Few points:
1. I love how you speak on behalf of "seasoned" Opeth fans. Opeth are, and probably will be, the band that has influenced me most musically.
I did not intend my argument to be taken as such, and I'm not interested in dabbling into a "who's the bigger opeth fan(boy)" dribble.
Your opinions are yours, not anyone elses.
No shit. I thought they were Celine Dion's.
Either you're stating the obvious, or you're arrogantly implying that no one could possibly agree with me, hence my opinion being solely my own. Either way, that was uncalled for.
2. The songwriting on the first two albums was immature. The songs on Orchid and Morningrise (BRI being the biggest culprit) meander and wander without purpose, only to be interrupted by a sudden drum fill, completely out of place. This was still around partially on MAYH and Still Life. BWP is where the band really found its true songwriting prowess.
3. Mikael has often spoken of how tired he got of the Gothenburg twin-guitar sound, and why he changed the style. The riffs on BWP are awesome. Nuff said. They provide a root for the parts of the song, without taking attention away from the vocals. The riffs flow into and out of each other seemlessly, something that Opeth weren't easily able to do before.
That's your opinion and your opinion only. Next !
Just kidding =)
Yes. Anyone who has heard about Google and/or Wikipedia can type "Opeth", and read the things you wrote, about Akerfedlt being sick and tired of songwriting à la Orchid/Morningrise, and how he believes his later albums had a stronger sense of direction. Nothing new here.
I happen to disagree with Mikael/Opeth about the progression of his bands' music, just like I disagree with In Flames, Metallica, Cryptopsy, etc. regarding their opinions about their newer releases.
Granted, Opeth's newer work is much more solid than the aforementioned bands in comparison with their earlier works, but you have to understand that an artist claiming that his newer work is his best comes off as a cliché.
Mikael has often spoken of how tired he got of the Gothenburg twin-guitar sound
I'll have to disagree with you and Mikael about this one. All of Gothenburg's death metal scene doesn't have shit on early Opeth, specifically when it comes to crafting dual harmonies. Only Jon Nordveit stands out besides Opeth (and of course, Iron fucking Maiden) in counterpoint songwriting. I see Orchid and Morningrise as timeless gems, and that is directly linked to how the music is layered.
My Arms, and Still life had less layers in the music, but still, the atmosphere and the ferocity were still there. They started eroding with BWP.
4. Your issues are with BWP and the way its written. Wilson's production fitted around what Mike wrote. I think you're blaming the wrong person.
Not the way it's written, the way it's produced. Wilson, IMO, castrated Opeth in that album, just like he castrated Orphaned Land on The Neverending way, transforming their music from raging doom/death metal that fused authentic Middle Eastern folk in their music, to an inoffensive, gimmicky version of Dream Theater. Then again, I'm not criticizing the songwriting, per se, but the overall album production.
(Apologies everyone, guess we haven't had a good Opethgument in a while)
Regards.
