Current musical addictions/recent discoveries

[arg]

Let’s play a casual game of striking vipers bros

 

[MadTinus]

Re-discovered this album in the beginning of this year. Always liked Rapture and mainly played Songs for the Withering once or twice each year. Owned the other two albums as well, but rarely played them. Decided to give Futile a spin again in January or February or so and finally, it clicked, HARD! Been obsessed with it ever since, played it over 30 times this year alone.

Strange but amazing at the same time to (re)discover and fall in love with an album you (thought you) knew and which had been sitting on your shelf for almost twenty years <3 What a fucking masterpiece, the atmosphere, the melodies, the despair, oh man <3 <3 <3 A level of perfection rarely seen, comparable with for instance Slumber's Fallout album (which' opening track is called.. Rapture *mind blown*).

 

[Lifemocker]

I discovered that Opeth still sucks



I know Im probably exeggerating a bit, but I feel like everything they release now sounds exactly the same, probably because of some pattern in the music that they keep repeating.

And INB4 they will play this 16 minute of repetition live instead of Black Rose Immortal. I mean, they never played it and at this point I hope they never will, because Akerfeldt would just butcher it now.

Wake me up when Opeth will stop being a 80's cover band.

 

[winters epilogue]

And INB4 they will play this 16 minute of repetition live instead of Black Rose Immortal. I mean, they never played it and at this point I hope they never will, because Akerfeldt would just butcher it now.

Pedant reply: This video is comprised of two versions of the same 8 minute song, not a single 16 minute song. (They're releasing the new album in both Swedish and English.) Playing both versions back-to-back live would be a funny way to test/troll their audience...

As for wishing to be awoken when they "stop being an 80's cover band"—make yourself comfortable, 'cause I doubt you'll be getting out of that slumber anytime soon. From Åkerfeldt:

“For us, at this stage with In Cauda Venenum, heaviness isn’t guitars tuned down with screaming vocals over the top. That’s not necessarily what I call ‘heavy’ music these days. I can listen to Korn and say, ‘OK, that’s heavy.’ But it doesn’t really mean anything to me. I mean, I catch up on things in magazines or online.

I read about bands that have the ‘heaviest record ever,’ and I’m not too impressed by that. OK, it’s cool but what does it say? What does it mean? It’s an impossible mission, to be the heaviest. That’s been done before. Over time, I got tired of that tag. Of course, when I was younger it meant everything to me. I was always on the pursuit for heaviness in my youth, trying to find the next level of heaviness.

First it was death metal, then it was bands like Meshuggah, but heaviness is now more about emotions, heavy chord progressions, music that has feelings. Heaviness doesn’t mean Meshuggah anymore, although indeed they’re a fucking heavy band. I’m not trying to tap into that anymore.”

 

[Lifemocker]

Pedant reply: This video is comprised of two versions of the same 8 minute song, not a single 16 minute song. (They're releasing the new album in both Swedish and English.) Playing both versions back-to-back live would be a funny way to test/troll their audience...

Yea, I realised that after a while and mentioned it here:
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/...read-post-away.425885/page-4516#post-11900824


As for the interview, yeah, their music is heavy. Heavy to listen to. Some riffs are okay, but the mix and goddamn repetition is what kills me.
If they are going for 80's let it be 80's japanese jazz or pop. That's heavy, if I were to use Akerfeldt's definition of it

 

[Belac]

I stopped listening to Opeth after the change of sound. I don't think they are particularly good at what they are trying to do, so I moved on from the band. I usually listen to the first single from each record and then forget they exist for a few years. Why bother waiting for Mikael to have a change of heart, he clearly likes what he is doing and that's fine. I'm just not onboard anymore.

I do wonder about how their fanbase has changed though. Do you think they got a bunch of new fans or did they mostly just retain a handful of the old ones? I don't think Mikael is going for popularity so I doubt it matters to him, but I do legitimately wonder if the change of sound actually brought anyone that didn't like the Death Metal aspect into the fold.

 

[DarkGift]

I know for a fact that some fans prefer the new sound to the old, beats me as to why though

 

[Lifemocker]

People I know were not opeth fanboys dislike the change, not because "U hAtE iT bEcAusE ThErE iS nO GroWls" but because it's simply mediocre at best.

