The only bad thing about GR

[worldwide_suicide]

I think Ghost Reveries is one of their best albums, no doubt about it... but i have an issue with it...

I think it's missing the big build ups... something like the end of "when" or "the drapery falls" , the second part of "Face of Melinda"... Those "BIG" parts with clean vocals... most of the clean vocals on GR are powerless i'd say.

But i still love it anyway

 

[dew]

I definately agree. There wasn't a whole lot of power in the entire album. Godhead's Lament, Face of Melinda, Bleak, Drapery, When, and Demon of the Fall have some of the best Opeth moments, along with Black Rose Immortal but that's in a completely different league. IMO, nothing on Ghost Reveries can even come close to what those songs can do.

 

[worldwide_suicide]

You know, i think GoP, TBotH are some of opeth's finest... but still they lack the power of the other songs.. for example.. when listening to "Harlequin Forest" i always feel like a good and strong build up is coming soon... but it never happens... it just stays flat...

This has never happend to me before with their albums.. but now when the clean vocals come i just want it to go straight into growls again... (this might also happen because i think GR has some of the best growls from Mike, IMO)

 

[EveOfDarkness]

yeah i feel what your saying. A lot of the harder songs are just pretty much constant. But I think TGC has a pretty good climax at one point, right after the really quiet section with the keyboards, it explodes into all fury. So GR is not totally lost on climaxes (haha I cant believe it, I'm actually DEFENDING GR, hehe who woulda ever thought...)

 

[Disgustipated]

The clean vocals over the heavy grooves go down well on Reverie/Harlequin Forest, though.. but it's nothing compared to Face of Melinda..

I agree with the flatness.. Keeping with The R/HF example, there's potential in it for a climax.. but as you said, worldwide_suicide, it never comes.. do the have Deliverance-esque outro, though..


EDIT: I actually do quite like Reverie/Harlequin Forest.. Possibly my favourite off the album, if only for the first half.. I reckon the 'quiet' part in the middle falls a bit weak.. 2nd half oif the song definitely needed to be stronger

 

[FuneralPortrait]

The quiet part in the middle is probably my favourite moment on Ghost Reveries aside from Isolation Years.... that beautiful duo guitar melody.

 

[opeth_353]

..that.. and the fact it's very dumbed down in comparison to other efforts and it's got a weak production.

...400th post lol

 

[winters epilogue]

I can see what you are saying, there does not seem to be that same power...but something I feel makes up for it is pretty much every song feels whole. Maybe it is just me, but aside from The Grand Conjuration being a bit too long, each song feels very full. Something that I noticed on this album was there is only fade out song (Isolation Years), the rest of them actually end. Mikael himself said the reason they did what they did on Serenity Painted Death was because they were sick of having their songs fade out. I think the band really gave a fantastic effort to make a full songs.
This could be a great transition period - this is one of the first times the band every really practiced before recording...maybe they practiced a bit too much so something lost its touch, maybe they needed more time...all I know is that this album was certainly a great starting point to further Opeth's development.
I really feel this is the band's most complete work to date, even though it is not my favorite. But, for the record, I do love it and it is my favorite release of '05. I know why several Opeth fans have said it is not that great, or it is not the best of the year...but none of the arguments have convinced me otherwise.

 

[saut]

Actually HF has a great climax. The only problem is that it's followed by 3 minutes of boring falling action. Actually, most songs on GR have a pretty good climax but peeter off in the end.

I think that is what this album lacks. The music is great, but it doesn't really feel so much like a journey as past albums did.

 

[affinityband]

theres never that explosion of energy you get with songs like 'demon of the fall' or 'The drapery falls' or 'Godheads lament'. None of these songs are my favourites, its just they have that peak in the song that i truly love.

 

[opeth_353]

I think Opeth should rehearse before recording, but not too much because it leads to the randomness and sudden inspiration that seemed to make previous efforts brilliant. Of course i don't want them causing themselves mental and physical damage for each record.. or do i?

 

[in limbow]

GoP, Both, and BtM are all amazing, I don't care if they have a climax or not. R/HF, however, disapoints me greatly, and is maybe the most boring song over 2 minutes they've done.

 

[all_sins_undone]

GoP, Both, and BtM are all amazing, I don't care if they have a climax or not. R/HF, however, disapoints me greatly, and is maybe the most boring song over 2 minutes they've done.

Yeh... after 3:30 - R/HF just ... oh ... its just bad.

 

[Koi]

"I think that is what this album lacks. The music is great, but it doesn't really feel so much like a journey as past albums did."

Saut: i could not have said it better.

 

[saut]

Yeh... after 3:30 - R/HF just ... oh ... its just bad.

I actually really like the into the trees/clean electric harmonized loop right after it/are they forgiven bombastic part (the climax of the song I feel). The rest is pretty forgettable, unfortunately.

 

[Benighted Joe]

I think there still exist big build ups... Although not as much
as in BWP but that's a good sign! They will not repeat themselves to much!

In GR you got the flawless wonderful chord runs instead.
Example: Baying of the hounds at 5:25! Breathtaking

 

[dew]

I think there still exist big build ups... Although not as much
as in BWP but that's a good sign! They will not repeat themselves to much!

In GR you got the flawless wonderful chord runs instead.
Example: Baying of the hounds at 5:25! Breathtaking

They repeat that part too much, if Mikael's vocals came in 2 repetitions sooner it would've been cool. Still not anywhere near the level of Drapery, Bleak, When, DotF, Godhead's, or FoM.

 

[annt]

The Baying of the Hounds is probably my favourite Opeth song... but I've noticed that I usually stop listening to the album after the first 3 tracks I don't think GR is very good as a whole, even though it has great songs. Maybe a different track order or leaving out Atonement/Hours of Wealth could have done the trick.

 

[_Transparent_]

I think it's missing the big build ups...

i think its missing a bit more than just that...:Smug:

 

[KjeXXXer]

It may lack the big Call of Ktulu style build ups, but I don't reckon the song suffers from it. I still love the whole fucking thing except for GoP and Isolation, cos I'm not always in the mood for them.. still great though..