Orchid

[Wolff]

Okay I've heard it all. Some guy even came up with an axiom that when it comes to Opeth music if you don't like something, then you simply have not understood it and are a dumbass. (!!!)
In addition since Still Life never fails to be the most voted for "best album" on this board, it must be the best!!! (Right and as a corollary, since Britney Spears is liked by more ppl than Opeth, than it must be better than Opeth, right Xtokalon???)

I don't want to argue which album is better and why. Everybody has his/her own opinion, and I've got mine. I just want to mention some great moments, or Opeth moments from Orchid. I consider it the best the work to date with Morningrise, and I'm resigned to the fact that there won't ever be an album like that.

ORCHID

1) In Mist She Was Standing

I love the guitar work in the beginning. TThe intro is very energetic, and I feel it sets the pace for the album. Drumming in the background is great.
Seven milestones...
The drums are thumping, the bass lines are very interesting, and the twin guitars are "soloing" all the time giving the song great movement.
3:42-4:42 first acoustic+bass+double pedalling. Just a sign of things to come.
5:35 by this time the guitar solo fades, leaving room for acoustics which are spacey, intriguing, interesting....
6:35 listen to the guitars alternating from one speaker to the other. Bass + drums meanwhile soound like an engine propelling the band forward. Great acoustic interjections. An Opeth moment...
7:15 different mood; great setup for the upcoming growls...
Darkness encloses/
and the candle seems to expire/
In her cold, cold hand/
And as a forlourn soul/
It will fade away/
8:12 double pedalling; outstanding contribution to the growlings; adds heaviness to the matter at hand (heavy, as in the opposite of the unberable lightnes of being... anyone?)
8:21 Listen to Akerfeldt growls; it's as he's gasping for air; adds to the despairing feel of the song; following growls...
Yeaaaaaaaaaaah, Ooooooooaaaaaaaaaaahhh.
8:40 another mood swing; different riffs; the transition is seamless and the ensuing movemet is great.
9:15 drums. Oh mine!!!!!!!!!
10:42-End--> What a great outro.
All that guitar buildup is immediately substituted by acoustic guitars... giving it a sleepy feeling. Calm before the storm?
Than you have gradual intensifying once more starting at 11:39 proceeding until the end.
I love the bass and the drums (12:08) here. They're not background instrumentals, they lead the attack, allowing Mikael and Peter to play wallowing, mellow, sad guitars. To me it's a great simbiotic duality: the energy and "positiveness" of drums/bass, and in a way the sadness "negativity" of guitars.... which I feel are pulled together in the end by the thumping movement of bass/drums to come full circle and lead once again.
By this time my adrenaline is so fucking high, I need a glass of water. Luckily, Weeping Moon starts mellow.


Under the Weeping Moon

THe song starts in a quiet and settled way. After Mikael and Peter warm up their fingers you have the initial riffs/verses.
BTW, check out the bass at 1:03!
2:30 curios guitar moment;
2:55 "I've searched the eye/ I weep under the weeping moon"
acoustics add a different dimension to the growlings here.
3:09 guitars take off exploring; not quite sure what, but that's what keeps me interested; and I find different things everytime I listen to it.
3:44/4:10 guitar "cries", or ghosts crying... defin. a great eerie moment... Opeth Moment.
4:45 drums are added in the mix... [Very politely I might add. There's nothing rude, abrasive in all of these interjections I might add]... little by little increasing intensity/apprehension.
5:10-17 Guitar? Is that how the cyclops sound? Or echoes far far away?
Anyway, the earthquake's coming. Get ready.
5:20 bass. Oh Mine!
5:30-3 Drums echoing and adding an extra dimension to the music. Front, Rear, middle... Holy shit!
6:02 drums pick up; Opeth moment!!!
Great integration.
6:08 guitars turn their engine/turbine on.
6:21 the Opeth juggernaut is already on 6 th gear; full speed ahead!
I am the watcher in the skies...
7:03 Searching/Finding... the energy comes down (a bit dissapointing? Maybe)
7:34 music becomes sweet and upliting once again.
8:18 bass + guitar combo... too much to bear!!
8:45 mist-like outro awesome. Ends in a high note.
9:10 bass lines stand out.

Silhouette put between to highly energetic songs serves as a nice intermission. And it's fucking great if your drummer can compose and play such a piece.


