CD Odyssey Disc 1083: Opeth

I’m feeling a bit groggy tonight, but that’s to be expected. I’m still fighting a cold and I spent four hours getting a new tattoo. It’ll be a couple more sessions before it is done, and I’m pretty excited about the finished product.

Disc 1083 is…Ghost Reveries

Artist: Opeth

Year of Release: 2005

What’s up with the Cover? Creepy candles and the requisite shadowy figure in the distance that seems to be a mainstay of Opeth album covers. In this case it might just be a stained glass window depicting a king or something, or maybe it is just a trick of the light. Since it is the Christmas season let’s assume it is Good King Wenceslas, but since it is an Opeth album let’s assume when you bring the candles closer you discover King Wency is all covered in swamp muck and wielding a bloody hatchet.

How I Came To Know It: I read an article where someone picked a top metal album for every year from 1970 to 2017. This was the 2005 entry.

How It Stacks Up:  Opeth has released 12 studio albums but I only have four. Of those four “Ghost Reveries” comes in second, only narrowly falling short of my favourite, “Still Life” (reviewed back at Disc 1040).

Ratings: 4 stars

Opeth is a Swedish metal band that blends progressive rock, blues, jazz and a host of other sounds into a more nuanced exploration of the dark and dreary places Swedish metal bands tend to wander.

That wandering often leads those Swedish metal bands to go on at length about Satan. I don’t think most of them actually dig Satan, but the lyrics are intended to leave that impression. Opeth tends to branch out into a lot of other themes, exploring intolerance, depression and a host of other topics.

So what’s the main topic of discussion on “Ghost Reveries”? Turns out it’s…Satan, or at least part of it. The record explores the dark thoughts of a character that is being pulled, inexorably toward horrible decisions by some tempter. Sometimes the character seems in anguish over it, and sometimes he seems to revel in the power that is being offered to him.

The overall effect is to create a sense of foreboding, as the songs make you feel like you are being pursued by some relentless force, sometimes external and sometimes in your mind. Often the line between the two is blurry.

On “Ghost Reveries” Opeth’s penchant for musical discovery is at its height. “Hours of Wealth” is almost a classical guitar piece, noodling around in slow blues progressions that reminded me of Eric Clapton. On “Atonement” the guitar riff sounded more like George Harrison sitar music, which is then paired with a high tinkling jazz piano. It shouldn’t work, but it does. The guitar work on “Ghost Reveries” is top-notch throughout. Often I am drawn to bass and drums with this band, but here the guitar melodies were just too compelling to ignore.

In terms of lyrics, I find Opeth can overstuffed their songs with big words. When you read it in the liner notes it seems silly but once it is paired with their musical genius all that rich and horrific imagery just makes sense. They really like the words “mire” and “fog” and while those are pretty great words to go with all the foreboding and damp imagery, once I noticed their overuse I couldn’t stop noticing it. Or maybe it is like when you buy a new car and then it seems like you see the same make every time you go driving. There aren’t more of them, you’re just noticing them more now. But I digress…

Anyway, there is a fair bit of that throat-singing style but not so much of it that it became overpowering, and when Mikael Akerfeldt sings more traditionally his vocals have an otherworldly ghostly quality that juxtaposes nicely. Also, despite a lot of heaviness in places, the band is tight as hell and lets the thread of the melody pull you through the song. I wouldn’t dance to this stuff, but it makes for a pretty solid rhythmic head bob.

This album is a long one, over 66 minutes and with an average song length of 8:15 (four of them exceed 10 minutes) yet it never drags or has you wishing it would end. The songs take their time unfolding internally, and blend nicely into one another as well, even when they are transitioning from a slow bluesy number into a double-bass driven metal assault. A couple of those transitions gave me a wicked jolt when they happened but it was delightfully wicked.

“Ghost Reveries” is definitely thinking-man’s metal, but it never feels pretentious or forced and when they get their groove on they can rock with the best of them. That they can mix a whole lot of other elements into that groove and never lose the plot is an impressive accomplishment. If you like metal and you have an adventurous ear, this album is for you.

Best tracks: The Baying of the Hounds, Reverie/Harlequin Forest, Hours of Wealth, The Grand Conjuration

CD Odyssey Disc 1075: Opeth

Every year at this time I take a couple of days off to watch football on US Thanksgiving and recharge my batteries for the home stretch leading up to Christmas.

