Do you consider Opeth a real band?

[Rosa Negra Imortal]

In my opinion, a band is where all the people together get involved into the stuff so that all of them give their contribution in the composition process. So, the songs will have the touch of all the members. The point here is the idea of a real group.
Many bands have just a principal writer and all the other guys are just performers, they just play what was done for them to play and that's all. Opeth, as I have read in interviews up to now, is like this. Mikael do everything, sometimes Peter do some stuff and the Martins just play.
We know that many bands work in the same way as well and I don't know about you but I really dislike this idea.
So, I'm just wondering what do you think about this.
Anyway, I like Opeth.

P.S: I can't aceppt Mikael's excuse when he said that the Martins contribute with their skills when they just play.

 

[Ermz]

Umm, if you get 4 people all striving to get their own material heard, you usually lose direction. Obviously enough Mikael's burning desire, and talent to write overshadows the rest of the band's... and as long as they're fine with that, I'm fine with it. I'm sure that there is a lot of improvisation in their music based on each member's playing style, as I doubt Mikael writes 100% everything... they even said they improvise alot in the studio... so anyway, to answer your question, yes I do believe that Opeth is a real band.

 

[Rosa Negra Imortal]

Hi Moonlapse...
I really don't care so much about this...If the music is good, for me it's ok.
The point here is only what the word group (band) really mean...I just think as if I were in Martins shoes...I'm pretty sure that I will not aceppt being only a performer...suposing they're only this.

 

[Board]

I think a lot of bands are that way. Peter Steele writes all of Type O Negative's material too, but I don't know if that's a good excuse to just say "A lot of bands are that way". In the Beatles Paul McCartney & John Lennon wrote almost all their songs. George Harrison wrote a couple of songs (like the superb "While my guitar gently weeps") and Ringo didn't write anything at all as far as I know. If some members of a band write better songs than the others, it's probably best to just let them/him/her write the songs to get the best music out of it.
The term band is maybe not quite fitting as you say yourself, but basically a band just plays together no matter who writes the songs. A band who only plays coversongs is still a band even though they don't write their own music. A drummer almost never writes any of the music (unless he plays other instruments), but that's also because he plays rhythm and not melody. He just have to play the beat and basically it doesn't matter how he does it.

 

[Sympozium]

I consider then a real band. Loads of bands are the same. Children of Bodom for example. Alexi writes all the music. The others just play.

 

[svenske kocken]

Yes of course Opeth is a real band. OK, Mikael does all the music and lyrics, but so what? Opeth is still a band. And Mikael does his stuff so good.

 

[YaYo]

ok, im in the middle of some recording but i thought id take a break to make a quick reply to this thread...

Opeth are a band. you people are taking this "mikael writes everything" way way too far. Ill speak in terms of my band, theres a couple of unnamed songs, we refer to them as "dave's song" (me, guitarist) and "liam's song" (bassist).... now who wrote Liam's song? Liam did. BUT, he didnt write every note, and this is where the band thing comes in, ben put down some good drum beats and drum rolls, trent added many interesting guitar bits (lots of little harmonised runs).. trent wrote his own solo.... i wrote my own solo.. heck we all contributed our own little pieces to the song, sometimes with things specific to our instrument, other times with more general ideas (such as song structure, which trent was a helping hand in). But after all that the only person who would get writing credits is Liam, he wrote the song, its his ideas we were all working from, its his visions we were all working towards. The song is drastically more in depth and has undergone many subtle and obvious changes by the rest of the band, but that doesnt count as songwriting, thats just what a band does. Same goes for "dave's song" except for this time i was the main writer. And then theres all the titled songs which trent is largely responsible, each song has 1 main writer, but every member contributes and has sometimes large effects on the song.