Newer fans are prog posers and are doing everything to not hear proper guitars or growl, because that would ruin the band for them.

There is Damnation and a lot of tracks where there is not a single growl and those are still amazing songs with great atmosphere and spectacular riffs. Can't say the same about most of of the newer stuff.

As for me, I hope there will be no growls in the future, unless heavy preprocessed, because I cant stand to hear his growls now. Highs are okay, but lows are abominations and he dont even bother doing the highs anymore.

I listened to the whole Heritage and hated everything about it.
Listened to Pale Communion, liked first 2 tracks (although I already started to see repetition in them) and the last one (best one).
Sorceress I think I got halfway through the album and decided "nah, better than Heritage, but I just cant be bothered listening to the rest".

And their new stuff, if it's their best track then I dont even care about the rest.


God I miss the times when people called Watershed shit. I think it was pretty good and definitely beats their newer stuff combined if we pretend Coil doesnt exist.

 

[rj rl]

Damnation is way too depressing for me, and way too Steven Wilsony. I like all three of the new non-metal albums better. None of them come close to the old highlights but I still enjoy them and Mikael still occasionally writes songs that I love 100%, like Will O' The Wisp (thanks to the awesome guitar solos in large part), Wilde Flowers, The Lines In My Hand or even Spring MCMLXXIV. However, I think he's fooling himself if he thinks growls and distortion just make for cliche sound. They could add a dimension to the nowadays' soft stuff, or the other way around. And sometimes it's a sorely needed breath of fresh air in a moldy samey 10 minute prog song from the 80s.

 

[Lifemocker]

I think he's just fooling himself saying "growls are cliche". I think he's well aware he cant do them anymore and it's part of the transformation. WIsh he admitted that though, I would respect that completely.

 

[DarkGift]

"too depressing"

 

[rj rl]

ye

 

[DarkGift]

Music is supposed to be depressive, unless it's death metal #factoftheday

 

[Lifemocker]

Im depressed every time I listen to some stuff so much my brain starts to hate it.

SO many soundtracks I want to listen to again but I know im sick of them

 

[Belac]

God I miss the times when people called Watershed shit. I think it was pretty good and definitely beats their newer stuff combined if we pretend Coil doesnt exist.

I never quite understood the hate for Watershed. I think that has passed since some of the songs on it seem to be highly regarded now. I always thought it was a decent album, the hate seemed really random to me. Lotus Eater is one of my favourite Opeth tracks, Heir Apparent is badass too.

 

[rj rl]

Watershed is great I can't remember a single riff from there that I don't like

 

[Lifemocker]

Exactly, beside Coil I can't think of a bad song from this album. I still like Burden like a stupid teenage girl, but haters gonna hate, its a good song and the ending is wicked.

 

[DarkGift]

Kinda hard following up on a gem like Ghost Reveries. I know I wasn't exactly floored when Watershed came out, but I definitely liked it. Mostly, I just dislike Porcelain Heart, the rest of the album is neat. Hessian Peel is awesome.

 

[Lifemocker]

Couldnt find studio version of this, but fuck, this gets me moist.

 

[isolation_years]

Pedant reply: This video is comprised of two versions of the same 8 minute song, not a single 16 minute song. (They're releasing the new album in both Swedish and English.) Playing both versions back-to-back live would be a funny way to test/troll their audience...

As for wishing to be awoken when they "stop being an 80's cover band"—make yourself comfortable, 'cause I doubt you'll be getting out of that slumber anytime soon. From Åkerfeldt:

i actually really like that akerfeldt quote and its part of why i havent been listening to a lot of newer heavy stuff or heavy in general. like when i see brutal death metal i read "i wish i was slayer". its not impressive just because its technical or heavy.

that being said i agree with lifemocker lol. i listened to that track. it just sounds like generic opeth, its got no soul to it. instead of 80s cover band its more like opeths "90s metallica" phase lol.


oh and inb4
"i dont listen to metal much anymore"
every metal fan ever - "ah yeah dude but if you feel that way you should definitely check out the new three inches of blood/whatever"