I did a ranking of Opeth's albums awhile ago, with brief descriptions... I'll just copy and paste that... although I have to edit it. When I wrote it, I had Damnation at #3 and Blackwater Park at #4 (because of a song I found to be very weak)... but I've since changed my mind. I also docked Still Life a bit (it used to be at #2).
1.) My Arms Your Hearse - This is probably all-around my favorite Opeth album. It's got a beautifully-crafted concept that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. This is their heaviest album, but if anything, it's made me warm up to death metal as much as I probably can. The production is a little fuzzy, especially in comparison to its successor (Still Life), but the album is good enough to overlook that. Overall... an amazing listen and an inspiring read.
2.) Blackwater Park - This is the one album that has no concept whatsoever... which DOES irk me a bit, but it's all good. What can I say, another amazing album. It took me a long time to truly like ALL the songs... about six months, actually. The songs here are just awesome, and the album is diverse between soft and heavy (although not as equal as Still Life). This one runs VERY close to My Arms Your Hearse... and it really only loses out because the other one has a fascinating story.
3.) Still Life - Opeth has had production problems with almost all of their albums... but this one sounds real slick, easily the best production and mixing that any Opeth album has had. Besides that, this has another interesting concept, with a somewhat cliffhanger ending. The music is phenominal, and the acoustic numbers especially stand out on here, because the sound is so wet compared to the dry-sounding (albeit still great) acoustic work on the three previous albums. But then again... the production sounds TOO slick for the album. The cymbals, for example, get to me a lot... too crisp-sounding. The other downside is the songs sound too similar sometimes. Still, the album has a riveting story, and awesome numbers that show just how great Opeth is. This record shows just how much Opeth had grown up til this point (esp. with the acoustic numbers)... but there are the two problems I mentioned that bring it down a bit.
4.) Damnation - This is an odd one. Opeth is a death metal band... and this was a very ambitious project. Not only was it a radical departure in THAT regard; it's also a radical departure from their past SOFTER material. Fans were sort of thrown off by "Still Day Beneath the Sun" and "Patterns in the Ivy II" (released shortly before Deliverance); understandably, they thought those were precursors to how this album would turn out. Not so - this album DOES have (brief) moments of heavier material, but it glistens with keyboards the entire time, something that hasn't been too prominant on past albums. The lyrics are brutally honest, they really get to you. An amazing album that proves how diverse Opeth is in their musical talent. It's hard to rank the album higher though, considering it's so much different from Opeth's norm... and the album IS very short (compared to the rest). Still, don't let the #4 ranking get to you - it's still an essential!!
5.) Morningrise - At this point in their musical journey, Opeth still had far too dry production, and I still think the vocals are too shrill. Still, this album is much more mature than Orchid. I think "Black Rose Immortal" is kinda segments-taped-together, even if it's listenable. The rest of the tracks, on the other hand, are true bliss. The twin guitar thing here DOES get a little annoying, but it's also quite interesting and works well on this album; although I think they should keep it here and continue to avoid it. The songs are long, but other than "Black Rose Immortal", they're not too long for their own good.
6.) Deliverance - While I still love this album, there are a few things that knock it down. First of all, the album contains a true Opeth rarity - a song I don't like. That would be "Wreath". Besides that, the mixing is a little off, even if the band had immense recording problems. Also, the riffs get a little too repetitive... so I can see why fans would call it a bit of a regression (had Damnation not been released with it, it definitely would've been a rather weak stand-alone album). Still, it's a great album to jam to, and it's interesting comparing this evil character to its altar ego on Damnation. The last two tracks on here are some of Opeth's most intense, I might add.
7.) Orchid - The vocals are too shrill, the production far too dry, and the tempo changes are bothersome. That aside, the lyrics here are very poetic and touching, and some of the musical passages are very well-done (I can't get enough of the opening for "Forest of October"). The production may have been very flawed, but there is a strong reverb effect on this record that really sounds great for the mood and circumstances of the character on this record. Two tracks really stand out for their atmosphere, and are among Opeth's best ("Under the Weeping Moon" and "The Twilight is My Robe"). And one track is among their very weakest ("The Apostle in Triumph"). Despite its strongest points, the debut is definitely the most flawed Opeth album.
