal Love Heritage Long Time.
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https://m.noisey.vice.com/ja/blog/opeth-started-from-the-bottom-now-theyre-here
The bit at the end about the bigger stage production sounds interesting, but the "fewer shows in bigger venues" part makes me think I'll be one of those who have to travel (in my case, to Helsinki).
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So we'll have an Opeth release this year, that's always a refreshing thing. I will always have a deep respect for artists that goes their own way musically despite what people may expect from them. Even if I find myself not really diggin the album I still respect their effort in doing what they love instead of something forced. Whatever they do it's still going to be refreshing and interesting. That's my opinion.
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^fully agreed!
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track-by-track preview of the new album: https://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/first-impressions-of-the-new-untitled-opeth-album-a-track-by-track-review (https://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/first-impressions-of-the-new-untitled-opeth-album-a-track-by-track-review)
Reading it now and my expectations are pretty much sky-high. :metal
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track-by-track preview of the new album: https://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/first-impressions-of-the-new-untitled-opeth-album-a-track-by-track-review (https://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/first-impressions-of-the-new-untitled-opeth-album-a-track-by-track-review)
Reading it now and my expectations are pretty much sky-high. :metal
Very interesting indeed....
Can't wait to hear it.
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No expectations. This does sound like its going to be my fav. Opeth album.
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Sounds amazingly amazing wow such force oh.
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Theremin and xylophones? Interesting...
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That sounds really really interesting :metal
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Sounds promising :tup
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After all, a lot of people tend to overlook Orchid and Morningrise with the "they were still developing their sound"-argument, and it wasn't really until MAYH, Still Life and Blackwater Park when they truly perfected that sound. So it might take a few albums.
For me it's different, Orchid and Morningrise are my two favorite Opeth albums. I was never into death metal a whole lot, so I didn't find out about Opeth early on, but I got into them around the Blackwater Park and Deliverance/Damnation era.
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I don't like Orchid due to the style.
Morningrise I love because of the bass. Nectar is my fave off of it, and its a lot of peoples least favorite. I would like to see it live someday.
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This sounds like a good direction for them. I always take reviews with a massive grain of salt, but even if this guy is only half-accurate this is bound to be a more interesting album than Heritage.
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But one cannot deny the true masterpiece that is this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QOZmNGY88w
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what the fuck? :rollin
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The Storm Corrosion (of love and emotion) album is slightly better than the Heritage one though. :hat
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Morningrise I love because of the bass.
Yeah, bass is incredible on Morningrise. :metal
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Great news about new Opeth albm (yea, I'm behind on a lot of new music these days)
Opeth has been more intriguing to me since Heritage, regardless of how I feel about the album (I thought it was good, at times very good). Last time they were so intriguing to me was during the Deliverance/Damnation and Ghost Reveries era.
I'm stoked for a new album.
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The Storm Corrosion (of love and emotion) album is slightly better than the Heritage one though. :hat
I'll just say it. I liked the Storm Corrosion of Love and Emotion album more than Storm Corrosion. I'm not even joking.
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(https://s21.postimg.org/j2qu2bwbp/Gladiator_Thumb_Down_01.gif)
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Storm Corrosion isn't for everyone.
That said, I think it's one of the best things either musicians have created.
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Storm Corrosion isn't for everyone.
That said, I think it's one of the best things either musicians have created.
Boy, I'll tell you, I really tried to get into that thing and I just found it too ponderous.
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Storm Corrosion > Heritage and Grace for Drowning (although I like Heritage)
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Storm Corrosion isn't for everyone.
That said, I think it's one of the best things either musicians have created.
Boy, I'll tell you, I really tried to get into that thing and I just found it too ponderous.
Hence why I said it isn't for everyone. :lol
It's an ambient record. Nothing ever really happens, but the whole thing is filled with just so much atmosphere, especially the three longer tracks.
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The title track and Ljudet Innan are better than most songs they have done in other projects.
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Storm Corrosion > Heritage and Grace for Drowning (although I like Heritage)
That's... really not saying much. :lol
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<3 Storm Corrosion so much, especially the twangly on the title track. That bit is glorious.
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Ljudet Innan is an amazing track.
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"Where Heritage and Watershed may have been a little unfocused at time or lost in their own adventure of a new song, this record knows exactly what it's doing and nails it through and through. "
Good, maybe another classic is coming :azn:
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Hm. Heritage and Watershed both seemed very focused to me. I'm not sure what he means by that.
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Great review of the new Opeth album ! This will surely bring water in your mouths :biggrin:
https://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/first-impressions-of-the-new-untitled-opeth-album-a-track-by-track-review
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Great review of the new Opeth album ! This will surely bring water in your mouths :biggrin:
https://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/first-impressions-of-the-new-untitled-opeth-album-a-track-by-track-review
track-by-track preview of the new album: https://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/first-impressions-of-the-new-untitled-opeth-album-a-track-by-track-review (https://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/first-impressions-of-the-new-untitled-opeth-album-a-track-by-track-review)
Reading it now and my expectations are pretty much sky-high. :metal
:biggrin:
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I wouldn't put much stock in a review that comes out around the same time as an interview. Wait for independent reviewers to review if you want a more reliable review.
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I wouldn't put much stock in a review that comes out around the same time as an interview. Wait for independent reviewers to review if you want a more reliable review.
What makes one review more reliable than another? I mean, as long as the review is reasonably informative, then it's all the same really, someone expressing their own opinion on something.
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I just don't think someone is going to be very objective after being granted an interview.
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With an early review like this, I try to ignore everything in the review that refers to quality, and just focus on the parts describing the music. So for example, I was really intrigued to see some descriptions of the songs, how strings are featured on the album, what kind of sound they are going for, and how long some of the songs are. But basically anything saying "this is incredible" I completely ignore. Some people said that about Heritage, and I thought that was a decent album. (but not a masterpiece)
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I just don't think someone is going to be very objective after being granted an interview.
Well, I don't think anyone is going to be objective in any review, so I don't really see a difference. :lol
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I'm sure he meant unbiased.
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To me, a good review describes the songs like "there's strings during thr chorus" etc..
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To me, a good review describes the songs like "there's strings during thr chorus" etc..
Sometimes, yes. But it seems most reviewers aren't interested to give road-maps to every song. Most of the time they'll give a plea on wether or not the music contained is still 'relevant' or 'trendy'.
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If any reviewer covers an Opeth album and fails to comment on the frequency with which Mike sings about forests, the seasons, or Satan, (s)he can fuck right off.
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We need reviewers asking the real questions "But is it Tundracore?"
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My Opeth top 10:
1. Deliverance
2. The Drapery Falls
3. Bleak
4. Ghost of Perdition
5. The Baying of the Hounds
6. The Grand Conjuration
7. Reverie/Harlequin Forest
8. Windowpane
9. A Fair Judgment
10. Blackwater Park
I think it's pretty safe to say that I like Opeth best when they do their typical 10 (+) minute pieces with a mix of clean and harsh vocals. Heritage really wasn't my style, but I really respect them for just doing what they want and try some weird stuff. I hope the new album will be a bit more interesting, and after reading the stuff here it seems like it will be, even though it probably won't be near their best stuff.
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My Opeth top 10:
1. Deliverance
2. The Drapery Falls
3. Bleak
4. Ghost of Perdition
5. The Baying of the Hounds
6. The Grand Conjuration
7. Reverie/Harlequin Forest
8. Windowpane
9. A Fair Judgment
10. Blackwater Park
:metal
Some of my favorites up there as well. Though I love Opeth for their 10+ minute heavier pieces, I think songs like Hours of Wealth are pretty worthy of a top 10 as well; that song is so beautiful it stuns me still.
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1. The Moor
2. The Grand Conjuration
3. Face of Melinda
4. The Leper Affinity
5. The Lotus Eater
6. Ghost of Perdition
7. Coil/Heir Apparent
8. Blackwater Park
9. A Fair Judgement
10. Serenity Painted Death
I definitely love their death metal side more, but they do have a lot of great quiet, softer songs too. I imagine if I expanded this to 20 or 25, there'd be a bunch in there.
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Surprised to see TGC in you guys' top 10s
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Surprised to see TGC in you guys' top 10s
I don't really like that one much either.
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The Grand Conjuration is awesome, but I think it goes on just a bit too long.
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Loooove that one.
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The Grand Conjuration is awesome, but I think it goes on just a bit too long.
This. I like the atmosphere, but it'd be way more effective if the song wasn't so long.
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Replace "too long" with "too boring" and you've got my opinion of TGC.
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It's got great stuff in it, and I don't think it's boring at all, but could have suited better having been trimmed down a little. It doesn't feel like it has enough going on it it like in Ghost of Perdition or The Baying of the Hounds to warrant another 10+ minute song.
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Can't wait to hear it acoustically/sung cleanly in 5 years.
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I agree it goes on a bit too long at the end, its a good song. I like the sinister atmosphere.
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I agree it goes on a bit too long at the end, its a good song. I like the sinister atmosphere.
This.
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That's a tremendous song, gets your attention right from the beginning. It almost made my top 10 as well.
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First thing I ever heard that was Opeth was when I watched their Grand Conjuration video, and thought that was pretty damn sweet. That's probably why I love it, first impressions do tend to stay with you.
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Yep. That's why I vehemently despise the acoustic Demon of the Fall. It's the first Opeth song I ever heard and seeing the moribund short stack of shit pancakes they turned it into fucking nauseated me.
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https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/opeth-pale-communion-20140408
Opeth has announced the release of their hugely anticipated eleventh studio album. Pale Communion arrives everywhere June 17.
Pale Communion, which was produced by bandleader Mikael Åkerfeldt and mixed by longtime collaborator and Porcupine Tree frontman/guitarist Steven Wilson, will be heralded by the lead single, “Cusp of Eternity,” and available for pre-order starting Tuesday, May 6. Pre-orders made via the iTunes Store will receive an instant download of “Cusp of Eternity,” with multiple configurations also available via both the Roadrunner Records Webstore and O Merch.
The new material finds Opeth once again challenging the boundaries of extreme music. In a recent interview with VICE’s Noisey, Åkerfeldt stated, “I wanted to do something more melodic with this album…there’s stronger vocal melodies and more melodies overall…I was pretty consistent with that frame of mind throughout the writing process.” Recently, Metal Injection’s Greg Kennelty broke down Pale Communion in a track-by-track review, exclaiming, “This record knows exactly what it's doing and nails it through and through…one of my favorite records of 2014. If not my favorite record of 2014.”
The track listing for Pale Communion is as follows:
1. Eternal Rains Will Come
2. Cusp of Eternity
3. Moon Above, Sun Below
4. Elysian Woes
5. Goblin
6. River
7. Voice of Treason
8. Faith in Others
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"The new material finds Opeth once again challenging the boundaries of extreme music."
I found that line chuckle worthy. I'll give the single a try when it comes out, and I'll still probably listen to the album, but it's not something I'm buying right when it comes out, they've stopped being that kind of band for me.
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Why is that line chuckle-worthy? Have you heard the album already to where you know that is not true.
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Just one week after the new Anathema album! :caffeine: The track titles sound pretty interesting...
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Yeah that's quite amusing. When has Opeth ever "challenged the boundaries of extreme music"? I mean, maybe on Orchid/Morningrise they were extreme, but even at that time, there were other bands doing extreme music. That line makes it sound like they are Mr. Bungle or something, lol.
I think this album will be good though. I thought Heritage was fine overall. Probably a bottom 3 Opeth album for me, but it wasn't awful or anything. I think they can improve the different sound on this album.
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Well going off what Mikael's said about the album, it doesn't sound like it's going to be extreme metal. :mehlin
The problem with Heritage isn't that it's terrible or anything, it's that it's so bland for most of the album, with a few songs that shine, and a couple short moments, and yes, I do think some harsh's sprinkled in at spots would have livened the songs up, especially since he still tried to have that Heavy followed by soft in a couple of spots on the album.
It also rubs me the wrong way that Mikael COMPLETELY changed the band's entire sound and just has a deal with it mentality. I've said it before, but Chuck Schuldiner knew how to do it when he retired Death and started up Control Denied. Sure Control Denied still has that indisputable Chuck riffage and musicianship from the guys on The Sound of Perseverance, but if Control Denied's album had been put out as a Death album, it would not have felt like Death at all. And that's how I feel Heritage is. Yeah it's got Mikael's very recognizable voice, and some of the musical tendencies that he has, but it sure doesn't feel like an Opeth album at all.
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I'm really excited for this one… I'll probably pre-order it so I can hear Cusp of Eternity in May :metal
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Can't music be extreme without being metal? ???
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Can't music be extreme without being metal? ???
My thoughts exactly :lol
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Can't music be extreme without being metal? ???
Of course.
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Can't music be extreme without being metal? ???
yeah, but if it's not metal it's not extreme metal.
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Okay, but the quote was, "The new material finds Opeth once again challenging the boundaries of extreme music." Metal was not mentioned.
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Can't music be extreme without being metal? ???
It can be, but when they say something like "The new material finds Opeth once again challenging the boundaries of extreme music." and they haven't really made any extreme music before, the statement just feels wrong. This album might very well end up being experimental and extreme (though I doubt the latter), but when they haven't really been extreme before, it just feels wrong to phrase it like that.
But I guess it's understandable. You always gotta oversell things.
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My bad, I thought I read metal, but still, I highly doubt anything will be extreme about the album, and I further doubt they're pushing any boundaries, seeing as Heritage was complete retreading of early prog rock that added little to nothing, except for some meandering jamming.
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It also rubs me the wrong way that Mikael COMPLETELY changed the band's entire sound and just has a deal with it mentality. I've said it before, but Chuck Schuldiner knew how to do it when he retired Death and started up Control Denied. Sure Control Denied still has that indisputable Chuck riffage and musicianship from the guys on The Sound of Perseverance, but if Control Denied's album had been put out as a Death album, it would not have felt like Death at all. And that's how I feel Heritage is. Yeah it's got Mikael's very recognizable voice, and some of the musical tendencies that he has, but it sure doesn't feel like an Opeth album at all.
It might not sound like the Opeth of the old days, but it is their band, and they can make it sound like whatever they want. If they released a new wave CD under the Opeth name, that would then be what Opeth sounds like now, not then. I know some have a problem with Akerfeldt moving away from growls and crushing metal, but there is no rule that says they can't make whatever music they want under the same name. If some fans have an issue with it, that is their problem, not the band's.
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Can't wait for the Boston-ish track! :lol
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It also rubs me the wrong way that Mikael COMPLETELY changed the band's entire sound and just has a deal with it mentality. I've said it before, but Chuck Schuldiner knew how to do it when he retired Death and started up Control Denied. Sure Control Denied still has that indisputable Chuck riffage and musicianship from the guys on The Sound of Perseverance, but if Control Denied's album had been put out as a Death album, it would not have felt like Death at all. And that's how I feel Heritage is. Yeah it's got Mikael's very recognizable voice, and some of the musical tendencies that he has, but it sure doesn't feel like an Opeth album at all.
It might not sound like the Opeth of the old days but it is their band, and they can make it sound like whatever they want. If they released a new wave CD under the Opeth name, that would then be what Opeth sounds like now, not then. I know some have a problem with Akerfeldt moving away from growls and crushing metal, but there is no rule that says they can't make whatever music they want under the same name. If some fans have an issue with it, that is their problem, not the band's.
I fucking knew that that was what my post would be boiled down to. Did you actually bother to read my post? I'm not mad that it's not harsh anymore, and not teh metalz of yonder days, obviously bands change, Mastodon have big time, but you know what they still sound like Mastodon and should definitely still be called Mastodon. Heritage is just Mike wanting to bask in early prog rock, and using Opeth's well known name to emulate 70's prog.
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It also rubs me the wrong way that Mikael COMPLETELY changed the band's entire sound and just has a deal with it mentality. I've said it before, but Chuck Schuldiner knew how to do it when he retired Death and started up Control Denied. Sure Control Denied still has that indisputable Chuck riffage and musicianship from the guys on The Sound of Perseverance, but if Control Denied's album had been put out as a Death album, it would not have felt like Death at all. And that's how I feel Heritage is. Yeah it's got Mikael's very recognizable voice, and some of the musical tendencies that he has, but it sure doesn't feel like an Opeth album at all.
It might not sound like the Opeth of the old days but it is their band, and they can make it sound like whatever they want. If they released a new wave CD under the Opeth name, that would then be what Opeth sounds like now, not then. I know some have a problem with Akerfeldt moving away from growls and crushing metal, but there is no rule that says they can't make whatever music they want under the same name. If some fans have an issue with it, that is their problem, not the band's.
I fucking knew that that was what my post would be boiled down to. Did you actually bother to read my post? I'm not mad that it's not harsh anymore, and not teh metalz of yonder days, obviously bands change, Mastodon have big time, but you know what they still sound like Mastodon and should definitely still be called Mastodon. Heritage is just Mike wanting to bask in early prog rock, and using Opeth's well known name to emulate 70's prog.
And? So, bands shouldn't stray too far from their sound, cause the fans will get upset? Pssh. Did you read my post? A band can sound like whatever they want; it is their freaking band!!! If it bothers you that they don't sound like Opeth (according to your standards of what they should sound like), again, that is your problem, not theirs. :)
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It also rubs me the wrong way that Mikael COMPLETELY changed the band's entire sound and just has a deal with it mentality. I've said it before, but Chuck Schuldiner knew how to do it when he retired Death and started up Control Denied. Sure Control Denied still has that indisputable Chuck riffage and musicianship from the guys on The Sound of Perseverance, but if Control Denied's album had been put out as a Death album, it would not have felt like Death at all. And that's how I feel Heritage is. Yeah it's got Mikael's very recognizable voice, and some of the musical tendencies that he has, but it sure doesn't feel like an Opeth album at all.
It might not sound like the Opeth of the old days but it is their band, and they can make it sound like whatever they want. If they released a new wave CD under the Opeth name, that would then be what Opeth sounds like now, not then. I know some have a problem with Akerfeldt moving away from growls and crushing metal, but there is no rule that says they can't make whatever music they want under the same name. If some fans have an issue with it, that is their problem, not the band's.
I fucking knew that that was what my post would be boiled down to. Did you actually bother to read my post? I'm not mad that it's not harsh anymore, and not teh metalz of yonder days, obviously bands change, Mastodon have big time, but you know what they still sound like Mastodon and should definitely still be called Mastodon. Heritage is just Mike wanting to bask in early prog rock, and using Opeth's well known name to emulate 70's prog.
Yeah, but Opeth is his band. He's free to do whatever kind of music he wants under that name. And it's not like he tricked everyone, I think there were a number a interviews pre-Heriatge that indicated where they were going with it.
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Well no duh it's his band.
But maybe instead of using Opeth's name to emulate 70's prog, he could at least be classy like Chuck Schuldiner and acknowledge that at a certain point in change, you have to retire a name and start fresh.
That's ALL I'm saying, I don't give a flipping fuck what he wants to do musically, that's up to him, as it should be.
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And that's how I feel Heritage is. Yeah it's got Mikael's very recognizable voice, and some of the musical tendencies that he has, but it sure doesn't feel like an Opeth album at all.
Ugh I get tired of hearing this... The "Heritage doesn't sound like an Opeth record" complaint.
Yeah Heritage is different but it's still Opeth and has elements that make it an Opeth record. If you don't like it, that's cool but it's DEF an Opeth record.
Ghost Reveries doesn't sound anything like Orchid... Times change, bands change, people change.
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Well no duh it's his band.
But maybe instead of using Opeth's name to emulate 70's prog, he could at least be classy like Chuck Schuldiner and acknowledge that at a certain point in change, you have to retire a name and start fresh.
That's ALL I'm saying, I don't give a flipping fuck what he wants to do musically, that's up to him, as it should be.
I don't see why changing the name would be "classy", but I don't suppose we're going to agree on this.
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Well no duh it's his band.
But maybe instead of using Opeth's name to emulate 70's prog, he could at least be classy like Chuck Schuldiner and acknowledge that at a certain point in change, you have to retire a name and start fresh.
That's ALL I'm saying, I don't give a flipping fuck what he wants to do musically, that's up to him, as it should be.
I don't see why changing the name would be "classy", but I don't suppose we're going to agree on this.
It's classy because as a musician Chuck acknowledged that to fans, Control Denied's music would not sound at all like a Death album, and so he respected that fact and let Death end where he wanted it to, and that Control Denied, Had they stayed as Death, wouldn't be blasted or compared to Death's previous work. It was it's own work.
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Maybe Heritage sounded like an Opeth album to Mikael. Bands like Ulver, or even King Crimson change pretty radically from album to album, I don't see why Opeth shouldn't be able to do the same if they want to.
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Reading over the past couple pages of this thread has got me agreeing a lot with Kev.
The great thing about music is that it's completely subjective, and different people are going to hear different things. So while you might not hear Opeth in Heritage, Dark Castle, I do. Maybe that's just because I got into Opeth later, and the shift didn't shock me. With that being said, it is one of my least favorite of their albums, and I hope that this next one does shift in another direction. I'd also agree that Opeth has never struck me as particularly extreme, and am not expecting that from this one either.
With all of that being said, I'm very excited about the upcoming album, single on May 6th, and mildly intriguing track list :biggrin:
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I'm not even that big a fan of Heritage, I much prefer their metal stuff.
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I'm not putting down orders for anybody, I'm just giving my take on something, and how I feel about it.
Another thing is King Crimson STILL SOUNDS LIKE BLOODY KING CRIMSON.
Heritage was self indulging, 70's prog emulating, masturbation. None of that sounds like Opeth to me. Damnation while being an incredibly soft album, still sounded like Opeth.
EDIT: Where's Black_Floyd when you could use some backing up?
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He stopped coming in this thread around the same time he heard that this next album was going to suck :)
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My bad, I thought I read metal, but still, I highly doubt anything will be extreme about the album
Well, for some fans it could be extreme disappointment. :biggrin:
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Very interesting. Track titles sound awesome.
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The album and song titles sound very intriguing. Can't wait to see the cover art.
Edit: Found out Steven Wilson was involved in making the record:
For the first part of the year I’ve been doing a lot of mixing work for other artists, something I always find very inspiring.
The new Opeth album Pale Communion was mixed into stereo and 5.1 at my studio in February. I also sang harmony vocals. It’s by no stretch of the imagination a metal record but it’s still plenty heavy and a great piece of work - for me the epic orchestrated ballad “Faith in Others” that closes the album is Mikael Åkerfeldt's finest achievement to date. Pale Communion is released by Roadrunner Records on 19th June. It’s also the first Opeth album to be recorded and mixed in higher resolution 96/24. I hope Roadrunner will release a high res format, but I don't know their plans on that.
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EDIT: Where's Black_Floyd when you could use some backing up?
lol, I was asleep but otherwise I'd have been in here instantly to have your back. It's become fairly obvious that most of the folks giving you shit are repeatedly ignoring the basis of your argument and likely because they like the new direction and have little reason to be open to opposing viewpoints because of that.
