New possible spins on upcoming Opeth record...

NineFeetUnderground said:
did an australian really just spell that word wrong?

We're about as aware of our indigenous history and culture as the US is of any countries outside its borders.

About Opeth. I honestly don't have any expectations for the next record. I've found the best way to enjoy a record is to not set lofty standards for it to live up to.

Opeth has already achieved much more than most metal bands could hope to. Everything after this is just a bonus.

I think Opeth will keep veering more and more into the prog and psychadelic realm. Ghost Reveries was by far the 'softest' album they've released so far, but that didn't work to its disadvantage in any way. It was fantastic.

I'm a fan of modern industrial elements and soundscape music. Whilst I doubt Opeth will veer in that direction anytime soon, I think it would be cool for them to have more psychadelic and atmospheric sections in the songs. Make the heavy parts and growling more sparse, to add to their potency.

Still, whenever Opeth release something it tends to be off the wall and a bit different to what everyone expects. I'm sure the next release will be the same.
 
Go back to standard tuning. I appreciate that Mike wanted to trying something new, but I really think the majority of the riffs were pretty stale. Maybe its just because it was new though, so this time around he's sure had more practice with a different tuning. Also, I really hope the keyboard parts are better this time around. I think they could do a lot more with those. I think they should go back to writing a lot of the music in the studio as well, instead of having everything worked out beforehand. I know on the DVD they sure seemed to come up with a lot of cool stuff as they were recording.

Basically I agree with your first post, NFU.. I think they had a good idea with GR, but they could push it sooooo much further.
 
all_sins_undone said:
- ease up on the keys, use them more sparingly
- put more emphasis on guitarwork (like the previous albums)

and is it just me or did opeth (excuse the lameness) "lose its magic" with GR? theres just something about still life/mayh/morningrise (and some of BWP) that i love so much, that GR seems to lack.

It's not just you. MAYH, Still Life, Blackwater Park, hell, even Deliverance, they're all just classics, they have the magic going on as you said. I didn't find this magic in Ghost Reveries, not even after all this time and all those spins. I think it's a very nice record though.
 
I want music that moves, tugs, and shoves like it did on MAYH and MR, but I want the instruments to have more character.
I always have liked the subtle use of wind instruments in rock music because they can put so much more life into genre that often lacks dynamics (Opeth, being an obvious exception). a trombone perhaps?
 
Moonlapse said:
I think Opeth will keep veering more and more into the prog and psychadelic realm. Ghost Reveries was by far the 'softest' album they've released so far, but that didn't work to its disadvantage in any way. It was fantastic.
For some reason I have always thought their softest album was Damnation.:loco:
 
NineFeetUnderground said:
banjo is an instrument that almost never gets used in metal. understandably so, its extremely specific sounding and because of that, bares a stigma and atmosphere which directly correlates with the southern united states. which is a shame too...Sixteen Horsepower for instance have made the banjo an extremely dark and rewarding instrument, not just a cliched hillbilly sound.
What's wrong with the "hillbilly" sound? 16 HP doesn't even do anything truly impressive with the banjo. They just use it in a more sludgy rock way than the usual. You metioned in another thread that you don't like music that is "silly". Well, igo, that is what genres like bluegrass are for. Where would you go to hear a song about local legends or what happened to Tom last Saturday? Not a metal concert.
My gf's dad plays in a bluegrass band, so perhaps I am being defensive.
Hillbillys ftw!
 
I don't care which genre or direction the band takes, as long as it's different than the other records. I don't want another blackwater park or another morningrise. If they start writing like 3-4 minute "simple" songs with keyboard/mellotron layers...that's cool with me. As long as it's a good, different record I'd enjoy the simple new direction. But I doubt they'll do that. I think they'll expand on the prog/psych direction like other people here are predicting, which would be cool with me because they ruled live when they messed around with closure. prog/psych jamming rules...they got per so I think they'll definitely delve further into the sound and style and come up with some fresh/different ideas for the new record.
Opeth is kinda like Rush, how they go through different musical phases. They're in the progressive phase now! I hope they continue for a long damn long time...because they keep changing and it's fun to see them progress. Mikael's like what 32 now? that's still pretty young...I'm sure he would still pull growls off at 42. Even if he blew his voice out then, I'd hope Opeth still continues with cleaner material or whatever. Opeth for life...baby.
 
im not sure if this idea is good, im just throwing it out there. if opeth makes another concept album or plays with themes, maybe they could use two or more types of production. i.e. an almost black metal sound for winter or lush, organic production for spring, etc. or record analog
 
Braighs said:
What's wrong with the "hillbilly" sound? 16 HP doesn't even do anything truly impressive with the banjo. They just use it in a more sludgy rock way than the usual. You metioned in another thread that you don't like music that is "silly". Well, igo, that is what genres like bluegrass are for. Where would you go to hear a song about local legends or what happened to Tom last Saturday? Not a metal concert.
My gf's dad plays in a bluegrass band, so perhaps I am being defensive.
Hillbillys ftw!

I never said anything bad about bluegrass...i think you totally misunderstood my post. I was stating that people stereotype the banjo as a silly hillybilly instrument, rather than one which can make a sincere contribution to sincere music...such as 16HP. Whether you think David's use of the banjo in that band is "impressive", really doesnt matter to me...because its undeniably essential and effective in a pretty unique way.
 
OK, thats cool. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't completely discrediting what I took to be a translation for bluegrass music.
And yes, "effective" and "sincere" would be words for 16 HP.
 
Braighs said:
OK, thats cool. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't completely discrediting what I took to be a translation for bluegrass music.
And yes, "effective" and "sincere" would be words for 16 HP.

not at all. i like a lot of bluegrass music. i also have a banjo as well. although ive only played it for a few years, and am still not terribly good at it.
 
I loved GR at first listen, but I think I know why. I discovered Opeth eMusic, and I got Orchid, MR, MAYH, BWP, and Deliverance at the same time. Then, my computer fucked up when I burned an MP3 CD, and messed up track orders and stuff. Furthermore, I had no idea what album was what, when it came out, and so on. My point? I didn't start out with the sense that "that is where they started and this is where they are going". Instead, it sounded to me like variations of a style instead of "heading in a direction". Therefore, GR didn't faze me at all. It was another new variation.

As people her have mentioned in the past, if you want to hear SL or MAYH again, it's simple: push play. I have no desire for them to rehash old material. I hope the new one is surprising.

Some stuff I'd like to hear:
More atmospheric stuff with Per
A sound that takes advantage of Axe's talent rather than trying to recreate Lopez
Brief moments of dual guitar leads
Songs that lend themselves to actual jamming live