opeth C or D

I'm inclined to echo the sentiment that they could be great if they got their shit together and write something coherent. People seem to love them though - and I do enjoy some of it (mainly "Orchid", probably because that's the first thing I heard from them and it has quite well done twin guitar melodies). It's nothing like Dream Theater who always had that annoying 70s/early 80s "heavy metal" wanking thing along with the OTT prog attitude. And nothing like the "smothering the listener with rhythmical chaos" approach of Meshuggah either. It's quite laid back stuff really, even the "heavy" passages aren't extreme at all.

How I heard of the band in the first place, actually! Thanks to Steven Wilson producing...

they get points for naming one of their albums using a line from a comus song, though.

I can see why Opeth is so popular outside metal circles, it's very much a metal band for people who don't like metal. They're very conventional melodically, not very inaccessible or harsh and keep the distorted guitars and growly vocals in bite-sized 2 minute chunks. They might be formulaic, but they're not one-dimensional and can pull off a range of vocal styles and melodies. Plus they don't talk about Satan, Odhinn, misanthropy or nuclear armageddon, which also broadens their appeal...

'still life' is still the masterpiece.

everything else with the exception of 'damnation' (which is pretty average) ranges from very good to excellent. at their sharpest and most focused, they are pretty unbeatable in the metal genre, i'd suggest. they are weaker at times when their songs don't follow a cohesive structure and there's discordance between the heavier and more mellow parts.

I haven't heard anything earlier than Blackwater Park, but everything I have heard ranges from very good to excellent. Both the clean and death vocals took some getting used to for me, but I don't mind them now. I suppose they might infuriate metal purists because of their prog/folk tendencies. Great riffs, melodies, and musicianship; interesting textures, arrangements and song structures. They might be a bit too earnest for some tastes.

the deeper I got into metal, the less I liked Opeth, though Blackwater Park still does the trick for me - it's pretty much all the Opeth I need

IOW Siegbran OTM, unsurprisingly

i still like the old stuff best. the last album lost me completely, even though it's a pretty impressive performance. well, i did like damnation/deliverence, so i guess i don't only like their old stuff. the only album i truly love by them though is morningrise and i haven't played it in ages.

well, the last album didn't LOSE me, really, it's a natural progression from damnation/deliverence, i just never want to play it. i listened to it twice, i think.

i would definitely recommend damnation/deliverence to prog fans and hard rock fans and i would definitely recommend morningrise to metal fans. most metal fans have probably already heard it though. but just in case!

the deeper I got into metal, the less I liked Opeth

I'm curious- is that because you found other metal bands that do what Opeth does, only better? Or is it because your tastes changed and you found less need for what Opeth does well? Does that make sense? I suppose maybe that what you liked in Opeth when you first heard them was their metal side, and as you got more into metal, you found other bands that hit that nerve more directly. However, if what you liked about Opeth at first was not their metal side but the way they fused different styles, then perhaps you would have had a different experience as you listened further into metal.

yeah - other bands who on the surface seemed super-harsh turned out to be up to at least as much interesting stuff as Opeth. Especially Katatonia (who have also jumped the shark tho), the Brave Murder Days comp was kinda my "why would I listen to Opeth when this is sorta aiming for the same mood only hitting it so much harder and deeper" moment - Opeth starts to seem like the whitewashed version of something a lot more complex & interesting

I'll check out Katatonia. The first thing I noticed when I looked up Brave Murder Day on Amazon is that Mike Akerfeldt (Opeth's vocalist, guitarist, and, from what I gather, primary songwriter) is also the vocalist on it.

I'm still into Opeth plenty...they're definitely one of my faves. And I thought still think Ghost Reveries is fantastic. Right up there with Blackwater Park, Still Life, and My Arms, Your Hearse.

And Katatonia jumping the shark??? The Great Cold Distance is the strongest thing they've ever done.

"The Great Cold Distance is the strongest thing they've ever done."

it really really isn't, but i think it's nice of you to feel that way.

It has some of the best clean vocals I have hear on a metal album in years. And yeah, in this band's case, I prefer Renske's more understated vocal approach, it works extremely well.

well, yeah, but it's similar to their last four albums in that regard. i just don't think the songs are as strong.

listened to Brave Murder Days on the airplane today for, like, the tenth time this year - Christ but Katatonia was well beyond great in those days. I don't think Opeth ever did anything as good as that early Katatonia stuff.

i agree with a. begrand about 'the great cold distance'. and contrary to what a lot of people think about it being 'alternative rock', it's actually a pretty HEAVY record. i think it's just got the edge over 'last fair deal gone down' which is more rock-based, with a pervading cure influence (see: intro to 'tonight's music')

and i think 'still life' is much more developed and interesting that early katatonia, which i nevertheless still like a lot. :)

Morningrise is the only Opeth I like as much as early Katatonia. Morningrise and Damnation/Deliverence might be all I need from the band. Or the only ones I want to play anyway.

i just want a new October Tide album. Or a new Diabolical Masquerade album.

this is cool info too about the Diabolical Masquerade albums:

ENTIRE BACK CATALOGUE TO BE RE-ISSUED

Peaceville records has bought the rights to the back catalogue previously released under Avantgarde and Adipocere records and will re-master and re-issue each title in the near future. Up first on November 6 is Nightwork with bonus track called Cryztalline Fiendz (previously only available on the Nightwork LP version, ltd to 500 copies) now entirely remixed and orchestrated. The digipak will also feature liner notes + different photos.