Seriously people, how hard is it to grasp the point he's trying to make? He's not saying he wants Opeth to make the same damn record for all of eternity. He's saying if they're gonna radically change their sound, he'd prefer it be in the name of making actual good music and not just dick-riding Mike's 70s influences in an unfulfillingly uncreative manner.
Ugh I get tired of hearing this... The "Heritage doesn't sound like an Opeth record" complaint.
Yeah Heritage is different but it's still Opeth and has elements that make it an Opeth record. If you don't like it, that's cool but it's DEF an Opeth record.
Ghost Reveries doesn't sound anything like Orchid... Times change, bands change, people change.
I don't recall anyone griping about GR back when it was released or in the years that followed so you're grasping at straws with that one. Also, most of the people whom don't like Heritage probably rank Orchid and Morningrise fairly low anyway since they both seem to get the When Dream and Day Unite treatment around here anyway. Furthermore, GR wasn't that big of a change. They added keyboards but piano/keyboard had already been on Orchid (Silhouette), MAYH (Prologue, Epilogue, Circle of the Tyrant as a bonus track), BWP (The Leper Affinity, Patterns in the Ivy), Deliverance (A Fair Judgment), and Damnation (can't remember the exact tracks other than Weakness right now.) Sure Atonement was different but that's only one song. Everything else was completely in the vein of what they'd gracefully transitioned through over the previous seven albums whereas Heritage has zero growls (come back at me with Damnation if you wanna have that argument, I'm more than game), virtually zero metal (the distinction between hard rock and the style of metal Opeth plays/played is very apparent), a severe dropoff in the quality of melodic content, transitions that are jarring to a point far past clever or progressive and deep into "amateur trying to sound cool" territory, and a lot of the vocal melodies just don't fit the music over which they're sung.
He stopped coming in this thread around the same time he heard that this next album was going to suck :)
If you ever flunk out of school, you'll still have a promising career as a carpenter with your ability to hit the nail on the head.
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EDIT: Where's Black_Floyd when you could use some backing up?
lol, I was asleep but otherwise I'd have been in here instantly to have your back. It's become fairly obvious that most of the folks giving you shit are repeatedly ignoring the basis of your argument and likely because they like the new direction and have little reason to be open to opposing viewpoints because of that.
I'm not even that big a fan of Heritage, I much prefer their metal stuff.
Seriously people, how hard is it to grasp the point he's trying to make? He's not saying he wants Opeth to make the same damn record for all of eternity. He's saying if they're gonna radically change their sound, he'd prefer it be in the name of making actual good music and not just dick-riding Mike's 70s influences in an unfulfillingly uncreative manner.
And who is the sole arbiter of "good" music?
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EDIT: Where's Black_Floyd when you could use some backing up?
lol, I was asleep but otherwise I'd have been in here instantly to have your back. It's become fairly obvious that most of the folks giving you shit are repeatedly ignoring the basis of your argument and likely because they like the new direction and have little reason to be open to opposing viewpoints because of that.
Seriously people, how hard is it to grasp the point he's trying to make? He's not saying he wants Opeth to make the same damn record for all of eternity. He's saying if they're gonna radically change their sound, he'd prefer it be in the name of making actual good music and not just dick-riding Mike's 70s influences in an unfulfillingly uncreative manner.
Blah, blah, blah. Your view towards Opeth now is so myopic, yet we are the ones who aren't getting it? Haha, okay.
I get Dark Castle's point; I just don't agree with it. I am sorry that you don't get that, but it is what it is.
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And who is the sole arbiter of "good" music?
No one. I'm saying that y'all are implying that he dislikes the new direction for being different whereas he's actually against it because it doesn't sound good to his ears regardless of style.
EDIT: Where's Black_Floyd when you could use some backing up?
lol, I was asleep but otherwise I'd have been in here instantly to have your back. It's become fairly obvious that most of the folks giving you shit are repeatedly ignoring the basis of your argument and likely because they like the new direction and have little reason to be open to opposing viewpoints because of that.
Seriously people, how hard is it to grasp the point he's trying to make? He's not saying he wants Opeth to make the same damn record for all of eternity. He's saying if they're gonna radically change their sound, he'd prefer it be in the name of making actual good music and not just dick-riding Mike's 70s influences in an unfulfillingly uncreative manner.
Blah, blah, blah. Your view towards Opeth now is so myopic, yet we are the ones who aren't getting it? Haha, okay.
I get Dark Castle's point; I just don't agree with it. I am sorry that you don't get that, but it is what it is.
You okay, guy? You sound a bit grumpy. Also, only Dylan can say who did and didn't get his point unless you're his twin and have that cool telepathic thing going on.
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BTW, did anyone else notice that the "Goblin" song Mikael talked about it in interviews a while ago has kept its title?
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I think I get the point. You two don't like the quality of the new music, and that's got very little (or nothing) to do with the fact that it's a change. I tend to agree, and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of other folks do too. I still enjoy it more than most music, which is why I listened to it so much for a little while, but it's still my least favorite Opeth album.
My confusion with what DC has been saying is a different issue. He seems to be suggesting that Mike should be releasing the music under a different band name, because it doesn't sound like what he's grown to recognize as the 'Opeth sound'. Assuming I read him correctly, that is where we disagree.
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Exactly. It's a foolish notion.
Hell, I don't even like Heritage that much. I mean, I like it a lot, but I like almost every album of theirs more, but I respect their right to do whatever they want because it is their band.
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if we were to assume they should drop the name Opeth due to their new direction, in my mind that means they have completely moved away from their current sound with no intention of going back. As far as i can tell, that isn't the case. yes heritage was a step away from the ordinary for them, and pale communion doesn't seem like it'll be totally back to their 'normal' style, but at least its moving back in that direction isn't it? none of us have heard it so its tough to say, but it seems to me that this album will be the balance between heritage and their older sound. based on that, i see no reason to not continue using the name Opeth. Storm Corrosion already had an Akerfeldt sound while being completely different, id say thats good enough for that argument :)
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Even if Mikael had wanted to change the name, I'm 100% sure Roadrunner and the management wouldn't have let him do it, because dropping an established name in favor of a new and unknown one after 20 years would be a commercial suicide. Besides, the line-up is almost the same and they still play the old songs live, so I don't see any problem. Some bands have gone through way more radical changes yet kept the same name.
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I just thought I'd drop in and say that Heritage is my favorite Opeth album.
I was a fan since Ghost Reveries.
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Heritage would probably be my 5th favorite Opeth album, behind Blackwater Park, Ghost Reveries, Watershed, and Deliverance.
I still think it sounds enough like Opeth to be considered an Opeth album, and the band has the right to write whatever kind of music they want.
I am bummed that the old sound is a thing of the past, but if Akerfeldt's just not into it anymore, then it's for the best. At least he's not forcing it and created half-assed music as a result.
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I don't think Opeth should change their name, but I agree that their new direction appears to be "riding 70s progressive rock as hard as they can" and as I said before, Opeth is a lousy 70s prog rock band. Mikael can do what he wants, but another Heritage just isn't interesting to me.
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I'm a rather new fan, as I have only Heritage, Watershed and Blackwater Park. I'm one of those folks who listened when people said "if you're not sure about the harsh vocals, get Heritage to see if you like them for their songwriting, then try to get into the growly ones." Of those three, Heritage is probably my least favorite while BWP is my favorite.
But, I wanted to contribute this as someone who heard Heritage first: The album sounds, from a compositional standpoint, like their earlier albums. It sounds like someone turned down the distortion on the guitars and Mikael decided to stop growling, and also Slither just got on there somehow, but for the most part, it sounds like the Opeth approach to songwriting, just applied to a new form of arrangement, and sometimes not even that. The first time I heard The Leper Affinity, when the acoustic section began, I thought, "this sounds just like something off of Heritage!" I know it might be weird to read it that way as I'm sure most people heard TLA long before hearing Heritage, and I'm not demanding that people love Heritage (especially since, as I would agree, it is a huge change of direction), but all I would suggest is to give Heritage a listen and then listen to The Leper Affinity and some other of the older songs and see if they can't hear the similarities in songwriting style and in arrangement for the folky parts, and applied to a different arragement for the heavy parts.
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It's funny, when I first got into the band, I was much less tolerant of growl vocals, and wanted so badly to hear an all-clean vocal album by them because I thought those sections in their songs were beautiful. And then I got Damnation and, while I enjoy a few songs on it, don't really find it all that interesting. And then Heritage was announced and I was excited, and have never been able to get into it. That said, I'm all for the band doing whatever they want to do, because there's always a good chance they're going to put out something I like. Heritage was a miss for me, but I'm still on board for whatever.
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I agree with you 425. I got into Opeth a bit after Watershed was released. Even though I didn't like Heritage at first, it really grew on me and even though the album sounds completely different, to me the songwriting and arrangements are still Opeth. Yes, it's hard to spot them, you really have to listen well to notice the similarities. But I can't say I agree with the statement "Mikael should not have released Heritage as an Opeth album". The three times I've seen Opeth live since Heritage came out, the Heritage songs fitted really well with the rest of the set.
If you don't like Heritage, fine. If you think it should not have been released as an Opeth album, fine. But at least consider the fact that at least some of us do think Heritage sounds like an Opeth album, and that the whole band does as well.
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The way I see it is the band thing counts for nothing because no band ever goes on record saying recently released material ain't up to snuff with their revered shit anyway. Beyond this, most of their big Heritage supporters came on board either with GR or WS so it's not like they had any serious expectations or potential for disappointment anyway. I'm glad the newer fans and prog-leaning fans have more music to enjoy but it miffs me when some people act like the dissentors are unreasonable for not liking it and try to tell someone how to be a fan of a band they've liked for WAY longer since it's silly to act like the two groups have similar degrees of sentimental investment in the band. Basically, imagine a prog band you liked abandoned most of their melodic side, introduced roaring as a complete replacement for clean vocals, and showed no signs of returning to their familiar style and, as a result, released stuff far below your usual level of enjoyment and I came around as a much newer fan telling you "Eh, shit happens" in so many words.
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I don't think the band thing counts for nothing, but I agree with you that it isn't as bulletproof since no band will ever say they dislike recently released material. We'll see what the band thinks about Heritage in the future I guess. I don't know if most Heritage supporters came on board with GR or WS, but I agree with you that those 'new' supporters (including myself) have less sentimental investment in the band. I can see where you guys are coming from, your example was good. It's a hard pill to swallow that a band you've loved for so long suddenly releases an album that is in a completely different style, and it becomes harder when the next album is announced and it turns out that album won't be like the old stuff either.
However, coming back to this thread and either constantly saying that you don't like Heritage and saying how shit the album is and how it shouldn't have been released as an Opeth album isn't exactly doing anything, is it? No offense, but I guess however bad you think Heritage is, someday you have to accept that it has been released as an Opeth album (even though you may still think it is not an Opeth album) and that Opeth probably won't go back to the old style in the very near future. You can't really do anything about it and constantly getting wound up about the album and Opeth's future direction will not result in good discussion, but will result in constant 'fuck you cause you do/don't like Heritage' arguments.
I can understand why you don't like Heritage, and I don't think it has anything to do with you not having listened enough or not understanding it or whatever. I hope you can understand as well why other people like me do like Heritage and maybe you can see why we think it's still an Opeth album. Of course you don't have to, but I think this thread would be a lot more fun if we didn't have a 3-page discussion about Heritage every month with the exact same content everytime.
Now, for your sake and mine, I hope that Pale Communion won't tear open the rift between Heritage-lovers and -haters any further, but it may do just that. Either way, I hope the album's gonna be good. I'm probably going in optimistically, as are the other people who like Heritage, and you might not do so. We'll see how it turns out :)
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I think it'll done one of two things:
1. Be as boring to me as WS and Heritage were and run me off for good leaving Opeth's Orchid-Ghost Reveries run plus half of WS as stuff I can still listen to from time to time whenever I've had a long enough absence to no longer be burnt out on it from listening to it too much while I basically disavow their newer material.
2. Win me back at least to a small extent by having some focus and balls thoroughly missing on Heritage and much of WS.
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But, I wanted to contribute this as someone who heard Heritage first: The album sounds, from a compositional standpoint, like their earlier albums. It sounds like someone turned down the distortion on the guitars and Mikael decided to stop growling, and also Slither just got on there somehow, but for the most part, it sounds like the Opeth approach to songwriting, just applied to a new form of arrangement, and sometimes not even that.
I think that's pretty much what I would say. Heritage stills sounds very much Opeth:ish if you were to ask me. With that being said when I listen to their older materials I keep thinking about the seize of thier balls and how humongous they must be today. That fact alone have them at the heighest peak of respect within the metal scene, if you were to ask me.
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I agree entirely with Onno. I completely understand why someone would just not like Heritage, while liking the rest of the band's discography. Even though I argued that the songwriting still sounds like Opeth, I think it's very clear that there's been a significant change in style and arrangement. And I have no intention of telling fans who have been around much longer than I that they must like it or else they're intolerant or closed-minded or something, because the reality is that even if a few are, many aren't, they just don't enjoy the style. I really only mean to state my opinion on Heritage and present a contrary point of view to the one that says that it bears no resemblance to the rest of the band's discography.
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Listened through Heritage the other day. Not a bad album, just not very interesting. And most of the songs have pretty much the same basic structure. First a cool or mellow intro, then something silly sounding, then outro.
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2. Win me back at least to a small extent by having some focus and balls thoroughly missing on Heritage and much of WS.
I doubt you'll be satisfied in the balls department (bet that sounds amazing out of context), but that preview posted earlier made it sound like the song structure will have a lot more focus than the past two albums.
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Context is irrelevant. Balls virtually always satisfy me.
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Context is irrelevant. Balls virtually always satisfy me.
(https://img.pandawhale.com/61427-George-Takei-oh-my-gif-Dzvp.gif)
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I don't care either way on the band name thing. Either way it seems like the same thing in practice: Mikael Akerfeldt and co. writing new music and playing it in combination with older material live. The only situation I wouldn't like would be if the band changed names and didn't play the original Opeth stuff again.
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Wasn't Heritage, Storm Corrosion, and Grace for Drowning an album trinity? That could be why Heritage sounds the way it sounds. I enjoy it due to how evil-ishly simple the atmosphere is.
Plus, your forgetting Mikael had other songs written for Heritage but were scrapped because Martin Mendez wouldve been disappointed if that ended up being the new album at the time.
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Plus, your forgetting Mikael had other songs written for Heritage but were scrapped because Martin Mendez wouldve been disappointed if that ended up being the new album at the time.
Mikael didn't like them either, hence why he deleted them completely.
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Plus, your forgetting Mikael had other songs written for Heritage but were scrapped because Martin Mendez wouldve been disappointed if that ended up being the new album at the time.
Mikael didn't like them either, hence why he deleted them completely.
ITs on the making of dvd...
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I would say the fact they Mikael, as much as Steven Wilson, don't want to keep treading old ground, makes me appreciate them even more. I have never understood how a band like DT can just stick to the same thing for 25 years and not get that "been there, done that" feeling.
Opeth and SW will gain some fans and lose some, but so did Genesis, Queen and David Bowie. But they're the ones whose discographies are still listened to, exactly *because* there's so much to choose from. No offense to posters here, but you can't fault the artists for not wanting to be as one-dimensional as their fans' listening habits. Keep also in mind, while you can switch between different bands on a given day, they hear their own songs every single day of their lives. To use DT again as a counter-example, I can not even *fathom* playing exactly the same songs ever single day for months on end, in the same order, at precisely the same tempo.
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Agreed, Rumbo!
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I would say the fact they Mikael, as much as Steven Wilson, don't want to keep treading old ground, makes me appreciate them even more. I have never understood how a band like DT can just stick to the same thing for 25 years and not get that "been there, done that" feeling.
Opeth and SW will gain some fans and lose some, but so did Genesis, Queen and David Bowie. But they're the ones whose discographies are still listened to, exactly *because* there's so much to choose from. No offense to posters here, but you can't fault the artists for not wanting to be as one-dimensional as their fans' listening habits. Keep also in mind, while you can switch between different bands on a given day, they hear their own songs every single day of their lives. To use DT again as a counter-example, I can not even *fathom* playing exactly the same songs ever single day for months on end, in the same order, at precisely the same tempo.
I concur. Verily. The one thing most of my favorite bands have in common is that they've got pretty diverse discographies, so for me at least, this was an awesome thing (after the initial shock wore off). Especially since I love the sound they came up with. But I could have just as easily hated it it, it really kind of gives the wait for the new album a more anticipated excitement. I think it's awesome I can go through their discography and hear a few little changes throughout each album, then get progressively (harhar) different until it just does a tripple-axel-backflip-barrel-roll on you and the two newest albums are from a different dimension. It's awesome. But I suppose it'd suck if you don't like 'em. Win some lose some. I'd rather have that chance to have the artist do what inspires them and what they want then have the band drift into obscurity because I'm bored of them (not to have a DT bashing contest but-). It's like going into band coma.
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I get what rumbo is saying.
Say Band A has 12 albums and all of them are roughly in the same style. You probably aren't gonna listen to your 11th or 12th favorite of the bunch very often simply because you can get the exact same thing out of the other albums, but with the quality being much higher.
Now, say Band B has 12 albums and they are stylistically are all over the place. Maybe you don't think your 11th or 12th favorites are that great, but they might sound unique within the context of that band's discography, simply because it it very likely that none of those other albums sound like them, thus you are way more likely to listen to them than you are the 11th or 12th favorites by Band A.
That is generalizing, but I think you'll all get the gist of it. :biggrin:
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I couldn't agree more with the last couple of posts, especially with this:
Opeth and SW will gain some fans and lose some, but so did Genesis, Queen and David Bowie. But they're the ones whose discographies are still listened to, exactly *because* there's so much to choose from.
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MM said in a recent interview "we have an obligation to sound like DT. If I want to hear Annihilator, i'll buy an Annihilator CD". I could not have disagreed with him more.
A very fitting scene is from the movie "Rockstar":
https://youtu.be/zy8QXucoSkU
(Skip to 2:25)
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But you really have to remember that DT music, just by itself, is extremely diverse as it is. I've played certain songs to friends one after the other and some of them did not believe me when I said that they were written by the same band, much less that they came from the same album. The whole comparison to Annihilator is rendered moot when you know that it's straight up thrash a lot of the time, and that's no disrespect to those guys either, cause they kick loads of ass as well.
All respects to Opeth and SW for doing whatever it is they like to do with their music though. And I understand the point rumbo's making here, but I personally don't usually look for how similar or how radically different one band's release might be from their previous releases; I judge it based on it's quality and how well it stands by itself. It's all subjective, but as long as the new Opeth album kicks ass, you'll see me spinning it for a good while, going to the shows, expressing my love for it, not because it was different, but because it was good. Quality music can come from anywhere.
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I personally don't find DT's output, at least as of late, very diverse. In fact, the last two albums I would call the most homogeneous of their career. *Despite* stuff like the orchestral section.
I think what makes Opeth and SW different is, Mikael and Steven are the clear creative heads of their respective bands. Whereas DT, especially after MP's leave, seems to be more democratic. I wouldn't be surprised at all if each of DT's members at some point or another thought "man, I wish we would shake it up a bit, venture out more". If you're the head of your band, you can yank the steering wheel and do that, but in a democratic band you're just 1 of 5.
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I'd really only call SC and BC&SL homogeneous to one another, as ADTOE is to DT12 as of late. In their 12 album discography, that ain't too bad and even if it might sound like more of the same, there's still quality songs to be found. As I've said before, you don't need to totally alter your sound in order to sound great, and if you alter your sound there's no guarantee that you're always gonna sound great. I love King Crimson in this regard because no matter what sound they were going for, they always put out great shit. With Yes (which happen to be one of my all time favorite bands having made some of my favorite albums ever), they didn't always go strong IMO. I could see the appeal in their poppier albums but they really don't do that much for me. It's all subjective of course, but I can agree that some of DT's albums may blend together in comparison to Mikael and SW's stuff.
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So, I was going to make a big post about DT's diversity, but I guess it doesn't really belong in this thread, so I'll post it somewhere else :P Let me put it this way: I really like Mikael and Steven for creating such diverse music. Even if they'd put out something I didn't really like, I guess I could still give them credit for doing something they wanted to do, for doing something different. That's better than bands creating the (almost) same album each and everytime until we as fans get bored of it (i.e. Slayer). I find it hard to love a band which does the latter. DT, in that aspect, is still quite diverse, but I have to agree their diversity has decreased a bit the last few years.
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Let me put it this way: I really like Mikael and Steven for creating such diverse music. Even if they'd put out something I didn't really like, I guess I could still give them credit for doing something they wanted to do, for doing something different. That's better than bands creating the (almost) same album each and everytime until we as fans get bored of it (i.e. Slayer). I find it hard to love a band which does the latter. DT, in that aspect, is still quite diverse, but I have to agree their diversity has decreased a bit the last few years.
Amen.
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Break out the 8-bit NES!!! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzhMxqqLBSM)
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That's amazing. I wish this had been final boss music in so many games.
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YESSS
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That 8 bit cover kicks ass :metal
As for the diversity discussion, when I hear DT12, BCASL, 8V and SFM they sound really different to me. When I hear DO of Opeth I just hear a lot of elements Opeth previously also had but without the harsh parts (both vocally and instrumentally). Diversity is somewhat a personal thing offcourse (depending also on what parts of the music speak to you the most), but as a casual listener I do not think Opeth has changed that drastically since I started listening aside from stripping the heavy stuff out and filling the parts with more old fashioned prog (which I also like btw).
I do hope, however, that Opeth does include the heavy stuff again in the future. There is a reason that they play at metal festivals, tour with death metal bands etc. And that is not the soft prog. I also think Ackerfelt's vocals are not that impressive with his clean singing. It sounds nice but he is also somewhat limited and I think he is an outstanding growler.
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(https://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/1122/cover_3528102742014_r.jpg)
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Heard from multiple places that it's fake. Apparently it's some inside artwork or something to Steven Wilson's Grace For Downing Bluray.
A shame though, that actually would be a cool cover.
EDIT: The person who put it up on Deviant Art is also hiding a shit ton of comments, assumedly from people calling them out on it.
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I thought it was legit since Progarchives has it listed on their site.
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Well I guess it'll be cleared up soon to confirm it as real or a fake, but odds aren't looking good for the former option.
If it does turn out to be real though, it look pretty rad.
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It hasn't been posted on the official Opeth page yet and I remember Mikael saying the cover will have a medieval look with three paintings next to each other, so it's safe to say that picture's nothing but a fake cover.
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And that album cover screams a return to the old Opeth, which definitely isn't happening :lol
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And that album cover screams a return to the old Opeth, which definitely isn't happening :lol
Yeah. :lol
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It hasn't been posted on the official Opeth page yet and I remember Mikael saying the cover will have a medieval look with three paintings next to each other, so it's safe to say that picture's nothing but a fake cover.
