Opeth
Orchid
Candlelight, 1995
Progressive in regards to experimentation of song-structure and epic
compositional vision, the music of Opeth operates from a foundation of melodic
death metal in the Swedish tradition, with a strong inclination to melodic
development and sustain. Frequent use of acoustic guitars effectively provides
atmospheric dynamic. Vocals are somewhere between death and black metal,
skillfully employed, and sometimes offset by adequate clean singing. Songs are
long and never repeat passages, serving to present songs as journeys with
uncertain destinations. Guitars are darkly melodic. Riffs are often speedy
currents of nocturnal suggestion. Rhythmic flow is expertly maintained, driven
by an intelligence of transition and song evolution. Wandering bass guitar
provides a refreshing approach of exploration within defined ideas. Highly
accomplished instrumentation, an enthusiasm for musical adventure, and
enchanting melancholy combine to make this an impressive first effort.
Tracklisting
1. In Mist She Was Standing
2. Under The Weeping Moon
3. Silhouette
4. Forest Of October
5. The Twilight Is My Robe
6. Requiem
7. The Apostle In Triumph
Opeth
Morningrise
Candlelight, 1996
Opeth implement a larger amount of acoustic guitar, clean singing, and plaintive
atmospheres into their progressive-minded melodic death metal. Lengthy acoustic
passages often enter the realm of folk music. This is a darker effort than the
debut, with more intense metal moments as well as mellower sections. The mood is
somber throughout, with a contemplative personality. The music is elegantly
designed, with the intention being to explore a variety of themes within a
general framework, as if to identify the most effective through considering all
possible options appropriate to the overall desired presentation. All in all,
this Opeth's best work.
Tracklisting
1. Advent
2. The Night And The Silent Water
3. Nectar
4. Black Rose Immortal
5. To Bid You Farewell
7. The Apostle In Triumph
Opeth
My Arms, Your Hearse
Century Media, 1998
An emphasis on heavier guitars and thicker production, as well as decidedly more
death metal-oriented vocals defines this third Opeth album. The band have begun
repeating certain sections of songs, but compositions remain relatively lengthy
in duration. This is a heavier album than either of the first two efforts, but
acoustic sections and clean vocals still appear. There is an effective
continuity of flow throughout, such that the album could be taken in as one very
long song. The magical melancholy of earlier work is not as apparent here, but
the music remains enjoyable for its largely creative melodic ideas and use of
dynamics.
Tracklisting
1. Prologue
2. April Ethereal
3. When
4. Madrigal
5. The Amen Corner
6. Demon Of The Fall
7. Credence
8. Karma
9. Epilogue
Opeth
Still Life
Peaceville, 1999
This album perfects the idea of its predecessor.
Opeth are clearly beginning to rely on a well-established formula, a reliance
that seems in contrast with the nature of their original vision. Within its
context, it is very pleasing music, but the adventurous nature of earlier work
has become restrained in favor of more traditional ideas of songwriting. The
skill of musicianship and intelligence of composition keep this
interesting even for mechanical purposes, but one begins to long for the more
poetic and darker explorations of earlier efforts, as well as the original bass
player.
Tracklisting
1. The Moor
2. Godheads Lament
3. Benighted
4. Moonlapse Vertigo
5. Face Of Melinda
6. Serenity Painted Death
7. White Cluster
Opeth
Blackwater Park
Koch/Music For Nations, 2001
Not much in the way of elaborations on previously
visited themes, this album boasts a glorious production but music that often
fails to stimulate anything of significance within the listener. On the surface,
it is fantastic in its execution, but it is emotionally vacant for the most
part. The melodic ideas here are just not as interesting as on past work, and it
feels as if the band are going through the motions to produce what they assume
is expected of their music at this point in their careers. Technically
outstanding, yet spiritually vacant.
