Ghost Reveries... someone explain it!

[all_sins_undone]

Okay so pretty much explain why you guys think its so good.

Ghost of Perdition, great song. Nothing wrong with it.

BotH? Starts off good, but then from about 3:18 to 6:15 you have an insane filler. Just listen to the music... listen to the guitar work, to the keys, to the drums. No offense, but I think any band could have pulled off this section of the song. 8:22 to 9:01, another insanely boring filler. Yes I know that Opeth has it's mellow parts, but it's so predictable on this whole album. Heavy/mellow/heavy/mellow. For example, on any Opeth album, from Orchid to BWP, their songs were completely unpredictable.

On to BTM, the intro, well, I just think that it's not as good as it could have been. I know what sound they were going for, but I just think that it didn't make it. Then we have from 3:25 to 5:00, another boring filler. And I really don't care for the outro of this song, just my opinion.

Atonement. It's a really unique song, I like it. Although there are better instrumentals, this is easily bettwe than for example Patterns in the Ivy. Good song.

Reverie/Harlequin Forest. GREAT song. No complaints, except maybe that the interlude is a bit to long and repetitive.

Hours of Wealth. No way. It's just not a worthy Opeth mellow song. Think of A Fair Judgement, To Bid You Farewell, Face of Melinda etc... There are minute interludes with just keys and vocals. This doesn't cut it for an Opeth track.

TGC. Repetitive and boring. Repeats the Opethian heavy/mellow/heavy/mellow formula.

Isolation Years. I just don't like it, my opinion.

All in all I would just like to state that I think Opeth is the greatest band, and this album doesn't change that. But I really have to admit that Per's keys really, to me, have been used to compensate for the lack of guitar work in many of the songs. Now... as for the drop D tuning, I have nothing against it. But I must say that the riffs on this album, a part from GoP, the beginning of BotH, and R/HF are insanely laid back and relatively boring.

Any guitar player here knows that GR really is composed of very laid back and simple riffs. The drums, they're great, but I think Opeth is a more guitar-oriented band.

Instead of combining heavy and mellow parts (or twisting them together) like on previous albums, Opeth seems to have heavy segments followed by mellow segments followed by heavy segments etc... with each segment lasting minutes.
Anyways, that's my opinion.

 

[A_Thoms]

TGC. Repetitive and boring.

After seeing it live, I hear new life in TGC. I really do think it was made to be performed live... the last couple minutes are bliss, to me.

 

[all_sins_undone]

Oh no doubt its a good song live, I've seen it twice live, but it still is repetitive and well, boring.

 

[Tubbs]

OMG n00b. I suppose. Kind of. Not really. Umm...

 

[A_Thoms]

I forgot to add that I usually fastforward TGC to the 3 minute mark when I listen to it.

 

[all_sins_undone]

Yeah, and don't forget to stop it at 7:09. Thats when the song should have ended.

 

[saut]

Did he really just call the best part of BtM boring filler? Listen again, sir.

 

[worldwide_suicide]

I think Ghost Reveries is better than anything else they've done before. I think Opeth is not an "unpredictable" band anymore, well.. maybe for the new fans, but for old fans i think it's pretty easy to know what will happen.

to quote MLo "after 7 years.. you know when the music's going this way, then Mikael is gonna take it that way..." or something like that, as a fan i also happen to know where the music is going after many years. So the "unpredictable" fact is not vaild anymore for any of their records.

Why do i think it's the best record? well.. the production is better (at least as good as Wilson's). The drums are better, the bass is better, the guitars are not better but the keys make everything much better, the growls are fantastic!!! the only part that is a little subpar for me is the lack of epic-clean-vocal parts... "and icriiiiiiiiieeeeed", "i tuuurn awaaayy myy eeeeeeyes", "soaring higher , higher nooooooooow", you know what i mean....

I also think this is their more mature album to date (excluding the "occult" theme which i think is not realy as mature as the stuff in deliverance or BWP). But i'm sure that ghost reveries shows that opeth is going to a very different and much more interesting place than it has ever been. So to me it's more like a transition record.. but what a great transition and i cannot wait to see what the future looks likie for opeth.

fuck you!

 

[all_sins_undone]

Lol thats insightful but you still agree that Opeth let their guitarwork slide here, and you have to agree that Opeth's songs have gained a structure that they didn't have in previous albums. Yes, the keys are great, but they should be used WITH the other instruments, they're not a form of compensation for the lack of guitars.

How can you say this album is mature? It's basic, not mature.

 

[worldwide_suicide]

yeah, but an amazing guitar work doesn't always mean an amazing record. It's the combination of all the instruments together that makes it a better record. And i think it's more mature because of how the songs are written and put together, at least in my opinion. The previous records (especially the first three or four) sound to me like mikael was trying too hard to make a point of how "diverse" he could be, but with GR i think he's more controled and is more grounded as to how good simplicity can soemtimes be combined with technicality and feeling.

fuck you!

 

[all_sins_undone]

You're saying that all albums up to GR are not made right because mikael is trying to show how "diverse" he is?

Look man, Opeth isn't about simplicity. Thats why they have such long songs. They are a complex band with complex song structures and complex riffing.

Anyways, the combination of instruments is, as I stated, not up to par on this album. Instead of COMBINING, each instrument almost takes it turn (of course there are exceptions).

 

[Tubbs]

*sighs in disagreement* I have to agree with WS. Since when does long songs mean complex? Ever heard Sleep by Dopesmoker? That pile is 60 minutes of repetitive riffs. Opeth doesn't do that. Some people just don't like change, some people don't like interludes. The interludes are meant to be buildups to the loud parts.

fuck a monkey!

 

[Liquid Diamonds]

Blimey, you have fair points. I just don't happen to agree with any of them. Anyone who doesn't appreciate Hours Of Wealth makes no sense to me (and yes, I know that's most people)
I might explain my reasons more when I'm less tired and depressed...

 

[Ermz]

I'd explain what I like about it... but man, I'm so totally drained after that Still Life thread.

Basically, I just think it's the best thing they've done since BWP... possibly even SL. I think the songs have a mature cohesion that wasn't really present on BWP, since it was more of an experimental thing. The individual parts on BWP are generally more interesting (guitar-wise anyway) but I think as an entire album GR flows the best out of any in their entire discography.

 

[hibernal_dream]

GR doesn't fall down because of its songwriting, guitarwork or repitition. It falls down because it betrays longtime listeners by providing them with nothing new or original to digest. Opeth have become lazy and are simply running through the motions, and the heavy-soft-heavy style has become sort of a gimmick used by Mikael to escape having to write a song with any real content.

(this explains the flood of newbies to the board and departure of old members - they've simply lost interest).

 

[Liquid Diamonds]

^^^

 

[Tubbs]

Your an Uber-n00b be quiet. I don't like your attitude. (mostly referring to the part in parenthesis)

 

[worldwide_suicide]

fuck you!

opeth are not lazy, you are lazy. how can they be lazy when they just released their best record?!

 

[Liquid Diamonds]

(this explains the flood of newbies to the board and departure of old members - they've simply lost interest).

Wow, my favourite band gaining new fans... that's just awful, that is....

That's two erk's you've got off me in one night! I'm warning you, a third may be on it's way....

 

[hibernal_dream]

My equally valid response: How could they release their best record when they are lazy?

PS: Still Life rules