Orchid vs. MAYH Update!

[driz]

Hey guys and gals,
About a month ago I asked whether I should get Orchid or MAYH first. I'm a new Opeth fan and I was gonna get both eventually, but i like to get into discs one at a time. Anyways, the majority of you recommended MAYH...alot of you said it wasn't even a difficult decision. Well, I have both now and I listen to both alot and I have to say I think Orchid is significantly better than MAYH...did I miss something? Do I need some more convincing? Why do I think it's by far their worst disc when all the fans and the band love it?
driz

 

[PanzerRon]

*deleted*

 

[atilla000]

The melodies on Orchid are more in the front or how should I say it. MAYH is more one coherent piece of feeling and aggression, while the melodies of Orchid could live apart from each other. I've studied all day, maybe my explanation isn't clear, but it's my heart that is speaking now (the brain is already asleep)...

 

[Luz]

My Arms , Your Hearse D A M M I T !

 

[atilla000]

My Arms , Your Hearse D A M M I T !

Another one who has a sleeping brain...

 

[Jon Snow]

My Arms , Your Hearse D A M M I T !

.

 

[deliverance]

who cares dude, whatever you like best is cool. you're the one who is enjoying it, so..it's up to you.

 

[Lord Foul]

MAYH was my first exposure to Opeth, so I may be biased, but I do think you will find that with repeated listens it will grow on you like a virulent fungus of some sort. Much like the latest Wolverine and Isis albums are doing to me right now.

 

[Shadows Skulk]

mayh

 

[Ermz]

Whatever. Nobody here is telling you the objective truth. Asking for which album is the best to get is like asking what food it's best to eat. To it's credit however, MAYH might take a while before you get it.

 

[Luz]

Uh?

Another one who has a sleeping brain...

 

[driz]

Uh?

Thanks for the replies friends. If what you say is true, which I'm sure it is, then with time MAYH will hit me like a brick, and I'm really excited to start loving it. I still remember the drive when Godhead's Lament and the Still Life CD stole my heart and brain.
driz

 

[Luz]

Moonlapse and mostly all of the guys here are truly right. We can't tell you what Opeth records you have/should/must listen to first. You have to figure it out by yourself. IMO My Arms, Your Hearse; was my 'baptism of fire' so to speak...each one of the guys here have their opinions as well and their reasons/motives of what kind of records signified a lot to them, but you can take some opinions for granted.
Good luck with that, and I really hope you give your opinions here about the record you liked the most.
Cheers friend.

\m/

Luz.-

 

[ThePoisoning]

mayh is my first and still favorite. i feel as though that album just flows the best all the way through.

 

[Dreadful]

Orchid is one of my favorite Cds ever and I do like it better than My arms your hearse because it's more my style. But I fucking love my arms your hearse as well and it is a more coherant record almost as diverse musically as Orchid. Probably my 2nd fav.

 

[atilla000]

Uh?

I thought my answer was a bit pointless because of me being tired like hell.
But then I read yours... Just remember, I was half asleep.

 

[dorian gray]

hey, driz.
"do i need more convincing?" no.
I'm not sure why people here don't like Orchid. I think it's a pretty awesome album. I hated it at first and then, after reading a review by a guy who doesn't post here anymore, gave it another chance. Lo and behold, I really like it. I like all their albums. Now it's time for you to get the rest of them...!

 

[Rahan]

I'm not sure why people here don't like Orchid. I think it's a pretty awesome album.

Not true ...

I said manytimes that MORNINGRISE and ORCHID are in my opinion their two best albums. There is something majestic about these two that you cannot find on the later releases.

Don't get me wrong, I love all opeth records. I just think that the first two are superior.

 

[ChrisEmerson]

orchid rocks my socks off.

 

[Anarkissed]

Like some have said here, listen to what you like, and don't try force yourself to like something more than you should. That said, MAYH is definitely one of Opeth's, if not the most inaccessible albums. This would most likely be due to the 'dark' sound of the production, not dissimilar to many black metal albums.

People often say MAYH is a 'deep' album. The interpretation of deep is none other than subjective, but from what i gather, people (or at leasy, i) find it deep because of the underlying concept story of the album. The way I really got into MAYH was by reading the lyrics along with the music, from beginning to end. There's a beautiful story in there - very poetic and somewhat cryptic, but beautiful nonetheless. Each song feels like an 'act' of a play, conveying a particular set of emotions that describes how the protagonist of the story is feeling. For example, one listen to Demon of the Fall no doubt reveals a sense of intense anger and distress.

Whilst still an awesome album (hell, it's Opeth we're talking about here!), the flow of Orchid's songs seems slightly disjointed in comparison MAYH and their other albums. From MAYH onwards, Opeth have matured with their abilities to blend heavy parts and soft parts of songs much more seamlessly, without sounding like completely different riffs chucked together randomly.

I didn't like MAYH at first. It seemed so dull and underproduced in comparison to all their other albums. But I soon came to realise that the seemingly underproduced sound actually adds to the overall atmosphere and intensity of the album, and soon enough I began to love it! It really took a few months, maybe even a year to fully get into it.

But like I said, just listen to whatever tickles your fancy. Things wont grow on you automatically!