Opeth - Morningrise
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Free Music Notes for Morningrise
Free Music Review: "In search for words to write the missing page..."
Hit: 5 Stars
I've always argued that Morningrise is in many ways their darkest and most captivating album. Those who got into Opeth during their post-Still Life period, mostly starting with their Steven Wilson-produced breakthrough record Blackwater Park, usually tend to be disappointed by the lack of pristine prog sound and layered production work on Morningrise. It is true that Morningrise, as its predecessor Orchid, has a raw and dry sound compared to the band's later efforts. I, however, believe that this is all intentional to help create the dark atmosphere on this album, which is simply unique.
Opeth has always worked with amazing producers, be it the godly Fredrik Nordstrom on Still Life or Steven Wilson on Blackwater Park onwards. However, they recorded their first two discs with another genius, namely Dan Swano, to whom they proudly refer as their "guide" in the CD booklet. It is the Dan Swano factor what makes the first two albums more challenging listens than their follow-ups, but once you can get into them, you'll be addicted like you've never been before. I'll even go as far as saying that if every Opeth fan heard all Opeth discs 50+ times, most of them would declare Morningrise the highlight of their career, as far as atmosphere and sheer emotion are concerned at least. Sure, Mikael Akerfeldt has improved his death growls and especially his clean vocals significantly over the years, but somehow it's the raw mix, Mikael's more violent and less aesthetic vocals, the somewhat murky yet fitting twin guitar harmonies and totally unique songwriting that set Morningrise apart from every other Opeth release.
Comprised of only five songs, none of which run under 10 minutes, Morningrise begins with the 13-minute epic "Advent" whose folky acoustic intro contrasts the immediate twin guitars that explode along with Akerfeldt's blackish scream-like vocals. The melodies, both on this song and the entire album, are immortal. Lindgren and Akerfeldt's twin guitars create amazing tapestries around each song, utilizing jazzy drumming from Anders Nordin and great bass work from Johan DeFarfalla. Unfortunately, this is the last album of Opeth enlisting the services of this solid rhythm section. Though I prefer their current lineup, I don't believe Morningrise would have been so amazing without DeFarfalla and Nordin adding their touches. They both incorporate subtle jazz harmonies in their playing enriching the psychedelic passages on the album. During the breakdown of the track, Akerfeldt briefly sings clean vocals over a beautiful acoustic interlude. Inspired by the loss of a loved one (Akerfeldt's grandfather), the opening riff on "The Night and the Silent Water" is quite possibly one of my favourite Opeth riffs, ever. The guitar harmonies followed by another acoustic passage are dark and utterly emotive. I especially shudder at the end when I hear Akerfeldt's haunting vocal delivery where he basically whispers the words. Every song on this album has great acoustic guitars strummed in slow arpeggios. "Nectar" mixes colourful cymbal work and chiming bass lines that exhibit tight melody and a tense rhythmic feel. Once again we are presented a staggering twin guitar harmony during the middle of the song. It is almost shocking how many godlike riffs Opeth are using in their songs. They literally employ tens of changing riff patterns and incomparable melodies on a single track, with which other bands could more than likely write two full albums.
A whole review should actually be dedicated to the magnum opus "Black Rose Immortal", the band's 20-minute masterpiece. This song was actually intended to be on Orchid, but didn't make it for several reasons. It opens with a complex drum fill and segues into an ethereal twin guitar harmony once again. The first three minutes feature tons of melodies, all of which are totally memorable and refuse to get out of your head. Then a brief acoustic section follows and at around the 7:00 minute mark enters an impossibly beautiful guitar riff. An even better riff comes up a minute later, around 8:15 and it's right up there in my all-time favourites. Simply unbelievable. Sweeping acoustics return to the mix playing a dark, grim folk pattern enhanced by perhaps Akerfeldt's best clean singing on this album. After hundreds of listens, I still hear so many nuances in this song. Note, at 15:00, how the cymbals splash in a distant corner whilst the bass throbs (only once) intermittently every twenty seconds as Akerfeldt and Lindgren's elaborate guitar work continues to exhibit sweet Nordic folk melodies. The song ends with one of Akerfeldt's most violent and longest screams in his career which could only be rivaled by his guesting on Edge of Sanity's Crimson album (also written and performed by Dan Swano).
