#15 - Heir Apparent
this is the only song from their last 2 albums that made the top 15. what can i say, i think most will agree it is a devastating crusher. really they haven't had any songs this "deathy" since like demon of the fall, i guess. one thing i personally would have changed is the effect on the vocals, like the way it has that pre-reverb, idk what to call it. the solo on this song is the only akesson solo that i actually like, and even then it isn't nearly as good as akerfeldt or lindgren's best solos. but basically every riff in this song dominates, if they can keep putting out at least one song of this quality per album then i will be fully sticking with them
#14 - To Rid the Disease
even though this song is ranked rather high, i will admit i have issues with the lyrics in the beginning. the first rhyme for example is just embarrassing. but whatever dude, this is EASILY made up for by one of opeth's most awesomely melodic choruses. yeah yeah i know it's jacked from the sörskogen song but fuck that, this song is way better anyway. i always loved the guitar solo in this song, it's very simple but great. also, the backing vocal part that goes "i have looost all trust i had in yoouuuuu" = period
#13 - Godhead's Lament
this one reminds me a bit of the baying of the hounds (or actually, vice versa) because well, it's the 2nd song on the album, and also the first riff is the worst part of the song. but who cares, the riff starting at 1:41 = one of their best fucking riffs EVER, period. soon after it gets more melodic and more or less stays that way for the rest of the song. many people have agreed that the acoustic part here is one of their best ever, it is absolutely gorgeous.
#12 - A Fair Judgement
first i'll get my complaints out of the way: the piano intro is too long, and the sludgy riff at the end is too long (actually it probably could have been cut out altogether). but fuck that, this is THE prime example of the opeth song that starts as a ballad but gets heavier. the "telephone" guitar part is understated and awesome, and then of course i don't even have to mention the solos. this is easily my favorite solo section of any opeth song ever.
#11 - The Moor
some assmunch on this forum said that if this wasn't in the top 10 he would shit a brick, so ironically here it is at 11. lol i swear i'm not just doing this to spite some dumb kid, i actually planned the whole list out before i started the thread. obviously this is a classic song, it doesn't get much better than the first 6 minutes. rest of the song is great too but i have my personal favorites and that's what the top 10 is for
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*ahem* the TOP TEN is as follows:
#10 - Master's Apprentices
some say this song's riffs are too simple, it's not prime opeth, but those people can go jerk off to MAYH, this song is fucking INCREDIBLE. the opening and the first few parts is the most brutal thing ever. and then the way it goes into one of their best acoustic sections ever, with the chorused "aaaahh" backing vocals, it's just perfect. also, 2:33 just might be my favorite akerfeldt growl of all time.
#9 - Harvest
back when their "mellow" tracks were more folky and less proggy, this is just a time-stoppingly good song. the singing, the guitar playing, it's all very simple but perfectly executed and the atmosphere on this track just drips with awesome. steven wilson is a master producer (even though porcupine tree sucks) and this one of those moments when his style just perfectly gelled with the band.
#8 - Closure
the one song on damnation that gets semi- riled up. it also just has a very different feel from the rest of the album, the way it opens with the vocal harmonies doing straight-up block fifths, it's very primal. and then the way it builds up into those exotic-esque blowouts (twice!) is absolutely hypnotizing. only problem: if you've been following this list you know i am not a fan of gimmick endings, but it seems that akerfeldt is a huge fan so this just randomly cuts out at the end (get it? get it? huh? CLOSURE?)
#7 - Moonlapse Vertigo
the :47 riff just might be my favorite single opeth riff. and this whole song is just brilliant, the way it starts with clean singing, and then that first growl just WHAHHTHAT blows your head off. not much really to say about this that the song itself can't say - it's one of the quintessential still life songs.
#6 - The Leper Affinity
the first 4 or so minutes of this song is orgasmically good, one of akerfeldt's all-time best solos, just pure ass kicking. and then the "loooooost are days of spring" part, come on, that is just so great, god damn it. obviously the best song on BWP, there never really was any competition in my mind.
#5 - Hope Leaves
probably the most "emotional" of all opeth's songs. by that i mean it sounds like he's actually singing about something significant, idk if that's actually true or not. this song is just so sad and beautiful, there's really nothing like it. also in this song (much like the rest of damnation) you get a real sense of the groove of the band, lopez's brilliant drumming just locking it all in. yes, i am aware it was constructed through many takes in the studio, but the illusion is very powerful.
#4 - Serenity Painted Death
this is the perfect still life song to me. it has perfect flow, perfect riffs, it's just the most whole example of what they were doing artistically at the time. as much as we make fun of the part with the pinch harmonics and "rapping," it really is an insanely crushing part. also this song contains what i feel is the best solo section on the still life album. i guess i have to mention - gimmick ending. but fuck that, this song is too good for me to care about minutiae like that
#3 - Wreath
this song hits like a fucking tsunami and it doesn't let up, it just has this feeling like it just keeps barreling forth, i can't really describe it, like with each new section you would expect the intensity to die down a little but it just does the exact opposite, until by the end you are totally razzled. the few short "mellow" parts are awesome and they pull you out just long enough so that when they throw you back in, it's that much more jarring. god damn this song stomps so much ass
#2 - Windowpane
well this is my top pick for damnation, and my top "mellow" song overall. it really couldn't be anything else. this song is just so intricate and delicately constructed, everything is in exactly the right place. right away from the opening groove, like it's 12/8 i guess but it's felt in a really weird and cool way, thanks to lopez's brilliance on the drums. idk, for some reason i always felt this was their most "mature" song, i don't really know what that means but it sounds right
#1 - Deliverance
yep. it's deliverance. years and years of listening to opeth and i've been pretty settled on this as my favorite for quite a while. first of all it is just awe-inspiring in terms of the way it's constructed, it's like a narrative. and keep in mind this is one of opeth's longest songs (4th longest, in fact). there are no other songs in rock music that are THIS LONG and also so logical, without one wasted moment. yes, you can quote me on that - even my favorite "long" songs of the past, close to the edge, thick as a brick, etc., yes they are awesome but they are not without their moments where the pace and the energy slows down even just the slightest bit. deliverance does not slow down. the 13.5 minutes go by in what seems like half that time. so many amazing things about this song, the way they play with the 7/8 and 4/4 rhythms, the haunting melodies, the deliriously brilliant drumming, and let's not forget the solos in this song - certainly one of the very best for both akerfeldt and lindgren. i really can't heap enough praise onto this song. oh and obviously the whole ending sequence is a stroke of genius. there was never a question in my mind as to what would be #1 on this list
so folks i can't believe i just wrote all that bullshit, i guess i might as well rank the albums in my humble opinion:
1. deliverance/damnation (i'm counting them as 1 album because they SHOULD HAVE BEEN GOD DAMN IT)
2. still life
3. blackwater park
4. morningrise
5. ghost reveries
6. orchid
7. my arms your hearse
8. watershed
