O P E T H

[countchocula]

http://www.opeth.com/various/images/promo_01/promo5.jpg

There's no need for an introduction, unless you aren't familiar with Opeth. If you aren't, I pity you. Classifying this band isn't an easy task. I guess "progressive death metal" does them justice. They can craft the most bludgeoning, intense metal that you'll ever hear. They could have left it at that, but that's not good enough. They interweave serene acoustic passages into their impenetrable walls of dissonance. Vocalist Mike Akerfeldt howls like no other, but his clean vocals are just as engaging. He's perfected both ends of the spectrum. Of course, the rest of the band supplies some extraordinary stuff as well. I'm especially astonished by drummer Martin Lopez. His percussion on Deliverance is simply unreal. Just listen to the title track for evidence. I've only listened to Deliverance twice, so it has yet to wallop me with its full potential. Something that I've noticed is that it's even darker than Blackwater Park! Maybe not as depressing, but it's definitely more stark. This is the first of a two-disc set. The companion piece, Damnation, will be released next March. It's supposed to be very mellow. It's no wonder that this album is overwhelmingly heavy!

[BakeTheMooCow]

ROCK ON

Opeth is my favorite band. Mikael Akerfeldt's vocals, like you said, are magnificent. The clean vocals sound so soft, its hard to imagine its the same guy doing the "Cookie monster" vocals.

The new album, like the ones before, is a masterpiece. I'm really anticipating Damnation.

BTW, for anyone who's interested...there are a few video files floating around on KaZaa of Opeth's live performances and they are really worth the download.

[countchocula]

Yeah, I've checked out their performance of "The Drapery Falls." It just further proves that they're not a "studio" band.

[dpf3737]

I discovered this band through these threads actually. I was looking for a new metal band to get into when I heard these guys mentioned. So I downloaded a couple of songs from Kazaa, and was really impressed.

I then decided to risk it and just buy an album. That one was Blackwater Park. All I can say is, WOW! I played this album so many times after the two weeks since i bought it, and it still doesn't get old. I eventually bought My Arms, Your Hearse as well, which i thnk is even better than BP. I haven't picked up their other ones cuz my area doesn't carry them =(.

But I do plan on getting Deliverance.

Bottom line: the best metal band i heard in years!

[countchocula]

Deliverance is growing on me. I have to admit, I wasn't immediately in awe, but I can't seem to get those six tracks out of my head. So far, my favorites are "Wreath" and "A Fair Judgment." Of course, that's subject to change, which it does daily. Also, I've been listening to "Patterns in the Ivy II" A LOT lately, one of the two bonus tracks on the re-release of Blackwater Park. I have a feeling that they should have stuck it on the album instead of going with the instrumental, but they're both exquisite.

[thebloodfeaster]

I think Deliverance is better than Blackwater Park. Morningrise is still my favorite by them though.

[Jason Voorhees]

Sorry for my procrastination in replying to this thread. Opeth is one of my favorite death metal bands. I love their ''progressive'' approach (that's probably the best term for them). The juxtaposition created by the dichotomy of soft acoustic crooning and roaring death metal is spectacular. So far, I've only heard Blackwater Park, but I'll be delving into the rest of their catalogue as much as possible.

I've heard plenty of good reviews for both Still Life and My Arms, Your Hearse. Which to choose...

[countchocula]

You might want to go down the Still Life route. But in this instance, I probably shouldn't put my two cents in. I haven't heard My Arms, Your Hearse in its entirety. Whichever one you eventually side with, I'm sure you'll be pleased with it. After all, this is Opeth we're talking about here!

[thebloodfeaster]

Originally posted by countchocula
You might want to go down the Still Life route. But in this instance, I probably shouldn't put my two cents in. I haven't heard My Arms, Your Hearse in its entirety. Whichever one you eventually side with, I'm sure you'll be pleased with it. After all, this is Opeth we're talking about here!

I personally prefer MA,YH over Still Life, but just barely. Like you said, it's all Opeth anyway :)

[mattjk_17]

Having read about these guys, I decided to download 1 or 2 of their songs, pretty good actually. Thanks for the recommendation guys. :)

[Jason Voorhees]

Glad to hear it, Matt. Would you mind listing the song/s? I've only heard Blackwater Park so far, so any recommendations would be good.

P.S. Thanks for the suggestions, Count and Bloodfeaster.

[mattjk_17]

No problem, Jason, here's what I've got:

Blackwater Park
Harvest
Circle of Tyrants

[thebloodfeaster]

Originally posted by Jason Voorhees
Glad to hear it, Matt. Would you mind listing the song/s? I've only heard Blackwater Park so far, so any recommendations would be good.

P.S. Thanks for the suggestions, Count and Bloodfeaster.

No problem dude. I suggest trying to find to download the songs Black Rose Immortal (beautiful 20 minute epic) and Nectar (the first song I heard by Opeth and what made me so interested in them) , my 2 favorite songs from Morningrise.

[Jason Voorhees]

Cool. Matt, I'll definitely look into ''Circle of Tyrants.'' The other two I've heard. But thanks for listing them.

Bloodfeaster, I've heard that Black Rose Immortal is one of their better songs. I'll check them both out. Thanks again.

[countchocula]

Morningrise is actually my least favorite Opeth effort. Most of it feels bland and repetitious. Still, the worst Opeth album is one of the finest metal albums in the past ten years. "Advent" and "To Bid You Farewell" are my personal favorites.

[Corporal_Hicks]

I'll give this thread a bump.

I love Opeth. All 6 albums are quality. Deliverance and My Arms Your Hearse are my favorites. Song wise Blackwater Park, Deliverance, Face of Melinda, and April Ethereal rank among my favorites.

I have heard some of Damnation and it is great. Fans of their heavy stuff may not like it, but it delivered what I expected.