I think Opeth has steadily declined since Still Life.

[in_my_time_of_disease]

i agree with certain points, although (embarassingly) i still don't like Still Life as much as others.

lol I'd be embarrassed too if my favorite was gr LOl1.

 

[el_serpiente]

I have the same opinion except that I feel that GR is very coherent except for Isolation years, I don't think it fits in on the album. (I do not criticize Isolation years as it is a great song.)

Watershed is very diverse, which is good in it's own way but I don't have the "album" feeling when listening to it.

Fortunately I have the earlier albums without the extra songs to ruin the feeling.

 

[headbanger1547]

Maybe this is where your problem is... You've been so blown away at Still Life, that every time you have heard subsequent albums you've had Still Life in your mind, and because Opeth is an ever-progressing band, none of these albums have lived up to your expectations. I could be way off here, as I actually have no idea whether or not you heard Still Life before the subsequent albums, but personally the first album I heard by Opeth was Blackwater Park, and that to me remains my personal favourite up until today.

You know, I think that might be right actually. "The Moor" is the song that initially got me into the band, and Still Life was the first album I listened to in its entirety. It's not even that I haven't given the other albums a chance, it's just they haven't touched me quite to the depth of Still Life. I love all the other albums to death (one look at my Last.fm or my rateyourmusic profile will show that), it's just that I've noticed I like each album slightly (and I mean slightly) less than the one before.

That said, on a more technical level, I've been gradually more impressed with Opeth's more recent stuff. The solos on Watershed are very cool as far as I'm concerned. I just haven't had the deeper connection as much.


And to the people who get their panties in a bunch because I wrote out my opinion, get over it. It's one thing to disagree and have a differing opinion (I wouldn't have wrote this if I wasn't expecting people to disagree), but to tell me to "smoke a donkey cock" or that I have an "overblown sense of self-importance" because I prefer one album over another is just stupid. Opeth's my favorite band by a longshot, but that doesn't mean I can't have an opinion about their albums.

 

[headbanger1547]

And er, I take that back about the 'self-importance' part. I missed RoadKing's second post somehow, heh. Whoops :X

 

[Slynt]

My arms, your hearse and Still life are exceptionially good, and are also those albums with the strongest atmosphere and continuity between tracks; I agree wholeheartedly there.
Orchid and Morningrise are different in being less structured, but just as charming in their own way.
Blackwater Park sounds like they really tried to capture magic without doing so; Deliverance has its moments but is flawed; Ghost Reveries has about half of it perfect and the other half a waste; Watershed is schizophrenic too, but with a little more consistency to it.

 

[TommyPickles]

You wasted your time typing this up why?

 

[Black Session]

I liked it that you said that Watershed is more about being impressed by their skills, while an album like Still Life was more about a coherent flow and energy which could sweep you away ... I always thought there was more emotion and feeling in the pre-Blackwater Park albums.
But I guess this is also partly a result of the more progressive direction Opeth has been moving in since the beginning. Hell, when they were promoting the album they said: it is the most complex stuff and most difficult stuff to play we have ever written! So, it is very clear where the accent lays here.
I like this part of Opeth very much as well, but because I do miss the feeling of earlier albums as well, I still kind a hope Mikael will find the time for side projects ... He is so multi-facetted and in a way you could say that Opeth is a bit focussing on only one side of musicianship (increasing complexity). It would be nice to here albums that focus on other sides again, something side projects and EP's are perfect for. I know they are insanely occupied with Opeth, but somehow it does strike me that other bands and other musicians are able to put out more material ... But, I am someone who would prefer getting more albums/EP's over having them tour so much. Just my little opinion, and of course completely redundant as I don't have anything to say over it hehe

Hope this kind of makes sense ... Anyway, since I was away a long time, here's my chance to just say that I really like Watershed a lot, and for some strange reason it made me appreciate Ghost Reveries more (since I didn't really like it that much before). Although I thought WS could kick Deliverance of the throne for me, it didn't after all, but still great album! Just keeps me craving for new material already ...

 

[Witcher]

All the albums post Still Life besides Deliverance I find better. BWP is definitely their definitive album, Ghost Rev is rhythmically their strongest effort, and Watershed is their most well rounded cd so I disagree.

personally I think the albums from MAYH to Deliverance represent the peak of Opeth - or perhaps the classic years. I suppose I'd agree with you that Damnation and GR weren't amazing, but Watershed, I think, is the biggest and most successful step the band has made to moving forward and trying different things, I still don't think its as good as their earlier stuff, but its fresh and interesting. And Id say theres a good chance that the next Opeth album(s) could very well compete with their earlier work

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
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

 

[Prestige]

i only rly listen to BWP and onwards.

still life and MAYH didnt rly do me much, however i admit they are good. (i mean serenity painted death is like the best song ever?)

 

[Korlich]

I agree that SL (and MAYH) where more cohersive as albums, but where concept albums, BWP and onwards wasn´t. I also believe especially GR and WS is more about each individual song rather than an album as a whole. However song such as: GoP, IY, BoTH, Coil, HA, LE, HP, PH and HO, make me care less.

 

[Iki-ilkkuja]

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.

 

[Annihilat0r]

I don't even count SL as one of their best albums, so: No.

