Author Topic: The Opeth Discography Thread  (Read 8296 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Scar

  • The Avenger
  • Posts: 870
  • Gender: Male
  • Death is only the beginning......
The Opeth Discography Thread
« on: November 19, 2016, 03:16:36 PM »
Ok, here it is.....The Opeth Discography Thread!



The History of Opeth

Opeth is a progressive death metal band from Stockholm, Sweden in 1989. Opeth has been through many line up changes. Opeth has consistently incorporated progressive, folk, blues, classical and jazz influences into its usually lengthy compositions, as well as strong influences from death metal, especially in their early works. Opeth has just recently released their 12th album Sorceress, an album devoid of any growls, as well as their previous two albums before Sorceress.

Opeth was formed as a death metal band in 1989 in Stockholm, Sweden by vocalist David Isberg. Isberg asked former Eruption band member Mikael Åkerfeldt  to join Opeth as a bassist. When Åkerfeldt showed up to practice the day after Isberg invited him, it became clear that Isberg had not told the band members, including the band's current bassist, that Åkerfeldt would be joining. An ensuing argument led to all members but Isberg and Åkerfeldt leaving to form a new project.

The Lineup of Opeth

Isberg and Åkerfeldt recruited drummer Anders Nordin, bassist Nick Döring, and guitarist Andreas Dimeo. Unsatisfied with Opeth's slow progress, Döring and Dimeo left the band after their first performance, and were replaced by guitarist Kim Pettersson and bassist Johan De Farfalla. After the next show, De Farfalla left Opeth to spend time with his girlfriend in Germany, and was initially replaced by Mattias Ander, before Åkerfeldt's friend Peter Lindgren took on the role of bassist. Rhythm guitarist Kim Pettersson left following the band's next performance, and Lindgren switched to guitar, with the role of bassist falling to Stefan Guteklint. The following year, David Isberg left the band citing "creative differences".

Following Isberg's departure, Åkerfeldt took over vocal duties and he, Lindgren, and Nordin spent the next year writing and rehearsing new material. The group began to rely less on the blast beats and aggression typical of death metal, and incorporated acoustic guitars and guitar harmonies into their music; developing the core sound of Opeth. Bassist Guteklint was dismissed by the band after they signed their first record deal with Candlelight Records in 1994. Opeth initially employed former member De Farfalla as a session bassist for their demo recordings, and he went on to join on a full-time basis following the release of Opeth's debut album, "Orchid", in 1995.

Orchid+Morningrise:
Mikael Åkerfeldt – lead vocals, guitar
Peter Lindgren – guitar
Anders Nordin – drums, percussion, piano(On Silhouette)
Johan De Farfalla – bass guitar

My Arms, Your Hearse:
Mikael Åkerfeldt – vocals, guitars, bass, grand piano
Peter Lindgren – guitars
Martin Lopez – drums, percussion

Still Life------>Damnation:
Mikael Åkerfeldt − vocals, guitar
Peter Lindgren − guitar
Martin Mendez − bass
Martin Lopez − drums
Steven Wilson − keyboards, piano, mellotron, backing vocals, mixing, mastering, production, engineering (From Blackwater Park to Damnation, and mixing, effects engineering, vocal engineering from Heritage to Pale Communion).

Ghost Reveries
Mikael Åkerfeldt – vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, acoustic guitar, Mellotron
Peter Lindgren – lead guitar
Martín Méndez – bass
Per Wiberg – Hammond organ, Mellotron, grand piano, Moog
Martin Lopez – drums, percussion
Martin Axenrot − drums ("Soldier of Fortune")

Watershed and Heritage
Mikael Åkerfeldt – vocals, guitar
Fredrik Åkesson – guitar
Per Wiberg – keyboards, synthesizer
Martín Méndez – bass guitar
Martin Axenrot – drums

Pale Communion and Sorceress
Mikael Åkerfeldt – lead vocals, lead guitar; songwriting, art direction, engineering
Fredrik Åkesson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Martín Méndez – bass guitar
Joakim Svalberg – keyboard, backing vocals; piano
Martin Axenrot – drums, percussion

Opeth's Discography
1. Orchid - 1995
2. Morningrise - 1996
3. My Arms, Your Hearse - 1998
4. Still Life -  1999
5. Blackwater Park - 2001
6. Deliverance - 2002
7. Damnation - 2003
8. Ghost Reveries - 2005
9. Watershed - 2008
10. Heritage - 2011
11. Pale Communion - 2014
12. Sorceress - 2016

Opeth personally for me was a huge turning point for me in my life. All of Opeth's songs strike a chord with me and Opeth has been an outlet to get rid of all my pain and anger. I owe Opeth my life and would be dead if I hadn't heard of them.
"Suicide sometimes proceeds from cowardice, but not always; for cowardice sometimes prevents it; since as many live because they are afraid to die, as die because they are afraid to live."
-Charles Caleb Colton

Online twosuitsluke

  • Posts: 10539
  • Gender: Male
  • Dovie'andi se tovya sagain
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2016, 05:38:24 PM »
Lets get those plug.dj sessions going  :metal

Offline Scar

  • The Avenger
  • Posts: 870
  • Gender: Male
  • Death is only the beginning......
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2016, 06:07:08 PM »


Orchid (1995)




Release date: May 1, 1995
Length: 65:31


Tracklist:
Bold denotes bonus track.