Tracklisting
1. The Leper Affinity
2. Bleak
3. Harvest
4. The Drapery Falls
5. Dirge For November
6. Funeral Portrait
7. Patterns In The Ivy
8. Blackwater Park
Opeth
Deliverance
Music For Nations, 2002
Ambitiously striving to elude the perils of complacency, Opeth release two albums of diametrical styles, with the first, Deliverance, emphasizing the band’s heavier approach, and the second, Damnation, showcasing the mellower aspect of their sound. However, Deliverance is essentially standard Opeth work, formulated in the tradition of their previous albums, and is only "heavier" in comparison to the follow-up Damnation, which is ultimately acoustic prog-rock. As a stand alone effort, there exists nothing on Deliverance that separates it from past works, other than its position as Opeth’s least inspiring/interesting creation.
Indeed, there are moments here that are Opeth’s heaviest in terms of sonic expression, with a few passages resembling Morbid Angel’s more lurching moments, most notably in "Master’s Apprentices". There is a thicker darkness evident through much of the album lending itself to a sinister mood, but the plaintive instrumental "For Absent Friends", melancholic lament of "A Fair Judgement" and acoustic passages within the remaining tracks offer a familiar caress. These moments also stand as the album’s saving grace, with only the title track’s menacing closing groove offering anything else to be remembered. For sure, the musicianship on display is phenomenal, but this has long since been established. Much of this material lacks any real feeling, and Opeth’s mastery of constructing epics of captivating flow is disturbingly absent, leaving most of the songs hollow at their core. There is no journey to be taken here.
"Sever the faith from my body
Leave me begging for more
Take what I have and deliver me
Into everlasting sleep"
Deliverance is not very inviting. It is a more challenging listen than past recordings, not because it embodies more depth and complexity, but because there is very little here that matches anything they have yet accomplished, and nothing that rises above, making for a less engaging listening experience. Once overflowing with vibrancy and excitement, now Opeth have settled into a formula that, while admittedly an outstanding one, has descended into drudgery. There is simply no longer a feeling of adventure in this band’s work, and the emotional impact of previous material has sadly become void. With the exception of the aforementioned stellar moments, Deliverance, despite its technical brilliance, ultimately disappoints through atmospheric vacancy and lengthy compositions disguised as adventurism.
6/20/05
Tracklisting:
1. Wreath
2. Deliverance
3. A Fair Judgement
4. For Absent Friends
5. Master’s Apprentices
6. By The Pain I See In Others.
Opeth
Damnation
Music For Nations, 2003
Releasing a mostly acoustic-based progressive rock album really isn’t as radical for Opeth as the marketing campaign suggests, as songs like "Benighted", "Credence", and "Harvest" have showcased this aspect of the band’s sound before, firmly establishing them as more than an ambitious metal act. Because of the high quality of such material, it is no stretch to imagine Opeth pulling off an entire recording of this style, and considering that the presence of this "mellower" approach on recent works has practically saved the band from becoming entirely boring, this concept is quite a welcome one, indeed.
"Awaiting word on what’s to come
In helpless prayers a hope lives on
As I’ve come clean I’ve forgotten what I promised
In the rays of the sun I am longing for the darkness"
Damnation is apparently supposed to act as the second installment of a two-part series beginning with Deliverance, released just a few months earlier. As that particular work featured Opeth in standard formation, perhaps leaning towards the heavier end of their sound-spectrum a bit more than previous albums, Damnation features a contemplative approach largely presented through introspective acoustic rock songs reminiscent of 1970s folk-rock progressives, or for a modern parallel, a more reflective Porcupine Tree. The songs carry a melancholic weight in an expression of a certain longing for release from human suffering born from emptiness and isolation in the aftermath of failed understandings. Most of these tracks work splendidly, flowing in graceful motion led by Akerfeldt’s smooth singing. The fluid guitar-work here is excellent, of course, however it is the clever and tasteful percussion work of Martin Lopez that is really given a chance to shine through this recording. The warm and organic production rewards the sound of his kit a wonderful clarity, highlighting each hit, stroke and brush beautifully. His accents on these rhythms provide the music a property of elegance and richness.