 

[Hedon-]

watershed flows better than any of their other albums imo

 

[isolation_years]

well i disagree with you there, i think its all different and consistantly good, my favorite album is my arms your hearse. however, the way you phrased it headbanger was well written(imo). i may not agree, but im glad you phrased it well and without knocking them, cause some people just flat out say "watershed is shit i hate it".

so while i may not agree. i am glad you made valid points and argued your opinion well

 

[Mr. Bungle]

Still Life and BWP are my two favorite albums from Opeth, but I wouldn't say they have declined. Watershed is amazing, so was Damnation (albeit in a different way) and Ghost Reveries.

 

[abandonedwaz]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE OPETH.....no question.....my fav band of all time....but do I tink WS is as good as say..Stil lif or even GR.....?....no.....sadly its not my fav record of thiers....dont get me wrong...still one of te best metal records out ther....but copared to thier past effort..persinlly I muc prefer MAYH or still life...or GR and all......its a good record...but yeah not my fav.....it doesnt have that....come back and listen to me again appeal....ahaha......but I love these sons of bitches anyway......hahaha.....PEAC EOUT

 

[Nasty-Fire]

I believe you're right somewhere in all what you said. But I think Watershed is not any lower than the rest, and even better if you want my opinion. Listening the whole album, the same feeling stays but I think this feeling is hard to catch, this album being based of some kind of confusion story heh. But I totally agree for Still Life, that we get the same deep feeling from that album as a whole and individually. Blackwater Park is maybe less coherent as a whole but I have to say that the songs are maybe better and more coherent themselves. And we could ask ourselves what makes a good album or a bad album (in Opeth's case). Is it really that coherence within an album? I don't believe so. But it's one of the reason, and it explains why Still Life is so good.

Nice topic by the way, I thought it was going to be another shit thread due to its title.

 

[Koi]

Hear me out here, I'm not saying they're awful now, I think they're great. Just not as good. I'm not trying to flame or anything, just voice my opinion.

When I listen to Still Life, I'm completely caught up in it. The music itself has such an atmosphere that's still unlike anything I've ever heard. It has a real organic feel to me, like I'm listening to the sounds of nature. A lot of that comes from the large amount of higher-pitched sounds, and a lot of that also comes from how well some of the riffs flow. "The Moor", "Moonlapse Vertigo", "Serenity Painted Death", and "Benighted" are all songs that get me incredibly wrapped up in the music, and don't even get me started with how powerful "Face of Melinda" is. The whole album is very solid and continuous, and to me it's really more like one single song than seven.

Moving on to Blackwater Park, a lot of the songs have a 'natural' feel, but not in the same way as Still Life. "Bleak" and "Blackwater Park" are exceptional at giving me that feeling, and other songs on the album do it for a bit too. Even though I like Still Life more than Blackwater Park as a whole, my favorite individual songs are actually on Blackwater Park.

Deliverance was a great album as well. The self-titled song, "Master's Apprentices", and "A Fair Judgement" are all strong tracks in their own right, all of which could be considered in the Top 10 for me. But when I listen to the album, I don't feel as much coherence as I felt from Blackwater Park, and definitely not as much as from Still Life.

Damnation is different for obvious reasons so I don't really include it, but I do feel that it is more coherent as a whole than Deliverance. Just in a different way than the others because, obviously, it's not a heavy album.

As for Ghost Reveries, this for me is where the difference becomes more obvious. Even though most of the songs relate to each other, they still feel very individual in their own way and I don't get the same flow. Within themselves, the songs have a great flow, but as a whole I really don't pick up on much.

And finally, with Watershed I really don't feel much coherence at all. For me, the album is less (for lack of a better word) eargasmic and more about being impressed with Mike's writing and vocal abilities. I don't get nearly as caught up in the music as before, it's more just "oooh this sounds cool!". At first I thought I just wasn't giving it a good chance, but after it finally 'clicked', I realized that it just wasn't what I was looking for.

Again, I'm not knocking Opeth's albums. I love them and they're great music, and even though Watershed currently isn't as much of a favorite of mine, it's still a great album and I love listening to it. Just not as much as others. I'm just wondering if anyone else notices this or feels what I feel?

i get what you're saying, and i think i agree, except damnation is up there with still life with the soundworld and solidness and watershed was a huge step up.

 

[bosomblob]

This thread might have been better off posted on a more objective forum.

I don't want to say that Opeth has gone downhill, because they are still one of the best bands in the world, but the quality of their work has certainly diminished since BWP, and arguably Still Life.

Ghost Reveries and Watershed are both fantastic albums, but their pacing leaves something to be desired. Any other band could have gotten away with no one noticing the decline, but Opeth has the misfortune of having produced a string of absolutely perfect records in Morningrise, MAYHS, Still Life, and BWP. I might have been tempted to throw Deliverance into that lot as well, but the repetition in certain tracks, such as the endings of both Deliverance and A Fair Judgement, drag that one down a bit.

Still, when all is said and done, I'd take Watershed over anything released so far this year.

 

[el_serpiente]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE OPETH.....no question.....my fav band of all time....but do I tink WS is as good as say..Stil lif or even GR.....?....no.....sadly its not my fav record of thiers....dont get me wrong...still one of te best metal records out ther....but copared to thier past effort..persinlly I muc prefer MAYH or still life...or GR and all......its a good record...but yeah not my fav.....it doesnt have that....come back and listen to me again appeal....ahaha......but I love these sons of bitches anyway......hahaha.....PEAC EOUT

Am I the only one that gets "Syntax error" when trying to read this?