1. "In Mist She Was Standing"   
2. "Under the Weeping Moon"    
3. "Silhouette" (Instrumental)
4. "Forest of October"
5. "The Twilight Is My Robe"
6. "Requiem" (Instrumental)   
7. "The Apostle in Triumph"
8. "Into the Frost of Winter"

Personnel:

Mikael Åkerfeldt – lead vocals, guitar (except on "Silhouette")
Peter Lindgren – guitar (except on "Silhouette")
Anders Nordin – drums, percussion, piano on "Silhouette"
Johan De Farfalla – bass guitar (except on "Into the Frost of Winter" and "Silhouette"), backing vocals

Recorded: March–April 1994, Unisound
Genre: Progressive black metal, Progressive death metal
Label: Candlelight, Century Black
Producer: Opeth, Dan Swanö



History / Background

Orchid is the debut album by Swedish heavy metal band Opeth, released on May 1, 1995, in Europe by Candlelight Records, and on June 24, 1997, in the United States by Century Black. It was reissued in 2000 with one bonus track called "Into the Frost of Winter", an early unproduced rehearsal recording by the band. The recording sessions occurred at the old Unisound studio, in Finspång, between March and April 1994. Opeth produced alongside Dan Swanö. The band did not record a demo to get signed to a record label. Lee Barrett, the founder of Candlelight Records, enjoyed an Opeth rehearsal tape, and decided to sign the band. The album was well-received critically, even being called "unique".

Music
The music in Orchid combines elements influenced by progressive rock and acoustics pieces of folk music to the black metal scream and the death metal growl, as well having clean vocals. It also contains influences from jazz and melodic passages played by a piano and acoustic guitars. Critics described the sound of the album as it being "unique". Jim Raggi wrote "If you're wanting the more deathy and song oriented Opeth, skip down to My Arms, Your Hearse and go from there. If you're looking for a unique journey of music built alternately around dual guitar harmonies knocking into sequences when the two guitars and the bass are all playing different parts, stop-start transitions at times and smooth here-to-theres at others, here you go."

"Orchid" begins with "In Mist She Was Standing." The first thing you will notice about this song will be the riff that hits you in the face. Mikael's brutal growl immediately starts and apart for clean whispering vocals, there are no traces of clean vocal singing. The first acoustic passage features Johan, the bass player's bassline that stays prominent throughout the part. After, Mikael unleashes brutal shrieks and ends with a harsh whisper as a prominent riff plays throughout the ending. The climax and build up into the ending and the beautiful acoustic section in the end, makes this song a strong contender for this album.

"Under the Weeping Moon" is definitely an interesting song and was my favorite on this album for the longest time. The song begins with an acoustic passage, then Mikael's growls come in. What comes after, pleases me and I find to be the highlight of the song. Mikael's growl trails off and follows a mysteriously haunting acoustic passage. After repeated acoustic guitar work, a mysterious noise enters. It is like static and combined with Nordin's amazing drum work, you can feel the intense pressure. After, the entire band comes to life and Mikael comes with the arguably strongest growl in this album and then the instruments fade and Mikael's clean vocals enters. That, I would have to say is another highlight of this song.

A piano instrumental song enters. At first, I was shocked. Who could be playing the piano? I had thought it was Mikael Akerfeldt, but it was actually the drummer, Anders Nordin. This song is nothing extravagant and flashy, but for me is a nice break between two intense, intense songs.

The next song that enters is "Forest of October". For me, this song is the most easily forgettable song, but still a great song nonetheless. What starts the song is a melodious riffing that really draws you in. His clean vocals in the beginner of FoO really grabs me in. Around 6:32, another really catchy riff peeks its face out and amongst the silence of the other instruments, it really is a nice music to behold.

A dark, shattering riff pierces the night, and you know this song will be badass, but in the midst of that, there are incredible acoustic sections and clean vocals that make you just...sigh. Here it is, the magnum opus (to me) of this album, "The Twilight is My Robe." The bass work in this song is just incredible and the acoustic passage in here is arguably one of the best from this album. Mikael's clean vocals here is also my favorite as he really sets the mood in this song.

"Requiem" is a very short instrumental piece. Nothing too special about this baby, only that due to mixing errors, the ending of Requiem has been placed at the beginning of the next song, "The Apostle in Triumph", which is a shame because the piece is the definite highlight as you hear bass, guitars, and percussion, filling your ears.

Last but not least is "The Apostle in Triumph." It starts out with some of the coolest acoustic riffs I've ever heard. After a short break, it comes back with some laid back electric instruments. The song is made heavy soley by Mike's voice. But the music itself is relatively soft, and really nice sounding. I really love Mikael's guitar volume swells towards the middle of the song. I first mistakenly thought it was a violin, because to me it sure sounded like it, but ? told me that it was a guitar swell. Johan and Anders are really nice at supporting Mikael while he is doing the swells.

