Opeth - Morningrise
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Artist: OpethEdition: Music CD
Format: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued
CD Release Date: 2003-06-17
Music Label: Candlelight
Product features:
- Morningrise
- Advent
- The Night and the Silent Water
- Nectar
- Black Rose Immortal
- To Bid You Farewell
- Eternal Soul Torture [*]
Free Music Notes for Morningrise
Free Music Review: Sensitive, melodic, comforting death metal not an oxymoron!
Hit: 5 Stars
I'm neither a hardcore metal head, nor a musical fascist like many other fans of this type of music, and my tastes in music span many genres. This however, is the best album I've ever heard. I won't claim to give this album any objective status in referring to it as "the best" as I'm not that blindly arrogant, so I'll settle for simply calling it my favourite album of all time. Oddly though, I didn't think much of it upon first or even second listen, and it took a long time to grow on me - so don't be put off it you too hate it at first.
It is probably the least brutal of all Opeth's albums (apart from damnation) and paradoxically, for a "death metal" album, seems more an expression of pain than of anger and hatred. This is reflected by the vocals, which seem to fit perfectly with the music. Unlike the demonic growl of later albums, a weaker, higher pitched scream is used. I find the deep, death vocals of later albums to be a little bit intimidating, but the type found here seem to fit in perfectly with the haunting music (though they may take time getting used to.) They sound a little bit like a harsh, grating gust of wind, and lose their aggression once you adjust to their style, becoming painfully sad rather than intentionally hostile. Occasionally a soft whisper is also used, like in the hugely built up finale of "The night and the silent water," to great effect.
The clean vocals are also weaker than on subsequent albums. They are naïve, drift over you with less focus and direction, but again seem to fit Opeth's sound better. However, placed in perspective the vocals are a fairly minor element, as the majority of this album is instrumental.
Lyrically the album also impresses. The lyrics are fairly direct, and are not as vague and pretentious as they could be. The first two songs seem to focus on the theme of bereavement, with "advent" reflecting upon the pain of watching someone you love slip away, and "the night and the silent water" about the grief and mourning that follows someone's death. These lyrics were obviously sensitively written from experience.
The next two songs are darker and I interpret them as songs about weakness and temptation, about being twisted by the idols that have power over you, like the destructive lover in whose possession you feel helpless and guilty. The first of these (nectar) has been strongly overlooked by most of the reviewers here. It is a brilliant song, and features a wonderfully uplifting acoustic passage towards the end. The twenty minute epic "Black rose immortal," on the other hand may actually be the most over rated song on the album, simply because I don't feel like it is the crest of the album, or the point at which it shines most, like many other fans, who see it as Morningrise's most triumphant moment. This isn't to say it is actually inferior to the other songs, just not in any way superior. In places, more so than the other songs, it stops and starts again and seems to lack a sense of contingent flow, the way really long songs frequently do. (Largely I actually rate this element as something positive, as it keeps the music fresh, but it is certainly disputable.)
To bid you farewell is the mainly acoustic, cleanly sung, haunting conclusion to both sets of stories. This song is about letting go of the demons of the past, damaging yourself as you tear free from them but ultimately realising that it's worth the pain to gain benefit and hope.
The music itself is more riff orientated and features less of the strong focus on chord progression which can be observed in later albums, particularly the ones which feature Steven Wilson's influences. The metal parts are more buoyant and bouncy, and the bass is high and used prominently for melody rather than percussion, in a slightly jazzy, bluesy fashion. Often the acoustic guitar is blended harmoniously into the metal parts, like in the opening "nectar" riff, and I love it.
The album is also almost half composed of purely acoustic, quieter parts (though it seems like less because these linger and aren't as direct as the metal sections, so less actually happens in a longer period of time.) The quieter passages are my favourite parts of all Opeth's work, perhaps because, as I said, I am not truly a metal head. Strangely though, I wasn't fully satisfied by Opeth's soft album "damnation," perhaps because there wasn't much acoustic guitar, and perhaps because I like the contrast from gentle to heavy.
The mood of Morningrise is very melancholic and reflective, and I can understand why it is often said to be "other worldly" and distant. It flows and meanders but is constantly changing. I disagree with those who say that this is only music for those with good attention spans. The truth is that the music changes more frequently and is far more diverse than the kind of bland, uninspired, unintelligent, repetitive music that lacks any layered depth yet is currently so popular. (I lied and obviously am a bit of a musical fascist.)
This is classifiably a Scandinavian death metal album, but don't let the connotations of that label put you off it if you're new to the genre. It is one of the most melodic, sensitive, touching, responsively tender and beautiful albums in my collection. In my opinion anyone who could listen to it several times and still not look upon it favourably would necessarily have to be either closed minded, emotionally stunted, and/or quite stupid.
Opeth do take themselves seriously, and they must, because within their music they create strong, deep, meaningful music, and lay all their cards on the table in doing so. Fortunately their sturdy faith in their own genius is well placed. To me this album is flawless.
Morningrise Poster
Double 180gm grey vinyl LP reissue of Opeth's 1996 sophomore album housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve. Six tracks. 2009.Hard Rock & Metal Music CDs
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