Ghost Reveries IS a masterpiece

[Alcapoth]

^ I agree 100% Overall, I EVEN like Ghost Reveries better than BWP - that says alot seeing as how great that album is to me.

In fact, the *ONLY* two albums Opeth have made that I feel are above Ghost Reveries is Still Life and My Arms, Your Hearse. Lol, back when I FIRST joined here I'd be saying Morningrise and Orchid. In any case, to me, GR isn't too far behind those two (which I hold in HIGH regards.)


And about Ghost Reveries NOT being emotional????

For real??? We must be listening to different cd's here. As far as Opeth emotion here goes, it's NOT at all different than what we SHOULD be used to by now.

I mean, The Moor to me is one of the most heavy/emotional songs there is for Opeth (one of my all-time faves from the band) and I will tell you, some of the vocal work with acoustics in Ghost of Perdition is TOTALLY on par with this song. I mean, c'mon - some things are just fact, and that's all there is to it;


Ghost of Perdition;

(2:35)
"Road into the dark unaware
Winding ever higher"
*acoustic finsihing off with spectacular solo"

Doesn't it take you back to the "humming" of The Moor? I think so, for sure.

(4:54) "riff"

A riff-style that spectacularly reminded me of the one from Godhead's Lament - the one played following the dramatiuc acoustic part "What would they care, if I did stay, no one would know, aaaha..."


(6:58 - 8:18)) riff with clean vocals with amazing keyboard/guitar-merging part ending with another FINE riff and one of the BEST solos of their career;

"To see a beloved son
In despair of what's to come"

This, my firend's, is the pinnacle moment to get chills from.

Arguably the BEST part of the song, and most "emotional" and superior moment on the ENTIRE album for me - heck, Isolation Years and the rest of the clean songs have nothing on it. What's more, is that this even doesn't include the powerful growls that are leading up to it all - "GHOST OF PERDITION!!!!!" That makes EVERYTHING complete.



The Baying of the Hounds;

(2:20) What an incredible vocal transition here. Shit, this the exactly the kind of thing that sets opeth apart from everyone else - THESE sudden shifts that cause the hair on your neck to stand. It ends with an awesome solo!

"And you are receptive to stark wishes
No longer struggling to declare your stand
You would inflict no harm to others
They are unaware and in a loop of futile events
You are everything, they are nothing"

Incredible, INCREDIBLE part - I have flashbacls of The Moor here yet again.


(5:26) Quite honestly possible, the GREATEST riff Opeth has ever written. Jesus almighty this thing slays and the way it comes in from that buildup of sheer perfection (hence ambient keyboard playing and atmospheric guitar sound opeth are known for) is beyond description. And what? We get some of the best grwol work ever over this riff??? Ok, yeah, i'm officially speechless. THIS is the sort of emotion I like when it comes to Opeth - stunning riffs that make your heart bleed. This is the stuff I get chills from. At 5:55 when the keys come in it makes the mood all the more "greater."

"Lined up verses on dead skin
'The Tainted lips of a stranger
Resting upon hers' "

If that doesn't get you, I don't know what does.



I can't convert anybody here into loving this album the way I do, but, I can only express a bit here to why I think this album is so damn killer.


This album, in every sense of the word, is INDEED a masterpiece. A different masterpiece to Still Life or MAYH, for example, but a damn fine example of a masterfully put together album nonetheless. I couldn't give the album more praise. I've been listening to it daily since it came out.

 

[SpanglishEggroll]

I don't really like to label something as a "masterpiece" but this is a very good solid album. Personally, I think this is one of their best. I'm a person that loves it when my favorite bands experiment with different sounds and don't stick to the same sound. I personally hope that Opeth will experiment even further with the albums to come.

 

[BRI]

stop that.


It is not a masterpiece. It's a solid album though, albeit not very moving. I think people forget Opeth used to be a very emotional band. They've not been able to do that very well for a few years now.

I find this a hugely emotional album - Mike's vocals are by far the best he's ever done. The problem is, almost all of the emotional moments are in the clean parts / songs (bar the GoP solo), and also with this, and most of their albums infact, that Mike hasn't produced a single emotional growl since Morningrise.

My personal favourite "emotional" bit is the clean Beneath the Mire solo, and the build up to it.

 

[Ikil]

What about that part in Harlequin Forest?. 'awaiting redemption for a lifetime, as they die alone with no one by their side. Are they forgiven?' Especially when he holds that 'for'. Awesome moment.