My Thoughts

The first two albums aren't well liked by most people, but I think they are absolutely stellar. Mikael Akerfeld utilizes more of a shriek, but starting from My Arms, his growls turn deeper and deeper. I think Orchid is a really stellar, debut album for Opeth and has been only one of the only debut album that I have loved. Most debut albums for me a real lacker.

Personally, my ranking for this album is:

1. The Twilight Is My Robe
2. Under the Weeping Moon
3. The Apostle in Triumph
4. In Mist She Was Standing
5. Forest of October
6. Silhouette
7. Requiem

Overall, this album is very decent for a starter album and has warmed my soul because this was the very first Opeth album I had listened to and loved.

PLUG DJ Listening Session

If people are interested, I know Luke is ;), then we can have the session tomorrow, Sunday, at 5:00 p.m PST which is 7 p.m EST, or 4 a.m GST.

If you guys want it today, I'm down at 7:00 p.m PST which is 10:00 pm EST or 7:00 am GST.

Site: https://plug.dj/-4768540118602180289
« Last Edit: November 19, 2016, 06:35:14 PM by Scar »
"Suicide sometimes proceeds from cowardice, but not always; for cowardice sometimes prevents it; since as many live because they are afraid to die, as die because they are afraid to live."
-Charles Caleb Colton

Offline seasonsinthesky

  • roo)))m noise
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 1483
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #3 on: November 19, 2016, 06:28:02 PM »
"Forest of October". For me, this song is the most easily forgettable song

What?! That is insane! I've found it easily the most memorable song on the record from the first time I heard it. The riff progression would only be outdone on the next album. It has payoff after payoff without losing interest or dynamic contrast in between! The second intro/outro riff is probably my favourite in the whole catalog.

Otherwise, I find this album really spotty, in the sense that every song has handfuls of riffs I really like, but also a bunch of meh stuff I don't. I find the much celebrated UTWM boring until the cool ambient section, for instance. Mikey got much better at 'packing the riffs' on the next one.

Offline The King in Crimson

  • Stuck in a glass dome since 1914!
  • Posts: 4002
  • Gender: Male
  • Mr. Sandman, Give Me A Dream
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #4 on: November 19, 2016, 06:50:35 PM »
I definitely agree with Orchid being "spotty." It has some cool moments, some nice atmosphere, and a couple of songs that are good all the way through, but the stop-start transitions and sameyness of many of the songs starts to get old about halfway through and I start to lose interest. It's a nice debut but definitely near the bottom of my ranking.

Offline ChuckSteak

  • Posts: 1688
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #5 on: November 19, 2016, 09:00:01 PM »
Good fucking old Opeth. Enough said. :)

My ranking:

1. The Apostle In Triumph
2. The Twilight Is My Robe
3. Forest Of October
4. In Mist She Was Standing
5. Under The Weeping Moon
6. Silhouette
7. Requiem

Offline XB0BX

  • Posts: 512
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #6 on: November 23, 2016, 05:38:12 PM »
I love Orchid, so so so underrated.

Offline LudwigVan

  • Posts: 4777
  • Gender: Male
  • Proglodyte
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #7 on: November 23, 2016, 10:10:38 PM »
Orchid was my first Opeth album, so I have a soft spot for it.
"There is nothing more difficult than talking about music."
--Camille Saint-Saëns

“All the good music has already been written by people with wigs and stuff.”
--Frank Zappa

Offline ?

  • Apparently the best username
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 11742
  • Gender: Male
  • Less=Moore, Even Less=Wilson
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #8 on: November 24, 2016, 03:56:54 AM »
Orchid was my first Opeth album, so I have a soft spot for it.
Same here.

Offline Scar

  • The Avenger
  • Posts: 870
  • Gender: Male
  • Death is only the beginning......
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #9 on: November 27, 2016, 04:26:09 PM »


Morningrise (1996)

Release date: June 24, 1996
Length: 66:02


Tracklist:
Bold denotes bonus track.

1. "Advent"   
2. "The Night and the Silent Water"    
3. "Nectar"
4. "Black Rose Immortal"
5. "To Bid You Farewell"
6. "Eternal Soul Torture"

Personnel:

Mikael Åkerfeldt – lead vocals, guitar
Peter Lindgren – guitar
Anders Nordin – drums, percussion
Johan De Farfalla – bass guitar

Recorded: March–April 1996 (Unisound)
Genre: Progressive black metal, Progressive death metal
Label: Candlelight, Century Black
Producer: Opeth, Dan Swanö



History / Background

Morningrise is the second studio album by Swedish heavy metal band Opeth. It was released on June 24, 1996, in Europe by Candlelight Records and on June 24, 1997, in the United States by Century Black. The recording sessions took place at Unisound studio, in Örebro, between March and April 1996, and once more the band produced alongside Dan Swanö. Morningrise was the last Opeth album produced by Swanö. It was also the last Opeth release with drummer Anders Nordin and bassist Johan De Farfalla.

As the release of the first album was delayed, they had already written most of Morningrise when Orchid was released. Although some parts of the material recorded date back to 1991, Mikael Åkerfeldt said, "the material we had been writing felt really fresh and new."