~BlaKKheim

though i think i'm only missing the first one.

any katatonia fans who have never heard the october tide albums need to beg borrow or steal copies:

http://www.myspace.com/octobertideband

(i like them just as much as prime katatonia)

yeah, they're pretty mega - scott is correct. check it out

wondering what opeth's next one is going to sound like (yes, i still care)

Just watched Lamentations. I think it's probably better (for me, anyway) to approach Opeth as if they are a prog band rather than a metal band.

This means, of course, approaching them in a cape.

Right, that does it. I only have 4 of their albums, my bro has the rest. *gets copying*

the first four albums are definitely classic, especially Orchid, Morningrise, and STill Life (I really like My Arms Your Hearse too)

I was bored by Blackwater Park and haven't heard the rest.

I have seen Opeth 5 times. I am Agalloch's booking agent. I have never heard Katatonia. Where the hell do I start?

OK now I have all the Opeth albums, but no real inclination to listen to them. I think Siegbran has a point when he says that they don't really stretch themselves towards dissonance or unusual sounds. It's generally either heavy-ish melodic metal or folkiness, with little in between. Their very best songs make this not matter, but there's no way I can love this stuff as much as the majority of new-era black metal I've heard so far.

"The Baying Of The Hounds", "The Moor" or "The Drapery Falls" are as good a place to start as any. Their best folky section IMO is the bit between about 2 and 5 minutes in "Blackwater Park". That bit actually chills me slightly.

"Their very best songs make this not matter, but there's no way I can love this stuff as much as the majority of new-era black metal I've heard so far."

Why compare it to this (not that you have with this sentence, but it sounds like you have compared them or are associating the two in some way)?

"...they don't really stretch themselves towards dissonance or unusual sounds"

Unusual sounds? I agree. Dissonance? They use dissonance all the time!

Dissonance is perhaps too general. I'm talking about what many would term 'noise', clashing genuinely obtuse amelodic sounds in order to disorientate and challenge the listener. Too much of Opeth is, I believe, comfortable in its tried-and-trusted melodicism. The dude's cookie-monster vocals don't count!

My comparison is perhaps a fallacy, based on my relatively recent pledge to 'get into metal'. I've known about Opeth a lot longer than I've known about all this wonderful stuff I've only recently found out about, and it's natural to compare the two. As you say, treating Opeth as a prog band may bear more fruit, and may prevent me from abandoning them entirely.

Certainly clean production is a key ingredient in Opeth's studio work. It was the first hurdle I had to get over before beginning to love them.

But I agree that there's plenty of dissonance in say the title track on Deliverance.

Just understand that they were a studio band for years and years, almost never playing live at all until Blackwater Park. And as for the noise... they are really technically advanced players. They don't want to be Darkthrone.

These guys are by far the best at what they do.

My only gripes about Opeth are:

1) The production on the first 3 albums is sub-par
2) The first song on Ghost Reveries has a Tool-ish riff
3) Their incredible drummer has left the building

Otherwise, I love love love Opeth.

"I have never heard Katatonia. Where the hell do I start?"

brave murder day. then discouraged ones. then continue forward if you like that stuff.

Even Though Katatonia Are One Of My Very Favorite Rock & Roll Bands I Do Have A Complaint

Hmm. Well my comments on this thread amount to a battle within myself, really. I want to have absorbed and appreciated their entire output, but I'm not sure whether I can motivate myself to go through the process. Some of what I've heard demonstrates inspired songwriting and breathtaking musicianship, but equally a lot merges into an indistinct soup of Nordic handwringing. If you could suggest a couple of songs from each album to concentrate upon, I'd be grateful!

"Bleak Harvest", "Windowpane", "Deliverance", "Baying of the Hounds" are a few of my favorite tracks from the last 4 albums respectively.

Haha, "Baying of the Hounds" is my favourite Opeth song full stop (at this point)!

i think this is my favorite metal album:

http://static.metal-archives.com/images/4/7/4/474.jpg

just sayin' (although the dude from opeth does guest on it).

