Opeth's Technicality

[uponanoakenthrone]

Since pointless threads/things discussed 392374923974 times in this forum seem to be the topic of choice lately, i'll try something a bit different.


How do you rate Opeth in terms of technicality among other bands?

Also, which songs do you view as being the most technical/hardest to play?

 

[Silvanus]

+10 technicality vs bands like katatonia
-10 technicality vs bands like necrophagist
actually it really depends on what song it is...
harvest = not technical, blackwater park = technical, the moor = technical and not technical, it's kinda how they get there sound that sets them apart from other bands

 

[Misko]

it's kinda how they get their sound that sets them apart from other bands

Yeah, I don't really consider them "technical wizards", they are first class players, by all means, but their music is certainly not technicaly-centered, something that is a standard in most bands with that kind of label.
Something I really love in Opeth is their use of accords (chords?) in a very bluesy way, which points out that their attention is elsewhere...

 

[Anarkissed]

In terms of technicality compared to many other metal bands, they're relatively tame. I think it's a good thing, though. If their riffs were more complex, I reckon it would take a lot away from their 'atmosphere'.

 

[Violens]

I think that more than their technicality (that is howevere very strong) they are great composers..they know a lot about theory and this makes them creating quite complex structures..I don't know if everyone of them is a self-taught musician (even under the theorical aspect), in this case it'd be just a great thing (I think, even if I play, that I'm never going to learn so much..)

 

[Godhead59]

Mikael is self-taught. It's amazing seeing as he wrote some pretty complex stuff.

 

[Braighs]

All albums seem equal, except MAYH is simple and SL is complex.

relative to the others.

 

[Valerie]

blackwater park = technical

Not really.

Most of Opeth's "metal" riffs aren't hard to play at all. It's the acoustic stuff that gets you, so in this aspect, they're more technical than a lot of other bands.

 

[Violens]

Mikael is self-taught. It's amazing seeing as he wrote some pretty complex stuff.

It's what I think..

 

[Albatros]

I thing that they are very good at what they are doing, and this is doing music. And they do make it look as it comes out natural ( specially when you see them live ). I think their music isn't that easy to play but not that difficult too. Anyway, It doesn't really matter to me how much Technical opeth is, since they are so nice to listen to, and that is what really matters. There are some musicians out there that play very difficult stuff but I think its crap, because playing with a lot of technic for the sake of technic is shit, but doing it for the sake of music and make it sound natural is nice

 

[Tubbs]

In terms of technicality compared to many other metal bands, they're relatively tame. I think it's a good thing, though. If their riffs were more complex, I reckon it would take a lot away from their 'atmosphere'.

That's what I was thinking. They probably wouldn't sound as good as they do if they made anything overly technical.

Bands like Cynic however, own Opeth in technical ability (and atmosphere in some parts), but they've only released one album so they can't really be compared well.

edit: not saying Cynic is better btw

 

[annt]

Mikael is self-taught. It's amazing seeing as he wrote some pretty complex stuff.

I don't think being self-taught makes you less capable of writing complex music...

 

[Anarkissed]

Not really.

Most of Opeth's "metal" riffs aren't hard to play at all. It's the acoustic stuff that gets you, so in this aspect, they're more technical than a lot of other bands.

I was thinking that, too. When learning their songs, I've also found that playing the acoustic passages were the hardest to play fluidly.

 

[russiaonice]

remember technical doesnt mean its hard to play. and brilliant doesnt mean it has to be technical....so id say that its not technical but definitely brilliant! i think technical is a BS term for many many bands...playing arrpeggios doesnt make a band technical...infact if a technical band plays an technical arrpeggio over a different chord then theyre technically wrong (usually that is...or maybe its just more technical?)... damn im goin off topic

 

[russiaonice]

remember technical doesnt mean its hard to play. and brilliant doesnt mean it has to be technical....so id say that its not technical but definitely brilliant! i think technical is a BS term for many many bands...playing arrpeggios doesnt make a band technical...infact if a technical band plays an technical arrpeggio over a different chord then theyre technically wrong (usually that is...or maybe its just more technical?)... damn im goin off topic

 

[Slayer101]

I don't think of them as technical at all, but it works for them. Their simplistic riffs is what makes them sound great.

 

[Arasmas]

sometimes i treid to play some opeth songs on guitar and they are hard! i would say they are somehwat technical

 

[Gold]

opeth is technical, but not in a riff sense
the complexity of their song structure is what seems most technical to me

 

[FuneralPortrait]

infact if a technical band plays an technical arrpeggio over a different chord then theyre technically wrong (usually that is...or maybe its just more technical?)... damn im goin off topic

What the hell are you talking about? And what makes an arpeggio techincal?

Also, chords is the correct term. Not 'accords'.

 

[Violens]

I don't think being self-taught makes you less capable of writing complex music...

I don't think he wanted to say that..he meant the same thing you did.

They are techincally very strong, but not the strongest (as the already cited Cynic could be) but, most important thing, they know a lot about theory and this is a great advantage; someone could be the fastest guitar player on the earth but without knowledge 'bout what you want exactly to do it's quite unuseful..