Here's an old post from another thread.
I'm amazed at how many of you really think this is the best Opeth album. BWP, MR, and MAYH are all much better. Here's why: MR. SL may have Benighted and Face of Melinda, but TBYF owns these songs. The bass guitar actually plays a role on MR. It is essentially non-existant on SL. The acoustic sections are better on MR. The song structure may not be as tight, but I prefer the wandering structure. The vocal delivery is far better on MR, with the whispering and all. MAYH. The lyrics and concept are better. There is no repetition on this album. Demon of the Fall is on this album. Nothing on SL can touch Demon of the Fall, or When. Epilogue is a far better close to an album than the end of White Cluster. April starts the album with much more of a bang than the boring Moor does. The acoustic passages on MAYH are great, too. BWP. BWP does have repetition at times, and Harvest is a straight verse/chorus song, so it doesn't beat SL in that department. However, BWP sounds so much more evil than SL. Nothing on SL comes close to Leper, or BWP. The lyrics are great on BWP, and the bass returns. The transitions from soft to heavy are done very well. The riffs on BWP are the best Opeth riffs. Except for some Orchid riffs. But I doubt that all of you here have Orchid anyway. Conclusion: SL is AT BEST Opeth's fourth best album.
Since then, I've listened to Orchid more and decided it's a much better album. The ending of In Mist is one of the most emotional Opeth moments. Orchid has the piano solo, bass solos, hand percussion, and the volume swells and stuff. There's so much variety. Orchid has great heavy riffs too.
![[KOTNO]Narrot](https://ultimatemetal-data.community.forum/avatars/l/1/1031.jpg?1052155060){kind=avatar}
