The Lotus Eater

My favorite acostic part is
Every wretched dream, I've left behind, Every waking hour, I lie in wait, Sucked inside by will, Gone into the flood,All my questions unfurled, As I was put to the test,Once I'm below there's no turning back aaaaahhhh aaaaaahhhh aaaaaahhhhh....
Master 's Apprentices :D
 
I really don't undeerstand how you people on this forum have come to love this track so much. First time I listened to it, my first thought was hmm, I like the humming. Then as soon as the heavy stuff begins, the only glaring thought I had was "this is definitely not Opeth". Call it experimentation if you will, but it's experimentation in the wrong direction. I don't see an increase in songwriting skills. I see regress. The guitar riffs are simplistic and quite generic. Moreover, the vocals gritted my teeth. There's processing and artificiality everywhere, and I feel the pressure from a commercial entity like Roadrunner coming across all too well unfortunately. I wouldn't go as far as calling it a sell-out, but its definitely a step in the wrong direction.

All that said, I'm still going to buy the album, but next time, I wonder...
 
The vocals are not too unlike the ones on Unblessing the Purity, which are brutal as hell. So why is that not true for an Opeth record as well?
 
I definately disagree, opeth havent and isnt selling out. Hell if thats selling out id castrate my left testicle with a rusty butterknife while singing "for he's a jolly good fellow"
 
Sorry, was replying to this one

Metalstrm said:
I really don't undeerstand how you people on this forum have come to love this track so much. First time I listened to it, my first thought was hmm, I like the humming. Then as soon as the heavy stuff begins, the only glaring thought I had was "this is definitely not Opeth". Call it experimentation if you will, but it's experimentation in the wrong direction. I don't see an increase in songwriting skills. I see regress. The guitar riffs are simplistic and quite generic. Moreover, the vocals gritted my teeth. There's processing and artificiality everywhere, and I feel the pressure from a commercial entity like Roadrunner coming across all too well unfortunately. I wouldn't go as far as calling it a sell-out, but its definitely a step in the wrong direction.

All that said, I'm still going to buy the album, but next time, I wonder...
Click to expand...
 
a) Akercocke is not the worst band in the world. They have done some pretty amazing and progressive records. It's like hearing someone who doesn't like Opeth say "Opeth is the worst band in the world."

b) Every Opeth album has one song that sticks out in some experimental way. 'Orchid' has Silhouette.
'Morningrise' has To Bid You Farewell (first ballad) or Black Rose (longest)
'My Arms' has Madrigal
'Still Life' has White Cluster
'BWP' has Harvest
'Deliverance' has By the Pain..
'Damnation' has Weakness
'Ghost' has 'Beneath the mire'
'Watershed' has Lotus.....................................................................
 
Metalmaster said:
a) Akercocke is not the worst band in the world. They have done some pretty amazing and progressive records. It's like hearing someone who doesn't like Opeth say "Opeth is the worst band in the world."

b) Every Opeth album has one song that sticks out in some experimental way. 'Orchid' has Silhouette.
'Morningrise' has To Bid You Farewell (first ballad) or Black Rose (longest)
'My Arms' has Madrigal
'Still Life' has White Cluster
'BWP' has Harvest
'Deliverance' has By the Pain..
'Damnation' has Weakness
'Ghost' has 'Beneath the mire'
'Watershed' has Lotus.....................................................................
Click to expand...


All of those that you mentioned were good in my opinion except Weakness and to a certain extent By the Pain. In this case, I don't see much compensation in either Heir Apparent or Porcelain Heart. Of those three, I think I tie HA with PH, but i wouldn't call them spectacular. HA could have been spectacular, but the obvious disjointed songwriting right in the middle (where the acoustic part turns heavy) ruins the whole thing. It's almost as if they had an extra minute or two of music there which was turned down by the producer or something. And these disjoints are also in PH and TLE.
 
Metalmaster said:
a) Akercocke is not the worst band in the world. They have done some pretty amazing and progressive records. It's like hearing someone who doesn't like Opeth say "Opeth is the worst band in the world."
Click to expand...

I have seen them twice (well, once and a bit, as I left the second time) and I can honestly say they are one of the worst live bands I have ever seen. I never want to listen to them ever again.
 