Now that you mention it I remember that too. Oh well, I guess Progarchives has been duped and subsequently so have I :)
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All I can hope for is that it doesn't look like the artsy fartsy mess that was Heritage's cover. Some cool elements in it, particularly the devils on the bottom, but good god what a mess of an album cover.
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Wow. :lol
Could not possibly disagree more. I adore Heritage's album artwork, I think it's one of the greatest. Everything about it screams Opeth, and they threw in a sign of the times with the falling head. It's perfect for the album and the period of transition.
/assholesandonionsorsomethinglikethat
The one posted does indeed look like a fan cover. It's boring and plain... When I look at the Heritage cover, I thin 'artwork'. That looks like a mediocre, jv-effort. Then again I wouldn't be surprised either way.
(this fuckin' site is running slow as hell for me...every other site is fine...hrrmm...something up?)
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DTF is behaving lethargically for me as well.
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Yeah, something is up, it's been pretty slow all day.
As far as Opeth and their style goes....changing their name, frankly, would be a pretty dumb move from a marketing standpoint. There are tons of bands out there who have undergone fairly dramatic transformations over the course of their existence without ever changing names. With album sales already in the toilet in the age of torrents, these bands with niche audiences need every advantage they can get to remain viable and changing your band'd name after more than 20 years in the business is tantamount to career suicide.
I'm perplexed by all the hate that Watershed gets. I love that album, and I think it's an album where Opeth were able to offer something for the "tr00" fans as well as some of us newer fans who may not necessarily be thrilled with the all of the grunting on their older stuff.
Heritage.....I don't know. To my ears, it's a pretty ponderous, meandering and unfocused piece of work. A few decent tracks bookend the album, but the middle of it is just zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....
Best Opeth album cover ever, though.
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Watershed is my favorite Opeth album.
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I only have Blackwater Park, Watershed and Heritage so far (Ghost Reveries is in the mail), and I love all of them. I'm not sure I can really pick a favorite. Watershed seems to have a bit of an identity crisis going on, more so than the other two, but it somehow pulls off both styles quite well.
Heritage took a while to grow on me but I now find it to be a great album, and I'm excited for Pale Communion based on what I've heard about it so far!
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All I can hope for is that it doesn't look like the artsy fartsy mess that was Heritage's cover. Some cool elements in it, particularly the devils on the bottom, but good god what a mess of an album cover.
No. I just can't agree with you. The Heritage cover is one of my favourite album covers of all time :lol
By the way, Watershed is also probably my favourite Opeth album, but sometimes I think it may be BWP. Oh well. Can't wait for the first Pale Communion single! (next Tuesday!)
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The album cover for Heritage is one of the greatest I've ever seen--every time I look at it, I find new details to appreciate. It's beautiful and eerie at the same time, and it honestly looks like something that could have come out of the 70's prog scene. Opeth are pretty consistent when it comes to quality album covers so I am expecting good things with the new one (and I agree, that fake one would have actually been awesome). Another cover I really loved was Ghost Reveries.
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I only have Blackwater Park, Watershed and Heritage so far (Ghost Reveries is in the mail), and I love all of them. I'm not sure I can really pick a favorite. Watershed seems to have a bit of an identity crisis going on, more so than the other two, but it somehow pulls off both styles quite well.
Heritage took a while to grow on me but I now find it to be a great album, and I'm excited for Pale Communion based on what I've heard about it so far!
Enjoy Ghost Reveries my man, definitely my favorite Opeth record....such a masterpiece. Strongly recommend you grab Still Life as well!
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Thanks! I'm really excited to get my hands on it! I doubt I'll have room in my budget to get both Still Life and Pale Communion in June, so I'll probably pick between the two based on the quality of the upcoming single and then get the other in July.
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Still Life should be your next one to get since it's their best album. ;)
I quite like the Heritage cover but god do those heads look awfully cheesy on it.
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https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/interviews/mikael_akerfeldt_this_record_is_more_melodic_slightly_heavier_and_a_bit_more_schizophrenic.html
Not necessarily a lot of new info in this interview, but Mikael says they recorded the new album in 13 days :o He also finds Ghost Reveries overproduced, which makes me a little sad. I really like the production of that album, although I totally get and kind of agree with what he's saying about the sound of modern metal albums. Speaking of production, I've always liked the sound of MAYH - it's not too raw like the first two albums, but still has a lot of edge.
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"This record is more melodic, slightly heavier and a bit more schizophrenic. Inevitably it is also a continuation of "Heritage," I guess."
Yuck, Heritage had enough problems finding a direction to begin with.
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In most cases I get more put off by artists describing their new album than I get more interested, and this is one of those cases. What Åkerfeldt is saying is basically making me go "meh", and I can't say I feel super excited about it. But hopefully the album will be good though, that's really all I can hope for.
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Sounds fuckin' awesome to me. The name and description of tones is making me think of something very old-school Opeth like in vibe and general 'air' but without the obvious. With all the different instruments they're using on the album it could be brootal in a whole new way.
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Using the word schizophrenic sounds like he's using it as an excuse to write songs with shitty structure and haphazard changes that are jarring in a bad way in advance of people criticizing that.
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Yeah, "schizophrenic" really is the kind of word that rubs me the wrong way. There's good schizophrenic (Mr. Bungle) and bad schizophrenic (Heritage), and considering Opeth made Heritage, I can't say I care for his comments. But again, the album might end up being good, and that's all I hope for. Most artists are so pretentious and/or biased when talking about their own music. It's understandable why, they have worked months on making the album, but that's also why I take these comments with a bag of salt.
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I think you're reading way too much into that word - in a general sense, pretty much all of Opeth's music could be described as "schizophrenic", and Heritage was no more so than the rest IMO.
More melodic pleases me though.
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Heritage was much more so than the rest. It broke into segways that were extremely jarring and had little to no flow. At least with older material, it may have been a stark contrast between the light and heavy, but usually you could see it coming and it flowed well.
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He also finds Ghost Reveries overproduced, which makes me a little sad. I really like the production of that album, although I totally get and kind of agree with what he's saying about the sound of modern metal albums. Speaking of production, I've always liked the sound of MAYH - it's not too raw like the first two albums, but still has a lot of edge.
I understand why he thinks Ghost Reveries to be overproduced, but it's not overproduced compared to a handful of other modern metal albums, IMO. I thought Ghost Reveries had a great production. I do love the sound of Lopez's snare drum on MAYH however - it's got a lot of punch to it.
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So "Cusp of Eternity" is due to be released on May 6th. Really hope they stream it before then. The anticipation is driving me nuts!
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The new song comes out tomorrow, CAN'T WAIT!!!
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:metal
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Me neither :metal
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WOOOOOOOOT! AWESOME!
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:coolio :metal
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Let's go!
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(https://theniftyperson.tripod.com/niftystuff/luigi/kart64.jpg)
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May 6th of 2014...correct? I see nothing on the interwebs yet!
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I read the sentence on Opeth's site differently. I read it as pre-orders begin on May 6 and that the single will be The Cusp
Of Eternity.
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(https://media.giphy.com/media/2VqNPqENVU8G4/giphy.gif)
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I read the sentence on Opeth's site differently. I read it as pre-orders begin on May 6 and that the single will be The Cusp
Of Eternity.
But wouldn't it be sensible to give people some kind of preview of the album before they are asked to pre-order it?
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I read the sentence on Opeth's site differently. I read it as pre-orders begin on May 6 and that the single will be The Cusp
Of Eternity.
It also says that people pre-ordering through iTunes will instantly receive a download to the song. As the pre-orders should be available today, I assume they'll release the single too. Otherwise it would leak anyway.
Also, the pre-orders will be available through the Omerch store (amongst others). I just checked the site and the pre-orders aren't up yet, so I assume they'll be up later today?
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I was looking at people's posts on Opeth's FB page and apparently someone had emailed a guy at Opeth's management, who said there'll be an announcement that the release date has been pushed back:
(https://fbcdn-photos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-0/10156077_806757219336807_9106877676456703341_n.jpg)
Hopefully it's just the single and not the album itself that's postponed...
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Wonder why? Pretty late in the process for any issues.
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:soon:
:(
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Some people claim the album has been delayed until August :sadpanda: Sucks pretty hard if that's true, but I wouldn't be surprised, because the new Anathema record comes out in June and it has been available for pre-ordering since early April.
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I am disappoint :(
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Gosh darnit!
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The Pale Nobody Cares Anymore
Coming out sometime in the future, probably expect more delays.
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So lolz.
I care! Verily. I also have a smidgen of patience. I'll be going wild when it is inevitably released though.
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I'm just joking around. Obviously I'm not one to base excitement for new Opeth around.
I just love that they're postponing and waited until the single was supposed to be out to say this(which they haven't even done yet lol)
Who knows they may release the single as a token of apology to fans, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you guys.
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Oh..
I'm definitely not; I've never been one to ache and moan over releases of music. Not for a while, anyway. I've also learned that the musicians themselves, much of the time, have no control over when it releases. I'm sure the guys would love it if it could be released right now. Maybe something to do with RR's release plan, sales...maybe even something to do with the album itself. I'd rather have it release when all the edges are polished than have a product that they'll have 'remastered' not long after its release.
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I'm pretty sure all of the mixing and mastering has been done for awhile now. It's too close to the release date for that to be one of the reasons.
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Even more of a reason why it's probably RR's doing and not Opeth.
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Never said it was Opeth doing this.
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Mm. I assumed 'they' was in reference to the guys.
Either way. Lesson learned: Don't listen to people cause they're stupid. Facts. Facts are your friend. It's a good thing I have no more fucks to give...it'll be nice when it arrives and if it is in August, then just in time for that perfect Opeth weather.
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Maybe the cover art still isn't ready? I'm sure we would've seen it by now if it was, given that the tracklist was revealed a while ago already.
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This blows! >:(
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This blows! >:(
Pretty much.
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From Roadrunner's Facebook page, a reply by a guy on RR's post about the new Black Stone Cherry album:
(https://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww57/elvoz02/roadrunneropethreply.jpg)
Seriously Roadrunner, what the fuck?
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So we have to listen to the new Black Stone Cherry album first? RR has humor though :lol
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That's funny and great marketing.
Yeah, I honestly stopped caring about WHEN bands release albums. My tastes are diverse and in the mean time, I can enjoy many more bands. It's pretty much the same for the bands I've known for quite awhile.
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I appreciate their attempt at humor, but it's not that amusing when there's still no explanation whatsoever regarding the postponement.
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Onno, I see that you have your Facebook language set to English (Pirate).
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Onno, I see that you have your Facebook language set to English (Pirate).
And that be pleasin' to yer eye? :biggrin:
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Aar!
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We want new Opeth just as badly as you do, here's an Official Statement regarding "Pale Communion":
Roadrunner Records group Opeth has announced that the release of their highly anticipated eleventh studio album, “PALE COMMUNION” has been reslated for AUGUST 26TH. “Many of you have heard the rumours already and we can now confirm that the release of ‘Pale Communion’ has indeed been pushed back to late August,” commented Opeth frontman, Mikael Åkerfeldt. “Several circumstances prevented the band from delivering essential tools to Roadrunner in time which are needed to set up the album release properly and release schedule conflicts made us mutually decide on August instead of June.”
“PALE COMMUNION,” which was produced by the band’s very own Mikael Åkerfeldt and mixed by longtime collaborator and Porcupine Tree frontman/guitarist Steven Wilson, will be heralded by the lead single, “Cusp of Eternity” and available for pre-order starting Tuesday, June 3RD. Pre-
orders for “PALE COMMUNION” made via the iTunes Store will receive an instant download of “Cusp of Eternity” as well as second album track to be released on July 15TH, with multiple configurations also available via both the Roadrunner Records Webstore and O Merch.
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:getoffmylawn:
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Unless I'm reading it wrong, it doesn't say when pre-orders will be available, does it?
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A "Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction" video with Mikael: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKm2eQ7XftM
Unless I'm reading it wrong, it doesn't say when pre-orders will be available, does it?
“PALE COMMUNION,” which was produced by the band’s very own Mikael Åkerfeldt and mixed by longtime collaborator and Porcupine Tree frontman/guitarist Steven Wilson, will be heralded by the lead single, “Cusp of Eternity” and available for pre-order starting Tuesday, June 3RD.
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Ah, interesting. Not that I imagine I'll pre-order it, I probably won't get it for a few years. :lol
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We want new Opeth just as badly as you do, here's an Official Statement regarding "Pale Communion":
Roadrunner Records group Opeth has announced that the release of their highly anticipated eleventh studio album, “PALE COMMUNION” has been reslated for AUGUST 26TH. “Many of you have heard the rumours already and we can now confirm that the release of ‘Pale Communion’ has indeed been pushed back to late August,” commented Opeth frontman, Mikael Åkerfeldt. “Several circumstances prevented the band from delivering essential tools to Roadrunner in time which are needed to set up the album release properly and release schedule conflicts made us mutually decide on August instead of June.”
“PALE COMMUNION,” which was produced by the band’s very own Mikael Åkerfeldt and mixed by longtime collaborator and Porcupine Tree frontman/guitarist Steven Wilson, will be heralded by the lead single, “Cusp of Eternity” and available for pre-order starting Tuesday, June 3RD. Pre-
orders for “PALE COMMUNION” made via the iTunes Store will receive an instant download of “Cusp of Eternity” as well as second album track to be released on July 15TH, with multiple configurations also available via both the Roadrunner Records Webstore and O Merch.
:rollin
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Someone fucked up big time if it was enough of an issue to push it back nearly a quarter of a year. Maybe the band realized they were on the verge of releasing an album 2 years and 9 months after their previous one instead of the more recent trend of closer to 3 full years.
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Coolio, good to hear it officially. I'mm'a pre-order that shit the morn of the 3rd. Woot!
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Someone fucked up big time if it was enough of an issue to push it back nearly a quarter of a year. Maybe the band realized they were on the verge of releasing an album 2 years and 9 months after their previous one instead of the more recent trend of closer to 3 full years.
Roadrunner realized that Opeth had sent them Heritage, but with the tracks shuffled.
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(https://s30.postimg.org/enbumcmm8/TOLOLOLbaka.jpg)
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I just see a blue box with a question mark
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These are the kind of news that just makes me shrug my shoulders and go "whatever". It's Opeth, it's a new album, and I will listen to it immediately when it comes out, but on the other hand.. it's two months. There's plenty of amazing music out there, and several other good releases coming out, I just don't care at all if this comes out in June or August. It's not like a big movie you are looking forward to, which is delayed by 1 or 2 years... it's 2 months, and there's still loads of music to listen to in the meantime.
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That awkward moment when you realise you forgot to push record.
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Sucks that it's delayed, but it's only two months. Hopefully it'll be worth the wait.
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Cool for me cause its closer to my birthday.
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Someone fucked up big time if it was enough of an issue to push it back nearly a quarter of a year.
That's not how I'm reading the announcement. They said that it got pushed back a bit, which meant scheduling conflicts with other RR releases, so they mutually agreed on August as the best time to release the album.
Fine with me, I don't see what the rush is.
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Eh, I am fine with this. Oepth is always better fall than summer music, so I likely wouldn't have give a lot of listens till September or October anyway.
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I don't really care, but having it pushed back that far is a bit of a blunder.
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That's what I'm saying. It's not like Roadrunner just signed a bunch of bands who wrote and recorded albums for immediate release. They're a big ass record label and should be used to managing a schedule competently. Seems like it was likely some other issue and this was a more convenient company line to go with. I'm not bothered by it since my interest in Opeth has greatly declined in recent years but it just seems to insult the fans' intelligence.
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That's what I'm saying. It's not like Roadrunner just signed a bunch of bands who wrote and recorded albums for immediate release. They're a big ass record label and should be used to managing a schedule competently.
Well, yeah, but if Opeth didn't provide things that they needed to in time to meet the planned schedule, then that's hardly RR's fault.
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The gaps between albums remind me of the gaps between anything happening on Heritage.
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The gaps between albums remind me of the gaps between anything happening on Heritage.
:rollin
Seriously, I love Heritage, but this is just :lol.
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:clap:
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The gaps between albums remind me of the gaps between anything happening on Heritage.
:hefdaddy
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The gaps between albums remind me of the gaps between anything happening on Heritage.
:rollin
Seriously, I love Heritage, but this is just :lol.
This. Well played sir :lol
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The gaps between albums remind me of the gaps between anything happening on Heritage.
So true unfortunately :lol
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Sucks to hear about the delay, but at least we'll have something to look forward to music-wise for August.
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(https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t1.0-9/p720x720/10401467_10152507780293410_8192169215381174395_n.jpg)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152507780293410 (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152507780293410)
It's been out there on the web for a few days already but here's the official announcement for the new album cover of 'Pale Communion'. Once again done by the fantastic Travis Smith with art direction by Mike.
Also, don't forget that album pre-orders will be up on Roadrunner's web store and on Opeth's official merch store on Omerch.com (https://www.bandstores.co.uk/shop/opeth/) next week Friday, June 3rd!
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Amazing cover. Reminds me a little of the old Opeth album covers, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
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LOVE it!
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Cool cover! :tup Pretty different yet very Opeth-y at the same time.
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I like the cover I guess. The problem is that Heritage had an interesting cover, and the album itself was underwhelming. All I hope for is a good album really.
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I don't know if I agree… Heritage's cover was kind of mediocre imo. This one is a step up, I think.
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Meh. Steal that artwork of the hooded people again, I say.
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That's probably the worst art they've ever had. Don't like it one bit. :\
If they would've just stuck with one of the paintings, it being the entire cover then maybe it would have been a tiny bit better but ugh.
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Not a huge fan of the cover, to be honest.
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That's probably the worst art they've ever had. Don't like it one bit. :\
If they would've just stuck with one of the paintings, it being the entire cover then maybe it would have been a tiny bit better but ugh.
Agreed.
I actually like the idea they were going for, but I think this isn't all that great. Hopefully the music will be better.
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Reminds me a lot of ELP's Pictures at an Exhibition cover.
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Love the cover! I think it's one of my favourite Opeth covers. Can't wait for the single and the album!
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I think the main problem with it is you practically need a magnifying glass to see any of the detail. When viewed from a distance (which is how you look at most album artwork unless you have a vinyl) then it doesn't really look like anything.
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I think the main problem with it is you practically need a magnifying glass to see any of the detail. When viewed from a distance (which is how you look at most album artwork unless you have a vinyl) then it doesn't really look like anything.
I think this is a good point. There's probably a lot of detail put into the artwork (both in the paintings and with the text), but since only a few will get the vinyl, most people will miss out on those details. When you see it from a distance it looks kinda blurry.
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The cover's certainly interesting. Can anyone make out the text?
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Can anyone make out the text?
A case in point. :lol
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First off, let’s translate each part of the “triptych”, a common form of medieval religious art, that is presented here. They are all in Latin, but that is no barrier to us:
Left Panel: “Don’t you know, my son, with how little wisdom the world is governed?”
The quote in the first panel was written by Axel Oxenstierna (Swedish First Chancellor) to his son, who was negotiating the Peace of Westphalia in Germany in the 17th Century. It is often used as one of the first quotations that signify the advent of real politique or politics as science.
Middle Panel: “In these days friends are won through flattery, the truth gives birth to hate. “
The quote in the second panel was written by Terence, a Roman playwright, usually used to signify the end of days and the erosion of society.
Right Panel:”He grieves truly who grieves without a witness.”
The quote in the third panel was written by Marcus Valerius Martialis, a Roman poet living in Hispania (modern day Spain) in the 2nd Century and is a beautiful piece of poetry.
https://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2014/05/27/opeths-new-album-cover-the-hbih-breakdown/ (https://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2014/05/27/opeths-new-album-cover-the-hbih-breakdown/)
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Thanks :tup
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Awesome, that's some beautiful stuff to go along with the paintings.
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Colour me the shade of excitement.
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I dig the album cover, definitely something different, which is exactly what they're going for I'm sure.
However, if they'd have chosen one of the paintings for the album cover, I'd have gone with the right one.
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On another note, the new single just leaked. I'm digging it a lot; there's a real big Rainbow/Dio-vibe from this song that I love. Not bad at all! :metal
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On another note, the new single just leaked. I'm digging it a lot; there's a real big Rainbow/Dio-vibe from this song that I love. Not bad at all! :metal
I quite like it too...encouraging , esp. since I don't really count myself a big fan of the band.
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I do not like it. :mehlin
It's really starting to look like I'm going to be done with Opeth
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Sounds pretty cool. I like it.
Though if you're one of the people who didn't like Heritage it's probably nothing that'll appeal to you much.
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It's not bad, though I'm not getting too exicted over it.
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Pretty cool. I like the groove but I was a little iffy about the vocals in the beginning of the song, not sure why. It did got better though. I'm not overly excited but i'm still looking forward to the album.
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It's definitely a good song but it's not really spectacular. That solo and the riff under it are mighty tasty though. Hopefully this is the weakest track on the album.
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I really like it! Which is odd, since I really don't like Slither; not that this sounds anything like that, but clearly towards that direction. Either way, this is really fun and groovy. Though I hope there's some more of the eerie, atmospheric psychedelic moments, though with more umph this time around.
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Wow, that main riff is exceptionally lame
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A little iffy, for me. It's not bad by any means, and there are a couple really nice parts (nice guitar solo, good vocals), but somehow I'm just not drawn to it for more than a couple listens. It's just... not that interesting to me. Maybe it's the arrangement, I don't know. I'm still looking forward to the full album, and I know better than to let my first impressions of the single get in the way of the rest of the music, but still. Iffy.
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It sounded like a demo of a B-side that should be on a "B-Sides/Outtakes"-collection rather than a studio album. But with that said, singles are usually among my least favorite songs on an album. If that's the case here, and this is one of the weaker songs, the album could still be good. The song is not really bad, it's just average. A lot of ideas I've heard a million times before.
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That cover is pretty lame IMO.
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Man, Opeth are really becoming a shadow of their former self. This new track reminds me heavily of The Tea Party's older stuff. I quite like it though, has a nice flow and atmosphere. It's just so different, more different again then Heritage IMO. Great solo from Fredrick though.
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Listened to the single. It's good, not fantastic, but I think it's a grower.
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I quite like this song, nice feel and groove. Sounds like a cross between The Devil's Orchard and Slither or something.
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Not even gonna bother downloading it. Mikael can do whatever he wants, but that doesn't mean it won't bore me silly, and honestly, I have far better 70s hard rock done by actual 70s hard rock bands. It just kind of muddles around for a couple of minutes, there's a solo, it muddles for a couple of more minutes and then fades out. If this is the new Opeth paradigm-and it seems to be-it just doesn't work for me.
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Love it!! It still sounds like Opeth to me just in a different way, I suppose...like Ritchie Blackmore joined the band or something. I expect it will even sound better in the flow of the album. Colour me excited!!
