Chinese Whispers
Member
- Jan 6, 2009
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Well, if I was to tell someone who hadn't heard Opeth in a short sentence what they played, I think 'progressive death metal' would suffice.
Are Opeth a death metal band?
- Thread starter Slaydon
- Start date
The Wooden Doors
Cloak of Autumn Shroud
- Apr 29, 2008
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I seriously think that covers all the musical categories that Opeth could fit into. The "folk" genre really isn't represented as well as others, it's the small dash in the mix of what makes Opeth, Opeth. It wouldn't be right to call Opeth... "Progressive Folk/Death Metal"
I think that "Progressive Death Metal" is a pretty simple, basic term that can be used to encapsulate the MAJORITY of Opeth's work. Clearly, I don't mean to include Damnation, or any soft ballad song, that's why I chose the word... majority.
Slunk
Member
Opeth has "Death Metal" elements in their music, but I wouldn't quite call them a "Death Metal Band". They are much more than just that, compared to say, bloodbath.
A death metal band plays death metal.
A death metal band does not release damnation and does not have an acoustic guitar on 3/4ths of the songs per album.
Wreath and MA have immense death metal sections but even themselves are not death metal tracks.
Take their first two albums. I can't think of a riff on either one that i'd classify as straight up death metal. I'd call those two progressive (because no riff lasts more than like 3 seconds and there are clean vocals lol) folk/black metal. Probably not one on MYAH either, though i usually end up listening to the same 3 songs on MYAH. If you want to pick a part riffs then yes Opeth at times is Death Metal. But what it all boils down to is if you're going to classify a band as a single genre Opeth is Progressive Death Metal and that is a huge difference in what is expected.
Misery Index. Now that is death metal. Bloodbath is death metal. Soilent Green is death metal. No one who has any idea what they are talking about would call opeth death metal. To me it sounds like one of those insults where people say "oh those bands aren't even saying anything he's just coughing"
A death metal band does not release damnation and does not have an acoustic guitar on 3/4ths of the songs per album.
Wreath and MA have immense death metal sections but even themselves are not death metal tracks.
Take their first two albums. I can't think of a riff on either one that i'd classify as straight up death metal. I'd call those two progressive (because no riff lasts more than like 3 seconds and there are clean vocals lol) folk/black metal. Probably not one on MYAH either, though i usually end up listening to the same 3 songs on MYAH. If you want to pick a part riffs then yes Opeth at times is Death Metal. But what it all boils down to is if you're going to classify a band as a single genre Opeth is Progressive Death Metal and that is a huge difference in what is expected.
Misery Index. Now that is death metal. Bloodbath is death metal. Soilent Green is death metal. No one who has any idea what they are talking about would call opeth death metal. To me it sounds like one of those insults where people say "oh those bands aren't even saying anything he's just coughing"
Hox
Superiorly grim and kvlt
hahaha over two pages of this thread posts keep repeating themselves just the author is changing 
I think it's pointless to argue about something like this, though I do not agree that it is nonsense to label bands. Opeth really are hard to classify, especially because nowadays bands are called DM although they share very few elements with bands who were called DM a decade or two ago. And I agree with what "Fields of sorrow" wrote:
I think it's pointless to argue about something like this, though I do not agree that it is nonsense to label bands. Opeth really are hard to classify, especially because nowadays bands are called DM although they share very few elements with bands who were called DM a decade or two ago. And I agree with what "Fields of sorrow" wrote:
mexicola
Member
I wonder how many more albums they have to make before people stop calling them DM.
I used to listen to alot of death metal when I was younger and then I stopped because everything sounded the same to me.
Later when I heard about Opeth I never checked them out because I heard they played death metal so I didn't wanna listen.
When I finally checked them out I was like, how is this death metal?
That should be enough to stop this discussion.
I used to listen to alot of death metal when I was younger and then I stopped because everything sounded the same to me.
Later when I heard about Opeth I never checked them out because I heard they played death metal so I didn't wanna listen.
When I finally checked them out I was like, how is this death metal?
That should be enough to stop this discussion.
Nasty-Fire
Discursion
grey knight
Etheraven
SerenityNow!
*burp*
Metal / Progressive
^Copied/pasted from Opeth's MySpace page.
Otherwise this whole thread is opinion-based.
DM elements, yes. DM band, c'mon.
^Copied/pasted from Opeth's MySpace page.
Otherwise this whole thread is opinion-based.
DM elements, yes. DM band, c'mon.
Nasty-Fire
Discursion
Iki-ilkkuja
Member
I think the progressive death metal tag is still valid. There is a certain death metal attitude still left of not doing things in a conventional way.
Iki-ilkkuja
Member
+ I doubt death metal can be defined by heavyness and tempo. The vocals are present, the drumwork is present. Watershed even has some "true" DM riffs.
Ninfix
Gamer of life
Opeth is death metal. With prog.
Progressive Death Metal. IMO, this is 100% correct. Why is it NOT a death metal band? With prog metal? Progressive Death Metal? It is THE best way to describe the music..!!!
Progressive Death Metal. IMO, this is 100% correct. Why is it NOT a death metal band? With prog metal? Progressive Death Metal? It is THE best way to describe the music..!!!
