I have just watched the interview with Mikael, and have to get somethings off my chest which I have been wanting to say since I first heard the new LP. Incidently, I am just wondering if anyone else shares my thoughts, as I have read nothing similar...
Basically, what I want to say is that I personally think that Ghost Reveries is the worst Opeth LP so far, and that interestingly it seems to be because of the more pleasant environment in which it was recorded. Here is my take on the LP: The first three tracks are pretty good, Ghost of Perdition in particular was what I was hoping for and when I put the LP on and heard this I was relieved. But then things went down hill! Baying of the Hounds and Beneath the Mire, yes both good, not amazing in terms of the general Opeth oveure, but listenable. Then Atonement. Ok. I understand wanting to go in a new direction and try new things etc, but really as far as I am concerned this song does just not measure up to past Opeth songs of a less hard nature. I dont know if it is an attempt to reach a wider audience or what, but compared with benighted say, this simply, in terms of lyrics, melody and general song writting, is not on par with what has gone in the past. Then Reverie, ok may be it was just a slight jilt, and back to normal Opeth. But then, whats going on with the lyrics? Can anyone who holds My Arms.. in any sort of regard be satisfied with 'These are...The Trees?' I know that it is would be almost impossible to do better than My Arms, as an LP generally, but at least the same standard has to be maintained, and again this simply does not measure up, and I fail to see how this is a matter of taste. It seems obvious, especially if you compare the song as a whole to 'A Fair Judgement'.
And then theres Hours of Wealth!. What on earth is going on here? The LP started with 3, solid Opeth tracks. And then it somehow has unravelled to this, which is like some kind of blues, middle of the road guitar song from america, again with fairly bad lyrics. Can anyone seriously think this is on par with Face of Melinda, Credence, Harvest, perhaps To Rid the Disease? As far as Opeth Ballads go this song is way behind any of the past offerings, which has to then make is inferior to all that has gone before. And after this, we then reach the low point of the LP? Mikael says in the interview that the Grand Conjuration was veyr different from how it is, and it seems to only have been changed because of the amount of rehersal time they had. For me this is by far and away the worst Opeth song ever, and they choose to release it as a single? I am beginning to question my own taste and sanity. Am I missing something? I was going to list my favourite Opeth songs, but really Opeth are not like other bands for me, as I dont list my fav songs, I list my fav lps. I can listen from My arms through every LP to Deliverence (excluding Damnation) from start to finish and they are all my favourite songs. There is not really one bad song amongst any of those LPs. Can any true Opeth fan really look themselves in the mirror and say that this song, the Grand Conjuration, the first single and video they do, is the best song they have ever done? Pick any song from past LPs and it just doesnt measure up in terms of melody, lyrics, song structure, etc. I mean, it almost isnt an Opeth song when I think that by Opeth I mean songs like Bleak, Masters Apprentice, the all time classic Demon of the Fall, Serenity Painted death, or in fact, any other hard song that has gone before.
Again I do not think this is a matter of taste. There are criteria of judgement that seem to make Opeth songs what they are, and the Grand ... falls short on all of them bar perhaps technical playing, which is a given for Opeth anyway so it doesnt count. And to add to all this, they make a video for the song without one of the band members!! anyone who doesnt know opeth is going to get the totally wrong impression if they see this song on television. They wont see Lopez drumming (who for me is the heart of Opeth), and will not hear the true melody, accumplished complexity and intricacy that has made opeth great.
And then finally there is Isolation Years. This is not too bad, but again is not AS good as former ballads, so at most is average. Again the lyrics let it down! it sounds like he is talking about his new child! but i wont repeat what I have written about hours of wealth as exactly the same applies here.
All in all, I now am back to where I have been since 2003, waiting for the new Opeth LP to come out. I do not understand why no one else seems to have any similar views, or how you can go from listening to My arms, to Still Life, to Blackwater, to Deliverance, all of which show a progression of style, but which maintain the same identity, and then go to GR and think that it maintains what these LPs have (the unbalanced structure of the LP after track 3 alone is one of the more obvious points). And I dont see how Mikael of all people cannot see this. But may be I reall am loosing my mind?
And all this because there was no studio pressure! Mikael said he was done with the songs before recording, and that there were 3 weeks of rehersals. And this is what comes out, compared with all the previous LPs which seem to have been partly written whilst being recoded and which were not rehersed at all. I understand not wanting a painful recording experience, but it obviously does not bring out the best in the band. As it is, GR is the first and only Opeth LP I cannot listen to with complete pleasure from start to end; something which I never thought possible with this band.