So while Mikael may very well write most of the material, there would still be so much written by all the other members. To me it sounds like Mikael would write the song structures and the majority of the riffs, with a few specific ideas for drums and bass, and a few general ideas, but a large portion of unwritten stuff. Same with drums. Probably would have a few more ideas for 2nd guitar parts, but still would definitely not have them all written. And then they go to the studio and this seems to be where the other members get their chance to influence the songs, where they would make possibly drastic suggestions about riffs or song structures, and where all would write their own parts to fit in with Mikaels and follow his ideas. Peter would write and adjust many of the 2nd guitar parts, possibly including some of his own, definitely writing his own solos. Etc etc.

Sounds like a band to me. Mikael may be the main writer, and the only one who gets credit for writing the song, but there's more to it than it seems.

 

[DogVomit]

Of course Opeth is a real band. Without all members, there would be no Opeth releases or concerts.

 

[DeadBaytar]

If you think like this, i think even Death is a real band. Different members in each album but in conclusion, Chuck (RIP) was the greatest metal musician ever and the music was out of this world. Same thing with Opeth even so the band is steady in opeth. Somebody should be the "brain" of the band... they're not Dream Theater ...(But Opeth is the best band on the earth at the moment... After Death's end.)

 

[Eirik]

I agree with Dave.. of course they're all contributing.. I doubt that Mikael lays down everything.. drums and stuff..

I'm pretty sure he has a basic idea and allows everyone to contribute..

 

[Parasite]

Yes, Opeth is a real band.

 

[Kveldssanger]

I must agree with most of the above that said that Opeth are a real band. There may be a "leader" in the band (Mikael), but that doesn't mean that the other members don't contribute in the music or don't get some recognition for their work. There's a difference for example between Opeth and bands like Thorns or When, where there's only one person that is being constantly involved with the band. There are four people in Opeth that are dedicated to the band, so Opeth aren't Mikael's solo project. That doesn't mean of course that there would Opeth without Mikael

 

[demon talented]

A "fake" band is when none of the members ever do any of the material.

 

[Hondo]

He's said numerous times that a lot of the music comes from experimenting and improvising in the studio together. And I swear I read in an interview with Peter that Martin wrote all the bass on BWP. Not sure about that one though.

 

[Triumphant Apostle]

I personally feel that even if you're a drummer and you're allowed to put together your own drum patterns then you contributed to the song and should be credited for that. I think most bands should just say "all music by Opeth" or whatever and whoever wrote the lyrics should individually be credited. If you contributed to the song you should get credit for that no matter who wrote the melody. On The other hand what does that have to do with them being a band? If the other members agree to play along with what has been written how are they not a band?

 

[Ermz]

Stabbing Westward's drummer wrote about 50% of their material. I think it's unfair saying that drummers can't or won't contribute writing music.

 

[tapping_the_vein]

i consider a fake band to be a band that doesnt write any of their material. kind of like the backsteet boys or brittney spears. not opeth

 

[YaYo]

Originally posted by Triumphant Apostle
I personally feel that even if you're a drummer and you're allowed to put together your own drum patterns then you contributed to the song and should be credited for that. I think most bands should just say "all music by Opeth" or whatever and whoever wrote the lyrics should individually be credited. If you contributed to the song you should get credit for that no matter who wrote the melody. On The other hand what does that have to do with them being a band? If the other members agree to play along with what has been written how are they not a band?

I disagree in a way. I think songwriting credits go to the person who wrote the general ideas or main riffs for a song. Not to the people who simply write the specific hits or riffs to fit in with the song. Songwriting credits goes to the person/people who wrote the stuff that defines the song. Credit only goes to other people if they change the direction of a song. Of course it still should be mentioned that these people contributed to the song, but i dont think you can say they wrote the song.

 

[YaYo]

oh and yes, of course drummers can write songs, usually with the help of someone who knows how to play guitar (in metal bands at least, since this is the main instrument). Our drummer often hums riffs out, or hums little ideas out. And of course you dont need to be a guitarist to structure a song.

 

[SecretFace]