Published on Nov 13, 2003
The masters of “progressive metal” (I use that term loosely
here) continue the puzzle audiences with their seventh release.
Opeth certainly live up to the idea of “progression” here. Ever
since their first album (
Orchid), they’ve been turning further and further away from
metal. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s a far cry
from their amazing sophomore release,
Morningrise.
Now, there are a few good things that can be found on this
album. First and foremost being Mikael Akerfeldt, the band’s lead
vocalist. His voice is phenomenal. Try listening to the stuff on
their first releases, then this one, and tell me you aren’t blown
away. Second would be guitarist Peter Lindgren. His ability to
write a tranquil guitar line, and then slowly build it up until you
think it’ll explode into some ferocious riff that would make Morbid
Angel ashamed…..and then he drops back into his peaceful
melody is just fantastic.
Third is the homage to Pink Floyd, because this must be what
this album is about. It’s atmospheric, quiet, gentle, all of which
Pink Floyd had — hell, the intro to “Closure” sounds very similar
to Voivod’s “Astronomy Domine,” which just so happens to be a Pink
Floyd cover. Fourth and finally, is the lyrical content. Though I
may not be prog’s biggest fan, I’ll give them this: they usually
write damn good lyrics. My favorite of these being the conclusion
to the song “Weakness,” “I’m not afraid of what you have just
done/But what you have just become.” Akerfeldt manages to make that
sound so haunting.
Though most of Opeth’s best material will be found on their
previous CDs (not including “Deliverance”), the opening track
“Windowpane” is a placid, beautiful piece, with a sublime guitar,
and Akerfeldt’s superb vocals make for a great listen. Also, the
second-to-last track, “Weakness,” is fairly good, with the vocals
stretched out over the course of the song, making it sound almost
like an instrumental. Unfortunately, the rest of the tracks come
off as bland, boring Tool rip-offs.
All in all, this turns out to be a prog-metal album that
progressed too far. Now, I may be a tad biased due to my belief
that Opeth is the most overrated metal band in history. I’m sure
fans of this massive success will enjoy this CD. I, on the other
hand, will stick to classic Queensryche, who were able to make a
prog album while still retaining a metal sound.