:metal
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I think it's alright. Some parts are good, some are average. Definitely getting Rainbow vibes here.
Excited for the album.
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Me likey! :tup The intro/verse riff reminds me a bit of Amorphis, Mikael's vocals are awesome and the production is great. Although I liked Heritage, this song is more focused and edgier, which is what I was hoping for. If the rest of the album is as good, I'll be happy.
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Me likey! :tup The intro/verse riff reminds me a bit of Amorphis, Mikael's vocals are awesome and the production is great. Although I liked Heritage, this song is more focused and edgier, which is what I was hoping for. If the rest of the album is as good, I'll be happy.
I don't know if edgier is the word that comes to my mind, but I do agree that it seems to have more focus than most of Heritage.
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I don't know if edgier is the word that comes to my mind, but I do agree that it seems to have more focus than most of Heritage.
Well, the production is more "metal" and the riffing is a little bit heavier than on a lot of Heritage songs.
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The only thing that impressed me was the production and sound quality. If the album has some better songs that sound that good, it's going to get a lot of spins on my iPod.
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The only thing that impressed me was the production and sound quality. If the album has some better songs that sound that good, it's going to get a lot of spins on my iPod.
(https://www.wpm003.com/images/steven2006.jpg)
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:clap: :rollin
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haha :lol
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Awwwe, I missed it. Oh well, I can wait till june.
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That was REALLY underwhelming.
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Eh. Song was okay, nothing too exciting though.
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Awwwe, I missed it. Oh well, I can wait till june.
It's on Youtube again. By the way, 'wait till June' sounds a bit dramatic, considering the single's due next Tuesday :biggrin:
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The song is pretty nice. I enjoy the atmosphere and the mood it puts me in. Its got a calm rocking vibe that the keyboards set.
Martin Mendez shines, and fredericks or mikaels delayed guitar as the pace setter in the beginning is great, it reminds me of M4pt2 by Faunts.
Its nothing groundbreaking, but its a got the chill Opeth vibe and sound. I'll most likely enjoy this album a lot, and others will be really disappointed.
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I wasn't really impressed with what I heard. I wasn't a huge fan of Heritage and this neither. Hopefully the other songs are better and this song will grow.
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Sounds preetty good. Not sold on the vocal but I like the style.
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Eh. I'll check out the album. (pirate it) But the more I hear Mikaels clean vocals the less I like them.
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Eh. I'll check out the album. (pirate it) But the more I hear Mikaels clean vocals the less I like them.
Since 'Heritage' and slightly on 'Watershed' as well, he's been branching out with being a 'real' singer. Sometimes, it sounds like he's trying a bit too hard. Or maybe he's just good at it, and I find it strange to hear because I'm used to his previous clean vocals. I have no problem with his slightly amateurish singing on the old records. It sounds honest to me.
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The song's continuing to grow on me. It's catchy, groovy, and I like it better than most of what's on Heritage. It's very far from being one of their best songs but it's definitely enjoyable.
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The song kinda reminds me Queensryche's "Desert Dance." Not sure why, lol. I also feel the same about "Cusp of Eternity" as I did about "Desert Dance" when QR released that ahead of the Tribe album in 2003 -- it's a solid song. Not stellar. Not bad.
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I actually kinda dig this song. I think it helps that it sounds like an actual song as opposed to various parts of music stitched together in vaguely song-like form a la most of Heritage. As always, I like Mikael's vocals, that riff is pretty cool and the solo is snazzy as well. Is it amazing? At this point, no, but it gives me more hope for the album than I had before.
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I like it. Anyone else get an Arabic vibe from the keyboard in the background?
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That was REALLY underwhelming.
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Mikael needs to stop bastardizing Opeth.
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I like it. Anyone else get an Arabic vibe from the keyboard in the background?
The whole song gives me an Eastern feel, like Atonement.
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I like it. Anyone else get an Arabic vibe from the keyboard in the background?
The whole song gives me an Eastern feel, like Atonement.
Exactly. As I said in one of my previous posts, I also get a mid-era Amorphis vibe (especially the song Alone (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0Y4zoaSlGE)) because of the combination of the delay-laden guitars and the Arabic melodies.
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Mikael needs to stop bastardizing Opeth.
(https://i.imgur.com/8vf443E.gif)
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Ok, non-Opeth fan here. I really like the new song which might be a bad sign for Opeth fans.
I was looking forward to Heritage as everyone was saying there would be no growls. Unfortunately there were no decent songs either, but this one I like. I am generally a sucker for that Eastern vibe though - Blackmore is responsible for that. Yes, I hear Rainbow in it.
A good start.
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I really like the new song which might be a bad sign for Opeth fans.
I was thinking that earlier about myself ;D
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It's really starting to look like I'm going to be done with Opeth
Does this mean we can look forward to having to not read your wonderful posts about the band like this:
Mikael needs to stop bastardizing Opeth.
I mean, if you are done with them, then there is no point in you talking about them anymore, right?
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ITT: YOO CAINT TAWK BAD BOUT OPEFF!!!
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Not this fucking shit again. :facepalm:
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Not this fucking shit again. :facepalm:
Are you talking about the new song?
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It's really starting to look like I'm going to be done with Opeth
Does this mean we can look forward to having to not read your wonderful posts about the band like this:
Mikael needs to stop bastardizing Opeth.
I mean, if you are done with them, then there is no point in you talking about them anymore, right?
There's still 10+ years of Opeth output I like, or is that to hard to figure out? Just because I don't particularly enjoy their most recent output doesn't mean I have to hand in my right to talk about them.
The single sounds almost nothing like Opeth whatsoever, aside from the meh'worthy guitar solo, and Akerstache's declining voice.
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Inb4 the usual "YOU ONLY HATE NEW OPETH BECUZ NO HARSH VOCALS" comment.
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It's really starting to look like I'm going to be done with Opeth
Does this mean we can look forward to having to not read your wonderful posts about the band like this:
Mikael needs to stop bastardizing Opeth.
I mean, if you are done with them, then there is no point in you talking about them anymore, right?
There's still 10+ years of Opeth output I like, or is that to hard to figure out? Just because I don't particularly enjoy their most recent output doesn't mean I have to hand in my right to talk about them.
The single sounds almost nothing like Opeth whatsoever, aside from the meh'worthy guitar solo, and Akerstache's declining voice.
It still sounds like Opeth to me. The colors are the same, but the blends and picture are different. Opeth has a certain vibe, that's hauntingly beautiful yet chilling and eerie. Heritage feels like an old antique just discovered for the first time.
Cusp of Eternity still has that Opeth atmosphere in the keyboards and guitar. It's a real driven song by the bass, and Mendez does some good work here. It's interesting Mikael is using a different style to his clean voice by singing higher, its good at parts, but not a bad effort. I'm re ally interested in how this album will be like. As I get with all bands' newest releases.
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Agreed, Ben! I think it sounds exactly like Opeth. I'm interested in what else the album has to offer as well; I like the atmosphere that the song set up and the fade out - I can picture this leading into something dark, the antithesis of this slightly more 'upbeat' vibe. I really do love the production as well, more props to Sir Wilson.
I still really like the single and while the newness and excitement has faded a bit, it's still very fun and groovy; I very much enjoy the wordless chorus.
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Man, I'm really liking this song more with each listen.
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It still sounds like Opeth to me. The colors are the same, but the blends and picture are different. Opeth has a certain vibe, that's hauntingly beautiful yet chilling and eerie. Heritage feels like an old antique just discovered for the first time.
Cusp of Eternity still has that Opeth atmosphere in the keyboards and guitar. It's a real driven song by the bass, and Mendez does some good work here. It's interesting Mikael is using a different style to his clean voice by singing higher, its good at parts, but not a bad effort. I'm re ally interested in how this album will be like. As I get with all bands' newest releases.
Agreed, Ben! I think it sounds exactly like Opeth. I'm interested in what else the album has to offer as well; I like the atmosphere that the song set up and the fade out - I can picture this leading into something dark, the antithesis of this slightly more 'upbeat' vibe. I really do love the production as well, more props to Sir Wilson.
Two great posts that describe my feelings exactly. :tup
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ITT: YOO CAINT TAWK BAD BOUT OPEFF!!!
Inb4 the usual "YOU ONLY HATE NEW OPETH BECUZ NO HARSH VOCALS" comment.
I get where both of these comments are coming from, and agree with the sentiment expressed in both to a certain extent, but what's with the stupidly spelled and capitalized text? Not everyone who disagrees with your thoughts on the newer material, or even believes those things, is necessarily a moron. :)
Man, I'm really liking this song more with each listen.
I think I might too, if I could only get myself to listen to it more. Unfortunately, it kind of bores me. It's not bad at all; in fact I think it's quite good. I just don't feel drawn to it for repeat listens.
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It's not so much that the disagreeing itself makes the other person a moron, but I have seen that argument used on a few different internet sites, and it's pretty stupid IMO. "You don't like Heritage because it's not metal and lacks harsh vocals" No, I didn't like Heritage because it was a very lackluster mix of ideas that we have already heard, executed better by other bands. (Worth to note that I enjoyed Heritage, I just think it's their weakest album) To me that argument is on the same level as saying someone didn't like a particular movie because they didn't understand it.
I don't agree that Opeth should disband and Mikael should make a new band, because IMO he can do what he wants and it's their band. I just hope to get some good music out of it. With Heritage, the problem wasn't that it was different, the problem was the drop in quality. I think that they could probably do an album in that style, and do a much better album, and maybe we will see that with Pale Communion. (I hope it will be good) :angel:
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Fair enough, and I agree with your thoughts on Heritage too, for the most part. I'm hoping that the new sound just needed a little bit of tweaking, and that they've achieved that on Pale Communion.
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The single sounds almost nothing like Opeth whatsoever, aside from the meh'worthy guitar solo, and Akerstache's declining voice.
If this is what Opeth sounds like now, then how can it not sound like Opeth?
Oh, you mean it doesn't sound like old Opeth, right? Or it doesn't sound like you want Opeth to sound like, maybe?
But hey, I get it. Hell, when the new Spock's Beard came out last year, I was like, "Dang, this doesn't sound like the Spock's Beard I am used to," but then I realized, "Okay, this is what they sound like NOW." A band can sound like whatever they want to sound like. I feel like we have been over this before. :lol :lol
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Yeah you're right, it doesn't sound like the Opeth I've come to love, but it also doesn't sound like Opeth(because ya know they've been a progressive death metal all this time before becoming knock off stale 70's prog masturbation) , but some knock off 70's shit. I'm okay with bands making radical changes as long as the quality is there, and I don't hear the quality with what Opeth have changed to.
Just because it's what they're recently doing doesn't mean I have to accept it, just like they don't have to give a shit that I think they're destroying their legacy. It's fine if you like it, but don't tell me to not voice my dislike, I'm a fan who's sad to see a band turn into something I find very stale and boring. Props to you for enjoying it though brah.
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They are what are and we either connect or we don't. Pretty simple. Heritage was hit and miss for me but I would MUCH rather
any band follow their heart and soul and make something they want even if I don't connect with it. New song is very Rainbow
esque but IMO lacks the Opeth X factor. Decent song but not great. Looking forward to the whole album.
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The thing that really makes me sad is that Mikael CAN write incredible calm progressive rock songs. Just take a look at The Devil's Orchard or Burden for examples. Those songs have some punch to them that this new song is lacking.
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I would love a non-harsh vocals album with songs like Windowpane, Face of Melinda or Harvest. Opeth have many really good songs that doesn't have harsh vocals, the problem with this new stuff (new single and Heritage) is that it's just not on that level.
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I just enjoy the laid backness if it. Its not in your face, but its a nice calm vibe.
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Yeah you're right, it doesn't sound like the Opeth I've come to love, but it also doesn't sound like Opeth(because ya know they've been a progressive death metal all this time before becoming knock off stale 70's prog masturbation) , but some knock off 70's shit. I'm okay with bands making radical changes as long as the quality is there, and I don't hear the quality with what Opeth have changed to.
Just because it's what they're recently doing doesn't mean I have to accept it, just like they don't have to give a shit that I think they're destroying their legacy. It's fine if you like it, but don't tell me to not voice my dislike, I'm a fan who's sad to see a band turn into something I find very stale and boring. Props to you for enjoying it though brah.
The thing is, while I am enjoying it, I still think the older stuff is better; Heritage was my least favorite Opeth record since the first two. I just like Akerfeldt's attitude, which is essentially, "I am gonna make the kind of music I want, regardless of what the fans want." Far too many musicians pander to their fans, instead of staying true to themselves, and regardless of the results, you have to admire Akerfeldt for not pandering. Having said all of that, I do hope that this new album is a step or two up from Heritage (which, again, I liked a lot, but didn't love).
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I liked the song way better on second listen. It has a lot going for it but my favorite thing about it is that it's cohesive instead of the weird and disjointed approach on Heritage.
Also, as simple as it is, that chorus is very strong for some reason. It works with the groove. Which is a very nice groove by the way.
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Yeah you're right, it doesn't sound like the Opeth I've come to love, but it also doesn't sound like Opeth(because ya know they've been a progressive death metal all this time before becoming knock off stale 70's prog masturbation) , but some knock off 70's shit. I'm okay with bands making radical changes as long as the quality is there, and I don't hear the quality with what Opeth have changed to.
Just because it's what they're recently doing doesn't mean I have to accept it, just like they don't have to give a shit that I think they're destroying their legacy. It's fine if you like it, but don't tell me to not voice my dislike, I'm a fan who's sad to see a band turn into something I find very stale and boring. Props to you for enjoying it though brah.
I just like Akerfeldt's attitude, which is essentially, "I am gonna make the kind of music I want, regardless of what the fans want." Far too many musicians pander to their fans, instead of staying true to themselves, and regardless of the results, you have to admire Akerfeldt for not pandering.
+1
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Finally got around to listening to Cusp of Eternity. I like it. Definitely better than most of the stuff on Heritage (I'd say that Folklore still beats it slightly). Digging the slightly Arabian/Oriental/whatever scale that is being used... phrygian, I think? Either way, awesome song!
Also, to somewhat chime into the debate: I wouldn't mind growls returning, but with the songs that Mikael is currently writing, they wouldn't fit, and I like his clean singing, so I am okay with this.
EDIT: Forgot to mention that the solo is awesomesauce.
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I like it. Definitely sounds more like Opeth's style than Heritage did. (And I liked Heritage) Sounds like a continuation of where Watershed could have gone.
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I was about to post the same thing, Pyroph. It definitely sounds like an awesomely twisted evolution of the Heritage direction fused with the Watershed mentality and atmosphere. :tup
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This song brings back the slightly epic, dark vibe of their older records. You can hear Heritage, but it definitely acknowledges Ghost Reveries and Blackwater Park as well.
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official stream: https://metalhammer.teamrock.com/news/2014-06-02/exclusive-hear-the-first-track-from-the-new-opeth-album (https://metalhammer.teamrock.com/news/2014-06-02/exclusive-hear-the-first-track-from-the-new-opeth-album)
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I'm not a huge Opeth fan, but that song wasn't too bad. I honestly think the instrumental break was my favorite part though, the vocals were a little bland.
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Finally heard the new song. I really like it, more than anything from Heritage. Definitely looking forward to this album now.
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I'm not really sure what to think about it, from one listen. I like it but don't love it. It seemed actually somewhat more generic than anything else I've heard from Opeth, though it's not too generic, and that feeling could fade. At the moment, I would say that it only beats Slither from Heritage. But I really like Heritage, so that isn't to say that the new song is bad. And of course it isn't to say that I won't like it better with more exposure (though realistically I probably won't listen to it again until I get the actual CD).
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Finally heard the song! Didn't like it that much , but it's far better than Heritage :P
I have to say that this is the first time I thought that Åkerfeldt's vocals doesn't sound very good :-\
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I just love how "all over the map" the reaction is. People who didn't like Heritage like it, people who liked Heritage disliking it. People who didn't like Heritage hating this just as much or more, people who loved Heritage and thinking this is good. Some people with a more indifferent reaction.
I'm not seeing any real pattern here, and I think that's awesome. :metal
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I think it's safe to say that this album will probably have the same lukewarm reception that Heritage did. Some will love it, some will dislike it, and overall it will probably have fairly medium ratings on sites like Sputnikmusic and RYM.
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Yeah, I have no problem with Opeth changing their musical direction.. I didn't like Heritage at all, but It's great that Opeth wants to move forward.
I don't have high expectations for the new album but I'm still gonna get it and hope for the best :)
Am I the only one who thinks that Mikael's clean vocals have been getting weaker?
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You're not alone in that regard, his voice sounds like it's getting weaker.
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Nice song but to my ears nothing really special, a few interesting melody lines, but very repetitive and somewhat hypnotic background. The vocals seem a bit buried but maybe it's just preview quality, I don't know. The simple pattern structure, a few vocal intervals, and the overall mood immediately reminded me of Heir Of A Dying Day by Lacuna Coil, there are quite a few similarities. Oh and I obviously liked the line "stare at a scene from a memory". :biggrin:
Greetings...
Nef
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Am I the only one who thinks that Mikael's clean vocals have been getting weaker?
If they are, then it makes his decision to not do growls anymore even smarter. Growling has probably already sped up the process of when his voice will weaken, so why keep doing them and speeding up the process even more?
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The drums sounds totally off beat in the new single, and not in a good way.
Maybe its just me. Everything just sounds off during the verses, by maybe a 16th note or so
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Finally heard the new song. I really like it, more than anything from Heritage. Definitely looking forward to this album now.
Same feeling over here.
Kind of disappointed by the content of the box set or 2cd. I would of loved a making of documentary.
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The drums sounds totally off beat in the new single, and not in a good way.
Maybe its just me. Everything just sounds off during the verses, by maybe a 16th note or so
I hear what you mean, the snare is a milli second after the beat making it sound a bit choppy.
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Finally heard the new song. I really like it, more than anything from Heritage. Definitely looking forward to this album now.
Same feeling over here.
Kind of disappointed by the content of the box set or 2cd. I would of loved a making of documentary.
Where are you finding the boxset and 2cd info?
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Preorder info is up on RR webstore, also a bit disappointed by the options they have. the deluxe with 3 7" singles is cool, but id rather have the full album on vinyl as well. the box set for live at royal albert hall is much better for the price
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So the new song (Eternal Rains Will Come) was much more interesting than the first song IMO. A step up. Now I feel a bit more positive about the album again.
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Cool! I also found it a lot more interesting than the first. A lot more going on than in the first one. The vocals aren't all that interesting- kind of samey, I think- but everything else is a step up for me. :tup
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Well that one was a lot better than CoE and better than most of Heritage. The intro is a bit too similar to The Grand Conjuration but that isn't a huge deal for me. Otherwise I really love the Damnation vibe it's giving off. Can't wait to hear the other 6 songs!
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Am I the only one who thinks that Mikael's clean vocals have been getting weaker?
I think his clean vocals have improved with every record that they've released. So we must be focusing on different aspects of his voice.
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Now THAT is more like it! Eternal Rains is wayyy better than Cusp. That's what I was expecting based on what Mikael described....kind of a combination of Watershed and Heritage. Excellent! :tup
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Eternal Rains instantly clicked with me unlike Cusp which is only starting to grow on me. Eternal Rains should've been the first single IMO. :tup
I'm curious to know if anyone pre-order Pale Communion yet. If so, which format? I went for the box set, even though I wish it included the vinyl as well, but I have $50 to spend so why not?
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Am I the only one who thinks that Mikael's clean vocals have been getting weaker?
I think his clean vocals have improved with every record that they've released. So we must be focusing on different aspects of his voice.
Or there's just a difference in opinions?
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Am I the only one who thinks that Mikael's clean vocals have been getting weaker?
I think his clean vocals have improved with every record that they've released. So we must be focusing on different aspects of his voice.
Or there's just a difference in opinions?
That's the point I was trying to make. :lol
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You presented in a manner that seemed condescending and as if only one of you was listening to it rightly. My bad :P
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Am I the only one who thinks that Mikael's clean vocals have been getting weaker?
I think his clean vocals have improved with every record that they've released. So we must be focusing on different aspects of his voice.
Or there's just a difference in opinions?
That's the point I was trying to make. :lol
Haha, Could be :D
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I too think he's gotten better; I love his clean singing so much more than anything that was sung clean pre-Heritage. Not that he was bad back then or that it's even dramatically different, but to me he sounds 'tighter' in his singing now, more refined.
Oh and Eternal Rains is FUCKING GORGEOUS! Absolutely awesome fusion of the past and new ideas. Definitely know what Akerfeldt was talking about when he said this was more harmonious than Heritage, and it works so well. I have a feeling I'm gonna be bonerfied when this album hits. My body... it is ready.
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Ok, I instantly loved Eternal Rains Will Come. Wow! That's much more like the Heritage-Watershed combination. It's really, really good!
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According to Wiki, Martin Lopez did the drumming on Goblin and Voice of Treason! :omg: :metal
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I like the new song much more than Cusp Of Eternity, but some of the riffs and melodies felt a little too familiar :-\
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I haven't heard it yet, but if you guys say it's better than Cusp then I'm in for a treat since I really like that one!
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According to Wiki, Martin Lopez did the drumming on Goblin and Voice of Treason! :omg: :metal
I won't believe that unless Wiki has a reliable source :P
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According to Wiki, Martin Lopez did the drumming on Goblin and Voice of Treason! :omg: :metal
I won't believe that unless Wiki has a reliable source :P
Yeah, I dunno where they got it from but I really hope it's true.
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I believe Axenrot said so in an interview.
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Eternal Rains Will Come Sounds pretty good o___o Much better than Cusp....
Here the vocals doesn't sound that "bad" imo.... I'm getting pretty damn hyped about this album now!!
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Yep, I definitely like this new song more than the first one. The instrumentation is much more interesting and creative and the vocals are better but still not great, IMO. Certainly a step in the right direction though.
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The first minute of Eternal Rains made me want to play Doom and Doom II right away.
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:lol I thought the exact same. Plus I've been in a Doom mood recently with Wolfenstein coming out and the pre-orders getting the new Doom Beta access. AHHH! Now I want both new Doom and new Opeth REAAAAAAAAAAAL bad. :metal (https://www.ramanon.com/images/smilies/doom.gif)
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I won't listen to Eternal Rains until it gets released officially, but the comments sound promising. I'm disappointed at the lack of interesting extras in the special edition, but I don't have a Bluray player anyway so I'm not missing out on much.
re: the Lopez rumor... I won't believe anything until I see his name in the album booklet or read an intie where a band member confirms it.
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Eternal Rains is classic Opeth. I listened to Cusp of Eternity after, man, this albums going to be good. The cymbals at the end of Cusp are crisp.
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Beginning = Grand Conjuration as elevator music
middle = some merely decent noodling and the piano reminds me of another song, but I can't remember what song.
end = Oh it ended? I'd fallen asleep nearly.