A friend of mine criticized Lamentations for not containing enough chaos (haw), but, as I said before, I think this is an innapropriate way to approach a band that is essentially a prog band anymore (ok, there are the occasional deathy vox, but what else, especially anymore?). I appreciate Lamentations as a musical performance, not in the same way that I would appreciate, say, Bad Brains Live at CBGB's (as a show). It seems like a common criticism (from metal fans) of Opeth is exactly that: not enough chaos (dissonance, heaviness, etc). This isn't really a criticism in itself, though. It's just about frustrated expectations.

*inappropriate, ugh

Frustrated expectations, yes, but I can't help listening to this stuff and sometimes really wishing they'd throw in a really awesome techno breakdown or noisescape or whatever, just to heighten the sense of progression, to give the ear more things to play off one another.

See, I can't imagine any of that in Opeth's music. There is a lot of stuff going on in there as it is!

other albums i liked in high school:

http://www.icedearth.com/discography/c_burntofferings_400.jpg

http://fsmat.at/%7Eatrax/Florilegium/Paradise-Lost_Draconian-Times_cover.jpg

http://www.metal-rules.com/zine/images/stories/interviews/amorphis/amorphis-elegy.jpg

(lj this one has a silly techno break in one song)

Yeah, Roxy, there's a lot, but I dunno, a lot of the loud parts and a lot of the folky parts sound similar to one another, even if they're devilishly complex or immaculately juxtaposed or whatever.

Look, I'll shut up and listen to the yet-unheard albums, see if anything changes. :)

Haha, I only threw techno breaks in as an example of contrast, of surprise. I can't imagine many bands pulling it off *in actuality* without it sounding a teeny bit incongruent/silly.

JGO:

Perhaps you should start with the recent live album, The Roundhouse Tapes, which is a fairly career-spanning 2CD set.

...but I have all 8 studio albums right here on my computer!

*checks brother's collection*

Haha, he's got the Roundhouse Tapes AND Live in Toronto...

OK fuck I stick Blackwater Park (live) on and the idiot crowd are CLAPPING their way through the REALLY CREEPY, MOVING, BEAUTIFUL FOLKY BIT, aaaaargh

I agree that Still Life is their masterpiece.

Ghost Reveries is the only one I have, it leaned a bit too much toward the folky/soft for my taste. Love the first track!

So Still Life or Blackwater Park next?

so you agree with me, roxymuzak. yay!

big hoos, opt for 'still life' next, but really you can't go wrong with 'blackwater park' either, since it's fantastic as well, and perhaps the acknowledged fan favourite.

louis, i can imagine that slogging through their entire catalogue in one go is a pretty full-on task. there is just so much to take on board - the evolution of the band, the path that it has taken to get where it is today, is actually one of the more intriguing aspects of the band. also, there's so much to discover in opeth's music, a lot of which will only become apparent after several listens. 'the moor', as you identified somewhere, is one of the defining moments though.

nate, i really like the production on 'morningrise' :) often sounds like the tunes are hiding beneath layers of frost, but the music and sound does an impeccable job of encapsulating the atmosphere of the classic cover art.

I have listened a bit to "Blackwater Park" as they have been sort of recommended to me as the metal band I could like.

And, I mean, parts of it is really great. Some really nice atmospheric arrangements, great playing, great compositions. Some of the track I really like.

But then, in other parts of the record, they have to drag the entire thing down with that unbearable growling and way exaggerated über-heavy marshall riffs that make me scream "Why???" Why do they have to ruin an otherwise good record with those unlistenable elements?

Hey, Geir, you might like their acoustic album "Damnation".

Oops, sorry, not exactly acoustic - but from what I've read, it's minus the growling and heavy riffs.

Yeah, Geir, you would like Damnation a lot, and I think there are gonna be a lot of things you'll like about the upcoming album.

I definitely haven't written off the first 3... but at this point I own so much Opeth. It's hard to feel like I'm missing anything. Anticipating the new album though!

Well, the parts I liked sounded kind of like Porcupine Tree - a band that is obviously not metal but I know they still have several metal fans. And Opeth without the obvious metal elements would be really good. I checked out that album because it is sort of considered their "classic", but maybe I should have a listen to the others too. Except they will then be their answers to "The Elder" and "Their Majesties Satanic Request", I suspect: "Unrepresentative" albums that I like just because they sound atypical of the act's usual style.

