Opeth - Deliverance
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Free Music Notes for Deliverance
Free Music Review: Matches their previous masterpieces
Hit: 5 Stars
Deliverance... Opeth's 6th album. Opeth, the band who never runs out of ideas or ambition. This album is a big change from their relatively similar previous 3 releases, and a good one. I will try my best to describe this indescribable album.
Well, in case someone who doesn't know Opeth is reading this, I will give the usual and accurate description of the band. Opeth are a progressive metal bands with elements from a large numbers of other genres. They manage to keep emotion prevalent in their music while at the same time telling often epic stories and writing long, flowing songs and exhibiting great musicianship. In other words- if you want great and emotional music and are somewhat acquainted with metal, this is where to look.
This is one of Opeth's heavier ones, but it's different in that it doesn't come across as chaotic or violent most of the time. The heavy parts on this album are more melodic than in that past, less dissonant. If you're just starting out, I'd say buy Blackwater Park, that one showcases all of the aspects of the band's sound. This album has some of their most interesting and well-constructed songs, however, and some have started here.
This album has a unique, ghostly, otherworldly feel, not like the forest/autumn feel of many of their previous, not like the musical journey of Morningrise, this isn't like any place in particular... This is mostly indescribable, but is definitely on the darker end of spectrum.
The songs are-
1: Wreath (9/10) One of the reasons why beginners shouldn't start with this album, I find this song to be rather inaccessible. A lot of great riffs and a beautiful finale section, but not much of their mellow side.
2: Deliverance (10/10) Great, GREAT song and great structuring. The song gets interesting with the jazzy clean section, and then goes into a chorus of sorts. Various heavy sections ensue with alternating melodic and growling voices. Eventually winds its way to a haunting folk melody with Akerfeldt's hopeless vocals whispering "Deliverance... laughing at me". The ending riff, as many have said is simply brilliant. It expands and expands and expands. Probably the most powerful couple minutes of the album.
3: A Fair Judgement (10/10) Opeth always has a song with no growling vocals (at least one). This is a touching and melodic song, seemingly about depression in general. Great leads, every note in the perfect place. The chords at the end were an interesting choice.
4: For Absent Friends (10/10) A GORGEOUS acoustic piece that conveys what no words can express. Am I the only one who absolutely loves this instrumental? Such a relevant and fitting title, very sad, makes you think of the feeling you get at a gathering of friends, thinking of all the ones who for various reasons have departed over the years. Awesome.
5: Master's Apprentices (9.5/10) Dramatic, builds and builds and builds, until an abrupt cut into the most peaceful quiet section on the album. I must say the transition never fails to give me chills. "Here.. to.. day..." The clean part that follows is so wonderfully peaceful.
6: By the Pain I See in Others (10/10) Weird, threatening, captures the feel of anticipation, waiting for something to happen. The circus/mellotron part in the middle is f**king BRILLIANT! It has me singing to myself "but we always knew that nothing ever changes..." for hours. For those who don't know, the backwards vocals at the end are one of the verses from Master's Apprentices. Damn, I wish they'd been something else.
People, if you haven't heard Opeth, you owe it to yourself to listen to them. They are a unique and brilliant band.
Free Music Review: Every Band Does an Album Like This Eventually
Hit: 5 Stars
Why do I say that? It just seems to happen that musicians change as they age and their careers progress. New circumstances, new goals, new reasons for doing things, boredom, laziness, and other people's opinions show up in their music. It never fails. Sooner or later that world-beating, life-changing band you love so much will come out with something that disappoints you. (Ironically, that's usually the same time a band becomes popular.) Casual listeners can't tell the difference, but you know deep down when something is not up to snuff. The annointed one who wrote MR, MAYH, SL and BWP still has the same name but he must be different inside. I heard him evolving through each majestic miracle in the Opeth catalogue. The stately harmonies and counterpoint of Orchid and Morningrise were Akerfeldt's string quartets, demonstrating that his first vision was delicate and intricate, not head-banging.
Ensuing works like My Arms, Your Hearse and Still Life brought on the full orchestra. Akerfeldt started to deftly deploy irresistible rhythms and snaky riffs to quicken your pulse. His impossibly orginal music surprised you and awed you and convinced you that Opeth was the best band you've ever heard, blessed with a sense of melody so rare you cried at the sound of its beauty. This was a band for the ages. Nothing else came close.
Blackwater Park polished the Opeth sound to a shiny finish, well-produced, with satisfying aural depth and cohesion. But BWP revealed the first clues that the band was slowly but steadily travelling away from their trademark distinctiveness toward the more ordinary.
There's no debate that Akerfeldt is a wonderful guitarist, composer and singer. Of special note is the way he weaves painstaking layers of tracks that remind you of full-bodied guitar orchestrations by Brian May and James Hetfield. Akerfeldt takes this technique to new heights of glory and power. He's in full command and always perfect.
