Audio CD review:
Opeth - Blackwater Park

Opeth - Blackwater Park

Band: Opeth Title: Blackwater Park Rating: Release Date: Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: The Leper Affinity 2: Bleak 3: Harvest 4: The Drapery Falls 5: Dirge For November 6: The Funeral Portrait 7: Patterns In The Ivy 8: Blackwater Park

Customer Reviews Great musical achievment! This could truly be the highlight of any music fans' collection. This is the album that first turned me on to Opeth and the first album that gave me a lasting hunger for progressive/experimental/obscure music. If you are new to Opeth, I implore you to give the band a chance. On my first listen of this album I thought that all the songs dragged on for too long, and I hated the harsh vocals; it's amazing how this band has become a member of my favorite band list! If you need any more convincing, I gave this album to my friend who only listens to bands like The Eagles and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and he says this is one of his favorite albums! Okay enough gushing, here's the track-by-track: "The Leper Affinity" I could not have hoped for a better track to start off the album, truly showing the brutality Opeth is capable of. Cutting right to the chase after the eerie intro, "The Leper Affinity" pummels the listener with awesome riffs that can't help but send shivers down the spine. The guitar solo is very fitting for the song as well, nothing too over the top, but it captures the mood. Then, just as we get used to the harsh side of Opeth, the guitar takes a very harmonic route into the beauty that Opeth is known for. The listener is then given the pleasure of an incredibly beautiful little passage featuring Mikael Akerfeldt's clean vocals. Last but not least the song ends with a solo piano piece; they could not have ended the song any better! "Bleak" At first, this track did not impress me too much, but it is now one of my favorites. As many have said before, the song gives off a very Middle-Eastern vibe, and in my opinion, Akerfeldt's growls could not have been better placed. The ghostly guitar work in the background is just perfect as well. After the creepy beginning, the song turns into my favorite aspect of Opeth; the discordant guitar riffs. This is truly awesome because it takes a lot to turn a seemingly ugly riff into something that is not only listenable, but surprisingly stunning. Then the song fades into a more accoustic-driven portion accompanied again by the eerie guitar feedback. This soothing passage soon comes to a harsh end and the song doesn't take any time bringing you back to the visciousness that it had at the start. The song comes to a fitting end with the guitar playing alone. "Harvest" As Mikael Akerfeldt describes it, the most beautiful display of guitar follows directly behind the most obscure display. I could not agree more. As if Opeth has not already proven that they are more than just a death metal band, they show us why they are different than all of the other death metal bands out there. Harvest is still my definition of what atmospheric music is. The song always reminds me of Autmn or Winter when I'm listening to it. It is so easy for anybody to get lost in the melodies of this song; truly a great track. "The Drapery Falls" I've always thought this was the centerpiece of the album, but maybe that is just because this is the first Opeth song I was introduced to. The opening is so delightfully melancholy and depressing and doesn't lose that feeling when the vocals kick in. The chords strummed through the accoustic guitar project the utmost feeling of sadness. After the depressing verse portion, the song turns into a turbulent ode of anger and agression. This will probably be one of the favorites on the album for new listeners. "The Dirge for November" Not one of the most memorable but I still love the track. The whole song is not dissimilar to a lullaby, the intro always has stricken me as the beginning of a story about a long sad quest. When the electric guitars come in is where the song really starts speaking. If Jimi Hendrix was the first person to make a guitar cry, then Mikael Akerfeldt and Peter Lindgren were the first people to make the guitar utterly weep; they prove beautifully that their are no boundaries to what a guitar can do. "The Funeral Portrait" Oh I adore this song! The ethereal accoustic guitar opening gives the listener the feeling that something is coming right around the corner; and indeed this is proven true with the extremely catchy riff that soon follows. I love all the riffing in this song especially at about two minutes into the song, that riff always gives me chills! I also love that this song is pretty harsh all the way through, it doesn't ever really break in the intensity. The outro in this song is probably the highlight, I always feel like the song is going in a downward spiral and then ending (and that is not meant to be a negative thing). "Patterns in the Ivy" This short accoustic guitar and piano duet is just awesome and is sort of like an appetizer for the title track, but still its own song. The piano adds perfectly to the accoustic guitar; this is a very enjoyable little track. "Blackwater Park" Ah yes, the twelve minute title track. This song encompasses all that is Opeth, from its beautiful melodies to harsh vocals. The song starts off with a riff that almost requires you to nod your head to the beat. Then the song starts to get harder and suddenly drops into a very mellow clean guitar passage that lasts for a couple of minutes; some say that it gets too repetitive but I think it is very fitting to the song and does not drag on to me at all. Then we are launched right back into the heaviness that started out the song. The guitar solo in this song is also very good, Opeth seems to have a knack for making guitar solos fit the song really well. Overall I would say this album is easily in my top ten. I hoped I helped to convince you, because this album is awesome!. This Is The Band's Most Comprehensive Effort Everyone marvels at their ability to go from heavy to light, but listen to what they are doing with their LEFT hands. This is not your typical Death Metal band. Maybe it's their lack of formal training, maybe it's just their desire to break new ground, but no one ever told them that what they do isn't supposed to work. Mikael Åkerfeldt is writing some of the most unique material available today. Everyone compares them with King Crimson rather than their Death Metal contemporaries for a reason, their song writing is that unique. These guys definitely know more than 3 chords and 2 speeds. For those that just can't deal with the the Death Metal growls, pick up a copy of Damnation . Out of my league Now I have limited knowledge of death metal and usually listen to rock, prog, or jazz, but new musical experiences are a must and I picked "Blackwater Park" because it seems to be a favorite of Opeth fans. A friend recommended Opeth to me. I've been listening to this for over a year and like the music, dynamic changes, and musicianship but I'm not a fan of growl vocals. I don't find monotone speech musical. The diversity of this album was surprising. "The Leper Affinity" changes from brutal to calm in an instant and the transitions are smooth, "Harvest" is a great popish song and the non-growling vocals on this song are relaxing, and my favorite, "The Drapery Falls", is intense with an intro/outro riff that sounds similar to King Crimson's "In the Court of the Crimson King". Definitely interesting, and the high ratings are warranted if you like this style of music, but it's out of my league because of my issues with growls. . . You can see a complete list of all Opeth discography, or go back to the Opeth tabs