According to Åkerfeldt, recording Morningrise was "quite boring" because of "the endless drum takes, click track and shit like that". The band spent most of the time in the studio smoking. Despite the downtime, Åkerfeldt and Lindgren wrote an instrumental piece that was meant to appear on the album, but they did not have enough time to finish it.

Morningrise includes Opeth's longest song ever recorded, "Black Rose Immortal", with a length of 20:15.

Music

Morningrise showcases Opeth's signature style, exploring the dynamics between the combination of black metal and death metal vocals, and guitar parts with lighter progressive and acoustic elements. The album was very well received by critics, with some calling it "epic" and "perfect".

"Morningrise" begins with the legendary "Advent." Honestly, this song has taken the very quickest to grow on me and has taken my number one spot from this album from the beginning. "Advent" begins with an acoustic guitar introduction and when you think it will be like that for a while, Opeth throws a huge riff on your face that has caught me off guard. With stellar acoustic passages and Mikael's clean singing, this song is in no hurry to blow your mind. The highlight of this song would be the middle acoustic section of the song which I find to be one of the most beautiful acoustic passages next to TNASW and TBYF. In the end though, the speed for this song picks up once more and there is an intense jam session where all the instruments are present. Once the final line of Mikael's clean vocal hits you, the song once more enters an acoustic stage and a haunting strum is played until the end, finishing this amazing song.

"The Night and the Silent Water" is the next song to peek out its face. This song honestly was the least interesting to at first. When I ran the Opeth survivor, I voted for this song after Nectar. Now, as I am listening to it more and more, this song is growing on me more and more. This song, like Advent, has a beautiful acoustic passage as well as Mikael's clean vocals. This song begins off with all the instruments and a riff. What follows is a mix of acoustic guitar and electric guitar that gives it an amazing feel to it. This song was dedicated to Mikael's grandfather who had died and this song is really haunting in many ways. Mikael's growl comes in as he talks about his grandfather leaving him and in towards the middle, an acoustic passage. This is one of my favorite's and is really haunting. Just when you think it can't get more haunting, Mikael's melancholy voice comes in and you can't help but wonder. Near the end, the song fades out to an acoustic strum which is replaced with an electric guitar and Mikael whispers: "You sleep in the light, yet the night and the silent water still so daaark!" This part sends me shivers as this isn't a growl, but you can still hear the pain coming from Mikael.

"Nectar" is the third song of this album and honestly, out of all five songs, the most easily forgettable for me.  “Nectar” really should have been shorter. As a heavy song, it lacks energy, and as a long song, it lacks variety. I really think the band should have developed this track a little more, because there are a couple of riffs on it that are pretty damn good. Although the bass in the song is amazing.  The bassline at the end of this song is one of the greatest things you'll ever hear. DeFarfalla rips the fretboard up. This song starts off with a grooving beat and has an "Advent" sounding riff, with some nice bass work. This is probably the high point of the album. This is probably the most intense song on here, as most of the material on this album is a bit less intense as most of the bands catalogue.

The longest song Opeth has ever dished out to date is the huge "Black Rose Immortal." This song is a test of your willpower...though since I've listened to longer songs, I eat this song for breakfast. Well, not really, but this song is still awesome. The highlight of this song is definitely the build up from a quite ambient section to one of Mikael's most epic....*ahem* excuse me....to Mikael's most monumental, awesome, awe-inspiring, brutal, stunning, and violent scream he has ever done. Definitely one of the best parts. The lyrics in this song also are beautifully written and the acoustic passages are full of emotion.

The last song in this album is "To Bid You Farewell." This song reminds me a lot of "A Fair Judgement," which we will get to in a while. This song is the first full song where Mikael sings to not have a single ounce of growls. This album is mostly acoustic, as there is a trace of electric guitars near the middle, which soon reverts back to its acoustic structure. The introduction strum is played as it follows the pattern until Mikael's voice comes in. There is a vocal effect on Mikael's voice that really for me, sets the tone for the song. The highlight of this song would be the transition from acoustic to electric, and electric back to acoustic. This song would be very awesome to listen to as rain is pouring down. Although there are no traces of growls, this song is still ultimately haunting and melancholic, as you would expect from Opeth.

My Thoughts

This album is amazing. Enough said. Although I can't decide which album I like more: Orchid vs Morningrise, I find them both to be amazing. One of the first albums I have listened to from Opeth, I was glad I had started off with this album and Orchid. If I had started off with their signature albums: Ghost Reveries, Blackwater Park, Still Life.....then it would have been much harder to get into Opeth's first two albums.

My ranking for this album is:

1. Advent
2. The Night and the Silent Water
3. To Bid You Farewell
4. Black Rose Immortal
5. Nectar
« Last Edit: November 27, 2016, 05:15:52 PM by Scar »
"Suicide sometimes proceeds from cowardice, but not always; for cowardice sometimes prevents it; since as many live because they are afraid to die, as die because they are afraid to live."
-Charles Caleb Colton

Online Ben_Jamin

  • Posts: 15690
  • Gender: Male
  • I'm just a man, thrown into existence by the gods
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #10 on: November 27, 2016, 04:53:22 PM »
Nectar isn't an instrumental.
I don't know how they can be so proud of winning with them odds. - Little Big Man
Follow my Spotify:BjamminD

Offline seasonsinthesky

  • roo)))m noise
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 1483
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #11 on: November 27, 2016, 06:30:01 PM »
Scar, I'd suggest a quicker turnaround on these first few albums. I know you probably have a life, though, so it's all dependent on when you have time to write out the huge post per album. I just mean to say the topic dried up fast on Orchid, and I don't see it going too differently until we'll really pick up steam at Still Life.

