The Opeth Countdown, Revisited ('09 Edition)
- Thread starter Arasmas
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burntoast
Member
- Jan 8, 2007
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Maybe if it were discernible I would. I'm sure you understand with the number of people who run around here saying some of the craziest things.
Anesthetize
Member
Exactly what I was thinking before I read your post. Though I do feel Karma is a little underrated in the same way Wreath is (also an interesting comparison, Arasmas, makes sense). I still listen to it plenty but April Ethereal is simplistic, When gets most of its goodness out 3 minutes into the song (minus the good ending), The Amen Corner has cool riffs but gets disjointed in the second half, and Epilogue is pretty monotonous. Demon of the Fall is great but perhaps a bit cliche really..
I think Still Life and Blackwater Park have a little more to offer but imo it's not from the most popular tracks. IE, to me, Moonlapse Vertigo >>>> Godheads Lament and The Funeral Portrait >>>> The Drapery Falls.
CadenZ
Son of Crom
Anesthetize
Member
Yes, Demon is a bit... well, I don't know if cliche is the word, but overplayed? Nothing against the song itself for but for me, I think it's sort of worn out its welcome. Honestly, Blackwater Park is my least favorite of their albums, so I've got no problem with some of those songs being placed low. Really surprised more of Watershed and GR weren't on the list so far. Not because I feel they deserve it, because I adore those albums, but just because the general consensus seems to be that they're somewhat lacking. But like I said earlier, if The Moor's not in the top 10, I'll shit bricks. That song just... gets me every time.
Vega Skater
Member
I disagree. IMO, as time goes on, Blackwater Park drops and the true beauty of MAYH emerges, with the little intricacies of the dual guitars sending chills down my spine. How anyone can say When isn't strong from start to finish is beyond me. And April Ethereal may be simplistic, but simplicity isn't necessarily a substitute for quality. The ending of AE alone should rank it in the top 20.
But opinions are awesome, tute on!
CadenZ
Son of Crom
^ Agreed.
As for Demon of the Fall being overplayed; that's of course an individual opinion, as I've listened to it millions of times since MAYH came out and it's still at least as good as it was the first time I heard it (easily top 3 among all Opeth songs, and top 10 among all bands).
As for Demon of the Fall being overplayed; that's of course an individual opinion, as I've listened to it millions of times since MAYH came out and it's still at least as good as it was the first time I heard it (easily top 3 among all Opeth songs, and top 10 among all bands).
I agree. I get the impression that many people around here think complexity automatically equals quality. Maybe that's one of the reasons Still Life is so revered on this board, as there is a lot going on during Still Life, but I personally don't think its complexity adds up to it being one of Opeth's best albums.
So which album would you say is 'simple', in comparison? Damnation? Seems like there's a lot going on in all their albums...
Of course there is and I wasn't suggesting otherwise, but Still Life comes across as one the most complex albums they've done.
#30 - Hessian Peel
the :43 riff is frustratingly awkward, and the "will the children cry" line is absolutely retarded. but OTHER THAN THAT, this is a great track. the big acoustic part after the "backwards" part is absolutely amazing, one of my favorite parts in an opeth song. the mellotron in that part = period. also the 7:44 riff is awesome, and the way they keep bringing it into the different parts is really cool. overall a great song with some significant weaknesses (see also: the dumb gimmick ending, much like every other song on watershed)
#29 - Hours of Wealth
the big awesome part that starts at 1:02 = the best thing ever, the rest of the song isn't half bad either. i feel the main part with mike singing/playing guitar is like what weakness SHOULD have been. solid as fuck
#28 - Death Whispered a Lullaby
ok ok, "sleep my child" is kind of a dumb refrain, but otherwise it's a great song, it has a great feel, period. the only thing that really bothers me is the solos, i mean it seems like a spur of the moment thing that they thought was cool at the time, but in retrospect they should have done "real" solos. but this song is great melodically, plods along very nicely, i like it a lot
#27 - The Lotus Eater
i love the way this song starts, with the humming thing, the blastbeats, etc. the very long (8 bar!) riff at 1:16 is one of their best riffs of all time end. of. fucking. discussion. but the song oddly loses momentum with a couple of unstrategically placed stops in the action at 1:44 and especially 2:05. overall a solid song, not one of their best but it does the job. a somewhat disappointing akerfeldt solo, and again - like every god damn song on watershed - a drawn out gimmick ending. but no matter, the song is great other than a few details.