'blackwater park', the record is largely phenomenal. 'bleak' is perhaps the best opeth track out there, and then you have undeniable classics like 'the drapery falls' (awesome live incidentally) and 'the leper affinity'. but i've never been sold as much on the second half of the record. the title track is an engaging riff-monster, but 'dirge for november' (one of the least inspired opeth tunes ever) and 'funeral portrait' are pretty unimpressive to me when weighed up against the band's best material.

anticipating 'watershed' along with everybody else!

just sat through 'black rose immortal'. it's majestic all the way through, but doesn't have much of a cohesive feel to it. sort of feels like a pastiche of a whole bunch of individual passages. that's sort of cool in a way - makes the experience of listening to it feel like an expression of distinctly different moods, kind of like the ballet.

i've actually been on a bit of a 'morningrise' kick recently. i used to play this one a few times a day back in around 1998. i haven't revisited it in a serious way in quite a while. pretty fantastic record.

yeah - other bands who on the surface seemed super-harsh turned out to be up to at least as much interesting stuff as Opeth. Especially Katatonia (who have also jumped the shark tho), the Brave Murder Days comp was kinda my "why would I listen to Opeth when this is sorta aiming for the same mood only hitting it so much harder and deeper" moment - Opeth starts to seem like the whitewashed version of something a lot more complex & interesting

If the "Brave Murder Days comp" is the same as the Brave Murder Day album (or overlaps it), then I have finally gotten around to listening to this. I ahve to say though, I don't find the Katatonia to be "a lot more complex & interesting" - in fact, the opposite. Not that the Katatonia is bad. I like it and will continue to listen to it, but it seems a bit apples & oranges to compare it to Opeth, despite having Akerfeldt's vocals on it. The Katatonia is a lot more goth, even a bit shoegazer - where Opeth is more prog & folk. Katatonia is a bit droney - not as much dynamic and structural varation - though perhaps more consistent in mood. I can see why some might prefer it, but I don't think it's quite the Opeth-killer it was made out to be.

yep, it's definitely very difficult to put opeth and katatonia in the same basket. the beauty of it is, you can have both bands in your world and they'll provide completely different listening experiences and take you to different places.

in terms of hitting a particular mood in a profound way, i'd agree that katatonia is more fitting. the premise of the songs often relates to melancholy and depression of a day-to-day nature. raw, candid emotions are channeled very explicitly and directly through both the lyrics and vocal deliveries. jonas renkse appears to be some sort of depressive.

opeth are undeniably sombre and melancholy at times, but listening to their songs is like hearing a story or narrative unfold. m. akerfeldt is all about developing and creating a sad scenario and musical backdrop for us. there is a fairly elaborate creative process to most opeth songs that stems from an imagined and often rather ethereal and otherwordly vision. the listener is therefore best advised to approach the music as a complete construction, rather than as an expression of sheer tangible emotion that naturally translates itself into song. that's not to suggest that opeth are wooden, soulless bores a la dream theater. for opeth, the emotive element is derived from an all-encomassing love for music and a desire to explore the possibilities of song and sound in innovative and touching ways. the fact that the crafting of music is such an honest and inspired process for opeth is one of the principle resons the music can be so affecting.

C

Blackwater Park is a great work soundtrack today.

Blackwater Park's alright, but I'm really not into the clean vocals, they're limp. And the cookie monster vocals sound a bit noncommittal too. My favourite parts are the intros to The Drapery Falls and the title track - great epic riffing. Are there any bands who do this kind of thing but better?

Honestly I feel like "Ghosts of Perdition" is their ultimate high point, everything they do well at top level within a mere 11 minutes!

crapeth

This means, of course, approaching them in a cape.

― roxymuzak, Thursday, January 3, 2008 9:16 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark

the grand conjuration

I'd been following them for a while but Blackwater Park was where I really got on board. That's also when they started touring the states.

At this point though, I think the production has improved so much, that I strongly recommend the last two for the new listener.

If you're just looking for brutality though, Deliverance is their heaviest work through and through. That title track... wow.

Also want to add that I've seen them live six times now. I've seen them be good, and I've seen them totally suck (due to the drummer not showing up, and the drum tech attempting to fill in). But this year's tour, with Enslaved in support, was just epic. Opeth has finally become a world class stage act. I mean I felt like I was seeing Rush or Zeppelin. It was that powerful. Took them 20 years, but they've got it.

crapeth

― Spectrum, Sunday, October 4, 2009 11:07 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark

yeah, the last time i saw opeth they were unstoppable. they've always exuded confidence and know-how, but these days they're just so incredibly on-song when you catch them live. it's a shame that i rarely feel like listening to them these days (most of the records i've played to death and the others i've never quite been able to embrace unconditionally). i do find myself returning pretty consistently to my arms, your hearse though. it's kind of a singular release in the opeth canon - can't really find any discernible link to what came before or after it. 'april ethereal' is a bit of a show-stopper.

and the second half of 'when'. i mean, wow.

So I'm enjoying Ghost Reveries more than anything else I've heard by them. Highest placing Opeth in the metal poll iirc?

The guitar solos still stink of cheese though.

Ghost Reveries is easily the best of their post-Still Life material. I love how they reined in their noodling tendencies and tightened their songwriting, while still keeping the "metal" bits metal.

Lots of the melodies remind me of 70s prog rock. Really a high point in their catalog.