I bloody love Morningrise. That last half hour is masterful. BRI used to put me off because it opens with the pirate riff, but I'm used to it now, and it's a bloody quick 5 minutes to get to that little break of water sounds that ushers in the first amazement moment of the song. It doesn't stop amazing after that.

My only gripe is that TNATSW and "Nectar" could have easily been pared down to make one really great song on the level of "Advent" and the last two. In fact, I did this myself, and it worked out super well (considering most of the songs sound piecemeal as is). It's a better record at 4 long songs than 5.

Offline Scar

  • The Avenger
  • Posts: 870
  • Gender: Male
  • Death is only the beginning......
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #12 on: November 27, 2016, 07:25:59 PM »
Seasons, I will do that. I can understand why the early discographies have a lot of crickets. Will update next on Tuesday or Wednesday.
"Suicide sometimes proceeds from cowardice, but not always; for cowardice sometimes prevents it; since as many live because they are afraid to die, as die because they are afraid to live."
-Charles Caleb Colton

Offline Scar

  • The Avenger
  • Posts: 870
  • Gender: Male
  • Death is only the beginning......
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #13 on: November 29, 2016, 07:48:09 PM »


My Arms Your Hearse (1998)

Release date: August 18, 1998
Length:53:13


Tracklist:
Bold denotes bonus track.

1. "Prologue" (Instrumental)      
2. "April Ethereal"    
3. "When"
4. "Madrigal" (Instrumental)   
5. "The Amen Corner"
6. "Demon of the Fall"
7. "Credence"
8. "Karma"
9. "Epilogue" (Instrumental)
10. "Circle of the Tyrants"
11. "Remember Tomorrow"


Personnel:

Mikael Åkerfeldt – lead vocals, guitar, bass, grand piano
Peter Lindgren – guitar
Martin Lopez – drums, percussion


Recorded: August–September 1997
Genre: Progressive death metal
Label: Candlelight, Century Black
Producer: Opeth,    Fredrik Nordström



History / Background

My Arms, Your Hearse was the first Opeth album with drummer Martin Lopez, who answered a newspaper ad that Opeth put up searching for this spot to be taken after Anders Nordin left. Shortly thereafter the band also brought in Martín Méndez, a friend and previous band-mate of Lopez. However, Mendez did not have enough time to learn the bass parts for the album, so frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt played bass for the entire recording session. All of the songs on My Arms, Your Hearse are shorter than ten minutes, whereas on Opeth's previous album, Morningrise, every song exceeds this length. The album is dedicated to Lee Barrett (of Candlelight Records). The title of the album is derived from the lyrics of the song "Drip, Drip" by the band Comus.

Music

Åkerfeldt wrote all the lyrics before the music was written, to create Opeths first concept album.

Opeth’s third album was different from Orchid and Morningrise in three obvious ways: 1) Songs were a bit shorter; Morningrise had extravagant songs like Black Rose Immortal, a whopping 20 minutes, while the longest song on MAYH is a little under 10 minutes. 2) This was their first concept album, and 3)this album is heavier and darker than anything they’ve done before, using Drop D on most songs and a heavier, thicker atmosphere on which the instruments and production both contributed.

That and much, much more is on MAYH, almost a completely different band it seems from Morningrise. The longest song on here is about 9 minutes long, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any loss of Prog-Metal on this album, oh no! Acoustic passages are inspirational and original (When, April Ethereal), simply bliss. Riffs are varied, spanning from slow, creepy parts (The Amen Corner) to fast, furious riffs, like those found on Karma. Most are low riffs, down tuned, not as trebly as those on Morningrise, but still as amazing and catchy as they ever were. There’s also solos, which show two sides-shredwise (The Amen Corner) and a calmer, more subdued but perfectly done solos (Epilogue). Opeth will just keeping you coming back, back, and back again, all for those guitars!

Ahh, Mikaels vocals. How legendary they are, with such mellow, uplifting singing, along with such scary, crushing growls. His clean singing is a talent you’ll find nowhere else; it varies in style just as much as it does with volume, strength, and emotion. Now for those so called ‘Cookie Monster’ growls. I’ll be the first to say that Mikael is not as nearly as annoying as Cookie Monster, his vocals are a beast to be reckoned with. He pushes every line he spits out with confidence, for he knows what he can do, what his abilities are now, and with that comes control, and control is good. He mostly uses a low-profile tone, rarely does he ever shriek, which I think is a pro.