Far from being a simple CD to rate, Deliverance has some of the best Opeth music and some of the worst. Listening to Deliverance tells me that there is another change coming, and I don't like to think about that. I hear masterful songs done in the now traditional Opeth orchestral vein, like Fair Judgement. I hear riffs that get instantly old, even [weak], like the intro of Master's Apprentice and the last measures of the title track. I hear less time spent on craftmanship. This is the album every band eventually records. The tired, patchy album. And it's almost always downhill after that, sad to say.
Please Opeth, I know you're human and will change, I only wish you wouldn't.
I've listened to Deliverance many more times and I would like to retract the "tired, patchy album" comment and other expressions of disappointment. The band has not only delivered another fine work, but also aims its might directly at the forehead of those lucky souls who are addicted to Opeth. Absorbing Deliverance and really understanding its heft only on the tenth spin, I cannot give this four stars any longer. It's easily a five. Like previous Opeth observations, the music on this CD calls into question every other band and every album in my collection.
I remember discovering Metallica with the same trembling awe back in the 80s when they were still underground. They went on to become a massive mainstream success. Disappointingly, the band threw away the magic that created the success in the first place and began to play music of quite a different character and quality.
Naturally, no Opeth fan would want to relive the loss Metallica addicts went through and my original review reflected that fear. My new verdict is that Deliverance is NOT the album every band eventually does, after all. It is simply brilliant. Thank you, Opeth.
Free Music Review: Another Great Album...
Hit: 5 Stars
I've never really liked the label "progressive". Somehow it always conjured up images of pretentious, pompous music, filled with technical proficiency but devoid of any emotional impact. Opeth, however, always seem to condense all that is good about progressive metal into album-sized chunks of brilliance.
"Deliverance" is Opeth's sixth album (or "observation", as they prefer to call it) and easily their heaviest and bleakest yet. But instead of overwhelming the listener with sheer complexity and all sorts of technical wankery as some progressive bands are wont to do, Opeth understand the idea of subtlety. The best way to describe Opeth's sound would be "musical chiaroscura", i.e. the contrast between the light and the dark. One particular musical passage might be full-on death metal, with roaring guitars and singer Mikael Åkerfeldt's menacing growl, but another might a soft acoustic passage, with Åkerfeldt's beautiful "clean" vocals. One can even see this light/dark dichotomy in Deliverance's companion album Damnation, which is devoid of anything "metal-ish", as well as the album and insert art for both Deliverance and Damnation, which consist of black and white photos. Despite the rather disparate elements present, Åkerfeldt and co. manage to pull it off without ever sounding discordant.
Of course, Opeth have never been the easiest band to get into, and those unfamiliar with the band might, upon their first listen, think "what's all the fuss about?" Opeth's songs are completely devoid of the typical "verse-chorus-verse" pattern that most music today sticks to, rather, their songs are structured in a manner similar to classical music, with each song divided into separate "passages" or "movements". I am not exaggerating in saying that one 12 minute Opeth song probably has enough material for some throwaway mainstream rock act to construct an entire album out of.
Musically, every one of the bands formidable talents are one display. Åkerfeldt proves he is one of metal's best vocalists and songwriters, with beautifully poetic (and sometimes downright creepy) lyrics. Guitarists Peter Lindgren and Martin Mendez lay down crushing riff after riff with astonishing creativity, and drummer Martin Lopez pounds away with machine-like precision, most noticeable one the finale of "Deliverance". But at no point do they ever become self-indulgent and riddle their songs with pointless, Dream Theater-esque showmanship. Finally, Steve Wilson's production is spot-on and sounds razor sharp, exactly as it should.
For the entire album, Opeth lays down great track after track. Opener "Wreath" launches immediately into a storm of crushing guitar riffs, going through several equally heavy passsages during it's 11-minute length. The follow-up track "Deliverance" continues where the previous track left off, mixing heavy and soft passages as only Opeth can do. The album only slows down for sorrowful, ballad-esque "A Fair Judgement" and the acoustic instrumental "For Absent Friends", before becoming brutally heavy again for "Master's Apprentices", with furious drumming and roaring guitar riffs, which segues into "By the Pain I See in Others" which is one of Opeth's most experimental songs, with unusual structures and time changes throughout. (Be sure to keep listening even when you think it's done!) As a whole, the album is one of those rare types where there are literally no weak tracks throughout. You can listen to whole thing through and the minutes will just fly by. It's that good.
This album is highly recommended, and a great start for anyone new to the band. Be sure to take a listen to the companion album "Damnation" as well to see the variety of styles Opeth can conquer. A fantastic band.
Free Music Review: Opeth "Deliver"...again!
Hit: 5 Stars
"Deliverance" is yet another example of Opeth's brilliance. This album came out in 2002, only a year after the release of "Blackwater Park" (because they had good success with that album), and it might be this Swedish band's heaviest album. All of their albums are heavy, so calling this one their heaviest is really saying something. These songs are fairly consistently heavy and show quite a bit of death metal influence.
