the official OPETH thread

So many bands, so little time, even less money. On the list.

I hear ya. I think you'd really dig them. And they have a decent size discography for you to explore.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Awesome album art!!

Quote :

29th - Amos' Southend, Charlotte, NC - USA

Yeah!!!

Yes!!!

Doomdance wrote:

Heritage will signal a departure for Opeth from the musical style of their past albums; most notably, there will be no death growls, which have been present on every album except Damnation. Unlike Damnation, however, the music will have a prominent fusion influence.

The death growl has been the biggest hurdle for me to overcome with these guys. I'll be giving this album a shot for sure.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Doomdance wrote:

Heritage will signal a departure for Opeth from the musical style of their past albums; most notably, there will be no death growls, which have been present on every album except Damnation. Unlike Damnation, however, the music will have a prominent fusion influence.

The death growl has been the biggest hurdle for me to overcome with these guys. I'll be giving this album a shot for sure.

No death growls at all on Damnation, only about 1/4 of the time on Ghost Reveries and Watershed. So those would be safe to try as well.

I have (and enjoy) Damnation. Figured I'd test the waters with that one. Been thinking about checking out some others, but then I hear them on sattelite radio and the death growls just kill it for me. I don't know that I can get used to them.

Amos' Southend

that's going to be an intense show in that tiny little club! I saw King's X there once.

Quote :

23rd - Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA - USA

This is an awesome little theater to see shows. Seen lotsa shows there. I wonder if seeing Opeth live would change my opinion of the death growls.

After watching 3 live DVD's from these dudes, probably 15 times each...I gotta say, if I had the money and no life to live...I'd follow them around the country like The Grateful Dead.

Shawn D. wrote:

I fell in love with the band for their progressive side, because that's my background, Prog Rock, Metal and Jazz.

+1. It was music and arrangements that made me sit up and take notice first. Then I heard Åkerfeldt's clean voice and I was sold. I'm not a fan of death vocals either, but I can tolerate Mikael's. They aren't as harsh as some, particularly in the later CDs. Orchid and Morningrise are much harsher, almost Black Metal raspy at times, but the progressive tendencies are present even on those earliest discs. Phenomenal band live too. Mikael's vocals are amazing in the concert setting. If they are close to you on this tour, go! I have to look into the Columbus, OH date. School has started by then and I need to make sure I don't have some obligation.

Nice post. You basically had the same experience that I had.

Didn't like the growls at first, band was SO good that I tolerated if for awhile just to hear the amazing writing, arranging and "VOICINGS" (jazz geek speak) that they used. Mikael's clean voice just blew me away when I saw the LAMENTATIONS concert video, if he wasn't in a metal band...he could be an amazing pop vocalist (that's a compliment gang!)

Came to the realization that the growls were really just another ingredient in a HUGE tonal pallette these guys work in. Once the growls became just another voicing to add color to the overall piece and create the push and pull dynamics that a large jazz band has. I no longer minded them, in fact I grew to really like them, because it created tension...then the clean voice is the release.

Opeth's arrangements are some of the most impressive I've ever heard in a "non jazz" context.

I love Watershed. The most disappointing Opeth album to me was Ghost Reveries.

Deliverance might be my favorite, but Blackwater Park is also awesome. I still do need to check out their pre-BWP material one of these days as well

Still Life is equally as good as Blackwater Park and contains my favorite Opeth song; "Face Of Melinda".



This version is from The Roundhouse Tapes DVD.

Wow, pretty sweet song. Is that faithful to the album version, and is it typical of Still Life as a whole? I guess after hearing a song like "Face of Melinda," I wonder why Blackwater Park was considered to be such a groundbreaking album. Seems like it fits well with this example from Still Life

That's one of the mellower songs, the live version is pretty close to the album, the "fusion" introduction is only on the live version.

Still Life should really only be experienced in the remastered version that comes with the Bonus DVD, it sounds a good 5 times better than the earlier CD pressings.

Here's the thing, Opeth has really been just as progressive the whole time. Orchid has lots of the same influences. What improved was the songwriting, arranging, recording and Mikael's growth as a vocalist.

Still Life I consider the beginning of "phase two" of their career.

phase one, they were a death metal band with progressive rock influences

phase two, they had evolved into a Progressive Rock/Metal band with "death metal" used as punctuation.

STEVEN WILSON (Porcupine Tree) heard Still Life and that was the record that got him to contact Mikael in the first place. He would then produce Blackwater Park, Deliverance, Damnation and he mixed the newest album Heritage.

Porcupine Tree have evolved together since Blackwater. Porcupine Tree got MUCH heavier after Wilson hooked up with Opeth and Opeth got incredible range after working with Wilson.

