Still Life & Blackwater Park

Wolff

New Metal Member
May 9, 2001
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The writing is not as good in these albums... sometimes it's downright lazy and bland.

Between the two of them, they'd make 1 good album.
 
I was referring to music... but since you mentioned lyrics I think MAYH tops SL & BP.
 
I see no signs of regression in those albums...and why does everyone seem to refer to these albums as if they were companion pieces when I think there are many differences between them, most prominent would be the higher concentration of growled vocals on the latter and the fact that the former is more technical and has a greater emphasis on atmospheric passages than on BWP...
 
Originally posted by Demonspell
I see no signs of regression in those albums...and why does everyone seem to refer to these albums as if they were companion pieces when I think there are many differences between them, most prominent would be the higher concentration of growled vocals on the latter and the fact that the former is more technical and has a greater emphasis on atmospheric passages than on BWP...


For the simple reason that music seems to be blander.
Opeth might want to put together an opera album, and if it sucks I will draw the same copmarisons with SL & BP on music quality alone.
 
Wolff: The writing is not as good in these albums... sometimes it's downright lazy and bland. Between the two of them, they'd make 1 good album.

IMO 'Still Life' and 'Blackwater Park' are masterpieces! as are all Opeth creations. Music compliments growls, vocal compliments music...offering you the grand range of emotions...HUGE! It sounds like you do not even get goose bumps once?
 
Originally posted by Jo


IMO 'Still Life' and 'Blackwater Park' are masterpieces! as are all Opeth creations. Music compliments growls, vocal compliments music...offering you the grand range of emotions...HUGE! It sounds like you do not even get goose bumps once?

Don't make me laugh. Just because it's OPETH it doesn't mean that it is a masterpiece.

Iron Maiden & Metallica used to be my fave bands, but we all know that after masterpieces they started producing dogshit. Whereas this trend will prove true with Opeth I don't know. I can certainly observe that songs like Moonlapse Vertigo, Serenity Painted Death, Dirge for November, Funeral Portrait, Blackwater Park do not hold my interest at all.

Time to spin Black Rose Immortal for umpteenth time.......
 
Originally posted by Demonspell
Yeah, I don't know how anyone, especially an Opethian, can consider songs like Godhead's Lament, The Leper Affinity, Moonlapse Vertigo, The Drapery Falls, Serenity Painted Death, et al. to be less than inspired work...

[Sometimes... (if you read what I wrote exactly)]

Godhead's is a great song. Don't care so much for the intro (30:-1:30 to be exact) but the rest of the song is excellent.

Leper is good.

Moonlapse is boring.

Drapery is a classic. Structure-wise it belongs in golden era (91-96)

Serenity is boring.
 
I did mention it was IMO! How could I have an opinion for anyone else? :) What music does hold your interest Wolff? Do you play at all?
 
Originally posted by Jo
I did mention it was IMO! How could I have an opinion for anyone else? :) What music does hold your interest Wolff? Do you play at all?

What music holds my interest?
Too many names to mention, but I'll give it a try:

Anathema (upto and including Eternity)
Danzig (first 5)
Dark Tranquillity (upto Mind's I)
Edge of Sanity (Swano era)
Empyrium
In Flames
Iron Maiden (upto and including Fear of the Dark)
Joe Satriani (Time Machine eh?)
Katatonia (early stuff)
Led Zeppelin
Marty Friedman
Megadeth (upto and including Youthanasia)
Metallica (upto and including Load; Outlaw Torn is a great song)
My Dying Bride (upto and including Angel and the dark river)
Misfits (Danzig era)
Mithotyn
Moonspell (the first 2 albums are classics; the rest crap)
Nightwish (Angels fall first; Oceanborn)
OPETH (Morningrise, Orchid, MAYH, SL, BP in order of my liking)
Paganini (yes the violinist; Capricci)
Sentenced
Skid Row
System of a Down
The Blood Divine
The Sins of Thy Beloved
Theatre of Tragedy (see Moonspell)
Ulver
some Yngwie (Rising Force)

Then I love flamenco (it's the guitar goddamit) Paco de Lucia, Ottmar Liebert, Armik, Antonio Morena etc.
Classical guitar (mahlon Lucas and the like)

Some Jazz.


And as a sidenote, yes I do hit the drums once in a while.
I'm having car trouble today... forced to wait at home tonite.
 
Interesting.

I've gone on many a time before how I feel that after the first couple minutes of Dirge for November, the BWP album takes a bit of a downhill swing by Opeth standards... I consider MAYH to be Opeth's best work and the reason I love it so is the constantly-changing variety and endless great moments and feel this is what Dirge for November, in particular, lacks. I'm also not too hot on The Funeral Portrait.