The drums are excellent. Varied use of rhythmic patterns, and from heavy to subdued in an instant is something that always gets me. Martin knows what he’s doing, and he’s in control for the beats. He can pound away at the double kick and yet be able to produce soft overtones in nearly every song. But…is that it? Of course not! Technicality is Martins game, he makes use of every piece on his drumset, and makes different and difficult patterns and fills with seemingly no effort. Martin is definitely talented; it shows on every record he’s ever done with Opeth.

My Thoughts

Many people would choose Still Life over My Arms, Your Hearse, and I agree with them. But, this album was also a major breakthrough for Opeth. Mikael's growls have deepened considerably well here as his vocals would for the next albums that would come.
"Suicide sometimes proceeds from cowardice, but not always; for cowardice sometimes prevents it; since as many live because they are afraid to die, as die because they are afraid to live."
-Charles Caleb Colton

Online Ben_Jamin

  • Posts: 15690
  • Gender: Male
  • I'm just a man, thrown into existence by the gods
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #14 on: November 29, 2016, 08:09:06 PM »
I enjoy listening to this album every now and then. It's a nice listen for me. My favorite being When, wish they'd do the intro live though.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2016, 08:35:19 PM by Ben_Jamin »
I don't know how they can be so proud of winning with them odds. - Little Big Man
Follow my Spotify:BjamminD

Offline Randaran

  • Posts: 1100
  • Gender: Male
  • The Fate of Destruction is also the Joy of Rebirth
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #15 on: November 29, 2016, 08:33:00 PM »
Opeth's first great album, and my favorite of theirs. MAYH is one of the few albums I can listen to multiple times in a single sitting and still enjoy it.
Only a prog fan would try to measure how much they enjoy a song by an equation. :lol
My anime can beat up your anime.

Offline Mosh

  • For I have dined on honeydew!
  • Posts: 3825
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #16 on: November 29, 2016, 08:35:37 PM »
April Ethereal, When, Demon Of the Fall, take or leave the rest. I do like that this album has a sound that is unlike anything they did before or anything they've done since. It has a cool vibe to it. It is also the birth of the more riff driven Opeth that we all know and love.
New Animal Soup scifi space opera for fans of Porcupine Tree, Mastodon, Iron Maiden: Chariots of the Gods

https://animalsoup.bandcamp.com/album/chariots-of-the-gods

Offline ?

  • Apparently the best username
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 11742
  • Gender: Male
  • Less=Moore, Even Less=Wilson
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #17 on: November 30, 2016, 02:51:09 AM »
MAYH is one of my top 3 Opeth albums; I just love how cohesive it is, and AE, When and DOTF are some of the best metal moments in their catalog.

Offline ChuckSteak

  • Posts: 1688
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #18 on: November 30, 2016, 06:39:29 AM »
This was Opeth finally finding their sound. They did better with the two following albums, but MAYH was the first step to get to their peak.

Offline seasonsinthesky

  • roo)))m noise
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 1483
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #19 on: November 30, 2016, 10:14:42 AM »
Funny no one's mentioned Åkerfeldt had a cold when he recorded vocals for this! You can really hear it on all his cleans. It makes the growls even better, though.

Talk about a drastic change. Orchid & Morningrise sound like they were made by an entirely different band.

This album has some of my favourite Opeth songs of all time. The obvious example is "Demon of the Fall," but I love "The Amen Corner" and "Karma" equally as much. The other proper songs are second-tier to these but hardly lack brilliance.

The one thing that drags this album down, imo, is some of the terrible transitions. The way the intro of "When" fades in over the end fadeout of "April Ethereal" is complete ass – two different tempos, two different keys. Just a bad decision. And I am forever annoyed that the last resonance of "Demon" is immediately interrupted by the drums of "Credence" fading in! Hilariously, the heavy ending of "Amen" (before the quiet coda) would have transitioned perfectly into "Demon" (minus the backwards intro), yet that's the one transition they didn't do. Ultimately it may be for the better, though, since that backmasked intro is super cool.

I think this album could use a new Bogren mix or even just a hefty remaster. However, there seems to be something in the way of that, whether it be legal stuff with Candlelight or perhaps even missing tapes (as often happens with older recordings). Hopefully it's not a case of Åkerfeldt thinking people don't like MAYH enough to buy a new mix – that'd be folly, imo.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2016, 10:20:43 AM by seasonsinthesky »

Offline me7

  • Posts: 1309
  • Disciple of the Cockroach
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #20 on: November 30, 2016, 03:41:48 PM »
The way the intro of "When" fades in over the end fadeout of "April Ethereal" is complete ass – two different tempos, two different keys. Just a bad decision.

I love that transition.

Offline Onno

  • Well, it's just entertainment, folks!
  • Posts: 4361
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #21 on: November 30, 2016, 11:14:24 PM »
I think I like this album more than Still Life. I definitely need to listen to both again, though.

Offline Progmetty

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 7127
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #22 on: December 01, 2016, 12:15:09 AM »
Interesting read, Opeth is the only band that I tried and didn't like but occasionally keep trying again and again just cause so many people of similar tastes to me like it, I just can't get my ear on the "wow" factor of this band. I have Damnation, Ghost Reveries and Watershed, I've had these albums since maybe 2007 and at least once a year I'll give them a spin and it doesn't click, Damnation is the one that I kinda enjoy a little but it's only cause it sounds like Porcupine Tree to me.
I wouldn't want somebody with 18 kids to mow my damn lawn, based on a longstanding bias I have against crazy fucks.