A wonderful symbiotic musical relationship if I've seen one.

Since at this point in time, those are my 2 favorite bands, easily.

Actually, there is another amazing ballad on Still Life...

Benighted:



and here's a heavy track:

Serenity Painted Death

Excellent choices, Shawn. Still Life is up there with Blackwater Park and Watershed as my favourite Opeth albums. These do tend to change though, depending on my mood!

Sutekh wrote:

Excellent choices, Shawn. Still Life is up there with Blackwater Park and Watershed as my favourite Opeth albums. These do tend to change though, depending on my mood!

me too. it's real easy when I like a band's entire catalog.

All songs you've posted from Still Life are awesome. I might have to buy it new, seeing how I have yet to come across it in the used shops where I live, although I have managed to get all Opeth discs from Blackwater Park onward, at local used stores.

Just listened through Watershed again and I do love every minute of it. The b-side Mellotron Heart is also cool, and I think their cover of AIC's "Would?" is pretty spectacular.

I am definitely looking forward to Heritage. Very curious what the sound will be like. When Mikael says he's been listening to a lot of Alice Cooper for the past year, I'm not quite sure what kind of effect that would have on the music if any.

I doubt we'll hear any "direct" influence. I get this feeling since the album is kind of conceptual and he's collaborating with Wilson again, Mikael could be referring to the Cooper/Ezrin production team responsible for Welcome To My Nightmare, Billion Dollar Babies, etc. How they were able to create these "cohesive" statements even though the albums were collections of different songs.

Or, I'm just over-thinking it as usual.

Mikael spins some LP's for Swedish radio...

Mikael on Swedish National Radio
21-Jun-2011
Mikael Åkerfeldt has recorded 10, hour-long shows, for the Swedish National Radio (SR). The first show was broadcasted on Sunday the 19th of June, and will be followed by another episode each Sunday at 11pm for the coming 10 weeks. The show is based on Mikael's love for obscure vinyl records, and he is playing actual vinyl on the show, with crackle and all. The already aired shows are also available as streamed audio at http://sverigesradio.se/sida/default.aspx?programid=3338

And, sorry non-Swedish folks, the show is recorded in the native tongue. It's not to be seen as a compliment to Åkerfeldt's monthly column in the Sweden Rock magazine, but would certainly appeal to fans of this column.

Shawn D. wrote:

Came to the realization that the growls were really just another ingredient in a HUGE tonal pallette these guys work in. Once the growls became just another voicing to add color to the overall piece and create the push and pull dynamics that a large jazz band has. I no longer minded them, in fact I grew to really like them, because it created tension...then the clean voice is the release.

You hit the nail on the head here! I have come to realize that Opeth has had a "beauty and the beast" kind of approach to their music. There is definitely a play on heavy vs. light throughout their catalog and the vocals are just another example of it.

Back to the Heritage cover and Per falling to the ground: Has anyone counted the number of skulls and compared that to the number of former members throughout the life of the band? I'm too lazy at the moment...

Edit: Decided to not be lazy and checked Wikipedia. There are five former members and eleven skulls (twelve counting Per), so unless they are counting former bands, there is no correlation, FYI!

Shawn D. wrote:

Amos' Southend

that's going to be an intense show in that tiny little club! I saw King's X there once.

It's actually a lot bigger now...it incorporated the space next to it...it can hold 1350 people now...

Shawn D. wrote:

Still Life is equally as good as Blackwater Park

QFT

Some advance word on Heritage, from a reviewer at the listening party:

Some info about Opeth's new album:

-It was played in 5.1 surround system and according to the writer the mix was good although he's usually not a fan of playing rock in other than stereo format. Åkerfeldt himself said "I first heard the record today and I didn't know they were going to play it to the media in surround. I had my doubts, but the end-result made me have goose bumps"

-It's about 56 minutes long.

-Draws to mind Sabbath, Beatles, jazz, King Crimson, Cream, Rainbow, Floyd, funk, Purple, Piirpauke, classical, My Dying Bride, folk, Love, Jethro Tull, Maiden…

-No death metal parts or growling

-No modern style of "wall of guitar tracks".

-Lots of keys, piano and mellotron are featured. Some intros include clarinet and contrabass.

- "We aren't concerned about other people's opinions", Åkerfeldt stated. "If fans of death metal can't enjoy this, that's their problem"

The band leader also said that he had grown tired of extreme metal already, but couldn't explain why the previous record still included death growls.

"I have wanted to make a record like this since I was 20", Åkerfeldt said and added that making it would not have been possible without the metal roots that brought them success.

The journalist also says: "In any case, some metal fans will have trouble with Heritage, but if your hopes are more in the 70s, this album can only work.