Metal Reviews

A very good comparison. I think some people hear the whole "you just don't understand them" argument, and that just intensifies their ire for the band, ala Meshuggah, DEP, etc. What I have a hard to time understanding is how people who hate Opeth can not at least acknowledge the originality and depth of their songwriting, being that they sound like no other band out there.

Indeed. The "you don't understand them" argument is really rather patronising, and in many cases is simply incorrect. I can appreciate it's validity when talking to a Backstreet Boys fan, about Ulver, for example. However it seems pretty irrelevant when used between fellow metalheads.

I've listened to this album at least 5 times already and it does grow on me with each listen. However, I have to disagree that Deliverance is one of their weakest. If anything, it's one of my personal favorites. The first two tracks alone are instant classics. As for this new one, I have to score it at a solid 80. It's very good and will make my top 15 but I'm not sure I'd go as far as "Album of the Year".

Hmm actually for me Wreath is90% filler, while the title track is kinda average until we get to the very psychedelical "DAH DAH DAH" section at the end, when it becomes awesome. The two really strong tracks on it, I think are A Fair Judgement and Master's Apprentice. Admittedly two tracks as good as these give the album a huge boost, but with their other albums virtually every song is a moment as good as these.

All of you guys saying that 98 was too high...you're all retarded...This album cant get any better than it already is. Maybe because some of you havnt REALLY listend to it, and really analize everthing. Opeth isnt the kind of band you listen to a minute or two of their songs and know the entire album, you really have to listen every millisecond of it to really understand it. When i fist listened to the album i needed time getting used to it, but when it all came togeather it was truly an amazing fuckin album. This album is a masterpeice, and yet another awesome review from Jason. Good job :!:

I don't understand how people DON'T like Opeth. My mom doesn't even like metal and she loves them... and I've never met like anyone, metalhead or otherwise who has disliked them.

As for Ghost Reveries, it has all the depth of previous Opeth albums. The keyboards are kind of annoying though, and there aren't enough fast parts (I listened to the leaks of all but one song and there is like one or two parts that reach the speed of the majority of My Arms, Your Hearse). The heavy parts of the albums are 90% just like CHUG-CHUG-CHUG parts that are pretty boring.

It simply does not compare to Still Life/Blackwater Park/My Arms Your Hearse, I gave it 80. :\

Yeah, you're prbably right... Anyone who doesn't realise that this album is utterly flawless and the greatest album ever made is totally retarded.

Wrong. If anything, metal heads are one of the most divided groups. Some people love the non stop wave of melodeth bands that keep popping up all over the place, others like very keyboard driven metal, others are totally stuck in the 80's and wish things went back to the way they used to be. Others are metalcore fans, there are even the nu-metal kids...who I lump together with the melodeth fans. The point is, there are so many subgenres in metal that it makes perfect sense to say, "i just don't get them". I forgot about people who only like Black Metal, or brutal death metal. Its gotten so divided where its not even a universal constant to say "Maiden is the greatest metal band ever". They are, but there are some idiots who think Cradle of FIlth is. There is no unity left in metal.

...Which is a good thing and the core of this board.

Now for Opeth. There is no such thing as everyone has to like this or that band. Everyone has different tastes and although I aknowledge the greatness of some bands that I don't personally like, I can't say Opeth is that profound, great or brilliant (which I can say for Maiden, which I never listen to, among other bands). Opeth lacks solid songsturctures, they try to sound complex and fool some with it, but in the end they just sound a little random. I admit there are some strong melodies and solos, but they lack coherence too often and not all riffs are spectacular. Above average band, but nothing to write home about.

Yes, they're original. I don't consider their songwriting to have any depth, though, and I just think they suck. I didn't give it a 24 because everyone else loves it. I gave it a 24 because I thought it was a piece of crap.

I would say Maiden is the most influencial band in metal, and one of the greatest. The best metal band to start before 1980 as well.

I respect them, but I don't think I'm ignorant to think they're not the best metal band ever.

Some people just "don't get" Opeth. For the same reason that others don't get early Nocturnal Rites, Cloven Hoof, or Jon Arch era Fates Warning. They're acquired tastes.

I can't agree with that. To say something is an "acquired taste" is one thing, Opeth certainly is. However, I agree with rio that when you say "you just don't get it" about a metal band to someone who is a diehard for the genre, it's a bit of a slap in the face. When you tell someone Opeth is an acquired taste, you're telling them to be patient and listen to them a few times before saying they suck. When you tell someone that they just don't understand Opeth, you're telling them in not so many words that that they're stupid and can't fathom real music.

Thats a pretty big assumption. How can you claim to read someone's mind like that??

I'm not claiming to read anyone's mind. I'm saying that is how I would feel if someone said that to me, and I suspect I'm not alone in this regard.

Well you shouldnt take offense to it. You'd probably say the same thing to me about CIrith Ungol.

I've given Opeth plenty of chances to grow on me, having purchased three of their albums, and listening to this one over and over and over, trying to hear what it is that makes this band killer or original.

Nothing does. They mate somewhat technical riffing that sounds like Pink Floyd 'metalled-up' with acoustic sections, and now, keyboards that add clean washes of sound to the riffing or trade that for overdone 'psychadelic' patterns. Why is this original? Merely because no other band sounds EXACTLY like it? Well, Pissing Razors doesn't sound EXACTLY like Pantera, but nobody's calling them original. The growls lack punch or impact, the way Frank Mullens growls or Lord Worms growls do. The clean singing is weak and nasally, with a few exceptions, such as Bleak.

Their lyrics are usually good, though, nice poetry. The drumming is competent. And they have written a couple of killer songs, like Bleak and Moonlapse Vertigo. I just can't see why so many people love them. Please understand, I'm not attacking the band, I want to hear a straight-up answer as to why they're so original and wonderful that doesn't include light and shade dynamics.

Can anyone tell me?

Yes, metal is probably the most sectarian genre in modern music, but this does not mean it becomes a valid argument to dismiss someones lack of interest in a genre as lack of understanding. When I refer to the "you don't understand them" argument, I refer to people who claim that someone else dislikes Opeth simply because they lack the mental capabilities to comprehend what they have acheived with their music. This is really something that should have no place in metal.

Yes, thank you

I don't think he's taking offence... I think he's saying that if someone were to argue that the reason you dislike a band is because you lack the mental capacity to comprehend what they're doing, you would strongly beg to differ. I agree with Afeigel on this.