Transition Songs

[AFairJudgement0]

Okay, before all you flamers get excited and start bashing this thread, I'd like to say that I have searched the forum and haven't found a thread that discusses this topic. So if you are going to go crazy and flame, go ahead but id rather not have you post and ruin the thread because I would appreciate some intelligent discussion.

Now that that is out of the way, I wanted to know what you guys think of transition songs. Now these type of songs are not limited to Opeth, as almost any band out there has these songs on albums. Examples in Opeth are: Dirge for November (leading into The Funeral Portrait), Credence (following the hellish DOTF), and For Absent Friends (separating A Fair Judgement and Master's Apprentices). There are countless more but I wanted to know what you guys think about these songs in general.

Do you find that these songs are even worth creating? Because if you were to make a mix cd or a playlist would you ever add songs like this too your playlist? Why do bands create these songs? If they are just fillers, wouldn't it be more beneficial to just put the time together to create another worthwhile song on the CD?

Now, I'd like to say that I am asking these questions to bring out discussion. I happen to like these transitionary songs and feel that they are perfectly placed between key songs as introduction or in some cases (in concept albums) to keep the listener on track (ie. Lost Keys before Rosetta Stoned in Tool's new 10000 days album). What do you guys think? If any of you are musicians and have produced albums have you created songs like this? Maybe if I am fortunate enough, Mikael will have a look and respond himself, but if not I'd like to hear your thoughts! Cheers!

 

[metal_wrath]

I wouldn't count Dirge and Credence as transitions, maybe just For Absent Friends and Madrigal.

 

[NFU]

i love huge disclaimers at the start of threads. its like a giant banner that reads LEASE FLAME ME!!

speak with conviction and confidence, it will give you better results.

 

[Opethian666]

Dirge For November and Credence are definitely not transition songs. Reverie is, Madrigal, For Absent Friends etc... And yes I still think songs like this are worth being made, especially on concept albums like Madrigal on MAYH.

 

[Liquid Diamonds]

IMHO, an album is created with the primary intention of being listened to from start to finish. Or at least it should, so that it forms a perfectly coherent whole. And in a lot of cases, bands need transitional music to keep it flowing just right. But there's a difference between genuine transitional passages and filler. Filler is bad.

 

[daz436]

Dirge For November and Credence are definitely not transition songs. Reverie is, Madrigal, For Absent Friends etc... And yes I still think songs like this are worth being made, especially on concept albums like Madrigal on MAYH.

agreed

 

[Ermz]

I think those songs are good. They force the band to think outside of the element that they're used to. I mean take Madrigal and Reverie for instance (my two favourite interlude tracks)... there aren't any sections of any other Opeth songs that sound like that.

It's tracks like those that force the band to think in a way that ties the album together, give the listener a deeper experience, as opposed to just churning out song after song and then arranging them after the mix has been done.

If anything I would like albums full of songwriting in that vein. It becomes a much better listening experience when the band start considering the soundscape, the emotional impact on the listener, as opposed to churning out riffs, lyrics and turning them into songs... just because that's what you're inclined to do as a band.

 

[the_3_toed_sloth]

Credence: Transitional song
Dirge For November: Proper song

Opinion: If done well, a great addition. You mentioned Tool, and I think Aenima is a great example of them not being used well at all - they are just annoying, and interrupt the flow. Which turns the album into a collection of songs rather than a continuous listening experience.

 

[Pethical]

Do you find that these songs are even worth creating?

yes. they are a key element to the albums. i listen to albums on the whole, not seperate songs and the transitions are very important in this regard.

 

[soundave]

The "transition songs" are about dynamics and contrast. I have always believed that something sounds heavier when it follows something mellow. And heaviness/mellowness isn't the only aspect that can be messed around with: it could be lyrics, instrumentation, tempo, and so on. I agree that most bands create their albums intending them to be listened to as a complete entity. I imagine this is particularly true for Opeth. Calling them "transition songs" is getting close to "skip track" in my mind. For me, they're integral to my listening experience. I can't imagine the albums without them.

Morbid Angel has a ton of these kinds of tracks, btw.

 

[NFU]

i cant remember the last time i was able to sit through a whole Opeth album in one sitting.

 

[FuneralPortrait]

I think he meant Patterns in the Ivy, not Dirge for November...

 

[MegaMoose]

Yeah, he meant Patterns for November, not Dirge in the Ivy. Gnoobs!

 

[Endar]

hum yeah dirge for november is not a transition song at all imo :Smug:
anyway, I like these songs and I don't find that they are just fillers, they are just different

 

[Endar]

I think he meant Patterns in the Ivy, not Dirge for November...

that would make more sense lol

 

[Hypnos]

i cant remember the last time i was able to sit through a whole Opeth album in one sitting.

i can. the last time i listened to MAYH.

 

[daz436]

the only opeth albums i listen to in their entirity are mayh,sl & damnation

 

[Liquid Diamonds]

I can listen to any Opeth album in its entirety. But I don't usually. I don't often have the time to listen to an entire record in one go, so that time is usually devoted to something that I haven't listened to all the way through yet, so as to give it a chance to be listened to as it was meant to be.