Mikael wont care about this, which is good as I dont care that he doesnt care. I will just say one thing: Please, next time, no rehersals before recording!
Basically, what I want to say is that I personally think that Ghost Reveries is the worst Opeth LP so far, and that interestingly it seems to be because of the more pleasant environment in which it was recorded. Here is my take on the LP: The first three tracks are pretty good, Ghost of Perdition in particular was what I was hoping for and when I put the LP on and heard this I was relieved. But then things went down hill! Baying of the Hounds and Beneath the Mire, yes both good, not amazing in terms of the general Opeth oveure, but listenable. Then Atonement. Ok. I understand wanting to go in a new direction and try new things etc, but really as far as I am concerned this song does just not measure up to past Opeth songs of a less hard nature. I dont know if it is an attempt to reach a wider audience or what, but compared with benighted say, this simply, in terms of lyrics, melody and general song writting, is not on par with what has gone in the past. Then Reverie, ok may be it was just a slight jilt, and back to normal Opeth. But then, whats going on with the lyrics? Can anyone who holds My Arms.. in any sort of regard be satisfied with 'These are...The Trees?' I know that it is would be almost impossible to do better than My Arms, as an LP generally, but at least the same standard has to be maintained, and again this simply does not measure up, and I fail to see how this is a matter of taste. It seems obvious, especially if you compare the song as a whole to 'A Fair Judgement'.
And then theres Hours of Wealth!. What on earth is going on here? The LP started with 3, solid Opeth tracks. And then it somehow has unravelled to this, which is like some kind of blues, middle of the road guitar song from america, again with fairly bad lyrics. Can anyone seriously think this is on par with Face of Melinda, Credence, Harvest, perhaps To Rid the Disease? As far as Opeth Ballads go this song is way behind any of the past offerings, which has to then make is inferior to all that has gone before. And after this, we then reach the low point of the LP? Mikael says in the interview that the Grand Conjuration was veyr different from how it is, and it seems to only have been changed because of the amount of rehersal time they had. For me this is by far and away the worst Opeth song ever, and they choose to release it as a single? I am beginning to question my own taste and sanity. Am I missing something? I was going to list my favourite Opeth songs, but really Opeth are not like other bands for me, as I dont list my fav songs, I list my fav lps. I can listen from My arms through every LP to Deliverence (excluding Damnation) from start to finish and they are all my favourite songs. There is not really one bad song amongst any of those LPs. Can any true Opeth fan really look themselves in the mirror and say that this song, the Grand Conjuration, the first single and video they do, is the best song they have ever done? Pick any song from past LPs and it just doesnt measure up in terms of melody, lyrics, song structure, etc. I mean, it almost isnt an Opeth song when I think that by Opeth I mean songs like Bleak, Masters Apprentice, the all time classic Demon of the Fall, Serenity Painted death, or in fact, any other hard song that has gone before.
Again I do not think this is a matter of taste. There are criteria of judgement that seem to make Opeth songs what they are, and the Grand ... falls short on all of them bar perhaps technical playing, which is a given for Opeth anyway so it doesnt count. And to add to all this, they make a video for the song without one of the band members!! anyone who doesnt know opeth is going to get the totally wrong impression if they see this song on television. They wont see Lopez drumming (who for me is the heart of Opeth), and will not hear the true melody, accumplished complexity and intricacy that has made opeth great.
And then finally there is Isolation Years. This is not too bad, but again is not AS good as former ballads, so at most is average. Again the lyrics let it down! it sounds like he is talking about his new child! but i wont repeat what I have written about hours of wealth as exactly the same applies here.
All in all, I now am back to where I have been since 2003, waiting for the new Opeth LP to come out. I do not understand why no one else seems to have any similar views, or how you can go from listening to My arms, to Still Life, to Blackwater, to Deliverance, all of which show a progression of style, but which maintain the same identity, and then go to GR and think that it maintains what these LPs have (the unbalanced structure of the LP after track 3 alone is one of the more obvious points). And I dont see how Mikael of all people cannot see this. But may be I reall am loosing my mind?
And all this because there was no studio pressure! Mikael said he was done with the songs before recording, and that there were 3 weeks of rehersals. And this is what comes out, compared with all the previous LPs which seem to have been partly written whilst being recoded and which were not rehersed at all. I understand not wanting a painful recording experience, but it obviously does not bring out the best in the band. As it is, GR is the first and only Opeth LP I cannot listen to with complete pleasure from start to end; something which I never thought possible with this band.
Mikael wont care about this, which is good as I dont care that he doesnt care. I will just say one thing: Please, next time, no rehersals before recording!