Part of why "Deliverance," Opeth's sixth full length, is so smart is they figured out a way to make it clock in at 62 minutes flat. But this album's songwriting is also great. The key to their success is recognizing the value of contrast (balancing and blending things which are very different). "Deliverance" is just so many things all at once. It is pretty and ugly, progressive and heavy, fast and slow, bold and subtle, punishing and satisfying. Some other metal bands (not mentioning any names, here) are afraid of adding melody, because they think it risks being called a sell-out, while others add melody just to break up their C.D.'s monotony. Opeth, however, do it just because they're so darn good at it! In addition to this album being full of soft breakdowns, singer Mikael Akerfeldt displays a very impressive vocal range by seamlessly switching from bellowing (like Deicide's Glenn Benton and Immortal's Olve Eikemo) to imitating a voice (which could be Justin Timberlake). The end result is an album full of great friction (between the beauty and brutality).
"Wreath" begins with a fast drum intro before rocketing into a guitar assault, with some death metal roars. The drumming (by Martin Lopez) is very fast and talented throughout this song, and some melody is included, but it's thrown in late in the song (when the soft hand percussion makes an appearance).
The title track is also driven by fast, thumping drumming, but there's an acoustic breakdown around one minute and twenty seconds in, where the drums slow way down and Mikael sings properly. The lurching, crunchy riffs and blinding double bass drums re-enter and take over the track again, but, even when the music is heavy, Mikael sings melodically about half the time.
"A Fair Judgement" is a very atmospheric and depressing track. It begins with a piano (and some feedback from the piano keys), then the drums tap lightly, and the song stays soft until the electric guitars kick in (and even then, the beat isn't super heavy).
"For Absent Friends" is a beautiful acoustic instrumental which is slow and melancholy.
"Master's Apprentices" returns to form, with booming riffs, amazingly fast drumming (which sort of sounds like a drum machine) and more death metal barks.
"By the Pain I See in Others" has more surging, sometimes machine gun riffs and a sprinting drum beat. To end the song (and the album), however, there's about a minute of silence, then Mikael comes on and sings a capella, with a dreary voice.
In addition to being their heaviest, this album could be Opeth's best. It matches past greats like "Blackwater Park" and my personal favorite, "My Arms, Your Hearse." So, if you own those albums, definitely get this one, too. And if you're new to this band, and you're wondering if this album is any good, my answer would be: of course it's good, it's Opeth!
Free Music Review: Opeth's Masterpiece of Brutality.
Hit: 5 Stars
After the bleak and icy sojourn of 2001's "Blackwater Park", Opeth, masters of progressive death metal, returned to their homeland to recooperate and reinvent themselves, reincarnate themselves, and bring another new surprise to the face of metal as they have since the beginning of their existence... And here we are once again.
Opting for a more death metal-oriented sound, Opeth adding a savage tone to this album with VERY personal (almost misanthropic) and dark lyrics, while Mikael's growls grew greatly in their deliverance, projection, and power. His vile shrieks, growls, and yells are the most aggressive I have heard on any Opeth album to date, and add a bitter and unforgiving edge to the crunchy guitars and battering drumwork. But at the same time, his clean voice is still as haunting as ever, sometimes soaked in effects such as echo to acheive an empty atmosphere. I can honestly say that the album cover perfectly depicts the music. Whereas "Blackwater Park" was a relaxing autumn morning trip through foggy forests with dew sprinkling on the leaves of dead trees, "Deliverance" is like a nightmare, dragging the listener through blackened ancient memories, torment, and hatred. Just look at the album cover, and you'll understand.
However, this isn't to say that Opeth have taken the route of technical wankery or ridiculous obscruity, nor simplifying themselves to proto-typical "cookie monster" metal. In fact, they've done the opposite. Song structures and technical abilities of all the musicians (especially Martin Lopez, the drummer) has skyrocketed, and the songwriting technique seems much more intent on atmosphere than being heavy. (Ironic, isn't it? This is most likely Opeth's heaviest album.) There are still of acoustic passages coupled with jazzy solos (ala "Morningrise") with Akerfeldt's smooth vocals overlapping it all, but there are fewer of them than previous outings. The sound is all-around more ferocious with crushing leads, complex drumming rhythms with pummeling double bass, and the almighty growl. If you're used to the sound of the eariler albums, this album may not be for you.
The highlights of the album are, to me at least, "Wreath", with its strange polyrhythms near the end (bongos?) and outstanding drumwork, as well as the headbanging title track. But the big moment comes with "Master's Apprentice", boasting ballsy guitars, mercyless drumming, and absolutely hateful vocals, but also keeps the classic Opeth formula intact. In short, this is one of my favorite Opeth song and sums up the album well. After that comes "By the Pain I See in Others", the most experimental track with its haunting atmosphere, constant tempo changes, and displaying of top-notch musicianship. Also, after you think the track ends, there are some VERY strange and creepy backwards vocals being sung... A bit un-nerving, really...
Opeth have compiled yet another masterpiece, which has my eternal praises. This may not be for the older fans of thw band, but is definitely a great starting point for any new fans, despite the complex and inaccessible song structures. But believe me... Once you really "understand" this album, you'll be grateful you made this purchase. Highly reccommended.
Highlights: Wreath, Deliverance, Master;s Apprentice