Forest of October

starts slow, subtle... settled.
1:03 drums take off.
accompanying the MAIN RIFF (1:03=1:30)
New riff 1:42: drums, dbl base!
2:22 awesome mood swing!!! acoustic guitars
2:24 again politely the drums and then the guitars are added to the mix; the other way around would have been more abrasive to the ear. bass work is great. Guitar riff is 70's like, wondering, curious... Gazing into the stars/please take me there...
3:03 Doom influence: heavy riff, twin guitars, slow tempo. MDB in the house? No just Opeth, hence the riff altering 20 secs late once again. Notice how great Mikael growls are.
4:41 back to the acoustics
5:46 fast solo; wakes you up from the mellow/sleepy/thinking mode
6:32 wailing guitar; back to melancholy
(notice the shifting of the movements/moods; great piece!!!)
nice acoustics in the background
7:02 acoustics take gradually centerstage; drumming is mellow; again their introduction is very subtle and never abrasive.
7:26 bass is added to the mix.
8:38 back to another riff; piercing guitar work. drums and bass adapt accordingly
9:18 another solo leading to
9:54 yet another great riff (The forest of October...last trace )
10:20 notice the drum work; difficult and sublime; reminds of ulrich's drumming in orion
10:44 Mikael rapz. Yo MTV!!! (just kidding)
11:11 somewhere in between humming and singning an aria!!!
11:27 another great solo
12:01-12:08 fades, lights out!
12:09 acoustic riff [hell, it's the MAIN RIFF (1:03=1:30)]
slower pace, wiser, more sophisticated; also the drumming is like a military march; the composition comes full circle. Outstanding!!!


Twilight is My Robe
Smashing song. The way it starts is quite different from the end of Forest. Wake up!!!
0:45 spacey guitar work; Laying the foundations
1:00 great addition of the dbl base, bass; more foundations
1:25 calm before the storm? Holding the leash before it explodes? Bass sounds great!!!
2:04 Back to initial riff
3:06 Drumming!!! Nordin goes crazy!!!
3:35 more acoustics, melancholy...
Here I should mention comes one of the greatest Opeth moments... sing with me ppl:
The birds of the sun separates/ (bad grammar huh?
these daaaaaaaaaaaark clouds/
while the winds of winter... sleep gently around/
... I am sworn to the oath/
to breathe..../
One of the best lyric moments Opeth ever gave us. Fuck, pay attention to the lyrics... I am sworn to the oath.. to breathe... Sublime!!!
3:35- 5:35 wowwwwwwwwwww!!!! so gentle and beautiful; listen to the acoustics.
5:36 bass takes charge and leads the attack.
5:36-5:44 is another holy shit moment!!!
5:44-5:55 drums are added in the mix: Holy shit!!!
6:19 bass props
5:55-6:30 is.. you guessed it.. Holy shit!!!
6:30 intensity fades. What a great buildup though. (a quick and dirty analogy: when you're having sex, (or jerking off for that matter; if you fuckers poll on what hand you use, I feel allright making that analogy ) and you hold it and hold it and hold it some more... and then you fucking release, 1 ... gasp... 2... gasp... 3.4.5. loads) after than intensity (or peter north moment dare I say) you just relax... Hence the upcoming riff... (somebody asked if Opeth is better than sex... Well, some Opeth is similar to orgasm. Haha.)
6:30 is the post-release moment; subtle and slow
6:50 it hits you what just happened. (you ghot laid, huh?)
7:05-7:45 it's sweet isn't it?
7:50 get up and put your pants on. [end of analogy]
8:08 great guitar work; fast waters on a stream?
9:00 nice acoustics once again. (The birds of the sun/?)
another great Opeth moment.
9:53 bass, drums are back in the equation
10:13 and so is the guitar with a great 70-style solo... once again a strong outro.

Requiem again serves as an intermission between two heavy tracks.


The Apostle in Triumph (well my CD is the North American version and it has 1:30 minutes of Requiem... so the real song starts at 1:30, okay?)
Very subtle intro...
(2:00) 0:30 we're in business
(4:02) 1:32 so jazzy this music.. hahaha
Hear the bass? You'd better.
2:15 get some growls going on.
2:30 I love the drumming here (2:45 and so on)
3:22 great drumming hahaha; beautiful riff.
Nice buildup follows...
5:15-5: 30 what a fucking growl!!!
5:55 all of a sudden Opeth amazes us with some fucking synth... out of the fucking blue.... Yes, it's great and never bores me.
Bass and drums ar eamazing. Especially bass. Listen to it. It fucking rulez.
7:11 AAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhh. IT never ceases to amaze me how great this sounds. From the most brutal growls you go to opera singing. Fuck clean vocals, these are tenor voclas... much better and original. (FYI other bands overdid the clean/growls... after a while it sounds redundant and it loses its originality).
10:30 is that a great full guitar sound or what?
and how about Nordin's work? Absolutely amazing.
Guitars keep spitting this new solos/riffs. They keep interchanging the sound (twin IronMaiden like) moving all the time. It is never boring, lazy or bland (unlike SL or BWP).
11:30 the song fades away... time for Mist again... Yeah.