The guitar solo was decent, but nothing I haven't heard a thousand times before. Vocals are weak as fuck. Don't think I'm going to bother picking up this album, it's obviously some more masturbating to pent up sexual thoughts about the 70's.
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Hmm this is going to need plenty of spins before I like it, while Cusp instantly grabbed me. I'm sure I'll like this one too eventually.
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Listened to Eternal Rains once... Didn't really grab me much. I think I might actually like Cusp Of Eternity better.
I was kinda hoping they would be turning down the blatant 70s influence on this one, but judging from these two songs that doesn't seem to be the case.
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I listened to Eternal Rains and my opinion is that the first minute and last 30 seconds were interesting but all the stuff between is just, how can I say it nicely, boring. I hear The Grand Conjuration similarities, like TGC with 70's sounds.
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Nope. Just not feeling it. My problem with Opeth remains not that they're abandoning death metal sounds, but that the songs just don't grab me and I heard much better songs like this, ya know, back in the 70s. As I keep saying, Opeth can do whatever they want, but if it doesn't interest me, I don't have to listen to it. And I'm not.
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I couldn't resist so I listened to Eternal Rains and it's awesome! :metal The part where the harmonized vocals come in reminds me of Porcupine Tree.
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Honestly, "Cusp of Eternity" impressed me much more than "Eternal
Disappointment Rains," which sounds like just more noodly, boring, 70's prog-worship porn in the style of Heritage. Not very exciting but perhaps the song will grow on me in time, but at this point it really just strikes me as a much less impressive and immediate "Devils Orchard" (which is an okay song). I'm still going to get the album (unless another sucky song leaks or something) but I'm hoping that "Eternal Rains" is just an out-of-place clunker and not indicative of the quality of the entire album.
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I'm hoping that "Eternal Rains" is just an out-of-place clunker and not indicative of the quality of the entire album.
I honestly think Eternal Rains will be more representative of the album than Cusp.
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I'm hoping that "Eternal Rains" is just an out-of-place clunker and not indicative of the quality of the entire album.
I honestly think Eternal Rains will be more representative of the album than Cusp.
You're likely right, but I can still hope. :)
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more noodly 70's prog-worship porn in the style of Heritage.
Yes please.
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Yeah. I really didn't like the two songs released so far. :tdwn
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Hmm this is going to need plenty of spins before I like it, while Cusp instantly grabbed me. I'm sure I'll like this one too eventually.
It was the exact opposite for me; Cusp is still growing on me but I instantly loved Eternal Rains Will Come.
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Nope. Just not feeling it. My problem with Opeth remains not that they're abandoning death metal sounds, but that the songs just don't grab me and I heard much better songs like this, ya know, back in the 70s.
This.
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Proshot footage of the Rock am Ring show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rsZdjGzOpA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rsZdjGzOpA)
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Nope. Just not feeling it. My problem with Opeth remains not that they're abandoning death metal sounds, but that the songs just don't grab me and I heard much better songs like this, ya know, back in the 70s.
This.
So this. Just heard the two songs that are online and nothing struck me real hard. I really don't mind if they remove the Death Metal roots and growls and whatnot, but their music is not as exciting as it used to be.
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When I got into Opeth, one of the things that I found most fascinating was that they were a 'death metal band' that could hit you with beautiful, calm and clean sections once in a while. At that time, I didn't really like death metal vocals at all, but it was the huge contrast that made both sides (heavy/brutal and clean/beautiful) interesting to me. Then, by listening to them often, I learned that the heavy sections (including growls) could be incredibly beautiful as well.
So ofcourse new Opeth isn't going to have such a profound effect on me anymore. But that's okay, I think they still kick ass and I really respect Mikael not liking DM vocals that much anymore. I hope he doesn't have to do them anymore in the future, if he really doesn't like them anymore. That Rock Am Ring concert sounded pretty good, by the way, even the growls. I didn't think it was that much weaker than on the Royal Albert Hall DVD.
Guess I'm going to see them live soon, before they decide to drop the death metal altogether. I have to hear 'Deliverance' and 'Blackwater Park' live, one more time. If they throw in 'Ghost of Perdition' or even 'The Moor' or whatever then I'll die happy.
At the end of the day, if they want to play cheesy 70's prog/Rainbow/Dio stuff, they should totally do it. They're quite good at it. But indeed, not as good as the original bands were.
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I get the feeling that their next tour will be similar to the first couple Heritage tours... i.e. all clean stuff with maybe one or two growly songs at the end. :-\
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Glad I've seen them for each of the last three albums so I won't be too bothered if their lack of a legit setlist prevents me from ever wanting to see them again. The Watershed show featured my favorite song from six of the nine albums they'd released up to that point:
The Night and the Silent Water
Demon of the Fall
Serenity Painted Death
Bleak
Hope Leaves
The Lotus Eater
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I've said it before, but the trend of new/modern bands making retro/70's music is getting pretty stale. While I wasn't a HUGE fan of Steven Wilson's The Raven That Refused to Sing, that was an album that managed to be retro, but still have a modern sound. With a lot of these other bands like Opeth and Pain of Salvation doing that trend, they seem to go for a muddy production to make the album sound even more like it came out from the 70's. The result (IMO) is that the music just sounds horribly outdated. Why can't they have a more modern sound to it, but still write the music in the same style?
Still, I think the new album could be cool. I'm cautiously excited for it I guess. I have no hopes that it will be one of my favorites of the year, but after Heritage (probably the "worst" Opeth album to date), I have a feeling this album will be slightly better.
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The intro to Eternal Rains honestly sounded more boring-generic-70s-tribute than anything on Heritage, to me. I'm sincerely hoping the rest of the album is a bit more interesting.
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:corn
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I'm just going to ignore all this and buy the album when it comes out and judge it from there.
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The wide range of opinions is fascinating to me. People loving on Cusp and not liking Rains. People loving Rains and mehing on Cusp. People liking the new stuff more than Heritage. People thinking Heritage is good, but this is boring. People not liking either of the songs. People loving them both. People who prefer pre-Heritage material. People who like Opeth more now that they've gone to an all clean style.
Just based on the vast array of reactions alone, I'm inclined to say Michael is a complete genius.
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Just based on the vast array of reactions alone, I'm inclined to say Michael is a complete genius.
:lol Isn't that how it works?
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I'm just going to ignore all this and buy the album when it comes out and judge it from there.
:tup
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I feel kinda bad for Mikael though. If he and his family received death threats over Heritage, that kind of shit probably won't stop if Opeth continue down the line making albums like this. It's a shame because he's a musician and he should be able to make the kind of music he wants. It's one thing for us to discuss it, and some people might not be happy with the direction or the result, but when you get to the stage of death threats, that's just messed up.
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I feel kinda bad for Mikael though. If he and his family received death threats over Heritage, that kind of shit probably won't stop if Opeth continue down the line making albums like this. It's a shame because he's a musician and he should be able to make the kind of music he wants. It's one thing for us to discuss it, and some people might not be happy with the direction or the result, but when you get to the stage of death threats, that's just messed up.
Agreed. It's ok to be passionate about a band, but being obsessed to the point of threatening to kill a musician, when he writes music that doesn't please you, is just sick.
EDIT:
Proshot footage of the Rock am Ring show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rsZdjGzOpA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rsZdjGzOpA)
Looks like Mendez shaved his head :eek Mikael's growls sound pretty good, although he avoids the higher screams.
I get the feeling that their next tour will be similar to the first couple Heritage tours... i.e. all clean stuff with maybe one or two growly songs at the end. :-\
I don't think so... I mean, obviously they'll be promoting the new album, and I doubt there won't be anything from Damnation or Heritage, so of course most of the songs won't be death metal, but I think a third or so of the set will be stuff with growls, because they did a growl-free tour already. Songs like When and Serenity Painted Death haven't been played in over 5 years, so this would be a good time to bring them back. Perhaps they'll even premiere Beneath the Mire?
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People are always talkng about how different the earlier albums are, but I'm listening to Morningrise for the first time right now, and i think it sounds amazing...and really not very different from SL or BWP to my ears at all.
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there are some great ideas, riffs, passages, etc on those early albums. And a great mix of most of the qualities that can be found in "classic Opeth" albums. The only real difference I detect is that they had not perfected the transitions between the various styles and sections. Their growth in that area over the first three albums is striking.
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Looks like Mendez shaved his head :eek
NOOOOOO he looks like Charlie Day now :facepalm:
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What do you mean now? He always has, now he's just his twin. :lol
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Looks like he borrowed inspiration from Niklas the bassist of Katatonia who also cut his hair recently. :lol
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Guess I'll post it in this thread, MP is interested in collaborating with Åkerfeldt. Nothing new really.
https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/mike_portnoy_interested_in_collaborating_with_opeths_akerfeldt_would_love_to_lets_go_man.html
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People are always talkng about how different the earlier albums are, but I'm listening to Morningrise for the first time right now, and i think it sounds amazing...and really not very different from SL or BWP to my ears at all.
I love the first 2 albums, possibly more than MAYH and SL
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Guess I'll post it in this thread, MP is interested in collaborating with Åkerfeldt. Nothing new really.
https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/mike_portnoy_interested_in_collaborating_with_opeths_akerfeldt_would_love_to_lets_go_man.html
Yeah, I think the bigger news would be if Åkerfeldt was interested, which seems pretty unlikely.
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I think Mikael would be open to the idea, but his schedule is pretty hectic so I doubt it'll ever happen.
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Still Life is still the only good Opeth album.
#DebateMe
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I honestly find Still Life to be in the bottom three or four Opeth albums.
I know, I know...
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I honestly find Still Life to be in the bottom three or four Opeth albums.
Me too.
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I honestly find Still Life to be in the bottom three or four Opeth albums.
Me too.
So do I.
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It's at least in my bottom ten.
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Yeah Still Life is their best without a doubt. But it's not their only good album, far from it.
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Yeah Still Life is their best without a doubt. But it's not their only good album, far from it.
I just can't get into any of their other albums.
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Yeah Still Life is their best without a doubt. But it's not their only good album, far from it.
I just can't get into any of their other albums.
I'm sorry for your loss.
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Yeah Still Life is their best without a doubt. But it's not their only good album, far from it.
I just can't get into any of their other albums.
I'm not even really that much into Opeth. I just find it hard to believe anyone could actually like any of Opeth's harsh vocal material, and not like Blackwater Park. Does...not...compute.
I got really hard core into harsh vocals back in the old school days of bands like Death, Obituary...etc...etc... They didn't bother me, but for me they got very monotonous VERY quickly. I have always loved variety, and always been bored by repetition ad nauseum. (one exception...AC/DC...I have no idea why...but I even get sick of them after I've binged for a day or two) Harsh vocals just don't have enough variety for me. But this newer (relative to me) trend of clean and harsh vocals together ads a lot of dynamic. I love it.
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I'd say Still life is, probably... top one.
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I'd say Still Life has been overtaken by BWP as #1 for me, but it's a very close number two.
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Yeah Still Life is their best without a doubt. But it's not their only good album, far from it.
I just can't get into any of their other albums.
I'm not even really that much into Opeth. I just find it hard to believe anyone could actually like any of Opeth's harsh vocal material, and not like Blackwater Park. Does...not...compute.
I got really hard core into harsh vocals back in the old school days of bands like Death, Obituary...etc...etc... They didn't bother me, but for me they got very monotonous VERY quickly. I have always loved variety, and always been bored by repetition ad nauseum. (one exception...AC/DC...I have no idea why...but I even get sick of them after I've binged for a day or two) Harsh vocals just don't have enough variety for me. But this newer (relative to me) trend of clean and harsh vocals together ads a lot of dynamic. I love it.
Still Life has an interesting story that the music, melodies, vocals and all of that jazz do a perfect job of conveying. Everything else just seems...underwhelming. Damnation is okay, however.
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Opeth is one of the only harsh vocals bands that I can listen to. It's because of what snapple listed that pulls me in.
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I have no problem with harsh vocals but I have to say that Opeth are pretty straight forward and slightly boring even with their use of vocals. Like it's either growl or cleans, and the growls sound very much the same in the songs that has growls, and the cleans sound mostly the same. I don't mean this as something bad, but I guess I would say Opeth are very very VERY straight-forward and basic with their use of vocals. They're not really that extreme or out there to be honest. If Opeth is a problem getting into, then you'll miss out on a lot of bands far more interesting vocal-wise. And I think Opeth shouldn't be too hard to get into really. The vocals are pretty basic.
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I think I like their growl more compared to the "screamo" growls. That's just the old fart in my though.
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I think I like their growl more compared to the "screamo" growls. That's just the old fart in my though.
Nah, I feel the same way man. I can't stand "screamo" growls either.
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People are always talkng about how different the earlier albums are, but I'm listening to Morningrise for the first time right now, and i think it sounds amazing...and really not very different from SL or BWP to my ears at all.
I love the first 2 albums, possibly more than MAYH and SL
Morningrise isn't just my favorite Opeth album, it's in my top 10 ever. :metal
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I think I like their growl more compared to the "screamo" growls. That's just the old fart in my though.
Nah, I feel the same way man. I can't stand "screamo" growls either.
Same here.
I don't find Mikael's harsh vocals too monotonous, 'cause he often varies the pitch from low growls to high screams. However, as you can hear from the recent Rock am Ring recording, he avoids screams nowadays, going with growls all the way, which might sound pretty one-dimensional on a studio album.
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The thing I adore about Mikael's vocals is how menacing and evil he can sound with his growls and yet how beautiful and haunting he can be with his clean vocals. The best showcase of this, IMO, is Blackwater Park. He may not be an experimental vocalist, but there's no way you could not be satisfied by his delivery.
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https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/opeth_progressive_metals_doing_quite_well_today_a_lot_of_it_has_to_do_with_dream_theater.html (https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/opeth_progressive_metals_doing_quite_well_today_a_lot_of_it_has_to_do_with_dream_theater.html)
Opeth frontman Mikael Akerfeld shared an optimistic stance about the current state of prog music, attributing a lot of its popularity today to Dream Theater.
Chatting with Team Rock after receiving the Metal God award at this year's Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards, Mikael acknowledged that prog is coming back to the foreground these days.
"I think Dream Theater has a lot to do with that," he said. "When they came out in the early '90s, they spawned a lot of bands, younger guys who started playing. We were a death metal band at the time."
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Mikael knows what's up. :tup
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I preordered the CD + T-shirt bundle of Pale Communion :metal I have no use for the bonus Bluray, but whatever... :P
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Boy have I been living under a rock for a while and not keeping up on the music scene. Just heard Cusp of Eternity and Eternal Rains Will Come for the first time. It think it's an improvement over anything I heard off of Heritage, but it's still nothing like I want to hear from them. I won't spite Mikael for deciding to go in a different direction. Whether it's because he has a hard time doing the death vox or he has just grown tired of it or grown out of that phase of his life, that's fine, it's just disappointing for me.
I can live without the death metal in Opeth music since they Akerfeldt has written some truly beautiful tunes, but the songs now seem to lack the wide range of contrasts and juxtaposition, the mesmerizing transitions and a general lack of hooks. I'll still probably pick up CoE, but can't say I'm looking forward to it like I would any past Opeth album. Having said that, I think there is promise in the album being good for what it is and there was some really cool idea's and things I liked in both songs. Had Opeth broken up and Akerfledt started a new band I would probably really be digging this, it's just hard for me to get excited for this over the legacy that the name Opeth brings to the table.
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You can label it in your music player as Opet
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Yup agreed, he should have kept Opeth, Opeth and stuff such as Heriturd and the new one, be a solo project, or issued under a different name.
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oh dear, not this again
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Steven Wilson should have kept Porcupine Tree Porcupine Tree and released In Absentia under a different name.
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oh dear, not this again
Seriously. Who cares what name it is released under? The only purpose it would serve to release it under a different name would be to appease those who can't handle the fact that Opeth has undergone dramatic stylistic change and are unable to approach each album with a 'clean slate' mentality. Because at the end of the day, if this is what Opeth wants to do, then this is what Opeth will do; and the name attached to the product means next to nothing as far as I'm concerned.
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Yeah the name thing is silly. You have many bands who continue making the same kind of album 40 times and get progressively worse, and you have bands who try to change style. Is there really a difference in Opeth making Heritage (which was mostly mixed reviews) or a shitty progressive death metal album? Both would be disappointments anyways.
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oh dear, not this again
Seriously. Who cares what name it is released under? The only purpose it would serve to release it under a different name would be to appease those who can't handle the fact that Opeth has undergone dramatic stylistic change and are unable to approach each album with a 'clean slate' mentality. Because at the end of the day, if this is what Opeth wants to do, then this is what Opeth will do; and the name attached to the product means next to nothing as far as I'm concerned.
Yeah the name thing is silly. You have many bands who continue making the same kind of album 40 times and get progressively worse, and you have bands who try to change style. Is there really a difference in Opeth making Heritage (which was mostly mixed reviews) or a shitty progressive death metal album? Both would be disappointments anyways.
Amen.
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If Heritage was released under a different band name it would still suck just as much, but less people would care. At least for me, changing the band name wouldn't suddenly allow me to see Heritage in a new, more positive light.
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If Heritage was released under a different band name it would still suck just as much, but less people would care.
This is what I'm getting at. Suddenly Opeth's name isn't tarnished to many and fans who extremely dislike Opeth's sudden jerk off direction into 70's prog porn don't are, because it's just Mike exploring another outlet, sorry if some of you find that "Fucking Stupid".
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I really don't see how Heritage is some vastly different and unexpected musical direction. Hints of it are all over Opeth's older works, especially Ghost Reveries and Watershed. I'm listening to Hours of Wealth right now, and the song reminds me a lot of Heritage and specifically Famine. A lot. There are parts even on Blackwater Park that sound like Heritage. Heritage is Mikael basically stripping out the metal and focusing largely on one or two aspects of his style.
All this is not to say that you have to like Heritage (though I do, a lot) or to imply something negative about you if you don't, because I don't believe in doing that. I just mean to say... it's not like they started playing fucking polka or house music or something. They definitely changed their music in a noticeable way, no question, but there's still a lot of elements in the new songs that are in older songs too, and besides, they've been foreshadowing this change for at least two albums.
And besides that, note my quip about In Absentia above. It was a joke, but there's some truth in it. I think the only reason no one ever really had that conversation is because In Absentia was pretty much universally heralded as an amazing album. If it had been less well-received... I would bet that plenty of people would say "I wish Steven had made a new project to do the metal stuff and kept Porcupine Tree the way it was."
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I don't really feel like starting this whole debate again when I'm obviously one of the few who feel the way I do.
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Okay, that's cool.
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DC, as a fan that does not like growls on a whole, I do agree the last album was underwhelming for Opeth. I'll reserve judgment on the next album until I hear it.
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I like growls, but don't mind the lack of growls in Opeth. Having said that, I didn't enjoy Heritage not for that reason but I'm not sure why. Just don't enjoy it. But i totally can see why some people love it, and the vocals are impressive AF.
Im really expecting Pale Communion, and for what i've already heard I think i'm gonna love it ;D
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If Heritage was released under a different band name it would still suck just as much, but less people would care.
This is what I'm getting at. Suddenly Opeth's name isn't tarnished to many and fans who extremely dislike Opeth's sudden jerk off direction into 70's prog porn don't are, because it's just Mike exploring another outlet, sorry if some of you find that "Fucking Stupid".
I don't see how Opeth's name should be "tarnished". As was pointed out, if they'd released an album that was stylistically the same as their older stuff (which itself changed quite a bit, but that's a separate point) but the same as Heritage in terms of songwriting and general reception, why should that be any better?
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Not up to discuss it, if you go back and read all of those long paragraphs I wrote last month or so, you'd at least see my point, even if you don't agree with it. I've explained plenty before, and don't really feel like typing it all out again just for you guys to insult my opinion.
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For what it's worth (not much), I wasn't trying to insult your opinion. I think it's a perfectly reasonable opinion and I wouldn't be upset in the slightest if all future albums were released under a different moniker. I guess the biggest thing for me is that it wouldn't make too much of a difference to me if Mikael Akerfeldt released a terrible album as 'Opeth' or as anything else and I wouldn't listen to it either way. My apathy about the name is, I'm sure, rooted in the fact that I was likely never as invested in Opeth's music as you were/are.
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I think if Heritage didn't have the '70's style production, it'd be appreciated more.
But that production style gives it its charm, or in this case eerieness to the point of being an uncomfortable listen. Which is what I consider to be Opeth, beauty in evil.
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It's not the production, it's the lack of anything going on for over 70% of the album but mindless noodling and jerking off.
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The way you word your thoughts....
Anyways, I don't get what you meab by jerking off, cause I don't hear that at all, just melodys with nice bass grooves and drums.
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I guess I meant jerking off to the 70's, but it just reeks of trying way to hard to emulate some 70's bands with bad results.
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Maybe I have a leg up in liking this album because I am not familiar with any of the bands it supposedly emulates, but still, I think this is really fantastic disc. The only song that I don't enjoy that much is Slither, but the other 9 songs are all fantastic to my ear. Especially Folklore. :heart
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I'm curious, what bands would you consider them trying emulate?
Also, I enjoy heritage but not all the songs. I don't like The Devils Orchard, the one song considered good.
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I can't really name any bands, but it just feels like recycled, weak as fuck 70's prog, save for The Devil's Orchard, I Feel The Dark, and Nepenthe.
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I guess he wore his influences a bit too much on his sleeve, for you.
Honestly, if Opeth did release this as something like Opeth presents, or just put it under a new project name, the concerts wouldn't have been as bad with the fans.
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I guess I meant jerking off to the 70's, but it just reeks of trying way to hard to emulate some 70's bands with bad results.
I kinda agree to this. The same is happening to Steven Wilson last record.
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I guess I meant jerking off to the 70's, but it just reeks of trying way to hard to emulate some 70's bands with bad results.
I kinda agree to this. The same is happening to Steven Wilson last record.
As much it pains me to say it since I'm a hardcore Steven Wilson fan, it's obvious he's evolving into the thing he loathed 20 years ago.
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Obviously.
:| :corn Opinions. Who KNEW they could be so fun!?
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Well, maybe that was a wrong choice of words on my part. But, I agree with some about the '70s prog influence on the last Opeth and Steven Wilson records. It's a hit or miss thing.
Moving on...
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IMO Steven Wilson knows what he's doing, you can hear his influences clearly, but his music feels very fresh.
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I can't really name any bands, but it just feels like recycled, weak as fuck 70's prog, save for The Devil's Orchard, I Feel The Dark, and Nepenthe.
Okay, posts like this do not help your cause.
You: Heritage sounds like a bunch of 70s prog bands.
Someone else: What bands?
You: I don't know.
See what I mean?
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To me, Heritage sounds like a 70s prog rock album quite a bit, you can hear influences from several bands, but overall it's not like it sounds exactly like a Camel or a VdGG album. It's its own thing.
