OPETH — Deliverance (review)

OPETH — Deliverance album cover Album · 2002 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Conor Fynes
'Deliverence' - Opeth (6/10)

This album, despite it's technical prowess, has never struck me as anything beyond 'average.' It's more or less a death metal record. While I am a fan of extreme metal, I lean more towards prog. This album has little progressive influence. Songs like 'Wreath' and 'Master's Apprentices' while being very heavy and good metal pieces, are simply too enveloped with a more typical death metal sound then we're used to from a band as innovative as Opeth.

However, this collection of songs is not without it's merits. The title track for instance is fantastic, and one of the most solid songs by the band. 'Deliverence' also has one of the greatest outros I've ever heard in a song; the last four minutes of the song form together to make a truly epic end. A dark lyrical acoustic section leads into what could possibly be the most intense Opeth material ever recorded. As an oddity of the album, the outro is actually incredibly progressive, and uses multiple guitar layers to carve out a deep, heavy, and atmospheric musical texture. If anything in this album is ever listened to, it should be the last four and a half minutes of 'Deliverence.'

That's the thing about the album. There are some fantastic parts, where the focus on heaviness and straightforward antics really, really works. For instance, the last three minutes of 'Wreath' are breathtaking, as well as the acoustic interlude in 'Master's Apprentices.' The only song that really does not work is 'The Pain I See In Others,' which besides an interesting title, is probably my least favourite Opeth song.

This album is generally seen as the low point of Opeth's career, and while that may or may not be true, there's still some stuff that's worth exploring in this album. Very heavy, and worth a look if you're into death metal.
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