"To Bid You Farewell" successfully wraps the album up. It is sung in all clean vocals and contains finger picked acoustic melodies and touches on elements of jazz, folk, rock and even a blues guitar solo. It's easily one of the best closing songs on any Opeth album. I honestly am not a big fan of the bonus cut as it's just a demo recording from 1992 and has an awful mix. However, it is worth mentioning that it was later broken down into parts, some of which made it on "Advent" years later. Morningrise is a very, very big achievement and one of the best Opeth albums in my opinion.
Free Music Review: My second favorite opeth album.
Hit: 5 Stars
Before I bought this I read all the reviews about how great it was. When I got it I was initially disappointed. I kept listening knowing that it would grow some. And grow it did. Not enough to replace Orchid as my favorite, but it came pretty close. I would say that this Cd takes a more progressive turn compared to Orchid. The primary difference is that the acoustic sections are longer and more frequent. Also Mikeal's singing voice makes a improvement. It still has a very similar sound to Orchid. This is probably because many of these songs were originally intended to be on Orchid. Including Black Rose Immortal.
Advent 10 All around great song as usual. The first few seconds are silent, and all of a sudden the twin guitar riffs splash into the mix. At about 3:20 the first acoustic section of significance begins. What I really like about this is the prominence of the bass. Most metal bands are weak when it comes to bass. Opeth are one of the metal bands that are excellent. Especially in this Cd. The bass almost has a bubbly type of sound. It is a really unusaul type of bass for a metal song, but I like it. As far as my favorite part of the song goes I would say the last 5 minutes. It concludes with a fading acoustic section that progressively dwindles into oblivion.
The Night and Silent Water 10 This one waste no time getting to the metal. Great riffs open this one. One thing I really appreciate is Opeth's ability to produce astounding complex sound structures that will melt into tranquil moments of contemplation. Than reemerge without the transition being abrupt. One example is in the beginnings we have buzzing riffs that dissipate into simple melodies around 4:20 into the song. Meanwhile you get lost while focusing on the peace of the moment. Than between 8:00 to 8:22 the acoustics drift into a riff unannounced and without warning. My taste in music and metal vary considerably. This is the type I prefer to listen to when there is no distractions. If you just casually listen to this cd the subtle nuances that make it great will be lost on you. On the other hand if you put effort into listening you may grasp the purpose of the sounds that make up the song. Probably the most amazing thing about this cd is that if you were to strip these songs down to a few pieces and riffs you would create a pretty good song on its own. There are so many changes within a song that you could probably make about 30 songs out of the 5 main ones on here.
Nectar 10 This one starts with a brief little splattering of drum beats. At about 3:08 everything stops, and for about 10 seconds a beautiful bass solo. A minute later a beautiful guitar solo appears. At about 9:00 showers of riffs spring forth, while simultaneously there are these throbbing beeping bass sounds that go really well with the riff.
Black Rose Immortal 20/10 I don't see how one can be a true Opeth fan if they haven't heard this masterpiece. I consider this my second favorite Opeth song after "Forrest of October". My third being "God heads Lament". This to me is like the "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" of this generation. There is really so much to this song that it would be foolish to try to dissect it, and review it piece by piece. However I am quite foolish so I will just mention a few parts that I consider the highlights. My favorite part is at 9:00 minute following the best solo of the cd. All the music stops and it leaves Mikeal Akerfeldt quietly alone crooning some of his best singing on the cd. Following this there is a beautiful instrumental that sounds kind of Celtic to me. I think I may have mentioned this in another review that I wish Opeth would use various types of instruments more often. They excel when they do. I always thought that a flute would go great on this cd. And my final favorite part is the last couple minutes. They have one of there most sinister riffs in the last minute.
To bid you Farewell 7.5 Finally a song on this cd that's not perfect mean it is still really good, but it is not up to par with some of opeth's finer soft songs. My favorites are Harvest, In my time of need, and most of all Isolation years. Like I said it is still a good song especially the last half.