Its not my favorite--my love for the first four albums prevents that, but definitely a favorite in the catalog.

Hmm can't say I see much cheesy about the solos, never considered them real memorable but its not like they are Quiet Riot solos

I've only listened to post-BWP stuff in any detail, I'll check out their earlier stuff.

I think it's the guitar tones they use for the solos that bothers me, in some parts they sound like Chris Rea or something.

Xpost Ahh yea then - I didn't like BWP, was bored by Damnation and Deliverance...liked but didn't love Watershed.

Earlier stuff is more meandering and progressive, less clean vocals (though they're still there). Think Morningrise and Orchid are my favs.

BWP has three great tracks IMO (the first two and The Drapery Falls).

am really partial to the title-track, and yeah TDF

Baying Of The Hounds from Ghost Reveries is their best song. Every part kills it. This band often bores me but that song goddamn nails it.

The opening couple of minutes of TDF is prob my favourite passage of theirs.

OK now I have all the Opeth albums, but no real inclination to listen to them. I think Siegbran has a point when he says that they don't really stretch themselves towards dissonance or unusual sounds. It's generally either heavy-ish melodic metal or folkiness, with little in between. Their very best songs make this not matter, but there's no way I can love this stuff as much as the majority of new-era black metal I've heard so far.

"The Baying Of The Hounds", "The Moor" or "The Drapery Falls" are as good a place to start as any. Their best folky section IMO is the bit between about 2 and 5 minutes in "Blackwater Park". That bit actually chills me slightly.

― Just got offed, Friday, 4 January 2008 10:09 (3 years ago)

haven't really changed my mind about this band in 3 years haha

Watershed had its moments too, for sure. I've got every Opeth album on my computer, sometimes they come up on shuffle and satisfy me

I finally deleted Blackwater Park out of my iTunes after like 4 years of having it in there and telling myself I was going to listen to it all the way through someday.

nah, BWP is a great album. it just peters off for a bit after the drapery falls. but it comes back for a king hit with the title track. i still think bleak is the all round best opeth song out there. hard to go past still life as the best album though.

anyway, i get tired of posting about opeth on here. seems like a bit of a losing cause singing their praises, when there's so many people wanting to tear them down.

;_;

See, I don't think I ever made it to Drapery Falls.

it's a great song it's their shoegaze song

dude, i sound like a broken record when i talk about them on here. always jumping to their defence and rehashing the same shit.

i got into opeth when i was 16 and back then i had the patience to listen intently to everything they released. i'd probably have a much harder time bothering these days. i mean i can barely listen to two maudlin of the well songs back to back.

oh dude did you hear the kayo dot ep, it was awes

that one that came out last year? yeah, i heard that. definitely the best thing i've heard from either of those bands with the exception of the first KD album.

yah it's awesome but dude you're sleeeeping on the second KD album, that was the stone classic imo, ___on limpid form is insanely good

stained glass ain't a bad place to start for the curious tho

opeth should release a 20-minute EP! actually all their albums should be shorter, then they'd be more approachable

i do think opeth need to do something drastically different with this next album. i mean all their albums are different from each other SOUNDWISE, but the basic approach towards songwriting, structures and dynamics has always been the same (MAYH and obviously damnation were a bit different though). i think their angle on progressive music has become a little narrow - things really don't need to be fleshed out for the sake of fleshing them out. and yes, they need to do something shorter. around 35 minutes would be perfect, provided there's not a wasted second of music.

maybe steven wilson will streamline them into a soft-prog outfit

lawlz

btw if yr reading steven yr a good dude rly and porcupine tree are sometimes very good indeed, also u have excellent taste

that vocal interplay between wilson and akerfeldt on bleak is the stuff of genius.

that vocal interplay between wilson and akerfeldt on bleak is the stuff of genius.

so awesome i had to post it twice. wtf

that vocal interplay between wilson and akerfeldt on bleak is the stuff of genius.

the STUFF

of GENIUS

should also mention while i'm on a roll that BWP is a brutal live track. i don't think they play it very often though.

OK fuck I stick Blackwater Park (live) on and the idiot crowd are CLAPPING their way through the REALLY CREEPY, MOVING, BEAUTIFUL FOLKY BIT, aaaaargh

― Just got offed, Friday, 4 January 2008 21:27 (3 years ago)

haaa

Still Life is the one I'll probably return to next, tbh

SL is the only album of theirs that i wouldn't change a second of (ok, maybe face of melinda drags slightly). but yeah, it's a really nicely paced album with some unstoppable highlights (the folky midsection on godhead's lament, that lofty drawn-out intro to moonlapse vertigo, the tension of white cluster etc. etc.)

