 Opeth
- Ghost Reveries (2005)I could see a lot of Opeth's early fans feeling alienated after this. Though there's some death metal growling early on in the first track, it quickly switches to sounding rather uplifting. They seem to be more sunshine and flowers than before. I can't really say this is bad, though after many listens I haven't really gotten into it. With four tracks clocking in at over ten minutes long, this isn't an album for the casual listener. You almost have to go into it with the intent on getting into this band. The songs are always changing into different directions. I enjoy the keyboards and organ throughout the album. Especially in "Beneath The Mire", the opening makes me want to play Castlevania. After that it goes in a million directions, and ends with something that could be out of a Romero movie. I prefer the "shorter" songs on the album, like "Atonement" which is only six and a half minutes, the songs over ten minutes long "Ghosts of Perdition", "Baying of the Hounds" etc are good, but they just seem excessive after the 8 minute mark. I think Green Day ruined epic songs for me by setting my standards so high. Bastards. This is an excellent album for fans of progressive rock or metal fans who enjoy drugs. It's also great for background music, or zoning out. Not something to wake up to, but definitely something to relax to. Opeth's the kind of band that can change someone's idea of what metal is, take that any way you want. If you're into this kinda thing you're into it. I'm only sort of into it, though this will make a lovely video game soundtrack. They're worth checking out, just make sure you're listening to OPETH and not that lame OTEP band. Note: I'm sounding fairly negative in this review, I wanted to get a second opinion so I sent a random track from the album to Roger, Someone who's not a metal fan, or even into anything other than zombies and nachos. here's unbiased his response: the music was clearly important to the band, and wasn't just put together slapdash so they could have a back drop for a bunch if inane screaming. The lead vocals had an excellent rough metal voice without being so over the top you cant understand the lyrics. its hard to tell if I like them because I am unfamiliar with the genre or if it is in spite of my not really loving the genre"   3.5 out of 5 skulls Official Site : www.opeth.com Label : www.roadrunnerrecords.com |