#26 - Black Rose Immortal
well of course this one will always be awesome because it's THE 20 minute opeth song. they probably couldn't pull this off with their "newer" style (feel free to prove me wrong though mikael et al.), and this works pretty damn well. it takes a bit of gumption to listen to it all in one devoted sitting, but it's worth it. not necessarily the best riffs they ever had, or the best melodies or whatever, but you just have to respect the youthful ambition they had at this time, that they were inspired to do this. the ending = dominant, and the riff that comes in at 13:37 (coincidence?) is one of my all-time favorite opeth moments, just the way it segues in from the previous part is perfect, it's a little piece of heaven imo. but it's funny because one time like a lot of years ago, i suggested that riff in a "what's ur favorite opeth riffz" thread, and the responses were like, "eh that one is nothing special really." however, those people were morons
the :43 riff is frustratingly awkward, and the "will the children cry" line is absolutely retarded. but OTHER THAN THAT, this is a great track. the big acoustic part after the "backwards" part is absolutely amazing, one of my favorite parts in an opeth song. the mellotron in that part = period. also the 7:44 riff is awesome, and the way they keep bringing it into the different parts is really cool. overall a great song with some significant weaknesses (see also: the dumb gimmick ending, much like every other song on watershed)
#29 - Hours of Wealth
the big awesome part that starts at 1:02 = the best thing ever, the rest of the song isn't half bad either. i feel the main part with mike singing/playing guitar is like what weakness SHOULD have been. solid as fuck
#28 - Death Whispered a Lullaby
ok ok, "sleep my child" is kind of a dumb refrain, but otherwise it's a great song, it has a great feel, period. the only thing that really bothers me is the solos, i mean it seems like a spur of the moment thing that they thought was cool at the time, but in retrospect they should have done "real" solos. but this song is great melodically, plods along very nicely, i like it a lot
#27 - The Lotus Eater
i love the way this song starts, with the humming thing, the blastbeats, etc. the very long (8 bar!) riff at 1:16 is one of their best riffs of all time end. of. fucking. discussion. but the song oddly loses momentum with a couple of unstrategically placed stops in the action at 1:44 and especially 2:05. overall a solid song, not one of their best but it does the job. a somewhat disappointing akerfeldt solo, and again - like every god damn song on watershed - a drawn out gimmick ending. but no matter, the song is great other than a few details.
#26 - Black Rose Immortal
well of course this one will always be awesome because it's THE 20 minute opeth song. they probably couldn't pull this off with their "newer" style (feel free to prove me wrong though mikael et al.), and this works pretty damn well. it takes a bit of gumption to listen to it all in one devoted sitting, but it's worth it. not necessarily the best riffs they ever had, or the best melodies or whatever, but you just have to respect the youthful ambition they had at this time, that they were inspired to do this. the ending = dominant, and the riff that comes in at 13:37 (coincidence?) is one of my all-time favorite opeth moments, just the way it segues in from the previous part is perfect, it's a little piece of heaven imo. but it's funny because one time like a lot of years ago, i suggested that riff in a "what's ur favorite opeth riffz" thread, and the responses were like, "eh that one is nothing special really." however, those people were morons
Nasty-Fire
Discursion
The_Yeti
In Mikael We Trust
Opeth songs don't have to be long to be amazing. I kinda feel that's why people give songs like Hessian Peel and Black Rose Immortal more credit than they deserve. They're both pretty good songs, but just because they're the most "epic" doesn't make them the most potent songs on the record.Yeah right...
But I'm sure a bunch of people on here would disagree with me.
I have to agree about the "gimmick" endings found throughout Watershed. The ending of The Lotus Eater doesn't bother me. I think it's pretty cool, actually. But the ending to Hessian Peel seems totally out of place. And the de-tuning of the acoustic guitar at the end of Burden is like nails on a chalkboard to my ears. Ugh. I mean, I get that it's supposed to be a joke, but why place a joke at the end of such a beautiful song?
Korlich
So Judah fucked it up
"#28 - Death Whispered a Lullaby
ok ok, "sleep my child" is kind of a dumb refrain, but otherwise it's a great song, it has a great feel, period. the only thing that really bothers me is the solos, i mean it seems like a spur of the moment thing that they thought was cool at the time, but in retrospect they should have done "real" solos. but this song is great melodically, plods along very nicely, i like it a lot"
This one I seriously don´t understand it´s the second weakest song of Damnation just after Weakness. Also how can this be better than White Cluster,When, April, Apostle etc.?
ok ok, "sleep my child" is kind of a dumb refrain, but otherwise it's a great song, it has a great feel, period. the only thing that really bothers me is the solos, i mean it seems like a spur of the moment thing that they thought was cool at the time, but in retrospect they should have done "real" solos. but this song is great melodically, plods along very nicely, i like it a lot"
This one I seriously don´t understand it´s the second weakest song of Damnation just after Weakness. Also how can this be better than White Cluster,When, April, Apostle etc.?
