Well I disagree, I don't see it going downhill in any way. I didn't really have much thoughts for the album until I listened to it as a whole, and studied the lyrics to figure out the storyline. I got freaked out by this one, I could only get myself to listen to Still Life for months, it was a freaking obsession.
Ok, yes The Moor rocks, it used to be my fav Opeth song before I heard all of Still Life. Godhead's Lament's melodies to me soar even higher than The Moor.
"Searching my way to perplexion
The gleam of her eyes
In that moment she knew"
That part alone does enough for me to say that Godhead's Lament is anything but downhill from The Moor. Benighted is extremely important to the storyline because this is where Godhead commits his crime, for the duration of the album anyhow. But instead of just putting it in the lyrics you hear it in the guitar solo. Arrangement and subtlety make that song great. Moonlapse Vertigo has some of the best guitar parts and chording I've heard Opeth do. That's one of those songs that I can close my eyes listen to it and just forget about the rest of the world. Face of Melinda, play this for your friend if you want her to let you listen to Opeth
Serenity Painted , well there are some parts to this song that I love and some I don't. Still it's more aggressive than anytihng on Deliverance and because it's quite a stretch from Opeth's other stuff I'll give it credit.
White Cluster I can't hear this song still without having my emotions completely fukked with. Imagine being in Godhead's position, being pulled out of prison and led to the gallows where everyone is there waiting for you wearing only white, and they cheer for you as you are about to die.
"They wear white for me
Seemingly jaded and lost."
Notice the similarity between the rhythm and meolody of this line and this one in Godhead's Lament:
"What would they care if I did stay
No-one would know
What would they care if I did stay
No-one should know."
Whether intentional or not I found those parts to connect and it could symbolize the irony of Godhead realizing his decision to stay and the direct effect of it, being himself getting hung and Melinda killed.
I won't talk about the short closing instrumental part On top of all of that the instrumental break in White Cluster has to be some of the best instrumental work Opeth's done.
Still Life rises and falls and rises again like waves. The emotional peaks follow periods of less tension, this adds only to the dynamic of the whole album. The Moor is really an overture to the rest of the album to cut it off there is a loss to the listener.
Again it's only my opinion that it's the best album ever, but to me, my opinion is what matter and I'll always be in ecstasy whenever I hear one of those moments in there that just makes the world fade away.
