Meaning of Ghost Reveries

[vampyrouss]

Funny. I said that the album was about demonic possession, but people refused to hear a word of it...they said that TGC wasn't part of the concept. Well who was right, bitches?

You m'lord.

 

[exposeenmity]

Er, are you saying Sentenced is a christian band then? Cause if so ... hahaha! Might want to lay of the grass for a while.

I got the spelling wrong. The band I'm speaking of has lyrics that say, "Christ, my savior" and the whole worshiping thing. I'm not that niave.

 

[opeth_353]

wen i listen 2 op3th i cut my wristz and cry .. T3h Grand C0njuration is so fkin 3vil!11!!1?!!!!111/!11one!1?!1111one!?1!!!11

..The lyrics have never been a problem for me.

 

[AngelicDelinquency]

I personally thought it was quite obvious after hearing lyrics from only The Baying Of The Hounds and Harlequin Forest. Despite the demonic posession theme behinde the lyrics you can still interperate them the way you wish. I've noticed many songs appeal to people because of the lyrical content the way the listener has perceived it , but, as soon as they read an article about what the artist ment by it totally breaks the bond with the song - I think that's kinda messed. The songs sound fantastic, the lyrics arent exactly bad, their pretty damn good (not the best Opeth have come out with I must admit) - just enjoy it.

(Yes my spelling is awful)

 

[tappistrt]

yeah, well there's no satan in any of them so I don't see your point man...

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled is convincing the world he didn't exist."

:Spin:

 

[:Wreath:]

Hehe good point man But what I meant here is that there is no DIRECT mentioning of satan in the mellower songs. However, I tend to think GR is a concept because I can see one, so those songs are just part of the story in which satan plays a great role... But at least Mike didn't blew it by making a line like 'the eyes of the devil based on his sinners' in, let's say, Isolation Years...

 

[Loeben]

Ever hear of a metaphor?

 

[opeth_353]

Hehe good point man But what I meant here is that there is no DIRECT mentioning of satan in the mellower songs. However, I tend to think GR is a concept because I can see one, so those songs are just part of the story in which satan plays a great role... But at least Mike didn't blew it by making a line like 'the eyes of the devil based on his sinners' in, let's say, Isolation Years...

Once again - GR isn't actually a proper concept.. It started off as one but then he wrote Isolation Years and eased up on it .. Only a couple of the songs actually follow a concept.

 

[Nitronium Blood]

This album is not about why Coke is better than Pepsi?

That's it. I'm never touching an Opeth album ever again.

 

[tappistrt]

Once again - GR isn't actually a proper concept.. It started off as one but then he wrote Isolation Years and eased up on it .. Only a couple of the songs actually follow a concept.

Maybe so ... but it could be that Isolation Years is the finale of the story. Maybe the lead character had to leave his lover to rid himself of the demon ... think about it ...

Harlequin Forest:

"Lose all to save a little
At your peril it's justified
And dismiss your demons
As death becomes a jest."

Death for him would be a joke, not an option. Losing all is to lose her.

Hours of Wealth:

"Found a way to rid myself clean of pain."

Grand Conjuration:
"Tell me why
Love subsides
In the light
Of your wishes."

Obviously the protagonist is speaking to the devil here, or he's repeating what the demon has told him he must do. "Love must subside," in other words, be supressed.

Then of course, Isoloation years is played and sang cleanly, implying peace within the protagonist. The deed is done and he is rid of the demon. It almost seems like the soft/hard dynamics in the songs throughout the album represent the protagonists internal struggle with the demon.

Wacky theory, I know.

 

[the_3_toed_sloth]

^^^
Way to base your theory of the concept off of two paragraphs. You've clearly thought in depth about this. Despite it having been said many times that Isolation Years is NOT part of the concept.

Once again - GR isn't actually a proper concept.. It started off as one but then he wrote Isolation Years and eased up on it .. Only a couple of the songs actually follow a concept.

GR not being entirely a concept album because of Isolation Years and only a couple of songs following a concept are two vastly different things. Its not that hard to understand the concept, if you actually bother to read/think about the lyrics. And yes, more than "a couple" of songs follow the concept.

 

[:Wreath:]

Well, I can see a concept here for sure... The only two songs which appear to not fit into it would be GoP and IY, who speak of a mother and her son (I think) but if we change tappistrt's theory and say it's not a story of two lover but a mother and son, it would fit quite nicely me thinks...

 

[the_3_toed_sloth]

Ive posted this link several times, but hey, since Akerfeldt has confirmed at least by overall understanding of the story, ill put it again.
http://opethforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=621
Read the comments that follow it too, since they may answer a question you'd otherwise ask.

 

[opeth_353]

Those descriptions seem pretty good to me, very well done.

Isolation Years does not follow the concept Mikael was writing. If i'm not mistaken, it says on the Opeth site that Mikael was writing a concept, then wrote Iolsation Years which had nothing to do with the storyline. So he then decided he wouldn't make the album so focussed on the storyline. I wouldn't doubt that some of the songs are part of a storyline, but as a whole GR isn't a concept in the normal sense. I'd guess that at least the first 3 tracks and Reverie/Harlequin Forest were part of the concept, and then the rest that follow are only vaguely linked by an occult theme or being inspired by the occult.
If you're looking for links to grant your wish that GR is a concept album, of course you're going to find them because you'll just interpret the lyrics in a way that vaguely fits into some story you've imagined. I myself love concepts, but whats the point in looking for/making up concepts if they're not there?

 

[tappistrt]

Ive posted this link several times, but hey, since Akerfeldt has confirmed at least by overall understanding of the story, ill put it again.
http://opethforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=621
Read the comments that follow it too, since they may answer a question you'd otherwise ask.

Thanks for the link. You definately did answer some questions.

 

[bleedingskeptic]

you are all wrong. ghost reveries is about some dead women writhing in dirty sheets while some D&D player who's lost it throws his yearbooks on the fire and yells at old people.

then. the climax of the album...


TOILET SNAKE!!!!!!! GASOLINE CAN!!!!! RAAWR!!!!!!

 

[Reclusive Strike]

you are all wrong. ghost reveries is about some dead women writhing in dirty sheets while some D&D player who's lost it throws his yearbooks on the fire and yells at old people.

then. the climax of the album...


TOILET SNAKE!!!!!!! GASOLINE CAN!!!!! RAAWR!!!!!!

 

[MassHysteria]

I used to be a Christian but then I started listening to Opeth and they convinced me to start worshipping Satan after I heard The Grand Conjuration.

hehe

 

[MassHysteria]

you are all wrong. ghost reveries is about some dead women writhing in dirty sheets while some D&D player who's lost it throws his yearbooks on the fire and yells at old people.

then. the climax of the album...


TOILET SNAKE!!!!!!! GASOLINE CAN!!!!! RAAWR!!!!!!

awesome interpretation

 

[soundave]

Ha! Yeah, I saw an interview with Peter and Lopez and Peter was like, "The images have nothing to do with the song, but it was fun to do..." or something like that. I'll try to find the link for those interested.

I think it's in this interview: whiplashtv.com.


Whiplash posted this a while ago. Thanks.

If I'm wrong, I apologize. Might be a different interview...