Sorry for breaking your post up into sections, but I just found it extremely difficult to read as it was. Responding to something structured and concise allows me to make a reply in kind.
deathbearer said:
Secondly, I will llisten to the new Opeth release Ghost Revelries when it comes out, but one would have to be a dimwit not to realize the radical change of sound on TGC compared to previous Opeth releases.
Do you mean 'sound' as in the sound of the production, or the sound that's achieved, musically?
In either case, I would reffer you back to Deliverance, which is Opeth's most sterile sounding album, being even more sparse than The Grand Conjuration.
Opeth, in the case of TGC, have opted to use the rhythm guitar as just that... a strictly rhythmic instrument. They have put a lot more focus on syncopation and having the rhythm guitars drive the song rhythmically, as opposed to melodically, which is what they did a lot of the time in the pre-Still Life era. I'm glad they're exploring new avenues of musical expression.
I'm sure as a higher quality version of the track becomes available, you'll be able to hear all those undertonal nuances, such as the octave lead over the 'nu-metal riff', the ebow leads and strings, more prominently.
I really think the low-quality rip is detrimental to the effect of the song. It never should have been broadcast over web radio.
The first few seconds of the song sounds like MINISTRY for crying out loud.
Yes, there is ONE decent guitar solo in TGC but it's low in the mix, as the rythm guitar riff of daan, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, daan, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun overrides it in the mix.
Whilst I'm not a big fan of ministry, I've heard some of their music, and I can't see how you can liken TGC to them. I'm all for Opeth becoming more industrial and exploring electronic synthesis, sampling etc. but that's NOT what they did on TGC. The main driving force in the track is still the guitars, with the synths added in to create texture.
Guitar solos don't always have to be prominent in the mix. That's what the 80's were all about... stop the dynamic of the song, pull back the rhythm tracks on the faders, crank the solo track then add in a few harmony tracks for good measure. It would totally have ruined the dynamic of the song if the solo just started and everything else got pulled back so that Mikael could wankfest away. As it is, it's one of Opeth's most fitting solos and half of that is just because it sounds so distant and overriden. It adds a new dimension to the lead, because you consistently have the rhythm guitars on either side, driving it, almost choking it.
I remember the days whn Mike and Peter traded nice melodic solos.
Yeah, but sadly all Peter's would do is affect the track detrimentally. Mike is a better soloist, and I'm glad they felt no obligation to put in the 'mandatory' metal, solo trade-off. They opted for something more tasteful for the track in question.
Speaking of which, if you're into that, check out the new Nevermore album. Great shred there.
I hope to the metal gods that this song was just a rough mix (?) and Opeth would and could expand on those riffs ( instead of that god damn cheesy nu metal riff in TGC) with thier more progressive qualities.
Opeth's fans are not JUST delusional fanboys/girls that think "Ohh EVERYTHING Opeth does it GREAT" nor do I come to this forum to relentllessly bash Opeth becuase I've been a geniune fan. Many Opeth fans compare each song, each release as a progression from other releases. Most Opeth fans offer at worst, constructive criticism to the band, not just delusional fanboyism based soley on thier back catalog.
You get to a point, after having been an Opeth fan for a while, where you just come to the realization that they bled their former styles dry. They never made an Orchid #2 or a Morningrise #2 because they were finished with those styles. The albums are still there, a document of their time, as Mike says. MAYH and Still Life are done. They are 2 of the greatest albums ever written, but that's it. Anything that Opeth would do in that vein again would just be a cheap imitation. You can't recapture that sort of atmosphere and bring it to life again, or even attempt to expand on it. Those were two very unique, marvellous albums that can never be remade.
I usually categorize Opeth's respective 'eras' of musical progression in pairs.
Orchid+Morningrise
MAYH+SL
Now, when we got to Blackwater Park, and subsequently, Deliverance. There was almost a hole. I couldn't relate Deliverance to BWP... I just couldn't appreciate the album musically at all. I think the arrival of Ghost Reveries will fit the role of Deliverance's partner, because from what I'm hearing of TGC, it's a solid progression of the Deliverance style. In my opinion, it's what Deliverance should have been.
So
Orchid+Morningrise
MAYH+SL
BWP
Deliverance+Ghost Reveries
with Damnation not included because it was a one-off.
The thing is that what you would describe as an 'industrious' and 'nu-metallic' sound is a perfect place for Opeth to venture. Just because there are so many bands in the mainstream that abuse the aesthetic of rhythmic riffs, doesn't inherently suggest that Opeth will fail if they choose to delve into those areas.
The fact that you can listen to SL and then to TGC, and hear such a HUGE style gap is amazing, and also a credit to the band, because it shows their adaptability and utter refusal to stagnate.
The song TGC is "streamlined" past the progressive tendencies Opeth has had, for nu metal riffage, and almost industrial nu metal production. It's just weird. I didn't mind Steven Wilson's production in the BWP/Deliverance/Damnation era as it fit Opeth perfectly.
I can tell you now, before the album is even out, that Ghost Reveries won't sound as sterile as Deliverance did. The 'production' in the Deliverance era was Andy Sneap, doing what he does best, which is mixing Nevermore, Testament or Arch Enemy records - NOT Opeth records. The sort of clinicality and notched mixing approach he adopts to his projects essentially makes all of those bands sound alike, and that's something that works for metal bands that aren't Opeth.
I'm quite sure the version of TGC we heard is the final deal. Maybe not mastered yet, but regardless, what you hear on the rip is probably what will be featured on the pressing of the CD itself.
I think a lot of the disdain for the newer Opeth records stems from the fact that they're produced to actually let you hear what's being played clearly, and using the production values to accentuate that. If MAYH was remixed by Andy Sneap and then remastered by 'mr goldenears mastering engineer' chances are that the fanbase would be in shock since the sort of production values in metal which are in demand today are so different of the ones of last millenium.