COMMENTZ?

 

[Evil Edith]

That's quite a detailed review. Detailed enough to scare me.

 

[Wolff]

Originally posted by Evil Edith
That's quite a detailed review. Detailed enough to scare me.

Take it song by song. And feel free to add yuor own thoughts/comments to my commentary.

 

[Wolff]

XTOKALON,
(nice name btw, as I know some Greek; isn't is brilliance?)

I still disagree with your axiom. Great bands change. Dare I give you the example of Metallica. Or Iron maiden? Or Anathema? Or Dark Tranquillity? They (will always) die [for different reasons, but that's not the scope of this post].

As far as Still Life... I find that most people who got into Opeth as a result of StillLife will consider it the best opus no matter what. People who started with Morningrise or Orchid, see it differently. I started with Orchid, and I do feel the first two albums are superior. SL is good, but at times it gets bland and boring. BWP even more so. That's just my opinion I guess. I hope that I'm proven wrong by Akefeldt the next time around.

 

[Silhouette]

Originally posted by Wolff


I still disagree with your axiom. Great bands change. Dare I give you the example of Metallica. *et al*

Sure, you can dare to give us those examples. But in the instance of Metallica, they changed so dramatically that I can hardly make a connection between their old and new stuff. Other bands have "sold out" etc etc ... and sure, for all these reasons I don't blame you for not liking a band.

But Opeth haven't really changed they're musical style. The song writing and music has never once dropped in standard and I can sure make a connection between their old and new stuff.

For that reason, I think you are mistakenly putting Opeth in the same pile of sell-outs such as Metallica etc etc. Don't, it's incorrect, not a matter of opinion.

And of course, Orchid is my all time fav album

Later

 

[Orchid]

Originally posted by Silhouette
I think you are mistakenly putting Opeth in the same pile of sell-outs such as Metallica etc etc. Don't, it's incorrect, not a matter of opinion.

Well, actually, I don't think he put Opeth in the same pile with the sell-outs (such as Megadeth! Goddamn, they don't know when to quit FFS!), and I totally understand what he means by "SL is good, but at times it gets bland and boring. BWP even more so." because I've felt the same. I love all the Opeth albums to an extent where I can't express myself anymore, but still there's that something about Still Life and Blackwater Park that's gnawing me. They're great, but can't beat Orchid or Morningrise in my world of musical atmospheres.

 

[Itay]

Originally posted by Wolff
5:15-5: 30 what a fucking growl!!!
5:55 all of a sudden Opeth amazes us with some fucking synth... out of the fucking blue.... Yes, it's great and never bores me.
Bass and drums ar eamazing. Especially bass. Listen to it. It fucking rulez...

the time is fucked up...

except that, GREAT REVIEW!!!
I just listen to the whole album while reading your review...

 

[Silhouette]

Originally posted by Orchid


Well, actually, I don't think he put Opeth in the same pile with the sell-outs (such as Megadeth! Goddamn, they don't know when to quit FFS!), and I totally understand what he means by "SL is good, but at times it gets bland and boring. BWP even more so." because I've felt the same. I love all the Opeth albums to an extent where I can't express myself anymore, but still there's that something about Still Life and Blackwater Park that's gnawing me. They're great, but can't beat Orchid or Morningrise in my world of musical atmospheres.

Well he was comparing the supposed way Opeth has changed to the way some of the sell-outs have changed ... so IMO that is putting them in the same pile.

 

[Orchid]

Hehe, Silhouette, I don't see it that way.

Bands, just like people, change (what else is a band but a bunch of people?). Opeth has changed. That doesn't mean they've become worse or that they've lowered their standards, but one can't take a listen of "Bleak" and "In Mist She Was Standing" and say they're not different.

The only presumed sell-out band I recognised on his list was Metallica, but I'm not too keen to sign that statement either. They've just changed; doing the kind of music they want to be doing now. Now, I haven't had any interest on Metallica since "Black", so I don't know if they've said stuff like what D. Mustaine has said (namely "we're doing this only for the money" - now that's a sell-out). If they have, then I will take back my previous comment and dub them "Selloutica". Mentioning Opeth and the word "sell-out" in the same sentence doesn't mean they go hand in hand.

 

[Silhouette]

Originally posted by Orchid
Hehe, Silhouette, I don't see it that way.

