Orphaned Land... strange news...

[General Zod]

But to be fair, I guess you can lump all these f'ers together and say they're ripping off Pink Floyd at this point. Just look at songs like "Wedding Nails".

Nail. Hit Head.

Some of PT's early stuff, might as well be Pink Floyd. More recent CDs have become more song focused. But the earlier stuff, was Floyd wanna be music (at least the stuff I've heard).

Zod

 

[lizard]

yes, in the beginning PT wasn't even really a band, just nerdy Wilson putting stuff together in his room

 

[IOfTheStorm]

I have faith in the O.L. guys when it comes to how clear their musical vision is. Enough faith in order to not believe that Wilson will change them, as he did with Opeth. I don't want one of my favourite "new" bands to become like one of the worst bands ever.

 

[Furious B]

By the way, I think Wilson did an excellent job with "Blackwater Park". The real problem is, that Opeth continued to explore that direction, rather than head into a completely new one after that release.

Zod

Yeah I agree, but the whole of Blackwater Park was kind lame. It DID have some of the most rockin' Opeth songs ever though, like "The Leper Affinity" and "Blackwater Park." Most of the album consists of repetitive riffs that were lackluster to begin with. Deliverance sounded like a bit darker, but less inspired and even more stale version of Blackwater Park. Not to mention dropping off from the absolute juggernaut Still Life, it really does make you wonder about Steve Wilson's involvement with the band, despite the fact that it was heading somewhat in that direction anyway.

We should start a 'ban Steve Wilson from metal' petition. With enough signatures, we'll be able to put a stop to this malignant cancer on the teat of what we love. Let's end this boys, come on!

 

[General Zod]

Yeah I agree, but the whole of Blackwater Park was kind lame.

I know I'm in the moniroty on this, but I dig BWP. And the songs they play from it live, translate real well to a live setting.

We should start a 'ban Steve Wilson from metal' petition. With enough signatures, we'll be able to put a stop to this malignant cancer on the teat of what we love. Let's end this boys, come on!

Where do I sign?

Zod

 

[Dev]

Opeth is pretty good live. FACT.

 

[JayKeeley]

Opeth's best material for playing live on stage comes from BWP and Deliverance. Fact.

 

[General Zod]

Opeth is pretty good live. FACT.

I've seen Opeth live seven times, and I have no idea why. I find that they sound tight, but that I'm bored after 45 minutes.

Zod

 

[Crimson Velvet]

Seeing Opeth live is pretty much the same as listening to the albums, except that now, Mikael tries to be funny between the songs. FACT.

 

[Demonspell]

Opeth's best material for playing live on stage comes from BWP and Deliverance. Fact.

I kind of disagree as all the songs from the earlier albums they've brough out have slayed (especially When & The Moor), but I do have to agree with you that the songs from those albums do sound much better live...the title track from Deliverance and Master's Apprentices were monstrous in concert, and it goes without saying that they stomp all over the studio versions.

 

[Nico]

Opeth's best material for playing live on stage comes from BWP and Deliverance. Fact.

The writing of these albums also coincided with when they first started really touring. I could be wrong here, but I'm pretty sure that between previous albums they'd only really played a handful of shows around Europe. After BWP they went on tour in the US with Nevermore.

Point being, the songs on Deliverance seem to have been written for optimum live impact, as opposed to the more introspective, personal listening experiences you'd get from the previous releases (particularly Morningrise and MAYH). Is it at all possible that the change in their musical direction following Still Life was at least partially caused by Opeth wanting to have a stronger live impact? Feel free to tell me I'm crazy.

 

[JayKeeley]

Is it at all possible that the change in their musical direction following Still Life was at least partially caused by Opeth wanting to have a stronger live impact?

Yeah sure, why not? Happens all the time. People refer to this as "dumbing down" the sound, but if it works well live then so be it. It means you end up with a good mix to take to the stage.

Technical, long drawn out progressions infrequently work well live because it becomes exhausting to listen to. There is a reason why bands like Amon Amarth & Iced Earth are so cool to see live -- they're not widdling all over the place, instead just playing good stomping rhythms.

 

[General Zod]

Technical, long drawn out progressions infrequently work well live because it becomes exhausting to listen to. There is a reason why bands like Amon Amarth & Iced Earth are so cool to see live -- they're not widdling all over the place, instead just playing good stomping rhythms.

100% right. I dig Opeth, but just not live. It's just too stop and go. It's exhausting and loses all momentum. I'm all for a slower number, to allow you catch your headbanging-breath, but I don't want an acoustic passage in every friggin song (during a show). For my money, Nevermore is the best band on the planet, simply because their music translates so well to a live setting, and because the band has the ability to reproduce it with such flawless precision.

Zod