- Feb 9, 2007
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I'm wondering what people's favorite song is from each album. Feel free to go into why you like it (or at least what makes it better than the rest of the album). I'm not expecting anything as long-winded as what I've got; a simple list will do, of course.
Orchid: "In the Mist She Was Standing" - Although the first 4 minutes or so are kinda wierd and atypical for the band's overall sound, what follows are some of the most mesmerizing and poetic riffs I've ever heard in all of metal.
Morningrise: "Black Rose Immortal" - This song seems to me the earliest hint of Opeth's mature later sound, with passionate clean singing, and a lot of variation between the hard and soft sound. I kinda wish they'd split it up into a few tracks, though - 20 minutes is insane.
My Arms, Your Hearse: "April Ethereal" - Haunting atmospheric intro which explodes into a classic opening riff; beautiful melodic sections; overall an incredibly dramatic feel. "I don't know how or why, and I'll never know when" remains one of my favorite Opeth lines ever.
Still Life: "Moonlapse Vertigo" - I could pick pretty much any song from this album as a favorite, but this is one I love listening to on its own in addition to with the rest of the album. Deliciously heavy, but somehow also laid-back and even... jazzy. One of the most brilliant and well-constructed songs the band has ever penned, I think.
Blackwater Park: "The Drapery Falls" - Melodically pretty beyond description. Has a nice flow between the soft and hard sections. Whereas a lot of Opeth songs go into soft acoustic parts only to whack you in the face with a subsequent death metal section, this song's acoustic sections maintain a certain tension that blends nicely with the heavy part.
Deliverance: "Deliverance" - Opening riff beats you senseless, and leads into a creepily beautiful song with lyrics that match the sound perfectly. To me, this is the epitome of what a progressive death metal song should sound like: a perfect blend of gentle subtlety and uncompromising rage.
Damnation: "Windowpane" - I wish they did more non-metal songs that were this lengthy. When they slow it down, their sound is quite meditative. Everything from the opening riff to the solo to the lyrics just takes my mind wandering.
Ghost Reveries: "Reverie/Harlequin Forest" - Catchy, dramatic first part; goes into a totally chill, dream-like acoustic section with some interesting nature imagery in the lyrics. Again, Opeth on their more groovy side, which lends some freshness to their sound. Makes me think of some of Jethro Tull's stuff, only darker and more impressionistic.
Update: I think I've already changed my mind on two of these. Go figure.
I think "A Fair Judgement" gets my Deliverance spot - while perhaps not as compositionally impressive as "Deliverance", it's much more impressive emotionally. It has this unique atmosphere of introspection that I've heard in maybe a handful of songs in my life, most of them probably being Pink Floyd stuff.
I'd also have to submit "The Baying of the Hounds" as a tie with "Reverie/Harlequin Forest" - there's just so much going on in that song, and it builds up to a fantastic climax at the end, both in melody and in metal force. Definitely gets my vote for most well-written song on the album, though I do listen to R/HF more often.
Orchid: "In the Mist She Was Standing" - Although the first 4 minutes or so are kinda wierd and atypical for the band's overall sound, what follows are some of the most mesmerizing and poetic riffs I've ever heard in all of metal.
Morningrise: "Black Rose Immortal" - This song seems to me the earliest hint of Opeth's mature later sound, with passionate clean singing, and a lot of variation between the hard and soft sound. I kinda wish they'd split it up into a few tracks, though - 20 minutes is insane.
My Arms, Your Hearse: "April Ethereal" - Haunting atmospheric intro which explodes into a classic opening riff; beautiful melodic sections; overall an incredibly dramatic feel. "I don't know how or why, and I'll never know when" remains one of my favorite Opeth lines ever.
Still Life: "Moonlapse Vertigo" - I could pick pretty much any song from this album as a favorite, but this is one I love listening to on its own in addition to with the rest of the album. Deliciously heavy, but somehow also laid-back and even... jazzy. One of the most brilliant and well-constructed songs the band has ever penned, I think.
Blackwater Park: "The Drapery Falls" - Melodically pretty beyond description. Has a nice flow between the soft and hard sections. Whereas a lot of Opeth songs go into soft acoustic parts only to whack you in the face with a subsequent death metal section, this song's acoustic sections maintain a certain tension that blends nicely with the heavy part.
Deliverance: "Deliverance" - Opening riff beats you senseless, and leads into a creepily beautiful song with lyrics that match the sound perfectly. To me, this is the epitome of what a progressive death metal song should sound like: a perfect blend of gentle subtlety and uncompromising rage.
Damnation: "Windowpane" - I wish they did more non-metal songs that were this lengthy. When they slow it down, their sound is quite meditative. Everything from the opening riff to the solo to the lyrics just takes my mind wandering.
Ghost Reveries: "Reverie/Harlequin Forest" - Catchy, dramatic first part; goes into a totally chill, dream-like acoustic section with some interesting nature imagery in the lyrics. Again, Opeth on their more groovy side, which lends some freshness to their sound. Makes me think of some of Jethro Tull's stuff, only darker and more impressionistic.
Update: I think I've already changed my mind on two of these. Go figure.
I think "A Fair Judgement" gets my Deliverance spot - while perhaps not as compositionally impressive as "Deliverance", it's much more impressive emotionally. It has this unique atmosphere of introspection that I've heard in maybe a handful of songs in my life, most of them probably being Pink Floyd stuff.
I'd also have to submit "The Baying of the Hounds" as a tie with "Reverie/Harlequin Forest" - there's just so much going on in that song, and it builds up to a fantastic climax at the end, both in melody and in metal force. Definitely gets my vote for most well-written song on the album, though I do listen to R/HF more often.