With an enjoyable day of football now behind me I now need to feed the spirit, so I’m going to write this music review and then I’m going to work on my book.

To all those people at work right now who are filling in for me so I can do these things, a heartfelt thank you.

Disc 1075 is…Blackwater Park

Artist: Opeth

Year of Release: 2001

What’s up with the Cover? Many years ago I was into this collectible card game called “Magic: The Gathering” which featured a bunch of evil-looking swamps you could use to power your spells. This cover would be a perfect fit for one of those swamp drawings.

As with their 1999 album “Still Life” (reviewed back at Disc 1040) Opeth has hidden some shadowy human figures in the picture. Creepy…

Also, great font for the band name. Even without a foreboding swamp, that band logo would look cool.

How I Came To Know It: My friend Kelly had this album years ago and played it for me, but I didn’t buy it back then. Recently I was digging through Opeth’s discography and I discovered it again, liked it a bit more and so…here it is.

How It Stacks Up:  I have four Opeth albums. Of those albums, I put “Blackwater Park” second or third best. To leave room for “Ghost Reveries” I’ll say third. Hey – it’s tough to skate first.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

Progressive metal is not for everyone. Hell, it isn’t even always for me, but “Blackwater Park” is such a good example of it that it is hard not to like.

As is the case on a lot of their albums from this period, “Blackwater Park” is an artful blend of two styles There are pounding black metal riffs, with lead singer Mikael Akerfeldt barking out in the guttural throat singing style common to the genre, mixed with lighter symphonic mood elements, coupled with Akerfeldt switching it up to an airy atmospheric melodic singing. In this later style he is reminiscent of Tool’s Maynard James Keenan.

While “Blackwater Park” isn’t as consistently amazing as “Still Life” there is still plenty to like. The record knows when to pound away relentlessly and get your energy up. Then, just when you’re starting to feel a bit frantic, it brings you back down with an echoing bit of standalone piano.

This is intricate music, and requires a good deal of skill from all the players. Despite intricate song constructions and a feverish pace, everything sounds tight and crisp, allowing your ear to roam around a little and hear the songs from different perspectives.

I started out trying to hear the lyrics, but most of the time I got swept up in the guitar riffs and let my thoughts wander. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately and the layered song construction was therapeutic. I can see why troubled kids are drawn to this stuff; at least the smart ones.

Somewhere between my second and third listens I started tuning in to the bass lines, which on a lot of metal just travel below the guitar melody and give it oomph at the bottom end. Not so on “Blackwater Park” where the bass has its own journey, lifting and falling deep in the mix and providing a foil to the guitar line that is often different, but always complementary.

The bass line was a lot easier to pick out when walking. When I was riding the bus, the low rumble of the engine got in the way of me hearing the songs in their full glory. It made me realize why people like to turn this kind of music up. You gotta hear it from top to bottom or you’re not really hearing it.

The songs on “Blackwater Park” tend to be drawn-out affairs. There are only eight songs but the record is over 67 minutes long. Despite this the record doesn’t drag and the songs, though long, have sufficient complexity that you want them to go on for eight or ten minutes so the musical themes feel fully explored.

In terms of what the songs are about, as I noted above it was hard to follow along, even though the lyrics are in English. Because it’s been a rough November, the song “Dirge for November” appealed to me just because of the title. Also, its “wet leaves and cold hard rain” vibe was just right for a wallow while I walked. However, when I looked up the lyrics in the liners notes, I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what was happening. Something bad, but Opeth aren’t terribly specific. It’s a mood piece for when you’re in a mood.

“The Funeral Portrait” is the crowd pleaser on the record, with powerful power riffs that would be at home on an early Metallica album, and a groove that demands a mosh pit. It also has some pretty cool moments from drummer Martin Lopez.

While I preferred “Still Life” overall, there is a lot to be said for “Blackwater Park” being the gateway album into this band. The riffs are accessible, the record has good energy throughout and these boys can play.

Best tracks: Bleak, The Funeral Portrait, Blackwater Park

CD Odyssey Disc 1040: Opeth

I’ve had a nice relaxing weekend chilling out with Sheila playing board games and recharging my batteries.

