1/5
A year later... still disappointed, July 9, 2006
I have been putting off reviewing this album for a year now. I was completely disgusted with this CD the first time I heard it. I didn't even want to think about it. However, now I think I am finally ready to come to terms with the downfall of one of my favorite bands. Allow me to get this out of the way first -- this is a bad album. And yes, all of the instruments are played well, but what is lacking on this release are songs that are actually memorable. I really wanted these guys to go into a completely different direction after Deliverance. I think that most of us will agree that Deliverance was a decent culmination of all of their work. It pushed Opeth's sound as far as it would go, and it was apparent that the band would stagnate if they didn't evolve on their next release. They needed a serious Morningrise to My Arms, Your Hearse transition. And even though Ghost Reveries may appear to be different on the surface, Opeth's sound really hasn't evolved. In reality, Opeth has simply decided to incorporate generic drop tuning riffs and cliche prog keyboards into their music. Ripping off of Tool is not exactly my idea of progression. Stealing riffs from a band that is far less than your own is not exactly my idea of brilliant songwriting. And, sure enough the same old Opeth cliches are present on this album. Nothing sounds fresh or daring. There are no risks....
But that is their trademark sound, you say. That is very true... But, they once incorporated twin guitar harmonies into their music, as well. Opeth needs to change... they need to experiment. They need to do more than just change their tuning. Sure, keyboards may be a nice addition, but it didn't seem like they needed them before. You need to change, Opeth. Put out another Damnation if that is the kind of music you want to play. Don't feel obligated to placate the heavy metal crowd. You have done that for long enough already.
Source
A year later... still disappointed, July 9, 2006
I have been putting off reviewing this album for a year now. I was completely disgusted with this CD the first time I heard it. I didn't even want to think about it. However, now I think I am finally ready to come to terms with the downfall of one of my favorite bands. Allow me to get this out of the way first -- this is a bad album. And yes, all of the instruments are played well, but what is lacking on this release are songs that are actually memorable. I really wanted these guys to go into a completely different direction after Deliverance. I think that most of us will agree that Deliverance was a decent culmination of all of their work. It pushed Opeth's sound as far as it would go, and it was apparent that the band would stagnate if they didn't evolve on their next release. They needed a serious Morningrise to My Arms, Your Hearse transition. And even though Ghost Reveries may appear to be different on the surface, Opeth's sound really hasn't evolved. In reality, Opeth has simply decided to incorporate generic drop tuning riffs and cliche prog keyboards into their music. Ripping off of Tool is not exactly my idea of progression. Stealing riffs from a band that is far less than your own is not exactly my idea of brilliant songwriting. And, sure enough the same old Opeth cliches are present on this album. Nothing sounds fresh or daring. There are no risks....
But that is their trademark sound, you say. That is very true... But, they once incorporated twin guitar harmonies into their music, as well. Opeth needs to change... they need to experiment. They need to do more than just change their tuning. Sure, keyboards may be a nice addition, but it didn't seem like they needed them before. You need to change, Opeth. Put out another Damnation if that is the kind of music you want to play. Don't feel obligated to placate the heavy metal crowd. You have done that for long enough already.
Source
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