Metalstrm said:
I really don't undeerstand how you people on this forum have come to love this track so much. First time I listened to it, my first thought was hmm, I like the humming. Then as soon as the heavy stuff begins, the only glaring thought I had was "this is definitely not Opeth". Call it experimentation if you will, but it's experimentation in the wrong direction. I don't see an increase in songwriting skills. I see regress. The guitar riffs are simplistic and quite generic. Moreover, the vocals gritted my teeth. There's processing and artificiality everywhere, and I feel the pressure from a commercial entity like Roadrunner coming across all too well unfortunately. I wouldn't go as far as calling it a sell-out, but its definitely a step in the wrong direction.

All that said, I'm still going to buy the album, but next time, I wonder...
Click to expand...


If you really think that TLE is effected by "a commercial entity like Roadrunner" then....I'd love to to hear your idea of "non commercial". Anyways, Opeth are in the business of "commerce". What is "experimentation in the right direction"?..the direction you want? What's wrong with riffs being simplistic? "procreation of the wicked" by celtic frost is very simplistic and totally crushes!!, not to mention "symptom of the universe"..when you say "this is definetely not Opeth", what do you think Opeth are??..to me, they don't fit into any box or preconceived "genre". They are Opeth. They do what they do. Just curious, not flaming!.
 
vhou812 said:
If you really think that TLE is effected by "a commercial entity like Roadrunner" then....I'd love to to hear your idea of "non commercial". Anyways, Opeth are in the business of "commerce". What is "experimentation in the right direction"?..the direction you want? What's wrong with riffs being simplistic? "procreation of the wicked" by celtic frost is very simplistic and totally crushes!!, not to mention "symptom of the universe"..when you say "this is definetely not Opeth", what do you think Opeth are??..to me, they don't fit into any box or preconceived "genre". They are Opeth. They do what they do. Just curious, not flaming!.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. The first thing that springs to mind is the melody of the vocal lines and free use of processing throughout. Previously, a certain intangible use of accidententals in the lines used to give Opeth a different twist from most other bands. Vocals were also only processed heavily on a few occasions. And nowhere did you see processed laughs forming part of any song. There's nothing wrong with riffs being simplistic, as long as they are unpredictable. One great thing that defined Opeth and many other good prog bands is that you don't hear all the music in just one listen. You always get to find new layers and obscure melodies that keep the music replayable. I don't find this is so this time. Hence the gripe.
 
Metalstrm said:
Fair enough. The first thing that springs to mind is the melody of the vocal lines and free use of processing throughout. Previously, a certain intangible use of accidententals in the lines used to give Opeth a different twist from most other bands. Vocals were also only processed heavily on a few occasions. And nowhere did you see processed laughs forming part of any song. There's nothing wrong with riffs being simplistic, as long as they are unpredictable. One great thing that defined Opeth and many other good prog bands is that you don't hear all the music in just one listen. You always get to find new layers and obscure melodies that keep the music replayable. I don't find this is so this time. Hence the gripe.
Click to expand...

That's cool, I understand what you mean now, certainly there is a lot more processing on the vocal sound than usual, I just happen to like it!. Different strokes and all that...
 
Metalstrm said:
One great thing that defined Opeth and many other good prog bands is that you don't hear all the music in just one listen. You always get to find new layers and obscure melodies that keep the music replayable.
Click to expand...

Although TLE is one of my faves on the album, I agree with you there. Fine I've listened to it more than a few times but I've pretty much 'learned' the whole song without finding any of those 'new' surprises as I did with other songs.
 
Now that ive listened to the song that many times, i find myself getting rather bored of the clean acoustic section up until the nintendo-y part. The rest of the song just seems to get better for me though.
 
It's a very mediocre song. Kind of messy and sloppy at times. Probably the weakest on Watershed. Still, I love how frantic the keyboards get around the 6 minute mark and has a very epic sound. I personally prefer "Porcelain Heart" by a long shot.
 
ConvergeNerd said:
It's a very mediocre song. Kind of messy and sloppy at times. Probably the weakest on Watershed. Still, I love how frantic the keyboards get around the 6 minute mark and has a very epic sound. I personally prefer "Porcelain Heart" by a long shot.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree!
 
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