Offline Elite

  • The 'other' Rich
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 17544
  • Gender: Male
  • also, a tin teardrop
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #23 on: December 01, 2016, 12:59:14 AM »
My Arms, Your Hearse is easily my second or third favourite Opeth album. It's also the album of theirs I have known the longest, apart from Blackwater Park, which was my first. This album has some of Opeth's greatest moments, from the best growls Åkerfeldt has ever done on an Opeth record, to some of the downright very best songs they have ever written. I know that is a pretty bold claim, but look at the insane amount of quality on songs like April Ethereal, When, Demon of the Fall and Karma. To a lesser extent, The Amen Corner as well, which is the one track I could never really get into. That's basically every song on the record, except for Credence, which is a pretty good track that easily gets overshadowed by the hard-hitters here. The album's closing instrumental, Epilogue, is not only a fitting end to the album, but also a very nice piece of music on its own.

Regarding the transitions... they're the worst part of this album indeed. The small drumming click at the end of DotF is exceptionally annoying and April Ethereal into When is very sloppy, especially considering that the acoustic intro at the beginning of When doesn't really add that much to the track.

Anyway, I love this record.
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
Squ
scRa are the resultaten of sound nog bring propey

Offline Scar

  • The Avenger
  • Posts: 870
  • Gender: Male
  • Death is only the beginning......
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #24 on: December 03, 2016, 03:10:16 PM »


Still Life (1999)



Release date: 18 October, 1999
Length: 62:31


Tracklist:
Bold denotes bonus track.

1. "The Moor"
2. "Godhead's Lament"   
3. "Benighted"
4. "Moonlapse Vertigo"
5. "Face of Melinda"
6. "Serenity Painted Death"
7. "White Cluster"

Personnel:

Mikael Åkerfeldt − vocals, guitar
Peter Lindgren − guitar
Martin Mendez − bass
Martin Lopez − drums

Recorded: 15 April–29 May 1999
Genre: Progressive death metal, Progressive Rock
Label: Peaceville
Producer: Opeth, Mikael Åkerfeldt, Fredrik Nordström



History / Background

Like its predecessor, My Arms, Your Hearse, Still Life is a concept album. Frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt explains: "Still Life was not Satanic but an anti-Christian theme. It sounds pretty naive when I explain it like this. It kind of takes place a long time ago when Christianity had a bigger importance than it has today. The main character is kind of banished from his hometown because he hasn't got the same faith as the rest of the inhabitants there. The album pretty much starts off when he is returning after several years to hook up with his old 'babe'. Obviously a lot of bad things start happening with, as I call it on the album, 'the council.' The big bosses of the town know that he's back. A lot of bad things start happening. They see him as a hypocrite in a way. It's almost like a devil's advocate or whatever it's called."

Music

Ah Still Life. An Opeth album I used to not listen to as much as other albums, but now, since it is slowly rising up ranks, I have been giving it more time to listen to and analyze the songs.

"The Moor" is a fantastic opener for this album and my favorite song of this album. With tight crushing riffs, catchy melodies, and Mikael's vocals, the starter is one heck of a force, the longest song of the album, clocking at eleven minutes.  "The Moor" takes on a quite introduction approach, lasting for almost two minutes before the metal finally kicks in. Well, yeah. If you're here for just the metal, you might get impatient with this fade-in, slow opening. Personally I feel it is perfectly timed, just long enough to really build up to an early climax, so that once the main riff kicks in, accompanied by the bass and the drums, it becomes all the more delightful when you can finally start banging your head.

"Godhead's Lament" is the next song to appear and contains my favorite clean vocal moment: "What would they care if I did stay, no-one would know. What would they care if I did stay, no-one should know." A solo starts off this song and it builds up to the point of the clean vocals.

"Benighted" is the first song in this album that only has clean vocals. This whole song is very mellow with repeated choruses and fantastic acoustic work.

"Moonlapse Vertigo" for me is the only song on this album with growls and cleans to be the most easily forgettable out of the five.

"Face of Melinda" is the second song with only cleans, but unlike "Benighted," uses the electric guitar. This song is really haunting and details the encounter between our main character and Melinda.

"Serenity Painted Death" is my second favorite song of this album and rightfully so. This song has one of my most favorite Mikael growl moments in which the main character watches Melinda die and goes into this full out rage. Another favorite part of this song are the lyrics: : White face, haggard grin / This serenity painted death / With a halo of bitter disease / Black paragon in lingering breath. Also, loving that little tail-end growl to the end of the words.

"White Cluster" is an epic finisher for this song and talks about the main character's death is he is hung. Filled with clean/harsh moments as well as crushtastic riffage and beautiful acoustic work, once this song is finished, you feel like you went on a journey through the main character's eyes.

My Thoughts

"Still Life" is an amazing album, but was introduced to me at a later time. I used to avoid this album for my other favorites: "Blackwater Park," "Deliverance," and "Damnation," but this album has been making a strong comeback for my music player.