I own several Opeth releases, saw them live on several ocassions and self-identify as a metalhead. But I have never been able to get into them at all. I used to think of this as a personal failing but now I blame them instead for boring me.

i'm quietly anticipating the next one. release date of september 20 apparently. meant to be a bit of a departure stylistically. could be pretty interesting.

new song starts just like "heart of the sunrise"

http://stereogum.com/766792/opeth-the-devils-orchard-stereogum-premiere/franchises/haunting-the-chapel/

not sure how i feel about the vocals. this worked on 'damnation,' but that was all mellow, folk-inflected stuff

I like the album a ton, his singing has never been stronger, plus it goes perfectly with the more progressive rock direction of the album.

On my second listen and I'm really loving it, can't wait to hear the whole album. This is hitting my prog-loving sweet spot right now.

almost tediously stop-start, but there's some great stuff going on in there somewhere. really nice guitar solo right at the end.

loving "nepenthe" and "haxprocess." i've been waiting for songs like this since 'damnation'

interesting move for them. didn't realize heritage would be a throwback record from hearing "the devil's orchard" but wow is it ever. good stuff though.

The more I hear about this album, the more excited I am. I mean, it pretty much makes 100% sense for them to just go ahead and do a full-on prog throwback album at this point.

yeah, it does make sense. the problem though is that sound-wise this album isn't too far removed from the mellower parts of the last couple of opeth records. so, it's not so much a progression or departure as a more detailed exploration of sounds they've touched on previously. stylistically, this album probably has more in common with watershed than damnation -- i think i was hoping these songs would have more precise structures or something. i'm not particularly enthused by the vocal lines here either, which are really sounding recycled and cursory by this point. still these are earlier days, and it could all yet grow on me...

the instrumentals that book-end the album are gorgeous, however.

Listening to the live CD attached to the new issue of Rock Hard magazine. Pretty great. I'm gonna go see them (for the first time since 2003 or so) when they play NYC later this month.

should I go see opeth and katatonia in October, or go see belew and levin touring with their respective bands and apparently playing all of Discipline? these are on the same night. it is my week of prog, kicking off with the Musical Box doing the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Ending with Portishead though so not really.

Thats a tough call, if it were my choice I'd probably go with the Belew and Levin thing, it seems less likely to happen again soon than another Opeth tour.

Anyway, I'm still not sure how I feel about the new album. I do love how full-on prog it is, but on the first two full listens I've found myself wishing for some more upbeat moments to spice things up a little. Its striking me all as a little too pretty and safe I guess, even if the musicianship is wonderful.

What a video:

http://www.pitchfork.com/news/44090-video-opeth-the-devils-orchard/

This is a real surprise, Opeth had never made good videos before.

it's a good album but it's also kind of dull, to me.

Show last night was excellent. The three acoustic songs mid-set ("Throat of Winter," "Credence" and "Patterns in the Ivy II") was received with a mix of bafflement and appreciation. What's really interesting is hearing them Heritage-ize their older songs. They're really working hard to put the new material into context of their whole history, and I think it's working.

I'm psyched to see them for the first time in a couple of weeks. Heritage is where I hoped they would go after the last record and I don't miss the death metal trappings at all. A beautiful, autumnal record hitting at a perfect time.

that is an amazing week of music akm. portishead has gotten pretty prog imho, at least third . . . and barlow's involvement in crippled black phoenix and beak

thanks for that video. that is awesome

Here's some video I shot of Opeth's NYC soundcheck last week...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcTQcKM6MqU

Seeing them for the first time tonight. Still psyched.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe65yrvlEDo

That Devil's Orchard video is sweet!

Saw them a few nights ago at Stubb's in Austin. It was a good time, though I personally could have done without the acoustic set and with a bit more hard rocking. Both Opeth and Katatonia have very congenial stage presences as far as metal acts go.

Only just caught up on Deliverance, pretty good! Might be tied with Ghost Reveries as my favourite.

A Fair Judgement is massive.

the new one sounds awesome, straight up complex and intricate, unabashedly progged out, way more what i was expecting from 'heritage', which i think half-stepped it a bit. just a few listens and already this is edging into motorpsycho 'death-defying unicorn' decade highlight territory

Ghost Reveries was the last one I loved, but i didn't hear Heritage.

New one's fantastic.

"goblin" lives up to such a tall name. the versatility of these guys is really kind of staggering

where are you hearing this? it's not out yet is it?

It's not out until August 26, but it leaked yesterday.

it is available. sound quality is no good though. this is gonna sound enormous legit

The problem is that Opeth are both brilliant and shit, usually in the same song, since Mikael Akerfelt's way of writing a prog 'epic' is to sling disparate and unconnected riffs/parts together until he has 10 minutes worth of music. Or at least that's what it sounds like to me a lot of the time.

