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Deliverance

Opeth - Deliverance Audio CD

A fair review of the Opeth "Deliverance" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Opeth reviews here, or go back to the Opeth tabs.

Band: Opeth
Title: Deliverance
Rating:

Release Date: 2002-11-12
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Wreath 2: Deliverance 3: A Fair Judgement 4: For Absent Friends 5: Master's Apprentices 6: By The Pain I See In Others

A pleasure of music in a dour and often caustic style.
But, they are also akin to death metal, too, and they do what they do better than anyone else. Opeth have come to be known as a giant in progressive metal. There are a lot of bands out there that could learn something about music from this band, that it doesn't have to absolutely annihilate the listener to be enjoyed. Not even in metal. One of the main reasons, often overlooked, why Metallica was heralded in the 80s was because they made great solid musically great songs. They weren't merely thrash. They built great songs through a sort of concept of instrument play, and they were very interesting.

So it is with the current masters of metal, Opeth. But, they go a lot further than Metallica ever did. Opeth builds the tension of a song with grand sweeping gestures of joy and depression. You don't know from one minute to the next if you should cheer or sigh. The dynamic of the song flow in most Opeth songs is unbelievably emotional and stirring, and when you add to it a sense of real metal power, well it makes the idea invented in Metallica's "Fade to Black" come alive on an almost orchestral level. It is simply amazing music.

I have myself held back for two years (the time I've been listening to Opeth) on doing any kind of review of their albums because I wanted to first experience the full Opeth impression before I talked. Because, you cannot simply describe an Opeth song to someone who's never heard one. There is literally little else at all like them in all of music, and most of those are pale shades of the real thing. Opeth are every bit to metal music now what Metallica was 23 years ago (as of 2009). And a lot more.

To the album. Deliverance is easily Opeth's heaviest work. It starts powerfully from Wreath and barely lets up all the way through to By the Pain I See in Others. It has shivering melodies tied in with crushing grooves and it all melts perfectly into a sonic rush of sound that any music fan can utterly enjoy. Opeth have perfected musical enjoyment for the art of heavy metal. A Fair Judgement is filled with tremendous melodic buildup to an amazingly heavy and robust finishing riff. Deliverance is crushing and devastating. Master's Apprentices opens with one of the most evil metal riffs I've ever heard.

If you are considering buying an Opeth album, as a metal fan, then get this one. Give yourself time to get used to Opeth. If you are a fan of great music, all I can say is buy this, and enjoy. Music lovers will not be disappointed in this album.

Deliverence is Awesome!!
Deliverance is surely no exception as it is one of their heaviest albums to date. Opeth has become my favorite band!!! I have downloaded every album of theirs off of Amazon. I watched the making of Deliverance and Damnation on Their DVD "Lamentations" and it has the genius influence of Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree who contributed great ideas and musical contributions as well. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about any of their albums I love all of them as well as their concert DVD's. I can't wait to see them when they come back to the US!!.

Another solid album
If you liked Black Water Park then you will also like this. This album has everything you would expect from Opeth, most notably high quality.

4.5; still stellar yet weirdly disappointing
Whether it's just songwriting, innovation or just a better understanding of how to make their songs work, it might not be your typical kind of music but there's always that exception. There are certain bands or artists that belong in a certain musical genre that I despise yet actually like listening to the band as they "do it better than the others". I for one can't stand that extreme kind of metal but I always liked Opeth. "Deliverance", their 6th outing and the more heavier one whereas "Damnation" was its softer brother, continues its sound of huge, punishing and progressive riffs, growling vocals seemingly coming straight from Hell mixed with acoustic sections and clean singing. While it's one of their heaviest, it's also one of their most uneven.

Wreath: The song starts with some fast, brutal drumming and a series of great riffs and barely any clean parts make this a heavy opener but the problem is that there really isn't that compelling aspect to the song and the riff piled upon riff makes it kind of same-y. 2nd solo's cool though. Still, it's worth checking out anyway. 8/10

Deliverance: Big heavy dissonant riffs start us off before it goes into clean vocals and acoustics for awhile. More riffs and growls before Mikael comes in with his clean vocals and really help the song a big way. Most of the riffs afterwards are kinda iffy before a huge chugging riff makes the whole thing awesome, quiet interlude than probably one of the best outros the band has. Sure some sections could be dropped but as a whole, this is my favorite song off the album. 9/10

A Fair Judgment: It's sort of like a Damnation song but with distorted parts and with not a single metal growl anywhere, this is as accessible as anything off the record despite the length. While the opening piano meanders a bit, everything from the vocals to use of fingerpicked acoustics and solos near the end are top notch. The outro works well but seems like the wrong song to put it on plus it goes on for about 2 minutes. Grr. Oh well. 8. 5/10

For Absent Friends: A short interlude similar to "Patterns in the Ivy" and this one's just as gorgeous and worth learning but maybe too short for some. 9/10

Master's Apprentices: Cool crunchy guitar riff and quick drum beats come right off the bat and more of Akerfeldt's growling and occasional clean vocals which are kind of basic and somewhat uninteresting until the clean section with E-bow feedback notes, strummed acoustic chords and ethereal backing vocal melodies. The next heavy parts are alright to a certain extent but it's kind of a song that grows on you, even if some parts aren't as great. 8/10

By the Pain I See in Others: One of the more experimental tracks on the record with some saying it's the best track on the record while others, including Akerfeldt saying it's just really meh-inducing. The death vocals over acoustics don't work that well (even if they're more raspier than normal) and the strange circus-music part is. . . odd but aside from the occasional riff, it's kind of an uneven listen. 6. 5/10

As evidenced by the making of on the "Lamentations" DVD, the recording of these 2 albums was marked with pains and stressful times and it's a testament to their ability to come away with 2 great albums. Well, Damnation is amazing, but Deliverance in a way is. . . great. Not amazing but let's face it, Opeth can't seem to do a bad album if they tried.
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Weak vocals, experimental but not pathbreaking
The vocals are stretched pretty thin, the thrash moments are pretty benign, the mid-tempo soaring guitars are good not great. Not one of the strongest discs in their collection, in my opinion. Still, it's experimental enough - as always Opeth is never afraid, never bowed.

Maybe buy this one later, to fill in your collection (and if you're doing that, why aren't you looking at the box set?) - and if you're new, take a look at Ghost Reveries and Damnation. .

You can see a complete list of all Opeth discography, or go back to the Opeth tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.