Where to start with Opeth

[Belligerent]

Also Harvest, i played that song for my mom and she dug it.

 

[seedofvengeance]

Based on my first listen of Blackwater Park, it may seem that I shouldn't have started...lol.

Well, considering there are only like 2 good songs on that album, this result was rather predictable.
I don't hate Opeth, but they are so far beyond overrated it's not even funny any more.

 

[Omni]

Based on my first listen of Blackwater Park, it may seem that I shouldn't have started...lol.

You should still probably try their first two albums and see if you enjoy those more, since they're pretty different and fans tend to be divided between the band's various eras.

 

[J.]

Based on my first listen of Blackwater Park, it may seem that I shouldn't have started...lol.

sorry. i hate to tell you i told you so, but....

try the first two, then stop completely whether you like them or not. BWP has one good song, the title track, and the little instrumental before it is a good build up. too bad you have to wade through shit like dirge for november to get there. skip buttons and all.....

good luck.

 

[Blind Guardian]

Based on my first listen of Blackwater Park, it may seem that I shouldn't have started...lol.

Well that's after one listen, listen to it 5-6 times more and come back then. Once you're able to realize the complete brilliance of the at first glance boring as hell Dirge For November you should get the whole album.

 

[Black Friday]

Well that's after one listen, listen to it 5-6 times more and come back then. Once you're able to realize the complete brilliance of the at first glance boring as hell Dirge For November you should get the whole album.

I've listened to it 5 times and it just gets worse each time. Still Life though, just keeps going up. Just go backwards from SL and you'll be alright.

 

[Hypnos]

Personally they might be long but I've never found BWP boring - except Dirge for November but that probably Opeth's worst song. Mike's voice is awesome all over that album

???
i think 'Dirge For November' is not only the best song on BWP, but also one of the best Opeth songs at all.

@Janga666

go and get My Arms Your Hearse. i'm sure this masterpiece won't disappoint you

 

[Manbient]

I'm not going to get into an old vs new Opeth debate. Truth is, I really don't care about this band anymore. I discovered the band after MAYH was released and worked my way backward and was blown away by the first two. I followed them up to Deliverance and gave up. I should have given up after BWP. I just found the formulaic acoustic/harsh/acoustic/harsh so.....formulaic after they followed that pattern with MAYH and SL.

The first two have such a free form and spontaneous feel to them that was entirely original and still is today. The "directionless" guitars is its charm. Nowadays, they just feel like "that death metal band with clean vocals and acoustics". The band has become a gateway band for newcomers (not totally the band's fault)and for a group of pseudo-intellectuals (not generalizing, but would a pseudo-intellectual actually know he/she is such? Probably not.)

It's no surprise that the later albums are praised more, simply because that is when the majority of the kiddies found them. The first two are also less accessible than the later stuff as evidenced by Death Delirium's post with the words "nice" and "richer sound" describing the latter material. I've never been a production snob, so the sound does not bother me, but for newer listeners I guess "thin and weak" guitars can be a distraction. It all needs to be taken into context, though.

All this being said, I only own the first two these days and rarely listen to them.I know this won't be popular with the fanboys, but I felt the OP needed some more insight into the "other" albums and a break from the misguided BWP worship.

^homo post

Opeth has never been formulaic. If you think switching from harsh to acoustic and back is formulaic, have a fuckin listen to what they are ACTUALLY playing. Opeth doesn't reuse chord progressions. They don't have a set pattern or rhyme or rhythm to when they switch from softer to more intense parts. The only reason a faggot would say it's formulaic is to find a reason to dislike the stuff that made the band "popular".

Guess what? i got into Opeth just before the release of Still Life, and i also worked backwards, and guess what? Orchid and Morningrise were my favorites for a long time too! Morningrise was my favorite album for probably 5 years. Guess what else? now it's MAYH, and i think every album from Orchid to BWP is a masterpiece. I don't care as much for things that came later, because they switched to a more chugga chugga power chord playing style, which i think is vastly inferior to both the twin lead guitar weaving thing they did on orchid and morningrise, AND the "fuck power chords, let's layer the shit out of things and use unique voicings" style of MAYH through BWP. But my point is, your condescending "kiddies", "pseudo intellecual", "fanboys", "misguided BWP worship", etc. is total bullshit you spout because you just so happen to not like them (for i suspect, based on your usage of those terms, illegitimate reasons). At least keep your trash at the door and explain it in terms of music and not the fans or how popular each one was. Don't be so obvious with your elitism. Mask it in actual content if you can.

