I did a search to see if Tiamat had been discussed on this board yet, but it yielded no results except a few posts where the band was mentioned on unrelated topics.
I have been listening to this band as long as Opeth, which is about ten years, and I've heard pretty much all of their material with some exceptions. They started out as a pretty standard black/death metal band, but evolved with each release tremendously (the growth from their debut to The Astral Sleep is impressive to say the least. However, it wasn't until Clouds and then Wildhoney were released that the band started to get more exposure and do extensive tours. With their perfect combination of Floydian psychedelia, some little traces of prog and ambiance, as well as the occasional extreme metal leanings, these two albums established them as a pretty unique act.
From then on, according to some, they started going downhill because, rather than expanding on the Wildhoney sonics, they had decided to move on and push their compositional and musical skills, much like Anathema, Amorphis and Ulver. Though I'd agree their recent material may not be up to par with their earlier work, I've always respected Johan Edlund for trying to take different musical paths for artistic expression. Also, I always felt albums like A Deeper Kind of Slumber and the more recent Prey deserve much praise. They did put out some mediocre discs along the way, but pretty much every band falters to some degree or another in their fifteen-plus-year career.
On a side note, singer Johan Edlund's deep, breathy baritone vocals are amazing in my opinion. He's also guested on several side projects including an Ayreon album where he truly shines. I've also heard he's got a solo disc out, but I haven't heard anything about it. So if you have, feel free to jot down your thoughts on it.
Anyway, I hope this thread serves as a medium for us to talk and discuss the works of Tiamat. Which apsects of their music appeal to you or not? What albums do you consider worth checking out? What do you think of their growth as musicians over the years?
Cheers!
I have been listening to this band as long as Opeth, which is about ten years, and I've heard pretty much all of their material with some exceptions. They started out as a pretty standard black/death metal band, but evolved with each release tremendously (the growth from their debut to The Astral Sleep is impressive to say the least. However, it wasn't until Clouds and then Wildhoney were released that the band started to get more exposure and do extensive tours. With their perfect combination of Floydian psychedelia, some little traces of prog and ambiance, as well as the occasional extreme metal leanings, these two albums established them as a pretty unique act.
From then on, according to some, they started going downhill because, rather than expanding on the Wildhoney sonics, they had decided to move on and push their compositional and musical skills, much like Anathema, Amorphis and Ulver. Though I'd agree their recent material may not be up to par with their earlier work, I've always respected Johan Edlund for trying to take different musical paths for artistic expression. Also, I always felt albums like A Deeper Kind of Slumber and the more recent Prey deserve much praise. They did put out some mediocre discs along the way, but pretty much every band falters to some degree or another in their fifteen-plus-year career.
On a side note, singer Johan Edlund's deep, breathy baritone vocals are amazing in my opinion. He's also guested on several side projects including an Ayreon album where he truly shines. I've also heard he's got a solo disc out, but I haven't heard anything about it. So if you have, feel free to jot down your thoughts on it.
Anyway, I hope this thread serves as a medium for us to talk and discuss the works of Tiamat. Which apsects of their music appeal to you or not? What albums do you consider worth checking out? What do you think of their growth as musicians over the years?
Cheers!