Personally, my ranking for this album is:

1. "The Moor"
2. "Serenity Painted Death"
3. "Godhead's Lament"
4. "Face of Melinda"
5. "White Cluster"
6. "Moonlapse Vertigo"
7. "Benighted"

Overall, this album is what any Opeth fans should definitely listen as there are less acoustic passages and Mikael's growls have again deepened considerably.
"Suicide sometimes proceeds from cowardice, but not always; for cowardice sometimes prevents it; since as many live because they are afraid to die, as die because they are afraid to live."
-Charles Caleb Colton

Offline ChuckSteak

  • Posts: 1688
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #25 on: December 03, 2016, 03:20:23 PM »
The first Opeth masterpiece.

Offline Casino-95

  • Posts: 27
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #26 on: December 03, 2016, 04:51:24 PM »
The first Opeth masterpiece.

Agreed.

"The Moor" and "Godhead's Lament" is perhaps my favorite one-two punch of any album by any band.

And "White Cluster" is so great that this forum has an emoticon for it.  :corn *

*I wondered if anyone else had made this joke before, so I googled it.  Somebody on an Ultimate Guitar forum made it in 2008.  I'm a little disappointed, but I still think it's a good joke.
« Last Edit: December 04, 2016, 07:32:18 AM by Casino-95 »

Offline seasonsinthesky

  • roo)))m noise
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 1483
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #27 on: December 03, 2016, 06:20:32 PM »
No wasted moments on this album. So jazzy, so reverby, so good!

I'd rank:
1. White Cluster
2. Moonlapse Vertigo (give it time!)
3. Godhead
4. Serenity
5. Benighted
6. The Moor
7. Face of Melinda

but those last ones are because I tired myself out on them. I get more out of the rest because of that.

Offline LudwigVan

  • Posts: 4777
  • Gender: Male
  • Proglodyte
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #28 on: December 04, 2016, 12:48:46 AM »
Posting late in response to Morningrise. As I mentioned before, I do have a soft spot for those first two albums. They're both flawed and certainly not as good as what was to come, but there's a certain charm to the meandering quality of the arrangements.  Some of those songs don't have much focus, but there's an experimental feel, just stringing together random bits and pieces. When I listen to these albums  I feel like I'm in the midst of some fantastic dream where I'm wandering aimlessly through a twilight forest and encountering scenes of deathly beauty. Very black metallish.
"There is nothing more difficult than talking about music."
--Camille Saint-Saëns

“All the good music has already been written by people with wigs and stuff.”
--Frank Zappa

Offline Polarbear

  • Posts: 1497
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #29 on: December 04, 2016, 12:59:45 AM »
I really love the new direction Opeth is going with their latest albums, but Still Life is still easily my favorite Opeth album.

Online twosuitsluke

  • Posts: 10539
  • Gender: Male
  • Dovie'andi se tovya sagain
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #30 on: December 04, 2016, 02:25:14 AM »
Still Life is probably the earliest album in Opeth's back catalogue that I love. I think it was the third album I heard (after GR and Watershed). I have vivid memories of cycling to work about 7 years ago with this album on repeat  :tup

Offline ?

  • Apparently the best username
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 11742
  • Gender: Male
  • Less=Moore, Even Less=Wilson
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #31 on: December 04, 2016, 11:14:16 AM »
Still Life is a pretty good album, but on the whole it doesn't resonate with me the way my favorite Opeth albums do. I like most of the individual songs (The Moor and SPD are 2 of my all-time favorites), but a lot of the riffs are kind of samey, which makes the full listening experience a bit heavy. Moonlapse is also a pretty forgettable tune.

Offline ChuckSteak

  • Posts: 1688
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #32 on: December 04, 2016, 11:30:52 AM »
1. The Moor
2. Godhead's Lament
3. Serenity Painted Death
4. Moonlapse Vertigo
5. White Cluster
6. Face of Melinda
7. Benighted

Offline The King in Crimson

  • Stuck in a glass dome since 1914!
  • Posts: 4002
  • Gender: Male
  • Mr. Sandman, Give Me A Dream
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #33 on: December 04, 2016, 08:39:38 PM »
This album is so fucking good. It's the album that finally got me into Opeth and the album that got me to appreciate growls/harsh vocals. I remember buying this as a last ditch effort after being unimpressed with Blackwater Park (sue me) and just being blown away from the first few seconds of "The Moor," which, to date, remains my favorite Opeth song. Even with the long songs and a few that I like much less than the rest, this album never overstays its welcome, unlike some other Opeth albums.

1. The Moor
2. Face of Melinda
3. Serenity Painted Death
4. Godhead's Lament
5. White Cluster
6. Moonlapse Vertigo
7. Benighted

Offline Scar

  • The Avenger
  • Posts: 870
  • Gender: Male
  • Death is only the beginning......
Re: The Opeth Discography Thread
« Reply #34 on: December 05, 2016, 12:17:05 PM »
Should I post BWP today or wait a bit more?
"Suicide sometimes proceeds from cowardice, but not always; for cowardice sometimes prevents it; since as many live because they are afraid to die, as die because they are afraid to live."
-Charles Caleb Colton