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I think both Opeth and Steven Wilson are sadly wearing their influences a bit too much on their sleeves, the main difference IMO is that SW's last two albums (especially GFD) are great albums, where Heritage is an okay album that just feels like a homage to other bands, without bringing anything good to the table. If you want to make a homage kind of album with music that plays to your influences, you're gonna have to outshine that fact by making some quality music to compensate for it. IMO it's hard to defend an album that has zero originality and not much quality to compensate with.
And with the case of Heritage it's not like Mikael went out and ripped off one or two bands. This is a bit of a side story, but follow me for a moment. Here in Sweden, in our biggest Rock/Metal magazine, Mikael has a column each month where he recommends one of his favorite albums. These albums are often Progressive Rock albums from the 70's, and often bands that aren't the biggest of the classics, but some bands like Goblin, Camel and a bunch of other, more unknown and obscure bands. While I haven't looked up entire discographies or albums by any of these bands, I have looked up a few individual songs for some of them, and you can really hear many of those influences on Heritage. It's not as easy as with SW when you can joke about him making a King Crimson/Jethro Tull cover-band, in the case with Opeth the influences are A. more bands B. more obscure/unknown bands. The influences are still there and they are kinda apparent.
But in the end it does come down to originality and/or quality. Why listen to an album that mimics much better albums, unless that album has really good quality to back it up with?
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I really don't see how Heritage is some vastly different and unexpected musical direction. Hints of it are all over Opeth's older works, especially Ghost Reveries and Watershed. I'm listening to Hours of Wealth right now, and the song reminds me a lot of Heritage and specifically Famine. A lot. There are parts even on Blackwater Park that sound like Heritage. Heritage is Mikael basically stripping out the metal and focusing largely on one or two aspects of his style.
:iagree:
If we use Cusp of Eternity as a fresh example, it has an Arabic vibe like a lot of older Opeth songs, and the wordless vocals in the chorus remind me of Master's Apprentices and Ghost of Perdition.
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I can't really name any bands, but it just feels like recycled, weak as fuck 70's prog, save for The Devil's Orchard, I Feel The Dark, and Nepenthe.
Okay, posts like this do not help your cause.
You: Heritage sounds like a bunch of 70s prog bands.
Someone else: What bands?
You: I don't know.
See what I mean?
If a band started putting out Nu Metal that was recycled, I could tell you it sounds recycled as fuck without knowing many bands.
I can't place bands, but Heritage sounds like a montage of shit or trying to hard to be something I've already heard or something a friend who listens to more 70's music has shown me.
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If we use Cusp of Eternity as a fresh example, it has an Arabic vibe like a lot of older Opeth songs, and the wordless vocals in the chorus remind me of Master's Apprentices and Ghost of Perdition.
I thought I was the only one who thought there was a bit of an Arabic vibe with some of Opeth's songs, especially on Cusp of Eternity.
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If we use Cusp of Eternity as a fresh example, it has an Arabic vibe like a lot of older Opeth songs, and the wordless vocals in the chorus remind me of Master's Apprentices and Ghost of Perdition.
I thought I was the only one who thought there was a bit of an Arabic vibe with some of Opeth's songs, especially on Cusp of Eternity.
Haxprocess has an arabic vibe to me in the arpeggiated section.
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Well, I suppose I'm in the minority that really loved Heritage, although I completely understand why an Opeth fan wouldn't.
I've read some stellar reviews regarding Pale Communion, especially for those who didn't take to Heritage very kindly. My initial impression for PC is not very good, save for the first and last two songs, though.
I'll be curious to get all of your opinions, once you get around to checking it out.
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It's such a bland, forgettable album
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I just finished it and I really loved it for the most part. It's definitely more robust, dynamic and got a lot more oomph than Heritage by far and away. I don't think it'll sway any haters of the new style or people who didn't like that direction but if you were on the edge and just wanted 'more', it might tickle your nipple. There were a few moments I didn't immediately connect with, mainly parts of Moon Above, Sun Below, and some of River but other than that it's very focused and definitely has that classic Opeth-atmosphere; that rainy, misty forest feel...but strays here and there to bring something fresh and different. It does however have moments that really breathe and slows down, though in far less quantity than Heritage; I think it's a great balance, it has a lot more twists and turns.
It's gonna need a lot of plays but I really like it. Even though there's a lot of ups and downs, there's a specific vibe throughout that's very Opeth but still very different, and I like it...it's still ominous and brooding, with moments of light. Goblin is my favorite instrumental in a long time.
Favorite overall is Voice of Treason (Faith In Others is pretty epic too, and the way they flow into each other is perfect). Very awesome feels. I'm gonna love cranking this up on a night drive in November.
Ed: It's a grower to be sure, but the more I play it the more I like it; it's got lots of atmosphere. Elysian Woes. :heart It's a great companion album to Heritage and is a clear evolution of it. The artwork fits a lot better now that I've heard it too.
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Really good album. It's the proper successor to Watershed and much better than Heritage. It has pretty much everything I'd want from an Opeth album: it's cohesive, dynamic, and it has a beautiful, dark atmosphere. This will be on my playlist for a long time to come.
Favorites so far: Eternal Rains Will Come, Cusp of Eternity, Elysian Woes, River, Faith in Others
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I did a proper review of Pale Communion here, where I go track by track:
https://thatdrummerguy.weebly.com/reviews/opeth-pale-communion-2014 (https://thatdrummerguy.weebly.com/reviews/opeth-pale-communion-2014)
It's also in my new Review thread:
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=41939.0 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=41939.0)
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My thoughts on Pale Communion:
The largest disappointment by far is that it's not even terrible. It's not laughably bad, it's not plain terrible, nor is it surprisingly good. Instead, this is the most bland 55 minutes of music I've ever listened to. I can tell you that there's a beginning and an end to the album, but that's about it. It's in no way an album that takes multiple listens because there's new parts to discover with each listen, rather it's an album that takes multiple listens because you can't remember what happened over the past 54 minutes. There are some neat sections hidden in this album, buried six feet deep, that shows Opeth has one or two ideas that still rock, but as soon as they pop up, the angry villagers are on top of it, and bash it back underground, underneath another 4-8 minutes of meandering music. Another thing that I found increasingly funny were the pseudo heavy riffs that Mikael must have put in to attempt to satisfy those who got a sour taste in their mouth from Heritage. But they come across as shallow and don't satisfy whatsoever. Mikael makes some cringeworthy decisions with his vocals as well, and as much as I'd love to point out sections where I think so, I literally couldn't tell you where, all I know is that I cringed at times, and that there was music playing.
Opeth is dead to me, and no it's not because they don't play TEH HEAVYZ WITH TEH HARSHY HARSH VOCALS, it's because they've become a bland as fuck band that sound nothing like themselves.
0/5
I don't like to give 0/5's because it's usually too harsh, but this is one of the first times I've ever felt like I wasted my time listening to music.
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:lol
To each their own, just...wow. (https://www.chicitysports.com/forum/images/smilies/11qmi6t.gif)
River clicked. It's a really interesting track for an album that's so gothic sounding. It's almost lighthearted and it's got some smooth guitar work. It's got it's dark parts but it's like the one shining moment in an album that's made up of mostly obscure, psychedelic brooding moments.
Argh, I kinda wish it had another track or two! Here's hoping they have some b-sides to release..I really, really love the way Voice of Treason sounds...that initial groove of what sounds like strings is very catchy. I might have to get the collector's edition for the art; I also really need to see this one performed live.
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I like the idea of what these albums are (Damnation, Heritage and now Pale Communion) more than the actual albums. The songs just meander along too much, and they all sound the same. No variety on these albums at all and no conciseness either. I don't hate them, I just can't find much of interest in them.
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So basically we have the fanboy camp (aka people who will say this album is a 5/5 no matter what) and we have the total opposite camp with Dark Castle (aka people who will say this album is a 0/5 no matter what).
I haven't had time to hear this yet, but I would imagine I'll end up in the middle of those extremes. Heritage for me was pretty much the average line you draw in between. It wasn't bad, it wasn't great.. it had some good ideas with some flawed execution. Overall slightly dry and dull, but not bad or awful. I could see myself liking Pale Communion more, because Heritage didn't set the bar high, but on the other hand, my interest in the new wave of 70s prog rock revival and how uninspiring it feels listening to recent Opeth, Steven Wilson or Pain of Salvation albums is just not there.
Best case scenario, this is a good little album. But the whole 70s trend is just so stale that there's no way Opeth are gonna top their best albums with this one.
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So basically we have the fanboy camp (aka people who will say this album is a 5/5 no matter what) and we have the total opposite camp with Dark Castle (aka people who will say this album is a 0/5 no matter what).
I'm a fan of Opeth though, I may not like the new direction nearly as much, but I don't see how I'm in the total opposite camp. I'm just a fan who's severely disappointed. I have legitimate reasons as to why, I don't sling zeroes out of fives at bands I totally hate even.
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Sorry, but I don't really understand how you can give a 0/5 and then say you're not in the total opposite camp (regarding the new album) :lol
Anyway, too bad you didn't like it :( I'm going to listen to it when I get the CD, probably not any earlier.
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After one listen, the most memorable aspect for me wasn't the songwriting but the audio quality.
The album sounds amazing. Not excessive dynamics compression, no brickwalling, no clipping. Everything sound natural and the drums pack a decent punch.
I can see myself listening to it a lot over the coming weeks for the sound alone.
The actual music was enjoyable, but not memorable. It's 201x Opeth on autopilot. I'm curious whether the songs will grow on me or get boring, both is possible.
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I Dare To Say but after the second listening, i think it is one of the best opeth albums, alongside Watershed and Still Life... although it has "The Heritage Progginess", the album amazingly captures the Opeth Vibe with dark and almost evil melodies. Moon Above,Sun Below i think might be the new Hessian Peel which is a personal favorite of mine and oh my god what a great haunting song Faith in Others is with amazing use of strings and Mikael's vocals. I can give it a clean 4/5 after second listening and it might increase after multiple listens
:hefdaddy
Moon Above, Sun Below
River
Faith In Others
:metal
Eternal Rains Will Come
Goblin
Voice OF Treason
:-\
Cusp Of Eternity
Elysian Woes
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Sounds like I need to make Pale Communion my first full Opeth album, then.
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So basically we have the fanboy camp (aka people who will say this album is a 5/5 no matter what) and we have the total opposite camp with Dark Castle (aka people who will say this album is a 0/5 no matter what).
I'm a fan of Opeth though, I may not like the new direction nearly as much, but I don't see how I'm in the total opposite camp. I'm just a fan who's severely disappointed. I have legitimate reasons as to why, I don't sling zeroes out of fives at bands I totally hate even.
The last part is the one that has me puzzled though. Having zero interest in what direction a band is taking surely affects your opinion, but doesn't quality as well? I did not care for the direction that SW is taking, and Raven was a disappointment to me in that sense. Still, even though I had zero interest in the musical direction, the album itself is not bad. Now, Raven might be better than Pale Communion, but even if you have zero interest in the direction, giving the album a 0 out of 5 when you state that you don't even give bands you hate that low number, that means you think the new album is that bad. I could understand it if you gave it a 1.5 or 2 out of 5 and said "it's okay for what it is I guess, it's just not my thing".
I mean cool if you don't like it. I haven't even heard it myself, so it might "suck ass". I just didn't follow your reasoning behind giving it a 0, that's all. I've said it before, my interest in new artists making 70s sounding prog rock is at the bottom. Even if this ends up being a good 70s sounding prog rock album, and a fine album for Opeth, it won't come near breaking my top15 albums of the year so far.
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I think it's the most bland album I've ever listened to, a band that I love put it out, and I can't even describe what I listened to because it just went in one ear and out the other, I think at least as far as my reasoning, the 0/5 makes sense.
I fucking hate Nicki Minaj as an artist, but there's a song or two of hers that I actually don't mind if not like. I can find something in her music that I can at the very least latch on to and remember. I couldn't even do that with this album. Nothing in this album stuck with me, I usually take the time walking to school to listen to new albums since I can just immerse myself into them, and I got to school thinking I was only a couple songs in and the album was just about over, and I couldn't remember much if anything about the past 7 songs I'd just listened to. That's worse to me than music I just don't like period, because even with music I just plain don't like, I can at least remember it.
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That's fine, but we're still talking just one listen though, right? An album could always grow on you. But if you hated Heritage and have no interest in the 70s stuff, then I doubt it will. I'm kinda in a similar camp, except I expect that I will like the new Opeth, I just don't think Opeth is that magical band anymore. I'll probably like the new album, but the days when Opeth were my favorite band and put out only strong albums is long gone now.
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When I listened to Heritage for the first time, I didn't really like it, but there were songs such as The Devil's Orchard, I Feel The Dark, and Nepenthe that had me come back because I really liked those, and the rest of the album while it didn't float my boat at first stuck in my head.
I have nothing like that from this album. I remember hearing a moment here and there, but all I know is that they're somewhere in 53 other minutes of music that I can't even remember, and at this point, I can't even remember the small sections I liked a little bit.
I don't want to listen to this more, to see if it grows, I don't want to feel like I've wasted another 55 minutes of my life when I couldn't even remember anything about it the first time I spent listening to it.
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I love how the album just starts off immediately zany and quirky, I had to double check other releases to make sure I didn't have a faulty copy at first. :lol It's great though, it's like they immediately wanted to make a statement about how different this is from Heritage. Eternal Rains is really groovy. I still haven't connected all that much with Moon Above but I like the ending, it's just that first section that's kinda throwing me through a loop.
Zant, where are you getting the fanboy camp from? :lol I have seen zero reviews that are anywhere near close to being fanboy level. Every one of 'em has some comment about how a track doesn't stand out as much and/or they just don't like one or two tracks; even the most glowing reviews. At least here, I'm not sure about any official reviews. '5/5 no matter what'...where? I don't rate anymore, especially a daft number system, but it's definitely not perfect. It's not my favorite Opeth release, but I do like it very much. Cusp has kinda worn on me though, which is to expected, but the novelty has definitely lingered long enough to where it's just not gonna be played as much for a bit.
DC...saying 'Opeth is dead to me' and the borderline-bashing "review" kind of begs the question "Why are you still here"? Which isn't to say I don't want you to not post, but (and I'll say this as lightly as I can for fear of being blasted) with how much negativity and utter 'do not want' your posts have been conveying in this thread for quite some time...I just don't see what you're getting out of this by repeating 'I've wasted time, I don't remember anything, it's unmemorable, I can't recall etc. etc. etc. etc.'. I get that you still like the old material but...I doubt there's gonna be much discussion on old material for a while. It doesn't seem very discussion-worthy to just keep shitting everywhere. That sounds bad but there's really no other way to say how your posts have been coming across (in this thread) recently. There's 'dislike/hate' with a well-thought review detailing the parts not liked and/or constructive criticism (or even just criticism)...and then there's what you've been posting, a whole other level of hate. Something I understand, it really sucks when you want to like an album and just don't, but there's also a point when you gotta ask if enough is enough.
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DC...saying 'Opeth is dead to me' and the borderline-bashing "review" kind of begs the question "Why are you still here"? Which isn't to say I don't want you to not post, but (and I'll say this as lightly as I can for fear of being blasted) with how much negativity and utter 'do not want' your posts have been conveying in this thread for quite some time...I just don't see what you're getting out of this by repeating 'I've wasted time, I don't remember anything, it's unmemorable, I can't recall etc. etc. etc. etc.'. I get that you still like the old material but...I doubt there's gonna be much discussion on old material for a while. It doesn't seem very discussion-worthy to just keep shitting everywhere. That sounds bad but there's really no other way to say how your posts have been coming across (in this thread) recently. There's 'dislike/hate' with a well-thought review detailing the parts not liked and/or constructive criticism (or even just criticism)...and then there's what you've been posting, a whole other level of hate. Something I understand, it really sucks when you want to like an album and just don't, but there's also a point when you gotta ask if enough is enough.
Borderline bashing? Are you fucking kidding me? I posted my thoughts on the album, and it's not bashing just because I'm extremely disappointed. Like I've said multiple times before, while I don't like where Opeth is at all these days, I still love the past 20 years of material before this (don't love Heritage, but I like it sort of) I don't see why I have to stop posting here because it's bullshit to say discussion on the old material won't happen, because it sure as hell will. Pale Commumion will get talked about and then it'll be right back to normal with people talking about older material or whatever.
I have a right to post my opinion, and just because you happen to love what they're doing now, I don't have to, and I have every right to talk about why I don't. I'm not "shitting" all over this thread, and honestly I don't really appreciate you insulting me like that.
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Agreed, Tio, you are out of line with your comments.
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DC, we get it, you really really hate it. That's fine.
But your review and rating does come across as overly extreme on principle. I think a lot of people just find it genuinely hard to believe that you honestly consider the album a 0/5, and it's quite normal for them to question/challenge you over it.
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I agree, the 0/5 review is kind of ridiculous, especially if you were a fan of previous work.
This dense prog is not everyone's cup of tea, but some people really being quite emotional about a band changing their sound. There is no reason to get so hung up and defensive about that.
Also why is Opeth following in the footsteps of Steven Wilson still a surprise to anyone?
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Zantera challenged it, and he and I have been discussing back and forth. Tio told me to stop posting in here because he doesn't like my opinion. I take insult to that.
My opinion isn't just me bashing a band, I spent 55 minutes listening to an album, hoping to find something I could connect to, and I didn't. I'm sick of people telling me that I'm just bashing a band, and that I need to give something multiple listens to come to an opinion about it. It's rubbish and I should be able to post my opinion without people telling me to get out and that I'm just shit posting. Differing opinions are fine and should be encouraged and discussed, but forcing out those who don't agree and telling them they're not welcome just because they have a very different opinion is fucked up.
EDIT: @Skeever
Liking a band's previous work has no bearing on how one will rate their future work.
People love Metallica, and hate St. Anger, what makes this situation any different? (although I do actually like St. Anger heh)
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Nobody is criticising you for hating the album, and I don't even know why you would think that. People have only been commenting on the way you've been stating your opinions.
EDIT: In fact, the only 2 people who even commented on your opinion were Jimmy and Tio (and briefly Onno), and you seem perfectly happy with the discussion you have Jimmy have been having. And having read over Tio's posts again, he didn't tell you to stop posting (in fact he even said he doesn't want you to stop), just that you might not enjoy this thread if you have the new album so much as most of the discussion will be about it.
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Did you not read Tio's post? :|
He's pretty much telling me to stop posting in here, and said I'm bashing the band, when all I am doing is giving an honest review. I'm not insulting members of the band, I'm not insulting people who like this album, I'm giving my honest thoughts on it, and I shouldn't have to put up with people trying to push me out just because they disagree.
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Favorite overall is Voice of Treason (Faith In Others is pretty epic too, and the way they flow into each other is perfect). Very awesome feels. I'm gonna love cranking this up on a night drive in November.
I have a better overall opinion on it after a second listening, but you're absolutely right about the last two tracks. Each time I've listened to the album, I went back and listened to the last two tracks again. Voice of Treason is so f*cking good, and the way it flows into Faith . . . I just have to listen to 'em both.
I feel a little better after a second listen. I don't mind this progression (from Ghost Reveries/Watershed to Heritage/Pale Communion) but I can't help but feel that there's a marriage of these two styles that Mikael could do, and it would be amazing.
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Did you not read Tio's post? :|
He's pretty much telling me to stop posting in here, and said I'm bashing the band, when all I am doing is giving an honest review. I'm not insulting members of the band, I'm not insulting people who like this album, I'm giving my honest thoughts on it, and I shouldn't have to put up with people trying to push me out just because they disagree.
Edited my previous post.
And Tio never said you were bashing the band, only that you posted a "borderline-bashing review". Which isn't exactly a stretch, considering the following:
"this is the most bland 55 minutes of music I've ever listened to"
"another thing that I found increasingly funny were the pseudo heavy riffs that Mikael must have put in to attempt to satisfy those who got a sour taste in their mouth from Heritage"
"Mikael makes some cringeworthy decisions with his vocals as well"
"Opeth is dead to me"
"it's because they've become a bland as fuck band that sound nothing like themselves"
"this is one of the first times I've ever felt like I wasted my time listening to music"
That's hardly a constructive review.
Once again, absolutely any opinion is fine, and if you genuinely give it 0/5, that's cool. But if you're going to use extreme language such as in those quotes, don't be surprised if some people argue back in fairly strong terms (although, I might add, considerably less strong than yours).
Now, everyone play nice and enjoy/hate the new album.
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- How is me saying something was the most bland thing I've ever listened to bashing? Reviewers talk about how bland stuff is all of the time for movies, and I've read plenty of professional reviews in music magazines that are much more harsh than mine.
- I did find it funny, they felt tacked in to me, or in the most positive light shallow, again IMO.
- I thought some of the choices he made vocally were cringe worthy, don't see how this is bashing, it's once again, IMO.
- I guess that's a little strong, but any future expectations for albums are now six feet under, they're not a band I will ever buy first and listen later again.
- Once again, the reason for above is how that I find them to have become a stale, bland band that don't capture my attention any more, IMO
- That is genuinely how I felt, it's not bashing to say something like that, people talk about how they wasted their time with things all the time and it's not bashing then, nor is it now.
My reviews are just a reflection of what I heard, and while it may be negative, it's a review that accurately portrays my thoughts on the album and where I am with the band at this time.
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DC, on this forum you're gonna get worse reactions criticizing Opeth in the Opeth thread or Steven Wilson in the Steven Wilson thread than Dream Theater anywhere on the forum, because that's just the way it is :lol
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My thoughts on Pale Communion:
The largest disappointment by far is that it's not even terrible. It's not laughably bad, it's not plain terrible, nor is it surprisingly good. Instead, this is the most bland 55 minutes of music I've ever listened to. I can tell you that there's a beginning and an end to the album, but that's about it. It's in no way an album that takes multiple listens because there's new parts to discover with each listen, rather it's an album that takes multiple listens because you can't remember what happened over the past 54 minutes. There are some neat sections hidden in this album, buried six feet deep, that shows Opeth has one or two ideas that still rock, but as soon as they pop up, the angry villagers are on top of it, and bash it back underground, underneath another 4-8 minutes of meandering music. Another thing that I found increasingly funny were the pseudo heavy riffs that Mikael must have put in to attempt to satisfy those who got a sour taste in their mouth from Heritage. But they come across as shallow and don't satisfy whatsoever. Mikael makes some cringeworthy decisions with his vocals as well, and as much as I'd love to point out sections where I think so, I literally couldn't tell you where, all I know is that I cringed at times, and that there was music playing.
Opeth is dead to me, and no it's not because they don't play TEH HEAVYZ WITH TEH HARSHY HARSH VOCALS, it's because they've become a bland as fuck band that sound nothing like themselves.
0/5
I don't like to give 0/5's because it's usually too harsh, but this is one of the first times I've ever felt like I wasted my time listening to music.
Out of curiosity, what grades do you give albums that actually are, IYO, terrible? If an album that is "not even terrible" gets 0/5, do terrible albums get -1/5, -2/5, etc?
