Your damnation: my bitter surprise

[Marsxxx]

I am totally disappointed with Opeth's acoustic record. They aren't suited for plain, song-like structures; I think it's hard to play (let's say! "pop" when you have always adopted a symphonic, instrument-based point of view on writing. I'd dare to advice: synthesis it's not bare simplicity, as "Damnation" seems to reduce Opeth to their most plain arpeggio moods instead, and without adding over anything of interest. Bass lines are in particular so uninventive, along with the drums, static, bent to the verse(-bridge)-chorus(-stick)(-coda) paradigma which binds and flattens the album (can't believe I'm speaking of Opeth).
I'd save "Windowpane" and "Closure", because they are the most dinamic and less predictable tracks, but where's the nocturnal intensity of "Benighted", its mixed-penthatonic taste on the solo (I noticed smoother solo parts here in "Damnation")?. To be overclear (maybe naive): I don't know if straightening the sound were intended along with the puprpose of reaching a wider audience, I don't care; I guess they will prefere late Anathema, however. I have always loved Opeth and greatly respected them as one of the most talented bands I know, the only metal band I still listen to nowadays; thus, my delusion is deep.
On the other side, "Deliverance" is close to a polished perfection, and it closely resembles the best thing Opeth ever recorded. So, as you see, i'm not only complaining; just like a swedish fake-tristesse metal lyric writer, I am just a bit less discontent than how I may apppear...
Mars

 

[Schism]

I love it

 

[Katatonic]

you dont get my respect until you can spell "dynamic" properly

 

[segaszivos]

It is good, but I prefer any Porcupine Tree over it any day.

 

[Marsxxx]

DINAMIC= Ohh, thanx a lot to iou.
Great god Zeus was struck down bi ipsilon sindicate todai, so from now on I will be japanese or something. Check out "blur" if u look for a very english word. Ah, their latest, I guess it sucks. Cant respect people who forget elisions. This language is dumb (dull?), isn't it?

 

[Dev]

I love it

 

[Kung Keno]

It is good, but I prefer any Porcupine Tree over it any day.

Yep totally agree!

But Marsxxx, if your opinion is that they arn´t suited for that kind of music you totally don´t get Opeth, thay are a progressive metal-band, not a old school death-metalband.

 

[MetalManCPA]

Only a guess, but if Damnation tracks were spread throughout Opeth's catalogue instead of all on one album, more people would probably say "genious" to each song. I think people are over reacting to the "experiment" of Damnation. Opeth made it quite clear of their direction on the last two releases. And based upon the concert I just saw - superb.

 

[Kung Keno]

Only a guess, but if Damnation tracks were spread throughout Opeth's catalogue instead of all on one album, more people would probably say "genious" to each song. I think people are over reacting to the "experiment" of Damnation. Opeth made it quite clear of their direction on the last two releases. And based upon the concert I just saw - superb.

Yes exactly, i´ve heard tons of peaople whining about Damnation, like you said, it´s just a "experiment".

 

[chaveta]

it completely grew on me, now i think its fucking amazing

 

[illbeleavinnow]

Only a guess, but if Damnation tracks were spread throughout Opeth's catalogue instead of all on one album, more people would probably say "genious" to each song. I think people are over reacting to the "experiment" of Damnation. Opeth made it quite clear of their direction on the last two releases. And based upon the concert I just saw - superb.

I don't agree with this. Although it may be true for Windowpane or To Rid the Disease or Closure, the rest of the songs are very different from the other Opeth acoustics/mellow songs. The production is clearer, the drums and bass are in a very straightforward progressive-rock style, and the keyboards are definitely 70's prog. In older mellow songs all those things are gone.

And the guitars have something very different about them too, although I really can't say what. I think you can get the feeling though by listening to To Bid You Farewell, then listening to In My Time of Need. Completely different types of mellow songs.

 

[Radikal_Dreamer]

I LOVE Damnation. Just the other day I listened to it 3 and a half times in a row. I happen to think that it's musical beauty in its finest. They could probably do better,though, but I'm not complaining. They did 2 CD's in the time it takes for one. One is a heavy masterpiece and tied as my fav. opeth album, and the other is a light masterpiece that beats out any other light music I've ever heard. I'm not complaining

 

[Black_paragon]

grows on you every time you listen to it

 

[Staffan]

It is good, but I prefer any Porcupine Tree over it any day.

