Support |
songs
album review
Having taken their oppressive black metal symphonies to their furious zenith with their third effort, My Arms, Your Hearse, Sweden's Opeth began deconstructing their sound on 1999's brilliant Still Life. A logical next step in their evolution, the album finds the band re-examining their unlikely fusion of progressive rock and black metal to highlight the former while staying in touch with the latter. The result is a formidable splicing of harsh, often jagged guitar riffs with graceful melodies, and the increasing use of Mikael Åkerfeldt's "clean" vocals (alternated with his ever-present death growl). This tactic only serves to spotlight the quality of Åkerfeldt's lyrics (a rarity in extreme metal circles) and, in the tradition of prior efforts, Still Life is a full-fledged concept album, which, without going into unnecessary details, centers around a tale of unrequited love for a character called Melinda (a discreet reference to Mercyful Fate's early-'80s classic Melissa, perhaps?). Also new to the mix are a wealth of more dynamic, almost groove-oriented riffs (see "Godhead's Lament" and "Serenity Painted Death") which break away from the Wall of Sound overtures of the past. On the other hand, outstanding, multifaceted epics like "The Moor," "Moonlapse Vertigo," and "White Cluster" carry on in the proud Opeth tradition. The all-acoustic "Benighted" is the album's only one-dimensional track (and a beauty it is, too), while the awesome "Face of Melinda" represents a new career high with its quietly building atmosphere and powerful finale. Ultimately, this is another star turn for the group, and the fact that they somehow managed to outdo themselves with their next work, Blackwater Park, is a testament to Opeth's greatness. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
more albums by this artist
See all-
-
-
- Damnation
- Released 2003
-
-
-
-
- Blackwater Park
- Released 2001
-
-
-
-
- Ghost Reveries
- Released 2005
-
-
-
-
- Watershed
- Released 2008
-
listener reviews
-
-
-
-
Graceful
-
- By Metajazzic
- 12/25/2008 21:46:00
- If you want to see true opeth this is the place to start, please dont decide their musical ability based on their newest realese "watershed", it's a mind blowing album but a fresh direction for this band. To see a true mix of OPETH, sit back and listen to "Still Life" in it's entirity.
- Be the first person to rate this review!
-
-
-
-
-
-
Fantastic
-
- By T00LSH3D111
- 6/8/2008 14:00:34
- The debut for THE Opeth lineup (Lopez, Mendez, Akerfeldt, Lindgren) and quite possibly Opeth's greatest masterpiece. The Moor is an amazing song as well as an incredible CD opener. White Cluster does a fantastic job wrapping up the CD. Face of Melinda is (imo) their greatest "soft" song and I personally think Serenity Painted Death has some of Akerfeldt's greatest vocal works. The line "Each and every one would die at my hand" is a highlight Opeth moment for me. The vocals at that moment always get me. Simply put, this is a must for an Opethian and is a great way to get introduced to the band.
- 1 out of 1 people
- think this is useful
-
-
 |
