I've read a few of Opeth17's reviews, and I think he does a really good job writing them. However, I'm a bit surprised that he doesn't take the lyrics into account when writing a review. I understand that some music fans just don't care about lyrics. In many genres, the lyrics are completely superfluous. And to be honest, there are bands I listen to, that I'd prefer not to know what they're saying, as it would only serve to detract from my enjoyment of the music. However, I feel lyrics can having a huge impact on the music they accompany, and to dismiss them out of hand as being of the same value as the artwork, is just nuts.
To my ear, the greatest Metal CD of all-time is "Operation: Mindcrime". And to me, there's no question, that it just wouldn't be the same without its lyrics. Would "Fade to Black" be the same if they were singing about Lars playing tennis? Would "Breaking the Law" still be a Metal anthem if the title was "Hugging my Mom"? Hey, same syllabic break down, if lyrics dont matter, than it shouldnt have any impact on the song.
Another example of the importance of lyrics, especially as it pertains to reviewing a CD, is having an idea of where a band is coming from. Opeth17 described Agallochs music uplifting. If thats his personal impression, when listening to Agalloch, thats fine. Hes certainly entitled to hold any opinion he sees fit. However, clearly the singer/lyricist of Agalloch disagrees. When he hears the music, hes inspired to write lyrics that are anything but uplifting. I would hate to blind-buy a CD based on a review, where the reviewer thought the music sounded dark and evil, just to discover after purchasing the CD that the lyrics were about raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.
Zod
To my ear, the greatest Metal CD of all-time is "Operation: Mindcrime". And to me, there's no question, that it just wouldn't be the same without its lyrics. Would "Fade to Black" be the same if they were singing about Lars playing tennis? Would "Breaking the Law" still be a Metal anthem if the title was "Hugging my Mom"? Hey, same syllabic break down, if lyrics dont matter, than it shouldnt have any impact on the song.
Another example of the importance of lyrics, especially as it pertains to reviewing a CD, is having an idea of where a band is coming from. Opeth17 described Agallochs music uplifting. If thats his personal impression, when listening to Agalloch, thats fine. Hes certainly entitled to hold any opinion he sees fit. However, clearly the singer/lyricist of Agalloch disagrees. When he hears the music, hes inspired to write lyrics that are anything but uplifting. I would hate to blind-buy a CD based on a review, where the reviewer thought the music sounded dark and evil, just to discover after purchasing the CD that the lyrics were about raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.
Zod
× 298*10^4
etc