Bands, just like people, change (what else is a band but a bunch of people?). Opeth has changed. That doesn't mean they've become worse or that they've lowered their standards, but one can't take a listen of "Bleak" and "In Mist She Was Standing" and say they're not different.

The only presumed sell-out band I recognised on his list was Metallica, but I'm not too keen to sign that statement either. They've just changed; doing the kind of music they want to be doing now. Now, I haven't had any interest on Metallica since "Black", so I don't know if they've said stuff like what D. Mustaine has said (namely "we're doing this only for the money" - now that's a sell-out). If they have, then I will take back my previous comment and dub them "Selloutica". Mentioning Opeth and the word "sell-out" in the same sentence doesn't mean they go hand in hand.

Yes, perhaps it was a bit hasty to say he was putting them in the same league as Megadeth, Metallica etc ... but hey ... it's Opeth, I get a little defense at times
And of course I can hear the difference in say Bleak and In Mist, and even though I like Orchid better than any other album, I could never call a song like Bleak (or anything else of Opeths), bland ...

 

[Opet]

I find that most people who got into Opeth as a result of Still Life will consider it the best opus no matter what. People who started with Morningrise or Orchid, see it differently. I started with Orchid, and I do feel the first two albums are superior. SL is good, but at times it gets bland and boring. BWP even more so. That's just my opinion I guess. I hope that I'm proven wrong by Akefeldt the next time around.

I heard MAYH first, so I guess that's why I feel it’s so hard to go either way. I've always said it before, and I'll say it again. Orchid is very special to me...even more than my first buy, MAYH. Not just because it was their first recorded work...I don't know which words to use to express why. When I recommend Opeth to someone, I press the idea of them buying Orchid first. I didn't buy it first. I bought what a few people happened to suggest in general, but when I finally did get Orchid and listen to it, I wished I bought it first.

Weird...

Lynn

 

[Wolff]

As far as Morningrise goes I think it's just as excellent as Orchid albeit a bit darker and more sophisitcated. It doesn't quite have the youthful exuberance and accessibility of orchid, but it's just as good (or better depending on the mood I'm at). When I get some time I'll jolt down the memorable moments from that one too.

 

[Wolff]

Originally posted by Itay


the time is fucked up...

except that, GREAT REVIEW!!!
I just listen to the whole album while reading your review...

As I wrote the North American version has a misprint and it includes 1:30 minutes of Requiem. Read Akerfeldt's notes in the official site.

 

[Villain]

Originally posted by Wolff
When I get some time I'll jolt down the memorable moments from that one too.

Do that, please - that's just the reason I've missed you on the DT-forum: your ability to get into small details in music. I appreciate a lot what you wrote above, although I disagree on various points (especially on the beginning of In Mist...).

-Villain (np: Guns n' Roses - Live Era - "You're Crazy")

 

[Wolff]

I'm glad their last album was different from Projector, and that Sundin acknowledged my point.

Regardless, the Gallery+Skydancer are my faves. And a couple of songs in TMI, like Hedon, Insanity's and the title track.

Lethe...

 

[ante]

all of a sudden Opeth amazes us with some fucking synth...

Hey Wolff, I just noticed this and it´s not synth!!!
Mike does something with the guitar and it´s volum control to make this sound
though great review and sorry for this late reply

 

[Russell]

One thing I preffer about the later albums (which mey only be as I know the better) is that they seem to flow more. The changes are less abrupt which I like. And I also think the production on the earlier ones isn't quite as good.

 

[rogue27]

Orchid was my first Opeth album (bought it shortly after MAYH was released) and it's basically equal, IMO with Morningrise and Still Life.

I just usually recomment Still Life to others, because I think it's the easiest one to get into, and because it's the easiest to find in stores of those three.

Morningrise is tougher to get into than Orchid, due to it's complexity, and the vocal style on the first two tends to be less appealing to new listeners.

However, musically, I love Orchid, and in a lot of ways it's my favorite, but Morningrise and Still Life are also my favorites in some ways.

Morningrise has my favorite cover too.

As for the percieved degradation of quality in Opeth's music, I think it's mostly because the more they tour, the less time they have to write music. Orchid and Morningrise were written over the course of several years. They don't have the luxury of time like they used to.

 

[Wolff]

Originally posted by rogue27
As for the percieved degradation of quality in Opeth's music, I think it's mostly because the more they tour, the less time they have to write music. Orchid and Morningrise were written over the course of several years. They don't have the luxury of time like they used to.

Quite possibly true...

 

[Useful Idiot]

I find it absolutely remarkable that Opeth managed to put out Still Life only one year after MAYH and BWP only 2 years after Still Life. I would expect albums of this complexity and quality to take far longer than that.