OPETH — Still Life (review)

Album · 1999 · Progressive Metal

5/5 · 2010-04-07
arcane-beautiful

This is in my opinion, one of the best Opeth albums, one of the best metal albums, one of the best prog albums and one of the best albums ever. Just saying.

With the slightly disappointing My Arms, Your Hearse, this album saw Opeth at their finest ever. The songs are catchy, even the growls are catchy, the concept is brillian, the guitar work is some of the best I have ever heard, the lyrics are poetic and amazing, amazing hooks, amazing vocals, and amazing dramaticism.

If you haven't heard this album yet, listen to it now. The day I heard this album it changed my life. I remember listening to this album when I first bought it, on Good Friday 2006. I had never been a fan of death metal, but I was slowly becoming a massive prog fan. I was listening to this album while The Greatest Story Every Told was on the tv. The day that Jesus died was the day that Opeth entered my soul. I was blown away. I never knew that death metal could ever have acoustic passages and guitar work that would blow any noob out of his technical haze. It sparked creativity within me and is the reason why I am composing today.

This album is also a concept album which deals with an outcast, who cast away due to the fact he is not a certain religion (very reformation like). He finds his old love Melinda who he wants to take away with him. He plans to stay in the village without the clergy knowing. The clergy find out and plan to kill or capture him. He finds Melinda and asks her to run away with him. She denies him due to the fact her life would be on the line and that she has a fiance. The clergy find out about their meeting and they slit Melinda's throat. With vengance, he kills those who killed Melinda. He then falls asleep and wakes up in prison. He is then led to the gallows where is to be hung. Before he dies, he sees Melinda, waiting for him on the other side. Kind of like Romeo & Julliet.

1. The Moor - Amazing intro. The dark ambient prepares you for the amazing acoustic passage. The main riff is so complicated, without being fast. The riff takes you on amazing journey. The clean vocals are very cathcy and incredibly beautiful. The acoustic section is some of the best finger picking I have ever heard. The end is incredibly amazing as well. An epic.

2. Godhead's Lament - Absoulte brilliance. This song is so dramatic and takes you on such a journey. Like the Moor, cathcy vocals, amazing performances and great acoustic work. One of my all time favourtie Opeth songs.

3. Benighted - A ballad. Amazing, catchy and some great guitar work.

4. Moonlapse Vertigo - An amazing jazz sounding riff. Great sounding riffs. Very memorable.

5. Face Of Melinda - This is one of the most poetic songs on the album, with each verse having a ryhming pattern of AABB. I love how the song which was a very sombre ballad becomes very dark at the end.

6. Serenity Painted Death - Very cathcy and very dramatic. The verses have great lyrics and the chorus is amazing. I love the ending where the word "sin" trails off into a chromatic scale. Amazing

7. White Cluster - An amazing song, filled with both clean vocals and growls. The end of the album. Very rememerable and the story ends with a haunting ending.

CONCLUSION: This album changed my life. I hope it changes yours.