Annoyed at Damnation

[Lethal01]

the (very) short drum "solo" in whatever song it is, is fucking awesome. Damnation is defenatly the most subtle music Opeth has ever made

 

[Sfarog]

on all previous CD's, Blackwater Park included, Opeth stood head and shoulders above 95% of other (metal) music, but on Deliverance and Damnation it does not. This music is great, but its not "Opeth great".

 

[deathbearer]

Haven't heard it yet..To lazy to download off a 56 k modem..Wish I had a cable/dsl modem..Oh well, I'll buy it when it comes out.. Interesting opinions tho..-l-

 

[segfault]

I just downloaded Damnation yesterday morning, and I've listened to it 3 times through so far...

Unequivocably, it's a fantastic album.

Having said that, it's time to equivocate

What's missing, for me, is the contrast that all the other albums have. Except Deliverance. Deliverance does have contrast between mellow and heavy, but not as much as the other ones do. So... my plan for this afternoon when I get home for work is to put both albums in my CD player and listen to them shuffled. My theory is that the synergy of these discs together will yield the last little piece of "Opethness" that separately they lack.

I love the mellotron, but at times it sounds more like Anekdoten than Opeth.

And will someone please enlighten me on Sörskogen? I see that it is a past/present side project, but would anyone care to elucidate further? (or just provide a link)

 

[Lethal01]

segfault: hmm.. the part about shuffling damnation and deliverance could be interesting..
/me runs and tries

 

[JesusChristPose]

I'll admit Damnation isn't what I expected... and it took me a few listens to really love it. I just can't dislike anything that Opeth do. Like somebody said, listen to it a few more times. It's better when you're concentrating on something else, and have the music on in the background. I find CDs grow on me faster that way, weird, huh?
And seriously dude, you need to let go of this interview!

~ I agree! Same thing happens with me too. That is how I got into Lateralus, I was building an entertainment center in my garage and put that cd in to give it another chance, but I wasn't really paying attention to it, and all of a sudden, I "got it."

That is just one example...

 

[JesusChristPose]

Yeah that's what really struck me about Sorskogen... when Mikael just ripped that solo outta nowhere... that completely kicked my ass! But its still good, im still discovering Damnation.. I guess they were experimenting with different ways to 'get you off' and I guess using solos is a bit too standard.

~ I am in the dark here...what is Sorskogen? Please explain it this ignorant fella

 

[Dan]

The problem I have with Damnation is that there is no memorable songwriting. On all the previous albums, there's something on each song that makes you remember it. The only part on Damnation that has stuck with me after about 10 listens is the chorus on 'To Rid the Disease', and that's only because it's the chorus to Mordet i Grotten.

Hopefully they won't be trying for a sound on the next one and just let the ideas flow. I think the lack of quality on the last two have been because they've been trying to make the albums sound like what they said they would.

 

[Rogier1234]

I really like Damnation so far. It needs time, like most of opeth
albums.
Just listen to it without expectations, than you sure will admit it.

 

[estimate]

The Album is not released. And I know it's gonna, rock.

 

[COnsiderateApathy]

~ I am in the dark here...what is Sorskogen? Please explain it this ignorant fella

Sorskogen is a side project Mikael did a few years back with Dan Swanö - he wrote a few songs, I believe, but only one was actually recorded, titled Mordet I Grottan. You can find it on a file-sharing service if you want a relatively low quality version (128kbps is the only one i've ever seen), or ask Dan Swanö (jump to the Swanö forum, he's around) and he'll send you a burned copy on CD for a couple bucks to cover shipping.

NP: Deliverance/Damnation shuffle

 

[blueskytheory]

Ahhhh very good. Now if only you could somehow make this point relevant in anyway.

The definition of 'prog' is so vague that its a fucking difficult judgement to make. To me, Damnation is 'proggy', but not 'prog' per say. At any rate the argument of what prog should be is both irrelevant and stupid.

"why i was disappointed with damnation"
that is the relevance... not too hard to see i thought? Since this album was hyped as being a smattering of opeth's 70s influences (a la camel), I expected something like that rather than more wilson-worship.

 

[forest of october]

I totally hear 70's prog in the album. Open your ears, or you just don't know what 70's prog is. I think the album is great, it's basically what I expected, which is a solid mellow Opeth album. There are parts on the album that, in my opinion, really shine, and are really amazing.

 

[MetalManCPA]

One problem is along with anticipation, you formulate some pre-conceived notion of what to expect based on the bands past - and if the album doesn't live up to this notion, it has a hard time breaking through to you.

Other than hearing how Damnation was an experiemnt of sorts, and that it would be all mellow, my thoughts stopped there. Well, except knowing it was Opeth. When I heard it, I wasn't measuring it against anything - I let it stand out there on it's own with no comparison. Who cares what Opeth's sound was in the past? Since I love Opeth so much, I was not about to tarnish the album based on a thought I'd conjure up. That first listen with a clear mind will tell the story. And I still get the chills listening to Closure. And I love Windowpane.

That being said - I love the album. To my ears, Opeth has put out 6 Opeth albums, and each has it's own story to tell.

 

[dygi]

I love the way Mikael sings : "... I have lost all trust I had in you..." in 'To rid the disease'. It's one of the most beautiful vocal parts on Damnation.

 

[Morfiend]

First off, Damnation is great and met my expectations. I certainly wouldn't call it the best album I've ever heard though and probably wouldn't even call it my favorite Opeth album. Here are a few minor complaints:

1. A few songs on here start to fade out when it just seems to me like they're just getting started. I guess I'm just used to old lengthy Opeth songs.
2. A few more solos would have been nice
3. A few more songs to make this 50 - 60 minutes would have been nice.

All in all though, the album is very close to perfection and I will be listening to this for years and years to come.

 

[poldarn]

Likewise, was expecting it to sound generally a bit more proggy and stonery as opposed to so gloomy and dark... as I said, more like Sörskogen... that would have been awesome.

ehm? I think it sounds extremely proggy, in a haunting laidback experimental way (kind of Pink Floyd-ish but with a higher tempo), as opposed to Sörskogen which sounds waaay more folky.

 

[Demiana]

First of all:
How can all these people have the Damnation cd, when it is not released yet? Probably you've downloaded it from somewhere...can anybody tell me where I can download it too?

Second of all:
if Damnation sounds like the mellow parts of Still Life....damn, then I can't understand why everybody is so negative about it. But ok, I have to listen first..
But I can tell you....you make me very curious!

 

[Stormrider586]

I havent heard it yet, but I surely hope its better on my ears than what most of you are saying...

 

[Jeremy]

I really don't think Damnation sounds like anything Opeth ever done before... I wouldn't compare it to SL or BWP's clean parts... Also the songs are way simpler... most of the time it's only 1 guitar... but anyway... it's amazing though not as good as I had hoped... Hope Leaves is my favourite.