I listen to Ghost Reveries a lot. Haven't given other albums many listens for some reason. Really like Ghost Reveries though. Listening to the new single now.
Mojopin wrote:Might be their best since Deliverance/Damnation. I'm a little floored after my 5th listen.
That ending, especially how the last three songs end the album is drop-dead magnificent stuff!
Wow. Better than Ghost Reveries?
It's still early, but it's on that level... GR is pretty damned excellent though. The real difference between this and GR though, is that this is not a great Metal album, per se. But, whilst very early in the listening process, this one sounds to me like it could very well just be a great album. And very possibly one of their best overall. I'm calling it their great 'Mature' album.
Of course that may not sit particularly well with the puritans, who would like them to do BWP II...
This is a strong album for sure, and it is definitely better than Heritage and Watershed by a good wide margin.
"Just like Ulysses on the open sea, on an odyssey of self-discovery..." - Brendan Perry
On my 3rd listen and i'm comfortable saying that this is a phenomenal album. I had tried to hold off until a better rip shows up on what but I caved this morning. Definitely feels more focused than Heritage (which i loved), though i don't think it makes much sense to draw comparisons to Ghost Reveries or any previous work for that matter. Evolution works for Opeth, more so than a lot of other bands which says a lot about Akerfeldt's songwriting. Anyone who expects them to make another metal album is delusional. However quite a few of these songs sound like they could be quite heavy live. For example, if you strip the orchestral elements from Voice of Treason and replace it with guitars...I suspect that could make for a heavy song in the right setting.
mf wrote:On my 3rd listen and i'm comfortable saying that this is a phenomenal album. I had tried to hold off until a better rip shows up on what but I caved this morning. Definitely feels more focused than Heritage (which i loved), though i don't think it makes much sense to draw comparisons to Ghost Reveries or any previous work for that matter. Evolution works for Opeth, more so than a lot of other bands which says a lot about Akerfeldt's songwriting. Anyone who expects them to make another metal album is delusional. However quite a few of these songs sound like they could be quite heavy live. For example, if you strip the orchestral elements from Voice of Treason and replace it with guitars...I suspect that could make for a heavy song in the right setting.
I agree with pretty much all of this. I listen to it and I can tell it's accomplished and beautiful, but I can't connect with it viscerally they way I can with pre-Heritage stuff. Wish I could say otherwise.
mf wrote:On my 3rd listen and i'm comfortable saying that this is a phenomenal album. I had tried to hold off until a better rip shows up on what but I caved this morning. Definitely feels more focused than Heritage (which i loved), though i don't think it makes much sense to draw comparisons to Ghost Reveries or any previous work for that matter. Evolution works for Opeth, more so than a lot of other bands which says a lot about Akerfeldt's songwriting. Anyone who expects them to make another metal album is delusional. However quite a few of these songs sound like they could be quite heavy live. For example, if you strip the orchestral elements from Voice of Treason and replace it with guitars...I suspect that could make for a heavy song in the right setting.
I agree with pretty much all of this. I listen to it and I can tell it's accomplished and beautiful, but I can't connect with it viscerally they way I can with pre-Heritage stuff. Wish I could say otherwise.
I am loving this album. It seems more in line with Deadwing era Porcupine Tree than early Opeth, especially the guitar tones.
I have Heritage. What should the next Opeth recod be? Was thinking Blackwater Park or Watershed.
So far my favorite track is River.
Think I’m going to try being kind to everyone a chance.
I've come to appreciate this one a lot since my first listen. I would still rank Watershed and Blackwater Park above it, maybe even Deliverance, but it's creeping upwards.