I love a lot of prog but Heritage was not a good example, it was just bloated and disjointed in all the bad ways. I'll still give this new one a listen, but my hope aren't high.

lol my favourite opeth song is 'the baying of the hounds' but that's basically because of its 7 only vaguely connected parts about 5 or 6 are absolutely brilliant, their best strike-rate imo

Akerfelt's way of writing a prog 'epic' is to sling disparate and unconnected riffs/parts together until he has 10 minutes worth of music. Or at least that's what it sounds like to me a lot of the time.

to be fair, this is pretty much what constitutes 95% of current "prog"

depends what you mean by ""prog"", mayne

I'm not even sure I know what I mean by """prog""", I just know that digging into the current bands that get hyped in places like the progarchives, a huge percentage of the bands are really bad at composing "epics" for the very reasons you suggest. I was just trying to say it isn't a trap that only Akerfelt falls into. The good thing about him is that his highs are so fucking high that it covers for the lackluster bits, for the most part.

that's fair

Album with the most highs per song = Blackwater Park, for me

And jon/via/chi I'm sure I'd be in agreement if I listened to more modern *prog* prog, as it is I prefer the more avant/RIO-leaning stuff that's bloated and disjointed in GOOD ways, y'know? (OK not all the time)

blackwater park title-track and the drapery falls are up there yeah

ultros otm, the best 'prog' usually chooses to not define as such

I think "Lotus Eater" is a brilliant assemblage of different segments, one of their best songs.

yeah Watershed's a good record. I quite like Opeth!

I've always thought the "omg Opeth is nothing but Frankenstein-ish melding of parts that don't go together for ten minutes" accusation was greatly overstated. Not that I'm saying there's zero truth to it, but it isn't as if they sounded like a bunch of dorks in a guitar shop dicking around for a half hour.

They managed to write compelling songs and over time, streamlined their sound and honed their songwriting skills considerably (hell, "Still Life" and ongoing often have traditional song structures!).

I still love old Opeth too though - even when it's all over the place at times.

My Arms, Your Hearse through Blackwater Park is a pretty astonishing run. always thought they dropped off significantly after that, perhaps even getting progressively worse with each album. this new one seems a step up from Heritage though.

and not all of their stuff has been particularly disjointed. take a listen to Moonlapse Vertigo, for instance. that thing's a 10-minute opus and it flows gorgeously.

"April Ethereal" is one of my fav songs by them as well

she faced me in AWWWWEEEE

When could be my favourite Opeth song. the second half of that song is incredible.

The second song on the new album starts in one mode and stays there for the entire run. In fact, their guitarist Fredrik Åkesson joked about it in a recent interview - he said it was the first of their songs not to have a "forest-y part" in the middle.

people who were disappointed by the last one might be more into this new one

Saw them the other night on tour, fuck they are great live. I love their albums but I have to say that live it all kind of washes past me; he's doing much more growl-voice live than I expected. Anyway Sorceress is very good, I like it more than Pale Communion and maybe more than Heritage. That is all.

Massive C. Every decade has its bad metal, but all this gentrified middlebrow "smart" "artistic" metal for Hillary voters makes me kinda nostalgic for the bad metal of the 90s.

I mean D.

..............

Anyway, I tried to give Sorceress a go the other day but only got like three songs in. They just make me want to go and listen to some actual good prog, you know? Even their buddies Anekdoten do the retro-prog thing much more convincingly.

It's fun to imagine Iron Mike saying it:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153966086531299&set=p.10153966086531299&type=3&theater

lol punksishippies you wasteman even phil fr33man thinks opeth are real metal

punksishippies doesn't like anything the imaginary square living in his head wouldn't hate.

"the wilde flowers" rules. opeth going full prog is still totally mindboggling, like motorpsycho-, decemberists-, his name is alive-, and enslaved-level amazing imho

Nah I keep frustratedly waiting for the shouty bits. D since Ghost Reveries pretty much.

That's not entirely fair of me, there have been some decent tracks.

But it's the tension between the pretty sections and the punishing sections that made them interesting to me. The pretty sections are pretty on their own, but somewhat inert.

No you're absolutely right. I wouldn't mind that Opeth went straight prog if they were any good at it, and they're not particularly "pretty" anymore anyway

To clarify, I meant they went off after Ghost Reveries. GR is excellent.

An important Facebook page:

"The Same Picture of Mikael Åkerfeldt Every Day"

https://www.facebook.com/SamepictureMikael

I don't know much about these guys, as people, but Mikael seems pretty cool. And to be honest, more than most rock guys I kinda feel like learning he was an asshole would totally bum me out. Anyway, this is entertaining:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPRCNGE9H9Y

Like the last few, the new one is unapologetically prog, pomp and cheese and all, modestly heavy at times but kind of awesome at all times.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed the new one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xedYz1vZWsA

That's awesome.