Other than the similar theme of sleeve artwork (gorgeously designed by Travis Smith), there exists no clear link between Damnation and Deliverance. This album stands on its own as Opeth at their most bare, both musically and emotionally. The songs are stark in structure, with occasional forays into experimentalism, but always returning to a core theme. The three standout cuts here are "Windowpane", "In My Time Of Need, and "Hope Leaves". Each of these songs represent Opeth’s mastery of poetic expressionism through motion of sound, but more importantly, portray an atmosphere of misty stillness that fills the room and envelops the listener in thick, grey clouds of sadness. Regardless of approach, this is Opeth at the top of their craft. Towards the end of the album, things grow a tad tedious, but the majority of this material is of high class and character.
"There is a wound that’s always bleeding
There is a road I’m always walking
And I know you’ll never return to this place"
Damnation is easily the most listenable and rewarding effort from Opeth in years. There is a depth within these songs that transcends anything from Deliverance or Blackwater Park, and an emotional presence not so convincing since Morningrise. In many ways, and while far from perfection, this is the album Opeth desperately needed to make to reaffirm their position as one of the most creative and talented acts of this current time, and also to disrupt the fade into formulaic routine that has been in effect over the course of the past few releases. Damnation suggests that Opeth are far from having exhausted their creative energy as seemed to be indicated by recent work, offering engaging songwriting and soulful expression through ingenuity.
6/20/05
Tracklisting:
1. Windowpane
2. In my time of need
3. Death whispered a lullaby
4. Closure
5. Hope leaves
6. To rid the disease
7. Ending credits
8. Weakness
Opeth
Lamentations DVD Live at Shepherd’s Bush Empire 2003
Koch/Music For Nations, 2004
Opeth’s first official DVD, Lamentations, documents a London performance in 2003, at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, as well as a behind the scenes, in-studio "making of" Deliverance and Damnation, featuring interviews with each musician concerning the experience. For Opeth fans, this is mostly interesting and satisfying viewing, particularly for those who think highly of the last three albums, as all of the material on show here is taken from those releases. The concert finds the band in fantastic form, and will be of note for anyone who has yet to experience Opeth in the live arena. The show is split in two sections, with the first featuring the band’s mellower approach, including the Damnation album in its entirety, as well as "Harvest" from Blackwater Park. The second section features the standard, heavier Opeth material, all pulled from Deliverance and Blackwater Park. The performance is captured gloriously, with fulfilling camera angels and sound. The major issue here is the absence of material from the first four albums, excluded here because of label politics. This means that during the "mellow" set, there is no "Benighted" or "Credence", and during the "heavy" set there is no "Demon Of The Fall" or "Forest Of October". In other words, their best music is not represented here, as Blackwater Park and Deliverance are devoid of the imagination, adventurousness and atmosphere that made the first four works essential. The in-studio footage is of interest mainly for a glimpse inside an Opeth recording session, and the interviews are generally informative enough to keep the skip button unattended through the viewing. This DVD is of high quality and attraction for Opeth admirers, but fans who have been following this act from the start will no doubt find disappointment in the lack of Peaceville-era material.
6/21/05
Tracklisting:
1. Windowpane
2. In My Time Of Need
3. Death Whispered A Lullaby
4. Closure
5. Hope Leaves
6. To Rid The Disease
7. Ending Credits
8. Harvest
9. Weakness
10. Master’s Apprentices
11. The Drapery Falls
12. Deliverance
13. The Leper Affinity
14. A Fair Judgement
Opeth Discography
Orchid (Candlelight, 1995)
Morningrise (Candlelight, 1997)
My Arms, Your Hearse (Century Media/Candlelight, 1998)
Still Life (Peaceville, 1999)
Blackwater Park (Music For Nations/Koch, 2001)
Deliverance (Music For Nations/Koch, 2002)
Damnation (Music For Nations/Koch, 2003)
Lamentations: Live At The Sheperd's Bush
Empire DVD (Music For Nations/Koch, 2004)
Ghost Reveries (Roadrunner, 2005)