Disc 1040 is…Still Life

Artist: Opeth

Year of Release: 1999

What’s up with the Cover? A sad woman bemoans her fate at the edge of a mire. This cover is awesome and more than a little creepy – just check out the reflection of the cross in the water…

Also of note, this is a reissue on thick cardboard or pressboard, with great finishing details. Metal bands seem to be the only ones still putting out beautiful CD cases (I have another one from Cirith Ungol that’s of similar high quality). Keep it up – I appreciate it!

How I Came To Know It: I first heard Opeth years ago when my buddy Kelly played some for me. While I liked it, it didn’t register enough for me to seek them out. Then I saw them on a list of “Top 50 metal albums since 1970” for their 2005 album “Ghost Reveries”. I really liked “Ghost Reveries” and it caused me to start exploring their other albums. “Still Life” immediately stood out as one of the best.

How It Stacks Up:  Opeth has twelve studio albums, but I only have four of them. Of those four, it is a dead heat between “Still Life” and “Ghost Reveries” for top spot, but I’m going to go with “Still Life” at #1. I reserve the right to change my mind when I review “Ghost Reveries”.

Ratings: 4 stars but almost 5

Over their twenty year career, Opeth has never been afraid to let their sound evolve, starting with balls-out death metal riffs and slowly moving toward complex progressive soundscapes. “Still Life” is right in the middle of this transition, and represents the best of both worlds.

“Still Life” has it all. There are screaming guitar riffs for the traditional and thrash metal fans, double bass and guttural growls for the death metal enthusiasts and haunting, complex guitar picking for the progressive metal fans. It is a lot to pack into a single album, but Opeth has an uncanny knack to know just where to steer a song and not get lost in the process.

The driving force behind the band is singer, guitarist and songwriter Michael Akerfeldt. Akerfeldt. Akerfeldt is the embodiment of rage and fury when he is growl singing, but can also drop down into a normal singing voice that has a rich but haunting tone. When singing like this, he reminds me strongly of Tool’s Maynard James Keenan, only with more range.

When Akerfeldt breaks out the acoustic guitar he reminds me of a British folk singer. With its trilling melody and echoing, stripped down production, “Benighted” sounds like it would be equally at home at a Renaissance fair or the Wacken open air metal festival. It gives way to a gorgeous electric guitar solo that is almost jazz-like in its progressions, without ever crossing the line into wankery. Whether playing soft or hard, the guitar work on the record is exquisite.

“Still Life” is a concept album telling the story of someone returning to some kind of religious cult in order to reunite with his true love. She gets her throat slit and he gets hanged – the end. Hey, it’s a metal album and these things happen. Actually, they happen on folk albums as well.

The journey taking you through this sad tale contains only seven songs, but clocks in at over 60 minutes. Despite the length of both the songs and the overall record, it never drags. The musical shifts are perfectly placed to hold your interest. The record hits hard, then soft, then hard again, usually having multiple movements within each song.

There is a lot going on in “Still Life” and even though I gave it three successive listens over the last four days, I feel like I have only begun to plumb its depths.

For example, the intricate music and arrangements held my attention so completely the lyrics became almost an afterthought. However, a quick look at the (excellently arranged) liner notes had me wanting to delve in all over again and just focus on the words. “The Moor” opens with:

“The sigh of summer upon my return

Fifteen alike since I was here

Bathed in deep fog, blurring my trail

Snuffing the first morning rays.”

Pretty stuff, even more so considering English is their second language. The whole album has this natural narrative quality to it, like you are listening to an audio book as much as a metal album. Lines have strong alliterative qualities and natural caesuras that had me thinking of “Beowulf.” Later, on “Serenity Painted Death,” the lovely Melinda’s death is depicted in stark blood reds, pale white skin and the vacant fading stare of the dying. It is creepy but brilliant.

“Serenity Painted Death” has all the musical elements of the album in one song – shredding traditional metal guitar combines with haunting acoustic playing to capture the narrator’s combination of rage and grief. It isn’t a happy tale, but it is a tale well told.

 I bought a couple more Opeth albums on Friday (“Blackwater Park” and “Watershed”) and while both were good, they seemed to be missing something. Then I realized they were solid records, and just suffering from comparisons to “Still Life”.

Best tracks: Hard to separate individual tracks out of the overall experience, but since you asked…The Moor, Benighted, Face of Melinda, Serenity Painted Death