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Protest the Hero's latest album Volition, which was a massive disappointment for me(although it's not because it's terrible, I could go into an entire paragraph of reasons for why it disappointed me so much), got a 2.5/5 from me.
Some of the stuff my friends listen to, like Chelsea Grin for example, I fucking hate them, but I'd give their latest album Ashes to Ashes about a 1.5-2/5. To get a 0/5 from me is extremely rare, and the only way you'll ever see one from me is like this case right here. The fact that I spent about an hour actively listening to this album, and came away with absolutely nothing from it is worse than if you make terrible music. The guys in Opeth have so much talent, and the fact that for such talented guys they left me feeling absolutely nothing, and remembering only a blur of music hurts a lot more than Chelsea Grin playing a shitty, yet catchy song in which there's just palm muted guitars.
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Just finished my first listen.
As someone who actually thought Heritage was a great album, this one feels... disappointing.
Of course I need a few more listens to form a complete opinion, but compared to Heritage, this album feels a lot less atmospheric and more bland. I was really hoping they would tone down the blatant 70s influence, but it honestly feels like the opposite happened.
One thing I really don't get is how most of the people early on said that this album is a lot more focused and concise in the songwriting compared to Heritage. Again, it seems to me that the opposite is true. Tracks like Eternal Rains and River sound pretty unfocused and shift moods too much, and Moon Above Sun Below is one of the most meandering, directionless songs I've ever heard from the band. Maybe it'll grow on me, but jeez...
So yeah, my first impressions of the album aren't that great, but I think it'll be a grower. It really seems like a worse album than Heritage though, which nobody else seems to be saying.
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DC, maybe you should wait till autumn to listen to it. ;) Seriously, I always find Opeth's music not very enjoyable in the summer time. Certain bands are perfect for certain times of the year, and Opeth is an autumn/winter band. Hell, I remember when Watershed came out in I think June of 2008; even though I bought the CD immediately, I didn't listen to it till September or October.
Granted, you are so anti-Opeth now that I don't think it will matter, but I was just offering out a friendly suggestion. :)
And while I think your rating system is silly, I have no problem with how you worded your review. Even if it was outright bashing, this isn't an Opeth forum, so they aren't on the "you can't talk bad about them" list, as far as I know. :lol
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DC, maybe you should wait till autumn to listen to it. ;) Seriously, I always find Opeth's music not very enjoyable in the summer time. Certain bands are perfect for certain times of the year, and Opeth is an autumn/winter band. Hell, I remember when Watershed came out in I think June of 2008; even though I bought the CD immediately, I didn't listen to it till September or October.
Granted, you are so anti-Opeth now that I don't think it will matter,
Um... Autumn here in Florida is what regular Summer is everywhere else, we're lucky if it gets cool in the Winter. I'm not one of those people who finds bands are better at certain times of the year either, I don't think like that, so I can assure you how I feel about this album would be the same had I listened to it in the Autumn.
Also I am not "Anti-Opeth", I'm pretty sure that I have stated many, many times that overall I love what Opeth has put out. No matter how much I may dislike where they're going, I will always love Opeth, this path they're going down now doesn't negate the fact that for 15 years or so they released music that I love. Their future output is not anything I look forward to as of right now, and I was being a bit melodramatic when I said Opeth is dead to me, but I'm not "anti-Opeth".
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Anti-Opeth might not have been the best way to put it, but I think you probably know what I meant (mostly how you summed it up). We've gone round and round on this enough to where I know what the score is. ;) :biggrin:
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Yup. July and 90 degrees in FLA. It's fall. :lol
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Yeah, but you kinda can't put him in a basket and say "ah-hah, this is the specimen that hates Opeth's change in direction. a lot of these people hate changes in directions because they're not able of handling their favorite bands changing". Even if it were like that, yeah, there are people who can't handle a change in direction despite listening to everything from pop to post electro dub prog, and what are we going to do about it? You can't tell them they're wrong. Holy heck, sometimes I wish Steven Wilson would resurrect Porcupine Tree to perform Taylor Swift covers exclusively, just so that I could see how people would defend his artistic decision. One has every right to believe that Opeth aren't doing good albums right now, and that it coincides with the change in direction.
He's completely entitled to ascribing any rating he wants to his review, because it's not like he's a one man webzine and needs to maintain a consistent rating system. In fact, this is why I gave up on writing rated reviews - music fans care more about the numbers than your review.
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I've only listened to the album 3 full times and a couple tracks a little more than that, but as of right now I'm unsure.
While I disagree with a lot of what DC said in his post, I do somewhat agree with him on the album sounding a bit bland. It's odd, because even as I try my best to pay close attention to what's happening nothing really grabs me. That isn't to say that any of it sounds particularly bad to me, in fact I would say the opposite is true. Almost all of it sounds quite nice to me. But that, somehow, just doesn't quite cut it for me. I tend to prefer musically flawed albums that can a) grab my attention and b) hold it. Here, I can't really point to any flaws getting in the way of my enjoying the album, I'm just not sure there's anything to pull me back either. Even now on my fourth listen, something seems to be missing for me.
The one somewhat disappointing thing that I can point to, at this point is this:
One thing I really don't get is how most of the people early on said that this album is a lot more focused and concise in the songwriting compared to Heritage. Again, it seems to me that the opposite is true. Tracks like Eternal Rains and River sound pretty unfocused and shift moods too much, and Moon Above Sun Below is one of the most meandering, directionless songs I've ever heard from the band.
With all of that said, I look forward to getting the album when it comes out and I'll certainly listen to it several times both before and after that point. And maybe my opinion will change. It wouldn't be the first time on an Opeth album, which have all significantly grown on me over time.
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DC...saying 'Opeth is dead to me' and the borderline-bashing "review" kind of begs the question "Why are you still here"? Which isn't to say I don't want you to not post, but (and I'll say this as lightly as I can for fear of being blasted) with how much negativity and utter 'do not want' your posts have been conveying in this thread for quite some time...I just don't see what you're getting out of this by repeating 'I've wasted time, I don't remember anything, it's unmemorable, I can't recall etc. etc. etc. etc.'. I get that you still like the old material but...I doubt there's gonna be much discussion on old material for a while. It doesn't seem very discussion-worthy to just keep shitting everywhere. That sounds bad but there's really no other way to say how your posts have been coming across (in this thread) recently. There's 'dislike/hate' with a well-thought review detailing the parts not liked and/or constructive criticism (or even just criticism)...and then there's what you've been posting, a whole other level of hate. Something I understand, it really sucks when you want to like an album and just don't, but there's also a point when you gotta ask if enough is enough.
Borderline bashing? Are you fucking kidding me? I posted my thoughts on the album, and it's not bashing just because I'm extremely disappointed. Like I've said multiple times before, while I don't like where Opeth is at all these days, I still love the past 20 years of material before this (don't love Heritage, but I like it sort of) I don't see why I have to stop posting here because it's bullshit to say discussion on the old material won't happen, because it sure as hell will. Pale Commumion will get talked about and then it'll be right back to normal with people talking about older material or whatever.
I have a right to post my opinion, and just because you happen to love what they're doing now, I don't have to, and I have every right to talk about why I don't. I'm not "shitting" all over this thread, and honestly I don't really appreciate you insulting me like that.
Ariich pretty much covered any rebuttals I had, but I'll say them out of desire. First and foremost, I don't know where this hostility is coming from when I thought I was pretty cordial considering my usual posting style. I truly apologize if you were offended; I was giving my thoughts on a review that I thought was pretty hostile itself. I never said that you're bashing them, I said it was 'near-bashing' and I don't think that's uncalled for; it was an observation that I made. That has absolutely nothing to do with you not liking the album. I understand that you don't like this direction, you've made that abundantly clear by now; I have no problem with people downright hating this direction, many do, it's simply the way you went about writing it that seemed off to me. I don't want you to stop posting, I explicitly said I do NOT want that. I also did not say that discussion on the old material won't happen, I said it's probably not going to be discussed much for a while, which is more than likely given that they just released a new album. Of course we'll be discussing old albums again, but it's probably not going to be that abundant given the new album isn't even officially released yet.
And this:
Did you not read Tio's post? :|
He's pretty much telling me to stop posting in here, and said I'm bashing the band, when all I am doing is giving an honest review. I'm not insulting members of the band, I'm not insulting people who like this album, I'm giving my honest thoughts on it, and I shouldn't have to put up with people trying to push me out just because they disagree.
Tio told me to stop posting in here because he doesn't like my opinion. I take insult to that.
Is downright shoving words in my mouth. I have no problems with your opinion, it's the way that it was written that I took notice to. You're the one I'm questioning whether you read my post, not Ariich. Go back and read my post carefully. 'Pushing you out'? I'm doing absolutely nothing of the sort, not even close. I'm sorry if I offended you, but you're blowing this way out of proportion and making faulty claims. I made no attacks to you, or even your review, I gave insight into what I thought was a poorly written review that was 'borderline' bashing, and I absolutely stand by that statement. If you blow a gasket over someone giving constructive criticism of your review, you shouldn't be posting reviews, especially ones worded the way yours was. I get it, you don't like it; but there are much better ways to word it than you have; that was my point. Which clearly wasn't received. I had no intention of starting anything and did my best to tip toe around; apologies for failing but I don't think I did or said anything that was out of bounds. The only thing that even comes close is the shitting comment, which I agree was poorly worded, but it's far from 'insulting you'; it was an observation on the way you've been posting in this thread recently, nothing more.
I've said my piece. I appreciate your thoughts and defending my backside while I was away, Ariich, truly. Back on track:
I cannot get over how much I love Voice of Treason, it's got a really addictive flow to it and I think it's the most 'opeth-y' track on the album. But every time I finish the album, I'm left wanting more; it's a good couple tracks (even if they were longer tracks) less than what they usually put out so I'm really hoping for some b-sides. But for what's on there, it's a very concise record and I'm sure that's why it's on the shorter-end (for them); so some bonus stuff would really benefit them I think, especially this time around. Although I'm not holding my breath, I'm quite happy with what they've given us but it'd make the tracks that I'm not so gung-ho about (Cusp and Moon at this point) a lot less of a hit to the overall record if there were a couple more.
All in all, I think it's safe to say that the guys have found a new niche to carve out for themselves and I'm really excited to see what the masses have to say after it officially releases. Moreover, I'm doubly excited for what's next; if this is received a bit better (and already is) than Heritage, this could be an awesome new style for the guys that still retains that genuine sound they've created over the years.
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Just finished my first listen. Dunno why everyone thinks it's 'bland,' I thought it was a very interesting record, and the natural progression from Heritage. Eternal Rains, Moon, River and Faith are all great Opeth tracks IMO. I only hope it'll get better with more listens.
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You specifically posted this in direct response to my review:
:lol
To each their own, just...wow. (https://www.chicitysports.com/forum/images/smilies/11qmi6t.gif)
Wow, that's not rude at all :tup
And as far as it concerns me, saying I'm borderline-bashing is still saying I'm bashing, you're just dressing it up to not lay it on so thick.
"DC...saying 'Opeth is dead to me' and the borderline-bashing "review" kind of begs the question "Why are you still here"? Which isn't to say I don't want you to not post, but (and I'll say this as lightly as I can for fear of being blasted) with how much negativity and utter 'do not want' your posts have been conveying in this thread for quite some time...I just don't see what you're getting out of this by repeating 'I've wasted time, I don't remember anything, it's unmemorable, I can't recall etc. etc. etc. etc.'. I get that you still like the old material but...I doubt there's gonna be much discussion on old material for a while. It doesn't seem very discussion-worthy to just keep shitting everywhere. That sounds bad but there's really no other way to say how your posts have been coming across (in this thread) recently. There's 'dislike/hate' with a well-thought review detailing the parts not liked and/or constructive criticism (or even just criticism)...and then there's what you've been posting, a whole other level of hate. Something I understand, it really sucks when you want to like an album and just don't, but there's also a point when you gotta ask if enough is enough."
All this says is to me is "DC you whine a lot so why bother posting in this thread?"
I enjoy Heritage, I may not like it nearly as much as previous Opeth and I may have posted both my positive and negative thoughts about it before, but Pale Communion's the first time I've felt that I wasted my time, this hasn't been a recurring thing for me, it's a brand new slap to the face, even if I sort of expected it. I wanted Opeth to prove me wrong, I wanted to see them show me that their new direction could be fantastic, not some stale bland homage to the past. And when it didn't(IMO so you don't accuse me of bashing them right here), I organized my thoughts on it, took the time to type them out, knowing they might be a little unpopular, and posted it to discuss and debate with others. Zantera filled that criteria as he often does, he's a good lad to talk about music with, and things seemed to be going fine, until you just shat all over my thoughts, writing them off as hating, and spewing shit.
To reduce everything I've said to being a hater, and shitting everywhere, when I spent a lot of time putting up my opinions on matters ranging from this album to past discussions is just a real cruddy thing of you to do, it's as though you're reducing my thought out posts to diarrhea.
You may not have meant to put it that way, but that's absolutely how you did word it sooooooooo eyep.
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:-*
Done and done. I tried to be polite and apologized numerous times. No worries man.
Just finished my first listen. Dunno why everyone thinks it's 'bland,' I thought it was a very interesting record, and the natural progression from Heritage. Eternal Rains, Moon, River and Faith are all great Opeth tracks IMO. I only hope it'll get better with more listens.
I don't get it either. If someone had called Heritage bland, I'd at least see the way they could think that. With this album, I'm more inclined to ask if perhaps there's partial hearing loss. :lol I hear the exact opposite of bland, but then again it's as the old saying goes, "People have different ear holes!".
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Oh my goodness, this album is soporific.
I grew to like Ghost Reveries on release, learned to cope with the growling, and Watershed was okay. Heritage to me felt like a different band entirely. It seems this album is continuing in that vein.
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Just finished my first listen. Dunno why everyone thinks it's 'bland,' I thought it was a very interesting record, and the natural progression from Heritage. Eternal Rains, Moon, River and Faith are all great Opeth tracks IMO. I only hope it'll get better with more listens.
I don't get it either. If someone had called Heritage bland, I'd at least see the way they could think that. With this album, I'm more inclined to ask if perhaps there's partial hearing loss. :lol I hear the exact opposite of bland, but then again it's as the old saying goes, "People have different ear holes!".
I don't know that bland is the right word. I'm just having a surprising amount of difficulty thinking back on anything that got me really excited, and the couple that I do remember were few and far between. Heritage was different for me when I listened to it the first four or five times (as I have PC now). There were some songs that I found sub-par compared to most Opeth songs, and some I thought were great. Overall I thought there was too much of the former and I never could get too excited about the album as a result. In contrast, this one doesn't feel hit or miss. It's just a little more forgettable for me. And if it wasn't Opeth then I probably wouldn't still be listening to it.
But it is Opeth, and so I will continue to listen for a while. And hopefully things will start to sink in and I'll eventually agree wholeheartedly with you.
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It's amazing how many people have heard an unreleased album :|
I keep seeing comparisons to Heritage. I guess I'm moving on from Opeth.
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It's amazing how many people have heard an unreleased album :|
I keep seeing comparisons to Heritage. I guess I'm moving on from Opeth.
To be fair, it was originally supposed to come out last month. :P
But yeah, if you didn't like Heritage, you're not gonna like this one.
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I think that's a safe bet. Kirk, is it really so amazing in '14 when music sales are the lowest they've ever been? :lol :sadpanda: Granted, I've got my copy reserved already so I've done my part. But yeah, I doubt most of the downloads will have an album accompanying them. :-\ The internetz.
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Physical cd and digital album sales may be slowing down, but record sales and streaming are sky rocketing, the industry's doing just fine, it's just adapting is all.
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Welp, five listens in and this is easily one of the worst Opeth albums I've heard. My first impression that it's essentially a more generic, less atmospheric, and more directionless version of Heritage still stands.
Faith In Others is a fantastic song, but the rest just ranges from good to mediocre. Sigh...
The fact that Heritage is in my top five Opeth albums and that this is at the very bottom is such a disappointment.
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I'm feeling this more than Heritage. Overall it has more melodies that I like. First listen wasn't that good but multiple listens are definitely rewarding.
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Album's getting better with each listen. The only song that hasn't really clicked with me yet is Voice of Treason.
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It's good. Not Amazing, but good. Better than Heritage. Last track is a masterpiece.
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It seems to me like some people made their decision on whether they like this album or not before they even listened to it :facepalm: Personally, I like everything I've listened to so far and I am absolutely stoked to purchase this album as soon as possible :metal
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It seems to me like some people made their decision on whether they like this album or not before they even listened to it :facepalm:
Hey, I went in with moderate expectations, thinking I would like it, and it turned out to be a lot worse than what I was expecting.
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Saying moderate means you had reservations about this album before you heard it.
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Well what can I say, they're one of my favorite bands, so I can at least expect a new album from them to be of somewhat good quality.
Sorry I'm not a robot who can go into an album with absolutely no expectations or previous thoughts.
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I'll be the first to agree that Heritage didn't fully pull me in. I think it misses melody and structure at times that they had with the growling albums
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Loved Heritage, looking forward to this one.
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I really like Pale Communion, actually. Not a fan of Heritage but the songs on this one have much more structure and the atmosphere is just better. Definitely an improvement, and if this is how Opeth is going forward without growls, that's fine by me, I guess.
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I would say the album has more in common with Damnation than with Heritage. More in the way of energetic songs, obviously, but the overall tone and sound feels much closer to that than to the meanderings and dated sound of Heritage (not that I dislike Heritage, but I don't love it).
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Ugh. I hate having to stop reading threads because people are too impatient to wait for albums to actually be released. Maybe I'm turning into an old geezer (i.e. Steven Wilson), but it's fucking annoying.
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I can understand that reasoning if we're talking about a movie or tv-show when it comes to ruining the plot, but how do you (just with words) ruin music for someone else? Just curious. I haven't heard it yet myself, but so far I haven't experienced any "spoilers".
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Well, speaking for myself at least, it is kind of annoying that when the music is actually, legitimately released, a substantial number of people are usually already done talking about it.
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I can understand that reasoning if we're talking about a movie or tv-show when it comes to ruining the plot, but how do you (just with words) ruin music for someone else? Just curious. I haven't heard it yet myself, but so far I haven't experienced any "spoilers".
Speaking only for myself, I don't mind people saying "It's great!" before I've heard it, but an example that I can think of that had been spoiled for me and reduced my enjoyment is on PtH's Volition, I knew that there was a Sequoia Throne reprise in Animal Bones before hearing, so I didn't have the "OMG HOLY FUCK it's a Sequoia Throne reprise" moment that many had on their first listen. Stuff like that, you know, knowing specifics beyond "I like it" and "I don't like it" can sometimes lessen my enjoyment of music that I am listening to.
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Well, speaking for myself at least, it is kind of annoying that when the music is actually, legitimately released, a substantial number of people are usually already done talking about it.
Which is why I'm not even going to listen to it until it's legitimately released. When I think about it, I'm more occupied about what has been released recently (i.e. Mastodon, Anathema, Wolves In The Throne Room, Swans etc.) than what's coming up later in the year.
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Well, speaking for myself at least, it is kind of annoying that when the music is actually, legitimately released, a substantial number of people are usually already done talking about it.
This. I always wait until I get the CD.
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Well, speaking for myself at least, it is kind of annoying that when the music is actually, legitimately released, a substantial number of people are usually already done talking about it.
This. I always wait until I get the CD.
Thirded. So nice to give it a proper first listen, with booklet in your hands and all that. Though because albums take about three weeks to arrive in my country, I'm always late to the most of discussions. :D
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The "people already being done talking about it once it's released" thing is another reason it's annoying... but also, hearing too much about it can often spoil my first listen. Not in the same sense of giving a plot away, but I don't want to hear anything about something before it's released, really. It just ruins it for me.
One example that comes to mind is when PT's The Incident came out. One of my friends hyped it up so hard before I heard it ("It's SO AMAZING!" etc. etc.) that when I finally got my copy I was like "Meh. This is aiight." I might've liked it more without any preconceived notions attached to it. This has happened with many albums as well as other types of media as well.
People here are saying this new album sounds like Heritage or Damnation, and that alone (not to mention all of the other, more specific details people have shared that I've tried to just skim over) is going to color my listening of it whether I want it to or not.
I wish the forum rule about not discussing leaked material applied to all bands and not just DT. It irritates me that downloading leaked stuff has pretty much become the standard these days (gawd forbid anyone wait to have the finished product in their hands), but that's another discussion.
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Alright, I understand. For me personally, I try to not let other people's opinions or hype sway my own that much, but sometimes it might be hard. I agree that it can be frustrating that once you finally get to hear the album, the people you want to discuss the album with are already done discussing it, but that's a similar case with when you discover a band that other people have been listening to for years, and everything has been vented. I think in both cases you could get by with a thread resurrection and start discussions again. I can understand some things being spoiled like a guest appearance nobody knew about or a hint/easter egg somewhere, but otherwise it's pretty hard to explain a song in words. Somebody praising a guitar outro in a song is not gonna spoil the song, because even knowing there's a good outro, we have no idea how it sounds until we hear it.
But yeah, I guess I could kinda see expectations, fatigue and overall reception of an album before it comes out being factors that could ruin it slightly for you. I know sometimes when I hold off on an album and the first week when it leaks is overwhelmingly negative or lukewarm reception, my feelings go from "Im so excited" to "Man, do I really have to listen to this?".
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This is a different circumstance. People are still yearning for a certain style from Opeth, which now on the last 2 albums, they've pulled away from. Honestly it's the bands like this that have longevity. They make the music that "They" want, not the fans and it keeps their artist juices going for decades because they are doing what they want. Very similar to Rush.
Many times throughout Rush's history fans from a certain "era" jumped of their bandwagon and their picked u others. They did what they wanted and it was still artistically simulating to them to continue,
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(https://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2009/top10_bad_drinks/new_coke.jpg)
They should use that as an album cover.
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The "people already being done talking about it once it's released" thing is another reason it's annoying... but also, hearing too much about it can often spoil my first listen. Not in the same sense of giving a plot away, but I don't want to hear anything about something before it's released, really. It just ruins it for me.
One example that comes to mind is when PT's The Incident came out. One of my friends hyped it up so hard before I heard it ("It's SO AMAZING!" etc. etc.) that when I finally got my copy I was like "Meh. This is aiight." I might've liked it more without any preconceived notions attached to it. This has happened with many albums as well as other types of media as well.
People here are saying this new album sounds like Heritage or Damnation, and that alone (not to mention all of the other, more specific details people have shared that I've tried to just skim over) is going to color my listening of it whether I want it to or not.
I wish the forum rule about not discussing leaked material applied to all bands and not just DT. It irritates me that downloading leaked stuff has pretty much become the standard these days (gawd forbid anyone wait to have the finished product in their hands), but that's another discussion.
