I think Opeth has steadily declined since Still Life.

I like all the Opeth albums and I don't see them being worse than before, only different, but this comes to a matter of opinion. Many people seem to prefer the thing they had going with Still Life to the latest albums. Some even think that the first 2 are the best. And then there are people who think that Watershed is their best album. I'm none of these people, I haven't really bothered to go comparing the albums to each other like that, cause I only see them as being different.

That's about it.
 
Although "Deliverance" is one of my favourites, "Damnation" is really nice and with both "Ghost Reveries" and "Blackwater Park" being strong albums, I do sort of agree with the OP. Although I haven't actually experience "Still Life" fully yet, but there you go. Like I've probably said before, "Morningrise" and "My Arms, Your Hearse" are my favourite Opeth albums along with "Deliverance". "Deliverance" is a post-"SL" album so I don't agree that they've declined as such, maybe I just don't like their most recent (by that I mean GR/Watershed) music as much as the older. "Watershed" is a good album, but I don't think it really compares to any of my 3 favourites. I'm a bit drunk, apologies if that post made no sense.
 
This is my opinion on there studio albums:

Blackwater Park
Still Life
Watershed
Damnation
Ghost Reveries
My Arms Your Hearse
Deliverance
Morningrise
Orchid

But... Orchid > Almost every other album.
 
Wow,

I just love how whenever someone posts their opinion about an Opeth album(s) they get flamed and all of the fan boys get extremely upset and offended. Then all of the 'fans' come out of hiding and post "I think all their albums are great etc etc", and the offended kids come out with "and you wasted your time typing that why?"

Its the same posts over and over again....sheesh. Yeah, Opeth are amazing, but that doesn't mean that everyone is going to think that every Opeth album is incredible. If you do....GOOD FOR YOU:) If you don't...GOOD FOR YOU!

Live and let live son:headbang:
 
I'm just waiting for the trve kvlt kiddies lurking out there to chime in with "No, Opeth has been on the decline since ORCHID!!!!!!!!!!!"

EDIT: Oh look; it's already happened!!!!!

For me, Watershed is definitely in the top 3.
 
Eternalnow said:
Wow,

I just love how whenever someone posts their opinion about an Opeth album(s) they get flamed and all of the fan boys get extremely upset and offended. Then all of the 'fans' come out of hiding and post "I think all their albums are great etc etc", and the offended kids come out with "and you wasted your time typing that why?"

Its the same posts over and over again....sheesh. Yeah, Opeth are amazing, but that doesn't mean that everyone is going to think that every Opeth album is incredible. If you do....GOOD FOR YOU:) If you don't...GOOD FOR YOU!

Live and let live son:headbang:
Click to expand...

Oooh,I guess someone wants a little attention.There you have it,happy?
 
Iki-ilkkuja said:
Opeth has changed obviously, but this is again a matter of opinion. I think Opeth's never composed material as strong as that of Ghost Reveries and Watershed.
Click to expand...

+1..I'd include Deliverance as being up there too. Still Life is a fine record, but I am very glad that Opeth moved on from there...as they have done with each subsequent release.
 
Before noticing this thread has three pages rather than just one, there were several defenses and user-specific replies I wanted to make. Having now read the rest and seen some of what I'd in mind 'taken care of', this is all that's left:

Ozzloaf said:
This thread sucks... btw Still Life < Blackwater Park
Click to expand...

18 of the 30 normal threads -- all polls -- on the Opeth forum's main page are yours. 60% of this forum's normal surface content originated with you. So before/after/while flooding us with it you decide to diss clearly informed, individual, elaborative opinion rather than veiled, collective, statistical yeses or noes asked by your polls -- and still throw in a crude, abbreviated album contrast ("SL < BWP") -more- subjective than this original thread and less substantiated? Fucking idiot (w/ inferential side: extra hypocrisy on top).
 
Witcher said:
I agree with others on this. Blackwater Park is in my opinion and many others Opeth's best record. Seemingly there is a huge following for Still Life.. there is no consensus that it is Opeths peak :p
However your points on the records are well thought through so I want be nasty haha. A couple of the points I agree with - Ghost reveries does not flow that well ... it kinda slows down in the middle... Deliverance as a record - I agree with you.
However Watershed is the best thing Opeth have done since BWP... the album flows wonderfully... I'm sorry you don't see that :p
Click to expand...
I also think BWP is their best. I like Still Life but sometimes it is easy for me to forget ablout this record even though its complexity is insane and coherant at the same time and I think that's why a lot of people really like Still Life. Metal music in general is very cerebral and takes a little more thought to understand and enjoy than pop or country where the messages and lyrics are very simple and not very thought provoking. The fact that we have these debates about Opeths albums shows what a high standard we have and what high standards the band (Mikael) has. He sets out to do something different on every album so for him to keep everything so tight where everyone likes it is very difficult. This is why bands should not write music for the fans but should write music THEY like and the fans will then decide what they in turn like. It's not ego...it's how you get the best material out of an artist.
Watershed is a good example of many different things on the same disk, there are tracks that would probably fit in any of the different records..for instance maybe Hex Omega may sound a little like MAYH, Heir Apparent may go with BWP or Deliverance, Coil: Damnation, Burden: GR, and so on.
 
In my opinion still life is one of opeth's weaker albums, and this is my opinion which is not meant to offend anyone who loves it.
 
Agree with opening post. And to show that its a widespread opinion heres a statistic: http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/opeth the average ratings speak for themselves.

Of course, there is nothing surprising about it. Its the tendancy of human creativity in general that its the most productive in a person's 20s, peaking around age 25. Nearly all bands have their best stuff written around that age too. Akerfeldt was born in 1974, Still Life released in 1999, you do the math.
 
^I don't know, I think there are too many "exceptions" to that rule for me to really buy it.

Besides, how many writers have written their best book in their mid-twenties?
 
Yes there are exceptions, but in general the motivation to create stuff declines after that age, just as sex drive does. Einstein among others agreed with this.
 
Xarthaz said:
Yes there are exceptions, but in general the motivation to create stuff declines after that age, just as sex drive does. Einstein among others agreed with this.
Click to expand...

great posts in this thread, mate. absolutely agreed about the age-creativity correlation.
 
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