Ikil

 

[Ermz]

Hmm, Mike hasn't produced any emotional growls since the point that his growls improved tenfold. I'll have to meditate on this a while, but not prior to slamming my head into a wall repeatedly

 

[Valtiel]

Ok so a lot of ppl have been talking shit about GR lately, saying Opeth sold out, or that joining RR made them release a shitty prog/pop record etc. All I have to say too you ppl is learn to apprieciate Opeth for what they are an extreme metal act that loves to experiment with their music. Ok so maybe you don´t like this experiment ( I didn´t much fancy the experiment they made with Deliverance and Damnation)

My point is, this may NOT have been what you expected or hoped for but at least respect Opeth for maiking yet another solid musical effort.

Personally I think this is Opeth´s second master piece, the first one being Still Life. So if u you don´t agree with that fine, just don´t say a record containing Double pedal drums, growls and crushing distorted riffs isn´t metal music, and don´t say this record would have sounded different had it been released on a diff record label, we all know that´s a lie.

While I may find this album not as bad as I orginally thought, and am even likeing it with each listen, it is certainly not a masterpeice in any sense, and it is a somewhat down step for Opeth...

 

[T-Rat]

yes, now that i have listened to it more, i think it is great.
but i love them all, so whatever. ;-)

 

[RDreamer]

I will start this post off by quoting the immortal Dee Snider:

"It's hard to be angsty when you're sitting by your pool with your hot wife next to your mansion."

Every band that is successful experiences this. Perhaps Opeth could conjure up a different form of emotion earlier in their career. There is a remarkable shift in emotive content from their first few albums to this one. Their only recent album that hit on an early-work chord was Damnation. It had all the despair and sadness of their first few albums.

But this is a different stage of Opeth's career. They may not feel the same as they did when they were younger, which is to be expected. Mikael just had a child and is happy with his wife and family. Do you honestly expect him to write songs about depression and death and angst? I certainly do not.

What Opeth HAS done is replace the angst and despair of earlier works with a focus on darker subject matter. It is less focused on "I am hurting" (ex: Demon of the Fall") and more focused on "I have hurt another person" (ex: Deliverance") and "There is an evil presence about" (ex: Entire Ghost Reveries album). The emotion is still there, it is simply different, and from a different perspective. Opeth are evolving, like every band does. Luckily for us, they are still making powerful music and still put on outstanding live shows.

 

[socialenemy69]

I like what Mikael said on the making of Damnation/Deliverance Documentory: "Opeth will never be mainstream, we are too unrealiable, we are not like the Red hot chilli peppers who make the same album over and over"
with that said I really like how opeth is constantly evolving their music and GR is a good example of that.

 

[Reclusive Strike]

I think the new album is really good, but not a masterpeice. That word should be reserved for the likes of Morningrise and Still Life imo.

 

[black_tooth_grin]

Ghost Reveries is one of the best Opeth albums I have ever heard... well it's the only album I have heard apart from Damnation which was also another fanatasic album by Opeth. I reckon that this album will shorely win album of the year.

Can't wait to see them live.

 

[angelofdeath9308]

I'm reading all these posts that say Opeth have sold out with GR, by changing their music, or not being death/black metal enough, or being more progressive, but if you really think about it, this started back with Blackwater Park, probably even Still Life. Makes me wonder why these people call them sell outs now. I personally think GR is a great album, though Morningrise is still my favorite, and Blackwater Park is also great (and their other ones)

 

[AmirH]

The only track that does anything for me is isolation years, which I feel is one of their best.

The rest of the album is- as mumblefood put it, "cheap thrills" for me. But I guess they really can't be expected to put out a masterpiece EVERY release, and it is a good album.

 

[BurningSky]

I don't know how many people are in the same place as me, but I'm not a metalhead at all. Metal isn't the music i always listen to, I listen to may different genres and usually what I feel is the best music of each possible genre. So I don't look for Opeth to put out amazing metal albums, I expect them to put out great albums, and I'd have to say that Ghost Reveries is definitely a great album. They've added so many elements to their music, I was almost overwhelmed when I first heard the album. WIth that said, I still feel that Still Life is their best overall album, but I'm amazed how many people are writing off Ghost Reveries. I've noticed how many people are disappointed with it being "happy." Boo hoo. I love the fact that they're treading new ground and throwing different emotions into the mix. Also, the voice that is usually perceived as happy, I kind of see as the "ghost" and thus some kind of knowing being that doesn't have any reason to be sad or gloomy. There is definitely a lot of metal on this album to, so the headbanging doesn't falter. I'm really surprised with how many people shit on this album, because it reaches so many technical AND emotional merits for me. Which reminds me how many people thought it wasn't emotional. Wasn't the kind of emotional you wanted is more like it. It has emotions seeping through it. It's not like 'get on your steed and ride' epic, or damsel in distress sing along. It's a totally different feeling, which is what you have to love about Opeth; they always bring a new thing to each album. It's a major step up from Deliverence, an album i finally came to appreciate. Basically, I think this album had people expecting a lot, not getting what they expected, and trying to find words to describe why they're let down. I just love appreciating Opeth for what they continually surprise me with.