However! I'm a bit perplexed that you can find Moonlapse or SPD boring. The second main riff in Moonlapse (before it goes into the body of the song) is quite beautiful and the growl/clean tradeoffs are done very well - the growls are amongst Opeth's most driving, with the exception of perhaps Serenity. The slower jazzier midpoint of the song with the little half second pause I also find to be one of those classic Opeth "moments" where you have to sort of stop and really listen 'cause it's just so cool.

As for Serenity, the heavier riff right before "ripped from my embrace" kicks ass, and the later part where he goes "each and every one would die at my hand, choking in warm ponds of blood" is wickedly homocidally brutal. It's good stuff.

All opinion, I suppose...
 
Yes, BWP was somewhat of a disappointment for me. Dirge for november just seems to go nowhere, Leper has no flow, and the lyrics seem pretty generic. Its like the album was just a little too rushed. Look at the main riff of The Funeral Portrait. Its extremely good, but gets no marks for originality.Mikael even said himself he didn't think anyone would like it.
 
Originally posted by HoserHellspawn
Interesting.

..... (not quoting the whole mssg to save space)

All opinion, I suppose...


Off topic: I find it sad that Johan DeFarfalla and Anders Nordin left the band after Morningrise. I know that Mendez and Lopez are both excellent musicians, but I miss that bass sound, which is so predominant with DeFarfalla. I've never heard bass be so elegant before, just listen to Orchid (especially last 3 mins of Mist, or Twilight), and you'll see what I mean. And the drums are excellent on both albums where Nordin participated, while the "new" drummer can replicate it flawlessly, there was still a different touch before.
 
I think EVERY OPETH album has some weak moments (well, except perhaps Morningrise). Not that there were anything that I HATE, but some parts in some songs just don't "hit" me with anything. This is not a partially Opethian problem, I am yet to find a music-record that 100% fully pleases me (except perhaps M...) and Opeth definitely is among the few bands, whose songs I like more than 90%.

Anyway, the following moments I find not so great by Opeth (in chronological order):

- The beginning of In Mist She Was Standing (the opening riff sounds so stupid)

- Silhouette (boring; piano is a great instrument, but I'm not too fond of this one - sorry Ante!)

- Some of the brutal parts in Black Rose Immortal (nothing too bad, some of it just feels a bit "forced" - like "this album is too mellow without some brutal aggression)

- A lot of April Ethereal (it is not THAT bad, but from Opeth I consider this song sub-standard)

- Something in The Amen Corner (it's hard to say exactly what, but I just find something missing in this song - perhaps the fault is in me..?)

- Something in White Cluster (the same as above; this is one of the most difficult Opeth-songs to me - I like it and dislike it at the same time!)

- The flow of Drapery Falls (I know some of you guys love it and I can see why, but it just "turns me off")

- A lot of Dirge for November (there's been enough talk of this one already)

About all the rest I really like (except some VERY SMALL and not so significant things here and there). And I agree with Wolff about DeFarfallas bass, but I'd say the best examples of his abilities are on Morningrise (listen to Nectar!).

-Villain (np: Edge of Sanity - Purgatory Afterglow - "Twilight")
 
Originally posted by Villain
- The beginning of In Mist She Was Standing (the opening riff sounds so stupid)

what?!? :eek:
this beginning is great!
it's so powerfull and great...
i'm so in love with that part! :D :)
 
Originally posted by Itay


what?!? :eek:
this beginning is great!
it's so powerfull and great...
i'm so in love with that part! :D :)

I'd like to second that. The intro of Mist is amazing. And so is the outro.

Mist is the "perfect" song.
 
Originally posted by Wolff
Time to spin Black Rose Immortal for umpteenth time.......
You know, you can like the earlier albums more than the later ones if that's the way you feel. But it's a fact that the actual writing is much-improved. Orchid is "Here's a riff, here's a riff, oh, here's another one, one more for you." The transitions and intricacies are much more mature and developed now than in the earlier stuff.

I was initially turned off by BWP, because I felt the style of writing (verse, chorus, verse...) was getting too mainstream and losing that Opeth edge. And yes, of course that has led to the broadening of their fan base, because the songs are a little easier to digest. But now I hear all the layering and little details that set Opeth away from the pack and I feel guilty for ever doubting them. :)
 
I never got why everyone thinks Morningrise is their best. Damn, I know its still excellent but for me Still Life is more complete sounding and well, just better. Do I need my head checked?