I am obsessed with "My Arms, Your Hearse"

frayededges

Quiet, like a slit wrist
Jan 26, 2003
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Greensboro NC
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It just feels so perfectly COMPLETE. It's tight, focused, and very dark yet very emotional, with amazing music and a wonderfully spooky concept (which loops back into itself, adding to the completeness).

It's really everything I want to hear in a metal album... from the soft sound of the rain falling in the intro, all the way to the last notes of "Epilogue", it really just all goes together perfectly. When I play this record, I get pissed if for some reason I have to hit "stop", because to listen to it from start to finish is really an 'experience', I think.

I don't need to talk about the music. You can hear how the song structures have tightened from "Morningrise"... you can also hear what I would call an improvement in Mikael's vocals (even though he had a cold when he recorded them, they sound WAY more brutal than "Morningrise"... and the clean vocals sound much more confident, as well)... The music absolutely slays, no one can argue this.

I think what really seals the deal for me is the story behind the record... there are so many little inferences that you can make from the lyrics once you've figured out what's really going on... The story takes on more depth for me every time I listen to the record, because I'm placing little details into the gaps between the lyrics with MY OWN imagination... as I imagine everyone else does. I'm also very impressed with the general craftsmanship of the writing... Especially considering that Akerfeldt's native language is Swedish; he has a remarkable command of the English language. The lyrics are suggestive without being COMPLETELY obvious... he gives you clues without coming out and saying "this is what's happening". This really helps set the mood of the record for me, giving it a more dark and cryptic feel (like ALL Opeth albums, really)....

MAYH, for me, is just eldritch perfection, and it continues to amaze me. I'd be interested to hear other people's interpretations of the story or ideas about the lyrics/setting/etc. :)
 
I am actually listening to When right now. Yes it is an amazing album to say the least. I love how the story is so concise from beginning to end. The growling and the clean vocals are what really do it in this album for me. After a breakup or going through bad times in a relationship I would just listen to this entire album and after hearing it all the way through I would feel a lot better. One thing I like too about Opeth's lyrics are that they are as you said suggestive more then blatantly obvious. Things like that to me at least, are so much more deep then these more simplistic lyrics that you hear on the radio a lot or in most of the popular music. Wonderful album from beginning to end. At the end of this post I am not in The Amen Coner, geez that first growl is long and grips you. You can definitely feel the emotion.
 
Yeah, exactly, the suggestive lyrics are great... and the storyline is mesmerising. All those who think MAYH is shit deserve to give it a good, in-depth listen.
 
Originally posted by frayededges
It just feels so perfectly COMPLETE. It's tight, focused, and very dark yet very emotional, with amazing music and a wonderfully spooky concept (which loops back into itself, adding to the completeness).

It's really everything I want to hear in a metal album... from the soft sound of the rain falling in the intro, all the way to the last notes of "Epilogue", it really just all goes together perfectly. When I play this record, I get pissed if for some reason I have to hit "stop", because to listen to it from start to finish is really an 'experience', I think.

I don't need to talk about the music. You can hear how the song structures have tightened from "Morningrise"... you can also hear what I would call an improvement in Mikael's vocals (even though he had a cold when he recorded them, they sound WAY more brutal than "Morningrise"... and the clean vocals sound much more confident, as well)... The music absolutely slays, no one can argue this.

I think what really seals the deal for me is the story behind the record... there are so many little inferences that you can make from the lyrics once you've figured out what's really going on... The story takes on more depth for me every time I listen to the record, because I'm placing little details into the gaps between the lyrics with MY OWN imagination... as I imagine everyone else does. I'm also very impressed with the general craftsmanship of the writing... Especially considering that Akerfeldt's native language is Swedish; he has a remarkable command of the English language. The lyrics are suggestive without being COMPLETELY obvious... he gives you clues without coming out and saying "this is what's happening". This really helps set the mood of the record for me, giving it a more dark and cryptic feel (like ALL Opeth albums, really)....

MAYH, for me, is just eldritch perfection, and it continues to amaze me. I'd be interested to hear other people's interpretations of the story or ideas about the lyrics/setting/etc. :)
I love you.
 
MAYH is probably my overall faviroute Opeth album. I always like to pick up the lyric booklet and read through while its playing, and I too have alot of trouble switching of the album part way through. It kind of winds from harsh to quite in such a smooth and carefully orchestrated fashion. And the idea that every song title is the last word of the previous track is fantastic. I especially like listening to this on a balmy, stormy summer afternoon. The only critisism I can give this album, is the production. Some of the instruments kind of blend into each other, and one wonders how much of a marvel it would of been if it had similar production to Deliverance. But still, one of my top 5 metal albums ever.
 
I agree. It's just so cohesive, and has the best intro/outro ever. I mean, prologue to the fade in of April Ethereal, and then the end of Karma to Epilogue. And all the crap in the middle is great, of course, but that just makes an album right there. The booklet is so simple too. Very basic cover, no band photos, limited credits and thanks, and a huge fucking block of lyrics, and there it is. It feels like it was made 30 years ago somehow.
 
In some ways the riffs on this album seem to be the most simplistic from any opeth album, doesnt have the twin guitar work of earlier albums, and not quite the developed chord based riffs of later albums. But its still my favourite opeth album, and has some of the most uhhhhh, i dunno.. it has riffs that affect me moreso than on any other album (except still life!). Love it!
 
MAYH is indeed GREAT albom, but Mornigrise is for me still the favourite...Its just the pyramide they built by starting their direction. Its perfect, perfect and perfect in all its forms = enough said :D
 
MAYH is my least favourite. I think it's good but don't really feel as much for it as you do frayededges.

Now...Still Life, that's the one that makes me have music-loving-orgasms...

(Well, almost...) ;)
 
My Arms, Your Hearse was made by GODS!!!!!

Mikael is my literary idol!!! English is my native tongue and I still can't write as good as him!!! Why is he so great? :cry:
 
I agree with what Cutter said about the production - if it were as crisp as Deliverance, oh wow... can you imagine? But I think the content more than makes up for what may have been lost in production on this album.

Static, MAYH grows on ya. But I also totally agree about Still Life. For me, that's one of the less accessible Opeth records, because it has a different thematic feel than their other work... but still, when it comes to the riffs that get stuck in my head the most often, I find that they're from Still Life (and there is some complicated-ass guitar work on that album!).