I totally know what you mean. :tup :tup
I'll admit to sometimes snagging an album early, while still buying a physical copy when it comes out, but like The King In Crimson said, it can be frustrating when a lot of people are already "over" talking about by the time it officially hits stores.
This is a different circumstance. People are still yearning for a certain style from Opeth, which now on the last 2 albums, they've pulled away from. Honestly it's the bands like this that have longevity. They make the music that "They" want, not the fans and it keeps their artist juices going for decades because they are doing what they want. Very similar to Rush.
Many times throughout Rush's history fans from a certain "era" jumped of their bandwagon and their picked u others. They did what they wanted and it was still artistically simulating to them to continue,
Very true.
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This is a different circumstance. People are still yearning for a certain style from Opeth, which now on the last 2 albums, they've pulled away from. Honestly it's the bands like this that have longevity. They make the music that "They" want, not the fans and it keeps their artist juices going for decades because they are doing what they want. Very similar to Rush.
Many times throughout Rush's history fans from a certain "era" jumped of their bandwagon and their picked u others. They did what they wanted and it was still artistically simulating to them to continue,
See, this is the assumption that kind of annoys me. It's basically the "OPETH R ONLY REEL WITH GROWLS" argument dressed up in new clothes. I didn't dislike Heritage and Pale Communion because it didn't sound like Blackwater Park or Ghost Reveries. I mean for fuck's sake, I loved Damnation, which at the time was as big a change up as any of the changes in style Rush did in your example and as big a change as the one Opeth did with Heritage. I didn't like those two albums because they're unfocused, scattershot, wearing their influences too solidly on their sleeves, and in the case of PC really bland and dull. I would have no problem with Opeth changing style to something if I thought it was any good. I don't reject it out of hand because it lacks Death Metal. I rejected them after listening to them and simply not liking them.
If I thought the albums were any good in the style they've chosen to play now I'd like them. I don't.
(By the way, yes, I have heard PC, and obviously didn't like it much.)
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Yay, I'm not alone! :laugh:
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(https://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2009/top10_bad_drinks/new_coke.jpg)
They should use that as an album cover.
This is just too good :lol
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DC, maybe you should wait till autumn to listen to it. ;) Seriously, I always find Opeth's music not very enjoyable in the summer time. Certain bands are perfect for certain times of the year, and Opeth is an autumn/winter band. Hell, I remember when Watershed came out in I think June of 2008; even though I bought the CD immediately, I didn't listen to it till September or October.
Yeeees. Deep, lush Opeth melodies while taking a road trip during autumn? Sounds good to me.
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(https://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2009/top10_bad_drinks/new_coke.jpg)
They should use that as an album cover.
Too dangerous. They'd risk a lawsuit from Judas Priest.
...but it would fit the 70's retro makeover.
(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/4/3/1/431.jpg)
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(https://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2009/top10_bad_drinks/new_coke.jpg)
They should use that as an album cover.
Too dangerous. They'd risk a lawsuit from Judas Priest.
...but it would fit the 70's retro makeover.
(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/4/3/1/431.jpg)
:rollin :rollin :rollin
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This is a different circumstance. People are still yearning for a certain style from Opeth, which now on the last 2 albums, they've pulled away from. Honestly it's the bands like this that have longevity. They make the music that "They" want, not the fans and it keeps their artist juices going for decades because they are doing what they want. Very similar to Rush.
Many times throughout Rush's history fans from a certain "era" jumped of their bandwagon and their picked u others. They did what they wanted and it was still artistically simulating to them to continue,
See, this is the assumption that kind of annoys me. It's basically the "OPETH R ONLY REEL WITH GROWLS" argument dressed up in new clothes. I didn't dislike Heritage and Pale Communion because it didn't sound like Blackwater Park or Ghost Reveries. I mean for fuck's sake, I loved Damnation, which at the time was as big a change up as any of the changes in style Rush did in your example and as big a change as the one Opeth did with Heritage. I didn't like those two albums because they're unfocused, scattershot, wearing their influences too solidly on their sleeves, and in the case of PC really bland and dull. I would have no problem with Opeth changing style to something if I thought it was any good. I don't reject it out of hand because it lacks Death Metal. I rejected them after listening to them and simply not liking them.
If I thought the albums were any good in the style they've chosen to play now I'd like them. I don't.
(By the way, yes, I have heard PC, and obviously didn't like it much.)
All I'm saying is that they never wrote great choruses and when you take away the angst and the power of the Roo Roo's it seems less focused. Hey, I am no Roo Roo fan either.
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This is a different circumstance. People are still yearning for a certain style from Opeth, which now on the last 2 albums, they've pulled away from. Honestly it's the bands like this that have longevity. They make the music that "They" want, not the fans and it keeps their artist juices going for decades because they are doing what they want. Very similar to Rush.
Many times throughout Rush's history fans from a certain "era" jumped of their bandwagon and their picked u others. They did what they wanted and it was still artistically simulating to them to continue,
See, this is the assumption that kind of annoys me. It's basically the "OPETH R ONLY REEL WITH GROWLS" argument dressed up in new clothes. I didn't dislike Heritage and Pale Communion because it didn't sound like Blackwater Park or Ghost Reveries. I mean for fuck's sake, I loved Damnation, which at the time was as big a change up as any of the changes in style Rush did in your example and as big a change as the one Opeth did with Heritage. I didn't like those two albums because they're unfocused, scattershot, wearing their influences too solidly on their sleeves, and in the case of PC really bland and dull. I would have no problem with Opeth changing style to something if I thought it was any good. I don't reject it out of hand because it lacks Death Metal. I rejected them after listening to them and simply not liking them.
If I thought the albums were any good in the style they've chosen to play now I'd like them. I don't.
(By the way, yes, I have heard PC, and obviously didn't like it much.)
All I'm saying is that they never wrote great choruses and when you take away the angst and the power of the Roo Roo's it seems less focused. Hey, I am no Roo Roo fan either.
Adding to this point, IMO, the issue with the modern sound isn't the lack of growls but the lack of proper extreme dynamics that I'm used to from Opeth. I'm talking sweet beautiful acoustic guitars and swirling vocal melodies that suddenly open up into gut-wrenching bombastic guitars and drums. The pendulum would swing back and forth without disorientation in a shockingly natural way. It's the signature attribute of Opeth that no other band has been able to bottle up and replicate.
Sadly, the pendulum in Pale Communion and Heritage seems to have been shoved by a father who has been helping their children on swings for twenty years. Opeth has had enough, but the kid in me wants to go higher.
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Adding to this point, IMO, the issue with the modern sound isn't the lack of growls but the lack of proper extreme dynamics that I'm used to from Opeth. I'm talking sweet beautiful acoustic guitars and swirling vocal melodies that suddenly open up into gut-wrenching bombastic guitars and drums. The pendulum would swing back and forth without disorientation in shockingly natural way. It's the signature attribute of Opeth that no other band has been able to bottle up and replicate.
Sadly, the pendulum in Pale Communion and Heritage seems to have been shoved by a father who has been helping their children on swings for twenty years. Opeth has had enough, but the kid in me wants to go higher.
That's a hilarious way to put it. Even though I don't mind the lack of growls and heaviness, that's a great analogy. :tup :tup
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I think it has an excellent point. Opeth for me was never about the growls. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Mikael's growls, and he is an incredible vocalist. But it was the balance between dark and light, heavy and soft that made Opeth so darn memorable and special. The interplay between acoustic sections that are beautifully crafted, kicking into heavy sections with badass riffs. Just look at a song like Deliverance which shifts beautifully between heavy and soft.
I have yet to hear PC, but my main problems with Heritage and Damnation is that both of them, if they were a meter showing heartbeats would be like a straight line. I love Opeth when it goes up, it goes down and just brings everything in between. I did not LOVE Watershed (I thought it was good but not amazing), but in contrast to Heritage, Watershed had those ups and downs. Heir Apparent and Burden are like night and day.
Lets hope Opeth returns to make some heavy music again. If Mikael does not want to growl, that doesn't necessarily ruin what could be a good album, but I do miss the variety and diversity in their songs and how they changed from heavy to soft in a few seconds.
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I totally get that, and I agree that the contrast is largely what made them so great when they were at their best. But I can still appreciate something like Damnation for what it is, even though that contrast was gone.
Like I have said before, I like, but don't love, Heritage; it lacked anything I would call one of their best 20-30 songs. It's a nice listen, but there is nothing on there that kicks my ass six ways from Sunday. Even the best song on there, Folklore, is kind of a herky jerky thing, as the first few minutes are building up nicely, and then it suddenly veers off into this mellow section, before ending in a really cool way. Those sudden turns are trademarks of Opeth, but even though I like that song quite a bit, it seemed very herky jerky in that regard that time.
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I totally get that, and I agree that the contrast is largely what made them so great when they were at their best. But I can still appreciate something like Damnation for what it is, even though that contrast was gone.
Like I have said before, I like, but don't love, Heritage; it lacked anything I would call one of their best 20-30 songs. It's a nice listen, but there is nothing on there that kicks my ass six ways from Sunday. Even the best song on there, Folklore, is kind of a herky jerky thing, as the first few minutes are building up nicely, and then it suddenly veers off into this mellow section, before ending in a really cool way. Those sudden turns are trademarks of Opeth, but even though I like that song quite a bit, it seemed very herky jerky in that regard that time.
You pretty much hit the nail on the head here, and I agree 100%. Heritage is not bad, and in fact I would say most songs on the album are more to the positive side than negative. But it really lacks standout songs. Most of the songs are "good but not great", and you don't make a masterpiece album by only having "good" songs. You need those standouts.
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Adding to this point, IMO, the issue with the modern sound isn't the lack of growls but the lack of proper extreme dynamics that I'm used to from Opeth. I'm talking sweet beautiful acoustic guitars and swirling vocal melodies that suddenly open up into gut-wrenching bombastic guitars and drums. The pendulum would swing back and forth without disorientation in shockingly natural way. It's the signature attribute of Opeth that no other band has been able to bottle up and replicate.
Sadly, the pendulum in Pale Communion and Heritage seems to have been shoved by a father who has been helping their children on swings for twenty years. Opeth has had enough, but the kid in me wants to go higher.
That's a hilarious way to put it. Even though I don't mind the lack of growls and heaviness, that's a great analogy. :tup :tup
See, I would say that element is back on PC, although not nearly as intensely of course because nothing on the album really gets properly heavy. I agree it was one of the things missing from Heritage though.
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^ agreed. I feel they could still go a little further with better contrasts without growls.
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Lets hope Opeth returns to make some heavy music again. If Mikael does not want to growl, that doesn't necessarily ruin what could be a good album, but I do miss the variety and diversity in their songs and how they changed from heavy to soft in a few seconds.
Well, it's not only about the growls, i think Mikael got a bit tired of metal/heavy music in general.
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Heritage still has that Opeth sound, but the contrast between heavy and calm isn't so wide, in a way it's balanced just enough. I like how it only hits a certain point before getting calm, making you long for that higher peak. Heritage is a really laid back record, groovy with great bass and drums.
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(https://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/24/thumbnail/ju8ahu4y.jpg)
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:lol
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I think we could photoshop 2/3rds of this board in that pick holding Steven. :lol
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I agree.
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(https://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/24/thumbnail/ju8ahu4y.jpg)
If they had released River as a single, that should have been the art. :lol
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(https://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/24/thumbnail/ju8ahu4y.jpg)
:lol :lol
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Looks like we won't get another all-clean setlist: https://www.invisibleoranges.com/2014/07/interview-mikael-akerfeldt-opeth/
I remember specifically two years ago, you toured. I saw you at St. Andrew’s Hall and it was the tour where you played all the ballads. It was a lot of Heritage material as well, but it was all the ballads from the old records. And “The Throat of Winter,” which I never thought I’d hear you play ever because who the hell even knows you did that song, but I love that song. I think maybe people just weren’t expecting a tour of nothing but the ballads. I think maybe there was some sort of communication breakdown.
(laughs) Yeah, I guess there was. But you know for me, it was a bit of an eye-opener because I figured that part of the band is like all aspects of the band. And if you take one aspect of the band out of the equation for a show, I figured it’s no big deal because we’re playing all these old songs. For that tour, out of the 10-12 songs, however many songs we played, there were only one or two that we had ever played live before. There was a lot of unplayed material both new and old, so I figured that people might think that was interesting. Because we toured so much and we played all the songs from the previous records, all the heavy stuff.
But from pretty early on, I could tell that there were people in the crowd that were pretty upset about the fact that we didn’t play any of the heavier stuff. So it’s like if you take this thing out of the equation, then people don’t like you anymore, regardless of what songs you play from the past. We played a song from the first album, but nobody cared, it didn’t matter, because we didn’t do any of the death metal songs. So that was a bit of an eye-opener for me.
I don’t really have many regrets when it comes to how we choose to play our cards, but one thing I regret was that we did that tour because of the fact that people were not happy. And when we’re playing live, I don’t care about artistic type of things, like why we write the music and things like that, I just want everyone to enjoy themselves. When we record a record, it’s about what we want to do. But when we go out and play, I want everyone to enjoy themselves. And they weren’t on that tour. So if I have any regrets, it’s doing that tour. I don’t think we would do that now.
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Wow, I'm actually pleasantly surprised.
When we record a record, it’s about what we want to do. But when we go out and play, I want everyone to enjoy themselves.
Exactly. Live shows are for the fans.
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I think it's a nice approach. Overall I think artists should play what they want to play first, but dragging out all heavy songs for only clean is kinda drastic. The best way IMO is to find a balance of having both what you wanna play yourself, and something for the fans. I don't think the fans win if you play only songs they want to hear, and you're clearly not into it during the concert. It always feels better when you can tell the musicians are enjoying themselves as well.
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Wow, I'm actually pleasantly surprised.
When we record a record, it’s about what we want to do. But when we go out and play, I want everyone to enjoy themselves.
Exactly. Live shows are for the fans.
This.
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I think it's a nice approach. Overall I think artists should play what they want to play first, but dragging out all heavy songs for only clean is kinda drastic. The best way IMO is to find a balance of having both what you wanna play yourself, and something for the fans. I don't think the fans win if you play only songs they want to hear, and you're clearly not into it during the concert. It always feels better when you can tell the musicians are enjoying themselves as well.
This. I'd be ok with a set without growls, but on the other hand I'm happy that I'll hear a more diverse selection of songs at my first Opeth concert in November.
I hate it when some bands are really lazy at changing their setlist and play the same "hits" year after year and tour after tour. However, Opeth went a bit too far when they ignored all the death metal songs in favor of stuff like The Throat of Winter and Hex Omega, even though songs like Face of Melinda and A Fair Judgement are pretty popular. I think every band needs to find a good balance between crowd pleasers and obscurities to try and make everyone happy: casual fans, diehards and the musicians themselves.
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I like the new album quite a bit, although it's not as exciting as Heritage. It's a bit more refined and it truly sounds like Mikael knows how to approach prog, which isn't surprising knowing the amount of music he listens to and collects. Favorites: Moon above sun below, River, Cusp of eternity.
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While I had seen Opeth play live three times before, I really enjoyed the Heritage tour. I only hope that the next live Blu-ray/DVD includes a lot of Heritage and Pale Communion, because I'm not a big fan of the mixes (kick drum is a little muffled for my taste). They get the job done in the end, but the Heritage tracks hit much harder live. Plus, that Folklore jam. :metal
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A short interview with Mikael and Fredrik.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqTkrijivII
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This new song eternal rains is pretty damn good.
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A short interview with Mikael and Fredrik.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqTkrijivII
:lol
:|
But, you know...on second thought...Fredrik did look a bit constipated. Hmmm...
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Ugh. I hate having to stop reading threads because people are too impatient to wait for albums to actually be released. Maybe I'm turning into an old geezer (i.e. Steven Wilson), but it's fucking annoying.
What gets me is if you even mention a leak of a Dream Theater album here you'll get the ban hammer, but it's open season on anything else.
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A short interview with Mikael and Fredrik.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqTkrijivII
Fredrik didn't say a word in this part 1. :lol Hoping he gets to contribute in later sections.
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Just wanted to point out that the lyrics for this album are fantastic per usual.
https://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/opeth/palecommunion.html (https://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/opeth/palecommunion.html)
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Yeah, that's one area that has definitely improved from Heritage.
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I got my CD + T-shirt package in the mail! :metal I'm not able to listen to the album yet, but the back cover looks awesome! :D
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After more than a few listens I really like whole album. Definitely better than Heritage.
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I've only listened once so far, but my thoughts can be summed up as:
1. Overall a pleasant surprise, and I could see this working its way up to being somewhere in the middle of their discography (6 or 7 at best)
2. Much better than Heritage
3. Still not too excited about the 70's direction, so while this was good and better than I thought, I don't see myself going "I wanna listen to some Opeth, I'm gonna put on Pale Communion"
But I'll listen again today for sure.
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There are more songs I like on this one than on Heritage (Eternal Rains Will Come, Cusp Of Eternity, Goblin, and Faith In Others so far).
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So the album has leaked weeks ago, and Opeth decides to offer a low quality stream. :facepalm:
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So the album has leaked weeks ago, and Opeth decides to offer a low quality stream. :facepalm:
It came out in stores yesterday as far as I know.
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Just got through my first listen and I like the album! :tup Real strings definitely add to the last two songs, River is surprisingly poppy (the first half anyway) and Mikael's raspy vocals are cool in Moon Above, Sun Below.
I got the latest issue of Soundi (a Finnish rock mag) two days ago and there's an interview with Mikael. Some interesting bits:
-The article begins with a conversation between Mikael and Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains) - they were playing at the same festival in Finland in July. Mikael reveals Dirt was the first CD he ever bought, and Cantrell says he saw Opeth live when they were touring with Mastodon and he was hooked immediately.
-Axe and Mendez rehearsed together for two weeks at the latter's home in Barcelona, and they arrived in Wales a couple of days before Mikael. By the time Mikael got into the studio they had recorded their parts for six songs already. As a self-confessed control freak Mike was like "what the hell", but after listening to the tracks he was blown away.
-Mikael and Steven Wilson had a fight over some vocal effects that SW thought would ruin Faith in Others, but they eventually reached a compromise.
-The working title of MA,SB was "Floyd", as the first version of the song was heavily influenced by the first PF album. Fredrik thought the song was fantastic, but Mikael reworked it almost completely, and when Fredrik heard the new version a couple of weeks later, he said "if you can afford to throw melodies of that caliber away, this must be one hell of an album".
-The working title of Eternal Rains was "Scott" (after Scott Walker), while Cusp of Eternity was called "Zep" after a drum beat reminiscent of Immigrant Song.
-Mikael admits he has a tendency to worry too much about all kinds of things, and he jokes that if Manowar are "warriors of the world", then Opeth are "worriers of the world".
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I would have liked to have heard the original iteration of MA, SB as I think that songs as is completely kills the momentum of the album.
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My Pale Communion box set arrived today, so it'll be my first time I'll be listening to the album. For anyone who bought the vinyl or box set, are you having trouble with the link to the download code? Whenever I type mine up, all I get is "coupon is invalid".
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Has anyone purchased Pale Communion on HD Tracks? I'm curious if there is sound differences between the CD, Blu ray, and HDTrack versions.
https://www.hdtracks.com/pale-communion
Edit: This DR Database entry looks the same as the cd version (at least in terms of dynamic range).
https://dr.loudness-war.info/album/view/72229
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Is the bonus DVD on the deluxe edition just the 5.1 audio? Is there any video extras?
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Is the bonus DVD on the deluxe edition just the 5.1 audio? Is there any video extras?
No video extras on the BluRay, just a 5.1 and Stereo mix of the album plus two bonus live tracks recorded during one of their unplugged shows in 2012. One of the live tracks is a cover of Black Sabbath's Solitude and the other is a cover of Var Kommer Barnen In by an obscure (presumably Swedish) band called Hansson de Wolfe.
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This is a weird album for me. I definitely like it, it's imaginative and musically strong and all that, but somehow I need to force myself to listen to it. The last track is something different though. Faith in Others is very moving and definitely the best track on the album for me.
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Faith In Others is my favorite track off of Pale Communion as well. I definitely like it, and it left me a better impression that Heritage did but it's too early to tell if this will grow on me much more than Heritage did. Maybe repeated listens will help.
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Just got my CD today! Will have my first listen this evening :)
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The album starts off very strong with my two favourite tracks right away.
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I would say the album gets stronger the more it goes on. I like the first track, but the second one is probably the weakest on the album for me. Still, I think this album is really good and much better than I thought it would be.
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I really like this album. Even though I always thought Heritage was solid, I always felt it lacked direction. I don't get that feeling from this album at all.
I will need more listens before I can provide any deeper analysis though.
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After one listen, I like this album a lot. Of course, I didn't have as bad a reaction to Heritage as everyone else did, either.
The RORORO is still an acquired taste for me, and although I think Opeth has always done a fantastic job with them, it is most definitely NOT a quality I go in search of in my music, so a lack of them is not a negative with me.
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I finally gave this one a listen yesterday. It sounds promising, I'm sure it will grow with repeated listens. I rather enjoyed Heritage as well, even though it's of course not even near the quality of their previous records.
I'll post more after a few more spins.
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I really like this album. Even though I always thought Heritage was solid, I always felt it lacked direction. I don't get that feeling from this album at all.
Sums up my feelings exactly. There is some lovely stuff on Heritage, particualrly at the start and end of the album, but it meanders a lot in the middle. Not so on PC.
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Eternal Rains has already become one of my all-time favorite Opeth songs :hefdaddy
My Pale Communion box set arrived today, so it'll be my first time I'll be listening to the album. For anyone who bought the vinyl or box set, are you having trouble with the link to the download code? Whenever I type mine up, all I get is "coupon is invalid".
I got the download code with the CD+Bluray as well and it didn't work yesterday, but I just tried it again and I managed to dl the tracks.
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I still need to check out this album. I think I liked the song they released, but honestly I can't even remember what it sounded like. :lol
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I don't see Martin Lopez' name on the credits. I thought I read earlier on this thread that Martin played drums on two tracks.
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OK i'm off the loop...why two threads?
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I don't see Martin Lopez' name on the credits. I thought I read earlier on this thread that Martin played drums on two tracks.
Someone just edited the Wikipedia page for the album without any official source. However, Steven Wilson does appear on the album, as he's credited for backing vocals in the booklet.
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The audio quality of the album deserves special praise. Hardly any compression, very dynamic. Why can't DT albums sound like that :'(
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I see that it's available on HDTracks too.
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OK i'm off the loop...why two threads?
People started discussing a leak of the album in this thread while a lot of other people were waiting for the release of the album and didn't want any spoilers. That's what the other thread was for: spoiler-free Opeth discussion.
Just finished my first listen to the album. It's really great! Can't say anything else really, needs more listens.
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I just got back with my copy, will listen to it soon. I liked the "Eternal Rains..." single, though I have not tried out the rest. Looking forward to it.
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OK, proceed to the other thread to continue discussion!