Regarding the NY times article...

[Thorns of Sorrow]

Listen, for a pop critic to review Opeth is something big in itself. I study pop music in my college, and I know first hand how metal, especiall Death metal is looked down upon, and often time made fun of. The reviewer made a concious effort to listen to the music and understand it, at a respectable level. The demographic that makes up the NY Times readers is about 28-50 yr old upper middle class people, and I think he did a superb job relaying the essence of Opeth to people, who have not only HEARD extreme metal before, but even to those who might be exposed a tiny bit to the CC's and Morbid Angel's of the World. I also believe that comparing Opeth to Metallica, is not that off point. Metallica brought to the world the underground thrash music of San Fransico, opening up the doors for sooo many bands, as well as the heavy metal of the 80s. Opeth is now doing the same, drawing attention to a genre, that would otherwise be scoffed at by the powers at be in the pop music world. Kudos to the NY Times, although I think BWP would of made for a better review, and introduction to Opeth, hehe.

Hey In Flames, isnt awesome to see you colleagues get big mainstream coverage, WITHOUT changing their sound one bit? Cool isnt it? You should try it some time.

 

[Schraiber]

Pop music usually refers to non-classical music, you all know. Black Metal is still pop music.

 

[[KOTNO]Narrot]

mikael sounds like james...and lars is the best drummer ever-...

 

[Elysian Blaze]

I think the New York Times lost all credibility as a newspaper when it cut articles by prominent sports writers because they disagreed with a writer's stance on the editorial page. If we no longer have a free press, what will the world come to? Censorship on a delicate issue is just wrong, especially by a publication as large as the Times. Disagreement causes passionate debate, which, most of the time, causes progress. Causes resolution. Fuck the New York Times. Hypocrites.

 

[StorTroll]

Originally posted by ShadowLioness
#1...I agree..."cookie monster" vocals has LONG out-lived its use. #2...Metallica and Opeth should not be mentioned in the same paragraph. That's comparing Madonna to Angela Gossow. Sheesh. That guy was on some serious crack in my opinion.

Well, some reviewer from some american music mag compared Borknagar´s Olden Domain to Iron Maiden... So they can do it even worse...

 

[Midwinter_melancholY]

Originally posted by jester00
My name is Kelefa Sanneh. I'm a pop critic for the New York Times and today I'm talking about 'Deliverance,' the impressive new album by Opeth. Opeth is a band from outside Stockholm, Sweden. Opeth released its first album 'Orchid' in 1995 and the group has been making adventerous, loud music ever since. The group's style combines the dense sound of heavy metal with a more atmoshperic approach of black metal. Even the loudest and most bombastic songs sound somehow(?) graceful and serene. 'Deliverance' consists of five songs all between ten and fifteen minutes long, and one brief interlude called 'For Absent Friends.' Anyone who doesn't listen to this kind of music may have some trouble getting used to the cookie monster vocals. It's a style that forces you to concentrate on texture rather than tune or lyrics. The album starts with lots of growling with pleasent guitar and hummingbird drumming. These are long songs but they never get boring because they're filled with unexpected breaks and changes. Soon after it starts, the title track 'Deliverance' goes acoustic. There are enough precise guitar riffs on this album to satisfy any Metallica fan but what's most impressive is the way the songs move - slow and deliberate like glaciers. By the time you get to the last track, called 'By The Pain I See In Others,' you might start to suspect that there's something oddly soothing about this album. For the New York Times, I'm Kelefa Sanneh.

Kelefa knows shit about metal

 

[Dvoters]

Originally posted by jester00
cookie monster vocals

Ahhhh bloody americans

\m/

 

[Lina]

Anyone who doesn't listen to this kind of music may have some trouble getting used to the cookie monster vocals. It's a style that forces you to concentrate on texture rather than tune or lyrics.

Although, yeah, saying cookie monster vocals is a bit degrading, I really liked his follow-up sentence. I will definitely be borrowing that description.

These are long songs but they never get boring because they're filled with unexpected breaks and changes.

Geez, imagine how much he'd like their other albums then.

I guess that's the only thing that bugs me -- it's a shame that as the albums become more watered-down and mainstream (BWP in song structure and Deliverence in guitar work), Opeth gets more notice. Predictable. I just hope whatever new fans this attention creates will take the time to get to know Opeth's entire discography.

 

[Jeremy]

Well by comparing Opeth to Metallica maybe a few of the paper's readers will be curious and listen to it and like it and buy it... so... I'm not too worried about the review... though it was pretty lame Opeth black metal my butt.

 

[wach0052]

Originally posted by Thorns of Sorrow
Listen, for a pop critic to review Opeth is something big in itself. I study pop music in my college, and I know first hand how metal, especiall Death metal is looked down upon, and often time made fun of. The reviewer made a concious effort to listen to the music and understand it, at a respectable level. The demographic that makes up the NY Times readers is about 28-50 yr old upper middle class people, and I think he did a superb job relaying the essence of Opeth to people, who have not only HEARD extreme metal before, but even to those who might be exposed a tiny bit to the CC's and Morbid Angel's of the World. I also believe that comparing Opeth to Metallica, is not that off point. Metallica brought to the world the underground thrash music of San Fransico, opening up the doors for sooo many bands, as well as the heavy metal of the 80s. Opeth is now doing the same, drawing attention to a genre, that would otherwise be scoffed at by the powers at be in the pop music world. Kudos to the NY Times, although I think BWP would of made for a better review, and introduction to Opeth, hehe.

I agree with most of this. Having sought out several different new genres, I understand the reviewer's perspective. A lot of you are just being metal elitists and missing the point. Music is a personal thing, and therefore means something different to everyone who hears it. Try to imagine yourself never having heard metal before, or maybe just metallica. How would you react to Opeth without all your knowledge of riffs and double-bass drumming and so on? I think this reviewer is pretty bold. He's saying that Deliverance (Opeth's heaviest album) has immediate listening appeal even to those who aren't into metal. Even I might disagree with him, as I think that generally Opeth is an acquired taste. Try to broaden your perspective and have a little tolerance for those who don't obsess over metal.

 

[3X]

Originally posted by Izzy Junior
I wish they'd reviewed Blackwater Park or one of the previous albums; Deliverance is fucking horrible.

IZZ!