 

[The Ozzman]

 

[Blind Guardian]

???
i think 'Dirge For November' is not only the best song on BWP, but also one of the best Opeth songs at all.

Me too, first time i heard it i only liked the intro and the outro, thought the rest was so boring. Now i really appreciate how apathic the rest is, i think many people miss that. "Catchy apathy" hmm, sounds weird but that's what it is really.

 

[M3t41Ti11D3th]

Personally I first listened to Blackwater Park then Watershed, Ghost Reveries, My Arms Your Hearse, then Still Life.

 

[M3t41Ti11D3th]

Oh I will give it a few more listens, but my first impression was that most of the songs were extremely boring and ran too long.

I'm gonna have to say if you think the songs run for to long then Opeth, and maybe Progressive Metal in general, is not for you as much of that kind of music is very long.

 

[J.]

^homo post

Opeth has never been formulaic. If you think switching from harsh to acoustic and back is formulaic, have a fuckin listen to what they are ACTUALLY playing. Opeth doesn't reuse chord progressions. They don't have a set pattern or rhyme or rhythm to when they switch from softer to more intense parts. The only reason a faggot would say it's formulaic is to find a reason to dislike the stuff that made the band "popular".

Guess what? i got into Opeth just before the release of Still Life, and i also worked backwards, and guess what? Orchid and Morningrise were my favorites for a long time too! Morningrise was my favorite album for probably 5 years. Guess what else? now it's MAYH, and i think every album from Orchid to BWP is a masterpiece. I don't care as much for things that came later, because they switched to a more chugga chugga power chord playing style, which i think is vastly inferior to both the twin lead guitar weaving thing they did on orchid and morningrise, AND the "fuck power chords, let's layer the shit out of things and use unique voicings" style of MAYH through BWP. But my point is, your condescending "kiddies", "pseudo intellecual", "fanboys", "misguided BWP worship", etc. is total bullshit you spout because you just so happen to not like them (for i suspect, based on your usage of those terms, illegitimate reasons). At least keep your trash at the door and explain it in terms of music and not the fans or how popular each one was. Don't be so obvious with your elitism. Mask it in actual content if you can.

i dont like post morningrise because it of my opinion they are boring. i like the first two because it is my opinion they are not boring. hope the kiddies can figure out that content.

go back to sot2 with all the other pseudo intellectuals

 

[Manbient]

i don't post at sot2 and haven't for years, and you suck at trolling. Make it more obvious you used the same words again to see if i'd get upset plz

 

[J.]

i was simply giving my opinion to the OP. the use of "kiddies" was a fact. most of the newer fans were kids (compared to me at least). the fact that i actually listened to and owned everything up to deliverance should tell you something, that i actually do still like the band somewhat. it wasnt my intention for someone to get all butthurt over my comments, but whatever.

notice the first sentence of my original post, but i guess it was inevitable. ill leave you to it.

 

[Uthark]

I for one have a hard time with early Opeth. I dont know what it is. I put some of their early stuff on and always think "why did I not like this, this is awesome". By the end of the album Im so tired of it that I dont listen to it again for lots and lots of months. I cant put my finger on what it is its just something that bores me.

I feel the same way.. Whenever I start playing Orchid, In Mist She Was Standing gets me enthusiastic for the album, but after a few songs the songwriting just feels really tedious and directionless.

 

[Omni]

^homo post

Opeth has never been formulaic. If you think switching from harsh to acoustic and back is formulaic, have a fuckin listen to what they are ACTUALLY playing. Opeth doesn't reuse chord progressions. They don't have a set pattern or rhyme or rhythm to when they switch from softer to more intense parts. The only reason a faggot would say it's formulaic is to find a reason to dislike the stuff that made the band "popular".

Guess what? i got into Opeth just before the release of Still Life, and i also worked backwards, and guess what? Orchid and Morningrise were my favorites for a long time too! Morningrise was my favorite album for probably 5 years. Guess what else? now it's MAYH, and i think every album from Orchid to BWP is a masterpiece. I don't care as much for things that came later, because they switched to a more chugga chugga power chord playing style, which i think is vastly inferior to both the twin lead guitar weaving thing they did on orchid and morningrise, AND the "fuck power chords, let's layer the shit out of things and use unique voicings" style of MAYH through BWP. But my point is, your condescending "kiddies", "pseudo intellecual", "fanboys", "misguided BWP worship", etc. is total bullshit you spout because you just so happen to not like them (for i suspect, based on your usage of those terms, illegitimate reasons). At least keep your trash at the door and explain it in terms of music and not the fans or how popular each one was. Don't be so obvious with your elitism. Mask it in actual content if you can.

