Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16
Here's my Opeth story, also starting in high school: people online were telling me that this is an incredible band, that the singer has the best harsh vocals ever, that they are heavy and complex. So I downloaded Damnation and Deliverance simultaneously from a P2P client, song by song. The first song I played was Damnation's first track, "Windowpane." Now, I love prog-rock but I was waiting for the metal... and it never came. I didn't know then that the album was conceptually meant to be a mostly-acoustic album. The the first track off of Damnation's companion album, the [mostly]all-heavy Deliverance finished downloading. "Wreath" was complex, brutal punishment all the way through. The title track of the album showed me how masterful then-drummer Martin Lopez is. He plays a drum part near the end of the song that sounds impossible to the ears of a non-drummer: he's playing a complex counter-rhythm to what is going on with the guitars that sounds like it is taking every bit of his arms to play... until you listen closer and hear that he's somehow hitting the cymbal with some magical 3rd hand, keeping everything in a solid 4/4. It blows my shit away.
So when I got their most acclaimed album, Blackwater Park, and heard on the song "Bleak" that those two sides of the band come together so majestically. I was completely sold then and there. Still Life, my 3rd favorite album of any genre, all-time, made them my favorite band. "Serenity Painted Death" was so much fun and my favorite song by the band, "Godhead's Lament" has this perfectly-phrased folk interlude that sends me to happy places every time.
So, yeah, Opeth rule. |
I just got into Deliverance when my parents bought me their "Lamentations" concert video for Christmas. I always had "A Fair Judgement," Though this is not a fair reflection of that album. (It's a rather soft song in comparison to "Wreath", and "Deliverance" from that album.)
Bleak..God...I would call this the Stairway to Heaven of Prog/Death metal. (Okay, I know I already compared their song Burden to Stairway earlier, but hear me out.) In stairway, the song starts soft and slowly evolves into a faster tempo, upbeat song, before concluding with an incredible solo and an upbeat final to the fabled masterpiece. I would argue that "Bleak" has a similar transition, though it starts out vicious and slowly transitions into a melodic masterpiece, before transitioning into a fast paced, brutal conclusion to Opeth's masterwork of "Blackwater Park."
And, I am kind of ashamed to admit this, but I actually have not downloaded "Still Life" yet, I have heard that it is one of the greatest concept albums ever made, but, it will be the final Opeth Album I shall listen to, (Besides their upcoming albums) and I really want to savor their entire discography. (I think I will download it as a reward when I near the end to my story.)
Anyways, what is your opinion of Fredrik and Axe? I mourned for three days when I realized the true impact of Lopez' departure, and for about another week when I read about Peter's departure as well. Though, I must say I have warmed up to Axe as a drummer, listening to "Heir Apparent" and "Burden" while reading into his biography really warmed me up to his character.