OPETH — Ghost Reveries (review)

Album · 2005 · Progressive Metal

5/5 · 2010-04-07
arcane-beautiful

Ok, I may have said that Still Life is my favourtie all time Opeth album, but to be honest, after hearing this album again, I have to again consider this album. I can't really choose between them, but I have to admit, there was a certain quality to Still Life that I still love, and since it was my first Opeth album, it will probabbly always be favoured.

This album is just as good I believe. The songs are absoulte progtastic, the growls are some of the best I've ever heard, the lyrics are incredibly poetic, the artwork is amazing, the songs are kickass and catchy...could you really want more?

This also sadly was the last album to feature the classic Opeth line up, and even with added key player Per Wiberg.

This album seems to have a concept, dealing with someones mother, ghosts, cults, Satan himself, trees, dogs and forests. I can't really piece one together, it is still a bit ambigous.

This song also deals with 4 epic songs. If anything, they stand out amongst the others, but the other songs are amazing too, it's just these 4 songs are beyond compare.

1. Ghost Of Perdition - The intro is quite scary, especially when this is one of the first ever Opeth songs you ever hear. The rest of the song is a mammoth, with lovely melodies, scary growls, amazing musicianship, and even some remerable catchy segments. Also a proud welcoming for the use of organs and mellotrons in death metal, who knew that they work so good together.

2. The Baying Of Hounds - Apparently Mike Portnoy says that this song is, "one of the greatest metal songs ever made," and I kind of agree with him. This song (like my other choice for the greatest metal song...Machine Head's Imperium) takes all the things about metal which makes it such a good genre, melody, power, brutallity and at times beauty. A force to be reckoned with.

3. Beneath The Mire - The intro of this song is very kickass. The organ does make the riff seem bery eerie and cold. A perfectly composed piece of music, with enough to keep you interested for 8 minutes.

4. Atonement - A more droney song that reminds me of Weakness from Damnation. Very effective, indeed.

5. Reverie/Harlequin Forest - This song only gets better with every listen. The power of this song mixed with clean vocals is very effective (almost as effective as blast beats with clean vocals, like in The Lotus Eater). This song is so dramatic and the lyrics are very desricptive and taught me alot I didn't know about trees. The end is incredibly amazing as well.

6. Hours Of Wealth - A more laidback song. Takes you down before being punished by the next song.

7. The Grand Conjuration - The first ever song I had ever heard by Opeth. The music video for this song is very good, very scary and very perverted. This song does have an almost seance like vibe to it, which is perfectly moved by the vocals. The main riff is also a great riff. Classic song, and very different than what is expected off of Opeth.

8. Isolation Years - A beautifull ballad. Mabye a song that didnt make on to Damnation.

CONCLUSION: Buy both this album and Still Life...and then the 3 albums in between them. Those albums are Opeth in their prime. Although the first and last are the majour landmarks.