Problem with Porcelain Heart

[Annihilat0r]

I think it's safe to say Porcelain Heart is nearly universally disliked by Opeth lovers (including me). Since the main/intro riff for this song was written by Fredrik, this caused people to go "LOL NOOB GUY" on him. This couldn't be further from the truth, bitches!

I think that riff is a very good one and suits very well to the album. It's not the main problem with this song. There are tons of awesome Opeth songs containing riffs worse than that riff in some place or another.

I hereby enlist the problems with this song, and you are obliged to agree:

1. The acoustic + clean vocals part ("I lost all I had..."): I think the acoustic part is flat out mediocre (means "horrible" for Opeth) and the vocal lines suck as well. It's just not good enough, plus it's slow which means you can't just ignore the melody and headbang anyway. Making a slow part requires that its melodies be awesome enough. This slow part just gets super boring and occupies the first 4 minutes of this song. 4 minutes means two Slayer songs

2. The Grand Conjuration revisited: That riff wasn't great in TGC in the first place and nobody needed to redo it again but they did anyway. The AAAH AAAH part isn't really great either.

3. Mediocre solo: In these forums Mike once said that the biggest challenge in Watershed was that "the solo of PH be desolate enough". Well, it does sound desolate but not good enough. I think it's a pretty standard Opeth song and without any other instrument behind (rhythms from either rhythm guitars or drums that you can follow) it becomes hard to follow it without getting bored.

4. The lullaby part: I think this part is very good, I might even call it great. Problem is that you have to endure the 5 minutes of mediocre stuff before it.

5. TGC riff again: It sucked in TGC, it sucked in PH's first part, it sucks in PH's second part. Whichever part uses this riff will always suck. And it just repeats for TWO FUCKING MINUTES (6.00-8.00)

So our problem is that we have an eight minute song with all parts being mediocre, save the intro riff and the lullaby part (which account for ~2 mins).

 

[Fields Of Sorrow]

Sounds pretty spot on. I'm being forced to listen just now to see if I fully agree.

Alright, main riff's ok, but meh.
Acoustic bit is very boring.

oh god it's still going...

the 'wallow in shame' and 'went far away' bits are just retarded.

TGC riff now... well, you said it all.

I actually don't mind the solo. At least it's short.

The only thing I like about the lullaby part is the antiphonal relationship between mikael and the instruments. And the cadence is nicely set up i guess.

TGC riff again SNOOOOOORE the only thing that's bearable is the drumming

Well I'm glad that's over. Time for some Heir Apparent.

 

[Metahead]

which lullaby part do you refer? what time?

 

[Fields Of Sorrow]

Immediately after the solo... I'm not listening again but it's like 5:12 or something.

 

[grey knight]

To me the opeth is just fine, though it's simpler than most of the other songs, and I don't find myself listening to it much.

 

[Metahead]

ya man, that was the best part.

 

[4speedmetal]

I think that riff is a very good one and suits very well to the album. It's not the main problem with this song. There are tons of awesome Opeth songs containing riffs worse than that riff in some place or another.

I hereby enlist the problems with this song, and you are obliged to agree:

Yer freakin nuts. Yer bananas, yer crackers. Hmm, I'm gettin hungry.

 

[Annihilat0r]

Sounds pretty spot on. I'm being forced to listen just now to see if I fully agree.

Alright, main riff's ok, but meh.
Acoustic bit is very boring.

oh god it's still going...

the 'wallow in shame' and 'went far away' bits are just retarded.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention those. I think the lyrics are one of the worst I ever heard in an Opeth album. Coil's lyrics suck as well

 

[Fields Of Sorrow]

Is it ironic that I agree?

 

[Dammnare]

I think the problem of Watershed is that the number of transitions in the songs stays about the same, but the amount of time that the riffs are played has gone up significantly. This makes some songs to be monotonous. Such as Porcelain Heart.

Plus, some of these are chorus, so lyrics are same as well. In songs like Wreath for example, the riff is same but lyrics are different and this adds dynamic to it.

 

[mexicola]

Can we fucking stop putting this song down!?
It's better than many songs from their first 4-5 albums.

 

[L0bster]

Freds riff is damn good and nicely sabbathesque, and the mentioned "lullaby-part" rocks socks. I actually really like the nylon-string verses too, eventho the vocal-line is nearly nicked from To Rid the Disease. Problem is, yet again, the TGC riff. Why oh why? I like the lead on top of it, but the riff is not ok. The solo is boardering inbetween cool and boring too. But I'd have to say the song gets to much slagging still. Its definately not the worst opethsong.

 

[Lateralus14]

Fred's riff is good but it doesn't sound very Opeth-ish to me, but yea the main problems are the TGC part, and basicly every vocal/lyrical part of the song. The Ah-ah-ahs over the power chords is cheesy and mainstream, the lullaby is trying to hard to be ballad-like, and the verses are just meh lyrically like Coil. I like all the music under the lullaby part though, and I kinda like the first acoustic part too, that one just doesn't fit with the song.

 

[zdcheezit]

I love "The Grand Conjuration." "Porcelain Heart" is my least favorite song on the album, but that's like choosing the least attractive girls in a room full of supermodels.

 

[Chinese Whispers]

I like the individual parts. I can even stomach the riff that begins the same as 'The Grand Conjuration', my biggest gripe with the song is that it is disjointed and doesn't quite flow as well some of the other songs. Much like the Orchid and Morningrise material for me as well. It just kind of jumps from one part to another without evolving into the next riff or dynamic. Even something like 'The Lotus Eater' flows quite well despite having some rather polar-opposite parts.

 

[Disgustipated]

I don't even know what album Porcelain Heart is on? Ghost Reveries?

EDIT: Nope, Watershed.

 

[boy_ghost]

Can we fucking stop putting this song down!?
It's better than many songs from their first 4-5 albums.

you obviously not a big fan of Opeth, Watershed is nothing compared to old albums such as My arms, Your herse and orchid, Blackwater Park. and porcelain heart is just a song that you listen to it twice and get bored after. but if you listen to their old song you will never get bored.

 

[Annihilat0r]

but if you listen to their old song you will never get bored.

No.

 

[Zantera]

I think Porcelain Heart is a great song.
Maybe not the best song Opeth have done, but it's still great.
IMO Porcelain Heart is a really atmospheric song, so when you listen to Watershed this song may sound like the weakest song for some, but i still feel like this song contributes with more atmosphere to the album itself.
I doubt Watershed would be as good without Porcelain Heart.

 

[sambojoho]

I don't think it's the weakest song on Watershed either. That belongs to Hex Omega, IMHO. I like Porcelain Heart just fine, it fits well with the overall vibe of the album. I listen to the entire Watershed album all the time, and haven't gotten sick of any of it yet.