Opeth and Free Jazz

[Labyrinth of Blindness]

Lately, I have seen Opeth advertised and praised as a band that uniquely blends together progressive rock, metal, and free-form jazz.

While their blend is indeed unique, I fail to see any form of free-from lol jazz in Opeth's music. I'm not being critical, I just think this is a false label.

I myself am a huge jazz fan (from bop to fusion to avant garde to free form) and just don't see this to be true.

Maybe I'm wrong? Anyone else see it?

 

[Fyhed]

Some chord progressions are likened to those in jazz music

Still life for me is the most "Jazzy" album in terms of sounds

But on the whole I agree that they do not have much in the way of free form jazz influence

 

[BlueSky]

It's true besides the Jazz chord progressions/scale, classical acoustic section, extremely heavy metal formula they have for a lot of songs they aren't the most progressive band on the planet by any means that people try to make them out to be. Certainly no improvised free form jazz.

 

[The Poona of Peshwa]

Jazz influences were expunged with Marton Lopez, iirc.

 

[Holocaust on the Moon]

I never saw any free-form jazz in Opeth either. The only time I hear that term associated with Opeth is when Roadrunner uses it with them during promotions.

 

[Luann]

You can say it has some jazz elements (that I don't hear that much, just some chromatics, solos following chord progressions, modulations), but they aren't from free jazz.
The drums from lopez didn't had that much from jazz either..

 

[BlueSky]

The drums from lopez didn't had that much from jazz either..

Exactly. That got blown way out of proportion it seems too.

 

[Slayer101]

I always thought Defarfalla's bass was a little jazzy.

 

[Luann]

What did lopez playing had is a lot of oriental influences, obviously in closure for example, that is something I just love about him, that fits so well.
There are other songs that have some kind of oriental rhythms (apart from atonement, that was mike's idea).
I really really liked that fusion.

 

[SerenityNow!]

I always thought Defarfalla's bass was a little jazzy.

+1

He definitely had a jazzy sound. I can hear slight jazz influences throughout Morningrise.

 

[BlueSky]

What did lopez playing had is a lot of oriental influences, obviously in closure for example, that is something I just love about him, that fits so well.
There are other songs that have some kind of oriental rhythms (apart from atonement, that was mike's idea).
I really really liked that fusion.

I wouldn't say Oriental per say. He's just a drummers drummer. He obviously knows his rudiments, does a lot of syncopation, and has good technique.

 

[Luann]

I wouldn't say Oriental per say. He's just a drummers drummer. He obviously knows his rudiments, does a lot of syncopation, and has good technique.

I know what I'm talking about.
In the last part of closure, they are using the arabian clave, and I've readed in interview that lopez and mendez live/lived in a neighbour that a lot of inmigrants from different countries live, including oriental people that made them listen to their music.
And in closure in fact there are oriental percussion instruments.

 

[BlueSky]

I'm not saying when he uses straight hand percussion instruments it's not very "Eastern" Influenced, but overall his drumming style is fairly standard for a modern rock/metal drummer who knows a fair amount of his instrument.

 

[soundave]

Yeah, Opeth isn't exactly, say, Ornette Coleman... I believe the free jazz thing is simply hyperbole.

 

[Labyrinth of Blindness]

Yea, Lopez did seem to have a sort of latin-jazz feel in his playing, with his famous 6/8 clave beat that even Axe uses (scarcely). But apart from that, the most jazzy member currently in the band I would say is Per. He has some fusion elements in his playing, and I guess Mikael uses some pretty disharmonic "jazz" chords (the use of the dominant tones as well as the harmonic 7th blah blah blah).

I just thought that was interesting when I began reading that particular description of their music. I never really associated it with any form of jazz.

 

[Luann]

I'm not saying when he uses straight hand percussion instruments it's not very "Eastern" Influenced, but overall his drumming style is fairly standard for a modern rock/metal drummer who knows a fair amount of his instrument.

man, have you ever listened to opeth?

 

[BarackObama]

You can say it has some jazz elements (that I don't hear that much, just some chromatics, solos following chord progressions, modulations), but they aren't from free jazz.
The drums from lopez didn't had that much from jazz either..

I'll go away from the conventional wisdom and agree. Per has brought some of that as well. Progressive Opeth has many different elements in their music, and free-form jazz is one of them. Not blatantly, but even some of Mike's vocals harken to jazz vocals (hours of wealth possibly). I doubt Mike sits around planning it as such, but opeth is an amalgam of so many different styles. I wouldnt get too worked up about what style is which and why. Opeth is Opeth...and all that it encompasses.

Edit: wrong quote

 

[BlueSky]

man, have you ever listened to opeth?

A better question is have you?

 

[Lapazeus]

Progressive Opeth has many different elements in their music, and free-form jazz is one of them.

As many others, I fail to see the free-form jazz elements. Lopez's drumming style is ostensibly jazz-influenced, warm, groovy and what not, but the free-form improvisation inherent in free-form jazz is simply nowhere to be found.

 

[Oswig]

Yeah honestly I think people are just full of shit. Someone will hear a seventh chord or hear a drummer actually not playing on the backbeat and be like OMG DIS IS TEH JAZZ. Most of the time it's pretty (heir) apparent that whoever is making the said comparison doesn't know shit about the genre they're comparing to. I mean yes you can hear different influences in Opeth, Mikael plays some bluesy shit like the beginning of Hessian Peel, but when it comes down to it, they play progressive death metal (lately more on the prog side). But really most good bands have a variety of influences and ones that are just like PURE FUCKIN METAL usually suck anyway. Usually people who bring up these comparisons are the same type of people that will tell you they listen to "everything" like jazz and classical, which means they probably listened to Canon in D and Take Five once. Also the same kinda people who will tell you that Jimi Hendrix is the greatest guitarist ever.