Same here

Only a guess, but if Damnation tracks were spread throughout Opeth's catalogue instead of all on one album, more people would probably say "genious" to each song. I think people are over reacting to the "experiment" of Damnation. Opeth made it quite clear of their direction on the last two releases. And based upon the concert I just saw - superb.

That's totally true.

 

[Black Dragon]

I think it conveys its mood perfectly and couldn't have turned out any better than it did in that respect.

It went from Deliverance being brutal death metal and damnation being totally acoustic to deliverance being ordinary opeth and damnation being 70ish rock or 'Led zepplin IV' is mikaels words.

If I had expected it to be totally acoustic like it was first stated it was going to be then I would be disappointed. Same with deliverance. I still wish they would have made that one faster and heavier than MAYH tho. Oh well.

 

[Super Mahrio]

I cant understand how people cannot love Damnation...When i got it i didnt expect to hear what i heard but you know what? I didnt go "what the fuck?! Wheres the metal!!" I said "Holy Shnikies! This is some beautiful songwriting!" That record made me respect Opeth as musicians all the more because they CAN up and shift their tone to something different...many bands cant get away with that kind of fancy footwork...I love that record alot...Its very pretty! I write that kind of music so i identified with that record (although im nowhere NEAR as awesome as Opeth)...
Like that one guy said...

if your opinion is that they arn´t suited for that kind of music you totally don´t get Opeth

and of course this genius:

Only a guess, but if Damnation tracks were spread throughout Opeth's catalogue instead of all on one album, more people would probably say "genious" to each song. I think people are over reacting to the "experiment" of Damnation. Opeth made it quite clear of their direction on the last two releases. And based upon the concert I just saw - superb.

Heed their words....

 

[arborist]

Metalman, once again I totally agree with you. And, yes, superb is THE word for the Berklee show. They were amazing.

 

[BiatchGuy]

...how the hell is it "pop"

 

[Immortal Death]

Only a guess, but if Damnation tracks were spread throughout Opeth's catalogue instead of all on one album, more people would probably say "genious" to each song. I think people are over reacting to the "experiment" of Damnation. Opeth made it quite clear of their direction on the last two releases. And based upon the concert I just saw - superb.

I completely agree.

 

[Lina]

I am totally disappointed with Opeth's acoustic record. They aren't suited for plain, song-like structures; I think it's hard to play (let's say! "pop" when you have always adopted a symphonic, instrument-based point of view on writing. I'd dare to advice: synthesis it's not bare simplicity, as "Damnation" seems to reduce Opeth to their most plain arpeggio moods instead, and without adding over anything of interest. Bass lines are in particular so uninventive, along with the drums, static, bent to the verse(-bridge)-chorus(-stick)(-coda) paradigma which binds and flattens the album (can't believe I'm speaking of Opeth).
I'd save "Windowpane" and "Closure", because they are the most dinamic and less predictable tracks, but where's the nocturnal intensity of "Benighted", its mixed-penthatonic taste on the solo (I noticed smoother solo parts here in "Damnation")?. To be overclear (maybe naive): I don't know if straightening the sound were intended along with the puprpose of reaching a wider audience, I don't care; I guess they will prefere late Anathema, however. I have always loved Opeth and greatly respected them as one of the most talented bands I know, the only metal band I still listen to nowadays; thus, my delusion is deep.
On the other side, "Deliverance" is close to a polished perfection, and it closely resembles the best thing Opeth ever recorded. So, as you see, i'm not only complaining; just like a swedish fake-tristesse metal lyric writer, I am just a bit less discontent than how I may apppear...
Mars

I was agreeing with you until I got to the end, where you gave such high praise to Deliverance. That album is missing so much of what makes Opeth Opeth as well. I prefer Damnation over Deliverance because, for its genre, Damnation has "better" writing than Deliverance has for its respective genre. Opeth does "heavy emotion" so much better than on Deliverance.