The addition of keyboard to Opeth really underscores the Van der Graaf influence. I've never heard of Univers Zero, where to begin? Also reminds me that I've never really listened to Jethro Tull, but it might be too late, because there are too many Jethro Tull albums.

I'm liking this so far. Maybe a little more focused than the last couple ones. Sorceress was pretty good though.

I've never heard of Univers Zero, where to begin? Also reminds me that I've never really listened to Jethro Tull, but it might be too late, because there are too many Jethro Tull albums.

Univers Zero - 1313 or Heresie
Jethro Tull - Aqualung or Thick as a Brick I guess?

lol at Mikael on Opeth covering Gershwin: "I think it might be a good idea if we don't"

The new one is the heaviest of the prog-era albums, but it's also really beautiful. "Ingen Sanning är Allas" is one of the most Floyd-ish things they've ever done (with some OK Computer thrown in, weirdly enough) and it's fantastic.

Have all the albums been released in English and Swedish? I've only heard the new one in English, I should listen to the Swedish version, might (er) cut the cheese a little. (Which of course is a joke, this album is awesome.)

Really good video but I just cant respect the crazy collector stuff at the end. Had a similar feeling with Geddy Lee collecting signed baseballs.

Geddy also collects wine and, apparently, guitars!

At least Mikael collects, you know, music. I saw some other interview with him that suggests he's taking these collectors items away from other people, but he defends it by saying actually he buys multiple copies of stuff to give as gifts to friends who have never heard his favorite albums. Like Robin Hood!

I have the Geddy Lee bass collection book, it is absolutely bonkers, hundreds of pages of rare basses. I would be super psyched if I owned one bass like that.

Presumably Geddy tries out the bass guitars and uses some of them and drinks the wine. But all those baseballs?

It would be nice if Mikael was gifting his multiple copies but would he really say he owns all these multiple copies if he is gifting them?

Have all the albums been released in English and Swedish?

No. This is only the third time they've recorded in Swedish at all (they've done Swedish-language covers on the deluxe editions of Watershed and Pale Communion).

export No, I mean, apparently Geddy collects guitars, too! Like, six-strings.

https://www.mecum.com/auctions/las-vegas-2019/collections/a-boutique-selection-from-the-geddy-lee-guitar-collection/

That '59 Les Paul alone could very well go for over $250k.

I read an interview where Mikael says he writes in Swedish and then translates to English.

Probably their best since Heritage and my favorite since Ghost Reveries

Listening to the Swedish version now, it's fascinating how in English my ear goes right to the lyrics, rising out of the music, but in Swedish it all sounds very much of an equal-tiered piece.

Really like this

I love listening to Mikael talk about music he likes. That "Whats in My Bag" makes me want to go out and listen to all of those records.

I shot this video with him back in 2012, when I worked at Roadrunner:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgbEajT3TnE

Probably their best since Heritage and my favorite since Ghost Reveries

Same. Hoping they do all their future records in Swedish as well.

this album just didn't do anything for me on first listen, and I've really liked their stuff since Ghost Reveries or so. Will give it another shot.

North American tour dates!

Feb 13 - Cleveland, OH - The Agora Ballroom
Feb 14 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
Feb 15 - Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
Feb 17 - Worcester, MA - Palladium
Feb 18 - Montreal, QC - Mtelus
Feb 19 - Toronto, ON - Rebel
Feb 21 - New York, NY - Apollo Theater
Feb 22 - New York, NY - Apollo Theater
Feb 23 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
Feb 25 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
Feb 26 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
Feb 28 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
Feb 29 - Dallas, TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Mar 1 - Kansas City, MO - Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland
Mar 2 - Denver, CO - The Mission Ballroom
Mar 4 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium

Also, there's a non-album track streaming on Decibel's site.

I gotta admit that having never been to the Apollo Theater, the idea of going there for the first time to see Opeth feels a little weird.

I bought Ryman tickets. Unless something comes up it'll be my first Ryman show and it's definitely an odd feeling.

opeth are playing the ryman? that fuckin rules

They're hitting so many classic venues on this tour.

Another good one, includes embarrassing drunk Steve Wilson story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjV8JYcbtFw

I love his honesty and shamelessness. Such a soft-spoken dork, he seems like he's the best.

Blackwater Park remains tough to find at a good price.

20th anniversary this year, perhaps a reissue is imminent.

It really went out of print?!

Nah, it seems like it is still in print; Music For Nations is under Sony/BMG now.

but I can't help listening to this stuff and sometimes really wishing they'd throw in a really awesome techno breakdown

The other day I went out to rake the leaves, and I felt like listening to Opeth, but not their early growly stuff or their more recent stuff, something in the mid-catalog Steven Wilson sweet spot. My instincts told me "Damnation," but for the life of me I couldn't remember where it fell on the Opeth spectrum (getting old). So I took a gamble, and yep, jazz/folk/prog/Radiohead Opeth hit the spot.