Customer Reviews
sublime
Every track is strong and album is seamless from both a conceptual and technical standpoint. All things considered, I find this to be Opeth's finest album. Landmark recording, buy it and listen to it.
If I Could Rate Still Life A 6 I Would
Still Life is very quickly advancing to my favourite album of all time. . moving in on Morningrise with every listen. This is Opeth at their peak of creative brilliance. An absolutely awe-inspiring album. Don't even read any more reviews on this cd. . . just go and buy it. NOW!!!!!.
Both haunting and beautiful. Still Life is a magical experience!
Wonderful musicianship, epic tracks of varying styles and textures, consistent class and quality all come to mind. There are certain terms and phrases of praise that can be applied to everything Opeth does. But with "Still Life", Opeth's fourth album, you can add a few more. The music on this release is incredibly beautiful, enchanting and haunting. While I always listen to their albums in awe of their brilliance, this one touches me much deeper. The artwork, the lyrics, the melodies, the intertwining acoustic, the mixture of tender and brutal vocals, it all combines to form something that's purely. . . magical!
"Still Life" is a concept album, following the journey of a man who returns to his home, long after being banished, attempting to find his beloved Melinda. From what I can gather, she is in no position to be with him as he is still an outcast, and yet she still loves him. Unfortunately, they are discovered together and Melinda has her throat cut. In a rage, the man begins to slaughter the town members until he himself is finally executed and joins Melinda in the afterlife for good.
As you can tell, the mood of the album is that of despair. Album opener "The Moor" is a perfect example of the feelings of loneliness, anger and loss that is consistently portrayed throughout. The quiet intro sets the scene perfectly, seguing into beautiful acoustics which in turn mixes seamlessly with heavy guitars and Mikael's awesomely crushing vocals. Within a few minutes the music transforms without losing the mood and before you know it the band are playing death metal. While other bands fail to combine styles seamlessly, Opeth have become experts and this is the release that proves it.
Highlights include the above-mentioned "The Moor", "Godhead's Lament" (which has a simply awesome heavy riff, "Benighted" (an exquisite acoustic track) and "Face of Melinda" (the centrepiece of the album). But every track plays it part in the story both musically and lyrically to form a wonderful, moving piece of art. If you like death metal (but don't expect brutality throughout) or progressive metal (but can handle things a little more extreme at times) then check Opeth out. "Still Life" is a perfect place to start!.
. You can see a complete list of all Opeth discography, or go back to the Opeth tabs
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