 

[baarg]

Oh i have it, and i've been listening to it daily since i bought it. It's a good album. I just really don't find anything make me well up inside like past Opeth did. It's a FUN album, not an emotional one. it makes me bop around, it doesn't make me sit wide eyed, overwhelmed by what i am feeling. They are VERY distinctly different feelings, and Opeth just can't do the "emotional" one like they used to. There's moments of brilliance, no doubt (particularly the middle section of Harlequin Forest) and they sort of give me those feelings, but there is NOTHING at all even close in any way, shape, or form to "...AND I CRIIIEEEDDD", "just one second, and i was left with nothing", or "I don't know how or why, and i'll... never... know WHEEEENNNN" *cue most epic and awe inspiring riff ever*, all of which are from MAYH. Then there's nothing that moves me like "it will set ablaze, and vanish", "why can't you see that every tear i shed is for you?", and innumerable other moments on Orchid or Morningrise. They just AREN'T present. No matter how subjective you want to make this, those kinds of hugely epic and emotional parts just ARE NOT THERE. The new album is a fun, not serious album. For listening to any time. It's not introspective, it's just NOT got any of that kind of emotion. I don't know how else to explain it, but i know what i mean, and to those who can decipher this babble will absolutely agree. The feel of newer stuff, especially the new one, is just... not emotional...

I do understand what you say. I love GR. When I first listened it though, it didn't have the same feel as the other albums....it doesn't make me sad though' cos the difference with other bands named above like Metallica,after GR I don't feel I "lost" the band like i felt i lost Metallica after Load..(whoever bashes on the black album is crazy,no matter what you think of me). They are just evolving and i think that since Mikael became a father, he probably had other feelings he wanted to pour in his music. And that's all good. We still have Opeth.

 

[Hubster]

There is no way Ghost Reveries is a masterpiece, it has some moments, but by no means is it a complete piece.

That's the best post I've seen in this forum for years.

Let me buy you a beer!

 

[For My Sweetheart the Drunk]

This is not a masterpiece. Moontower by Swano is a masterpiece, go listen to it.

Ghost Reveries is a cool record, but it is not a masterpiece. A masterpiece is the first five records of Opeth, those are masterpieces, not the last three. The last three have been great records, but not masterworks, that's reserved for better records. Double Nickels on the Dime is another one, go listen to it. Fuck even Anthrax's Persistence of Time is a masterpiece, but again, not this one. It wasn't in the cards for Opeth this time around...

 

[Hubster]

Looks like I will be buying beer for more than one person!

 

[Korlich]

How is GR not a masterpiece?

It´s got the BEST solos since Orchid.

It has has some great piano work.

Mike´s clean singing has actually improved on this record. Best clean singing since Still Life.

This album incorparates more styles and genres than any preveious Opeth record, yet it works as a whole.

Lots of accustic guitars.

Prodution simply slays BWP-D2.

Yes it´s not as mellancholic as Orchid-Still life, but so fucking what?

 

[vampyrouss]

If they made pretty much the same album as Deliverance lots of people would complain, if they basically rewrote BP or SL people would complain they are not as good as the originals and just write the same songs over and over, and if they returned to the grubby production and more scatty songwriting of the first 2 roadrunner wouldn't have signed them... probably no label would sign them sounding that rough (the production, not songs...) since nowadays any band can have a half decent production. So whatever they did if they tried to emulate past albums would have gotten complaints. So they just wrote another album that they wanted to write. Simple. They made another original album that has the best elements of their old stuff alongside some new and probably unique moments. And who says this won't be more like Damnation? As in it may be a one off, and they'll do something completely different again next time? I think its a great album, just like the others. Whatever they were going to do was going to get some grief from long term fans anyway. And probably will on the next one too. And on.