You're retarded. He presented fully legitimate reasons for not liking the later albums as much as the first two, and formulaic is a word that can be used to describe them, since they rely on heavy sections with more aggressive vocals alternating with lighter sections with cleaner vocals on the majority of their work, which is part of the formula they used when creating music.

Not everyone who dislikes something dislikes it because it's popular. I listen to plenty of popular music, but I really don't enjoy any of Opeth's albums after the first two as much as those ones for the same reasons that J. listed in his post, so you can flush your shit theory down the toilet if you honestly believe something so stupid.

You are being very pseudo-intellectual, because you come up with a completely false pseudo-logic (that being your statement people who don't like later Opeth albums are doing it because they're more popular) and then seriously try to rationalize it.

 

[seedofvengeance]

RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE!!!!
Every song sounds pretty much the same, tbh. They have a few decent songs, but they generally bore me to fucking tears. I have BWP and I just don't see it, tbh. It's not interesting to me in the slightest. It has one, maybe 2 good songs on it. My best friend is an obsessive Opeth fan,and always has me listening to one song or the other to try and show me how great and "artistic" they are. Yet every time I find myself saying, please stop this annoying nonsense... it sounds exactly the same as the other song that you played.
They're formulaic because as I listen to these songs, and I'm able to predict the exact moment when they switch from soft to heavy.
I honestly don't understand all the attention this band gets.
They're an okay band, but I just can't see all this "greatness" that people speak of.

Oh, and before you use your popularity argument, Know that I am often criticized for being an avid metalcore fan. Popularity is not an issue for me.

 

[Blind Guardian]

Interesting thing about Opeth, very very few other bands have so many different fan favorites as them. Each of their records has pretty much equal amounts of fans who say it's their best record. Compare with Metallica, heavy focus on the 80's and early 90's, i'm sure there's some people out there who love their four latest most but they are pretty damn few. You will disagree if you disagree of course but that is a sign of greatness.
Our should i say that is a real accomplishment.

 

[Manbient]

You're retarded. He presented fully legitimate reasons for not liking the later albums as much as the first two, and formulaic is a word that can be used to describe them, since they rely on heavy sections with more aggressive vocals alternating with lighter sections with cleaner vocals on the majority of their work, which is part of the formula they used when creating music.

wait, so you're saying everything after Morningrise is formulaic because they switch from heavy to soft and back, instead of just sticking with one of them? does that make sense that doing something different is formulaic versus NOT doing something different? If you're not about to describe the actual content, you've just explained opeth as twice as diverse as nearly every metal band out there, since most are SO formulaic they just play heavy! those IDIOTS! I also like the part where this argument ignores the fact that this same "formula" is used on orchid and morningrise.

Not everyone who dislikes something dislikes it because it's popular. I listen to plenty of popular music, but I really don't enjoy any of Opeth's albums after the first two as much as those ones for the same reasons that J. listed in his post, so you can flush your shit theory down the toilet if you honestly believe something so stupid.

I never said everyone who dislikes something dislikes it because it is popular. You made that one up yourself. I called him out specifically because so much of his description about not liking them WAS DIRECTLY ABOUT how popular they were, and what a noobish band they are for the kiddie metal "newcomers", and some bastardized conclusion that because Opeth's later albums are produced better and thus more well liked (by noobs only, of course), the earlier albums are better. Nahhhh, logic doesn't work that way. Seriously read his post again, and take out anything that isn't about the music. What's the argument? he likes the directionless "free form" sound better. That's fair. What the fuck is all that other shit? stuff about noobs, kiddies, better production (makes the music worse?? nope, just another way to point to noobs), popularity, accessability (which would describe why they'd be less popular, but has NO BEARING on the quality unless you have some mixed up notion that being less accessable is directly related to how "good" something is), and the description of formulaic is that it goes harsh/acoustic/harsh/acoustic, which FIRST OF ALL they always did from day one, and SECOND OF ALL is so generic and unassuming about the content that if that is formulaic, what can be said about bands who only do one or the other? You can't say something like that without addressing what is actually contained in the music.

You are being very pseudo-intellectual, because you come up with a completely false pseudo-logic (that being your statement people who don't like later Opeth albums are doing it because they're more popular) and then seriously try to rationalize it.

sure. But people who use the word pseudo-intellectual, and gayly hyphenate that shit are usually huge faggots who ran out of real arguments and have to resort to name calling. Now i like calling names, you steaming pile of emu dung, but throw a little something in there to make me think plz