Blackwater Park: a concept album?

[Demonspell]

Although I don't agree with this interpretation, I found this within a BWP review at www.basementbar.com

Their current masterpiece, 2001's Blackwater Park, is named after an obscure 70's psychedelic rock band. But the lyrics to the album tell a twisted story involving a place of that name. From the first-person, Mr. Akerfeldt relates to the listener a morbid story of a leprosy outbreak in a community and the terrible actions the local inhabitants take to rid themselves of the disease forever. This grisly tale's tragic conclusion takes place in the Park itself, but there are plenty of horrifying images, haunting accounts, and ghastly revelations before we get there.

 

[Orchid]

Well, I certainly don't agree with that interpretation. Didn't Mikael himself say this time he chose not to write a concept album?

 

[Protocol]

Yes he did. It's not a concept album.

 

[Orchid]

Maybe the one who wrote that review is the one responsible for the "Amazon blasphemy"?

 

[Protoss]

...That must be it...
Let's fry that bastard...

 

[Demonspell]

Excuse me, but what is the Amazon blasphemy? And Mikael's interviews and the absence of links between the songs clearly prove that BWP is not a concept album, that I am well aware of. In fact, I'm pretty sure that The Leper Affinity has nothing to do with leprosy.

 

[Orchid]

Originally posted by Demonspell
Excuse me, but what is the Amazon blasphemy?

That would be the "Funny review" topic here

To ease, I quote from that topic.

Opeth is not good, June 4, 2001
Reviewer: A music fan from: here
Imagine Limp Bizkit mixed with classical music, it might sound ok if they knew how to play their instuments . Not good, not worth buying, liten to the new album from Cold or Linkin Park, now theres REAL talent.

 

[Demonspell]

I'm sorry I asked!

 

[HoserHellspawn]

WOW. How the fuck did he come up with THAT interpretation? It's funny, because a while ago I was considering making a "Well, BWP might actually be a concept record despite what Mikael said" theory based on a few interesting things I've noticed.

This includes that the lyrics for the songs are out of order in the liner notes (has anyone else noticed this?) and that read in THAT order (LA, Bleak, Dirge, Funeral, Harvest, Drapery, BP, exclude the instrumental Patterns in the Ivy), the first 6 tracks could be construed as the diary of a sadistic homicidal madman (who possibly falls in love with his next intended victim in the ladder half of the "story") with a perspective-shifting title track to the 3rd person looking back. Or, perhaps, dies in Harvest (the 6th track in this order) which makes sense because Mike said it was about being on your deathbed, then Drapery Falls is afterlife (ghost's perspective... killer or victim? Hmm...), and again, BWP is 3rd person. But, enough pieces simply didn't fit or were too vague or were more than I cared to type that I abandoned it. Anyways, what do you think?

 

[brightoffski]

That is an interesting interpretation...but I don’t agree.
(The one courtesy of www.basementbar.com)

Upon purchasing BWP, I expected that there would be an excellent chance that it was a concept and after my first listening, much thought was devoted to unravelling the 'storyline'. After a lot of deliberation and discussion I kind of decided that it wasn't after all, but I wasn't entirely convinced until Mikael confirmed it in that interview.

I guess the point to my ravings is that maybe a lot of people expected a concept like I did. (including reviewers) Henceforth, because the tracks (concept or not...) are so related in theme and feel, but nevertheless not solidly linked, it was easy to formulate many different concept theories...

Despite this, I enjoy reading and thinking about everyone's BWP interpretations and I think it is still useful to question whether there is a concept. However unlikely, Mikael may have been misquoted? Or more likely, maybe Mikael inadvertently made a concept without intending so? It is all interesting...

HoserHellspawn, I don't remember ever thinking of reading the lyrics in the order they were presented...I will endeavour to try it and test your theory.

 

[Demonspell]

I remeber reading in an interview at www.digitalmetal.com that The Leper Affinity and two other tracks were based on Mikael's disgust with the human condition of today. Harvest is about your last thoughts on the deathbed, while Dirge For November is about suicide. Blackwater Park reminds me of something Tom Araya once said about South Of Heaven, the song: "It's how I envision hell on earth."

 

[ggggggu]

Interesting theories.

 

[TheFourthHorseman]

Wasn't it so that The Leper Affinity,The Funeral Portrait and Blackwater Park are about Mikael's disgust "with the human condition of today",in search for a better description?
But I don't understand how someone can find a concept in Blackwater Park...except for the human disgust-theme.

 

[MasterOLightning]

I think it's interesting to dig for a concept even when there isn't one. I've always thought I found a concept in Morningrise, but everyone was like, "NO! MAYH AND SL ARE THE ONLY CONCEPTS, BLAH, BLAH." I think it's possible that MR, BWP and even D1 have concepts. I have to dig through them. I love doing analysis like that. I know Mike didn't set out to write one, but that doesn't mean we can't make our own interpretations.