CadenZ
Son of Crom
^ There's an amazing atmosphere in DWAL, and one of my favourite Opeth moments of all time: the climax (solos) is such a release...after which they bring the dynamics down to the eerie, intense and intimate feel of the beginning again, and we hear the magic lines "Speak to me now, and the world will crumble / Open the door, and the moon will fall"...perfect symbiosis between music and lyrics, pure art. Goosebumps deluxe. Definitely deserves it's spot in the top 30. (Though I'd like to have When in there as well. )
)Coil is overrated.
It's a good opener, and the switch to Heir Apparent is gotta be one of the best jumps between 2 songs ever.
However, it isn't really a masterpiece.
It's a good opener, and the switch to Heir Apparent is gotta be one of the best jumps between 2 songs ever.
However, it isn't really a masterpiece.
Or maybe simplistic just means, oh I don't know, after 8 minutes, a tad boring? I listen to plenty of simplistic music, so yea, I shouldn't have said AE's problem is its simplicity, it's problem is its just not very good.
I couldn't possibly combine these into one big list like Arasmas because album preference combined with song preference is just too much, the list would change not every day but every hour. But anywho, here's my album by album countdown. And greater than sign obviously means greater than, not "and then next..." or something stupid.
Orchid: The Apostle In Triumph > Forest of October > Under The Weeping Moon > Silhouette > The Twilight is my Robe > Requiem > In Mist She Was Standing (unless its your desert island song or something, 1 minute of just ok > 14 minutes of just ok, as stated above, and TTIMR has one of my favorite acoustic sections EVER and other good parts but as an entire song its pretty damn meh)
Morningrise: The Night and the Silent Water > Black Rose Immortal > To Bid You Farewell > Advent > Nectar (first 2 minutes of nectar = great little simplistic song, then it goes all random and disjointed)
MAYH: Karma > Demon of the Fall > Credence > When > The Amen Corner > April Ethereal > Madrigal > Prologue > Epilogue
Still Life: The Moor > Moonlapse Vertigo > Serenity Painted Death > White Cluster > Face of Melinda > Benighted > Godheads Lament (all fantastic songs, 7th of 7 only means very slightly less godly)
Blackwater Park: The Funeral Portrait > The Leper Affinity > Bleak > Blackwater Park > Dirge for November > Still Day Beneath the Sun > The Drapery Falls > Harvest > Patterns II > Patterns I
Deliverence: Wreath > Deliverence > Masters Apprentices > A Fair Judgment > For Absent Friends > By the Pain I see in Others
Damnation: Closure > To Rid the Disease > Windowpane > Death Whispered a Lullaby > In My Time of Need > Ending Credits > Hope Leaves > Weakness
Ghost Reveries: Harlequin Forest > Beneath the Mire > Baying of the Hounds > Ghost of Perdition > The Grand Conjuration > Isolation Years > Hours of Wealth > Atonement (like still life, all fantastic, my 2nd favorite album of all time)
Watershed: The Lotus Eater > Heir Apparent > Hessian Peel > Burden > Derelict Herds > Hex Omega > Coil > Porcelain Heart
Orchid: The Apostle In Triumph > Forest of October > Under The Weeping Moon > Silhouette > The Twilight is my Robe > Requiem > In Mist She Was Standing (unless its your desert island song or something, 1 minute of just ok > 14 minutes of just ok, as stated above, and TTIMR has one of my favorite acoustic sections EVER and other good parts but as an entire song its pretty damn meh)
Morningrise: The Night and the Silent Water > Black Rose Immortal > To Bid You Farewell > Advent > Nectar (first 2 minutes of nectar = great little simplistic song, then it goes all random and disjointed)
MAYH: Karma > Demon of the Fall > Credence > When > The Amen Corner > April Ethereal > Madrigal > Prologue > Epilogue
Still Life: The Moor > Moonlapse Vertigo > Serenity Painted Death > White Cluster > Face of Melinda > Benighted > Godheads Lament (all fantastic songs, 7th of 7 only means very slightly less godly)
Blackwater Park: The Funeral Portrait > The Leper Affinity > Bleak > Blackwater Park > Dirge for November > Still Day Beneath the Sun > The Drapery Falls > Harvest > Patterns II > Patterns I
Deliverence: Wreath > Deliverence > Masters Apprentices > A Fair Judgment > For Absent Friends > By the Pain I see in Others
Damnation: Closure > To Rid the Disease > Windowpane > Death Whispered a Lullaby > In My Time of Need > Ending Credits > Hope Leaves > Weakness
Ghost Reveries: Harlequin Forest > Beneath the Mire > Baying of the Hounds > Ghost of Perdition > The Grand Conjuration > Isolation Years > Hours of Wealth > Atonement (like still life, all fantastic, my 2nd favorite album of all time)
Watershed: The Lotus Eater > Heir Apparent > Hessian Peel > Burden > Derelict Herds > Hex Omega > Coil > Porcelain Heart
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