Eternal Soul Torture.7.5 I wont review this because I am lazy. Good song albeit more primitive to the actual songs here. My favorite thing about this song is Mikeal's singing. I would go on if it weren't for my damn carpal tunnel syndrome.
The last thing I must say is buy this cd and give it a chance to work and weave its magic upon you.
Free Music Review: Brillance
Hit: 5 Stars
"Orchid" was a great album, but "Morningrise" is simply better. While "Orchid" is still great and could be classified as one of the best debut albums ever, but "Morningrise" and all the albums after just showed how much Opeth matured and grew in their music as their career went on.
Now, "Morningrise" may not be my favorite Opeth album but it is up there. Infact, I don't really have a favorite Opeth album. There is no clear-cut album from them that is way above the others. Which is one of the reasons they are so great-Consistency in thier music.
"Morningrise" kicks off with a bang with the awesome opener "Advent". "Advent" fades right in and kicks you right away with loads of heavy riffs. It goes back and forth from heavy and slower more errie sounding riffs all throughout the song. If I ever met a newcomer to Opeth I would tell that person to either listen to "Advent" or "The Moor" (off of the Still Life album). "Advent" pretty much describes Opeth so well and can really get you used ton what is coming up on the rest of the album.
Then comes "The Night and the Silent Water" which kicks in with a nice heavy riff that continues till about the :40 mark when the vocals come in. The riff repeats behind the vocals for awhile, which is something you don't see out of Opeth too much. And in this situation that is not a bad thing, because this happens to be a really cool riff. When this part is done it kicks into an AWESOME slow part which goes on for awhile and leads into a great heavy ending. It's a shame Opeth doesn't play this song live, or anything from "Morningrise" anymore for that matter. Great song.
Next comes "Nectar". Evil and heavy riffs can be found anywhere in this song. I don't know why, but I always found this song to be similar to "Advent". But, both happen to be completely different too. "Nectar" is actually 3 minutes shorter than "Advent". Meh, still a great song.
Then comes the best song on the album and Opeth's opus-"Black Rose Immortal". You can tell from just the name that this song is going to kick ass. TThis song clocks in at 20:14. The first 7 minutes are strictly heavy, and some of those riffs are some of the most enjoyable Opeth riffs that you will hear. Then comes the slow part which goes on for awhile. The slow part in the middle of the song is probably my favorite Opeth slower moment. It's just so great in so many ways. It is unbelieveably beautiful. The song closes out with more heavy stuff, which is also great. You NEED this CD for "Black Rose Immortal" alone.
The CD closes with one of Opeth's slowest songs "To Bid you Farewell". And this song is very enjoyable. The first 3 minutes lead up to the vocals with some really cool mellow riffs. Mikeal's voice at the beggining of the song is just amazing. He sings his lines spectacularly. It then leads up to the last 3 minutes which are heavy. First of all, it is one great buildup. Second of all, the heavy part is amazing. Mikeals' vocals really shine on the heavy part and on this song as a whole.
I have the version of "Morningrise" which the bonus track "Eternal Soul Torture" which suffers from poor production. You can tell that it has potential, but it is just poorly produced.
The lineup on this album is:
Mikeal Akerfeldt-Vocals and Guitars
Peter Lindgren-Guitars
Johan DeFarlla-Bass
Anders Nordin-Drums
Anders and Johan would be replaced on Opeth's next album "My Arms Your Hearse" by two amazing musicians-Martin Mendez(Bass) and Martin Lopez(Drums). You can really tell a difference between the bass and drums when they switched guys too.
Overall, you need to buy this albu, as it is amazing.
Free Music Review: Morningrise Returns...
Hit: 5 Stars
Much like my other Opeth reviews, I have to say that listening to an album of this caliber and then attempting to convey the feelings it arouses in the form of words is both foolish and futile. Nothing can prepare you for Opeth. Although the band has attracted its share of detractors now, I must say that any music listener with an open mind and long attention span should find hours of perplexing enjoyment here. Those who fail to understand, power to ya, but don't pollute this website with tasteless reviews on why you hate Opeth.Morningrise is different from every other Opeth album. Each has its own appeal, something you look for as you're listening. With My Arms, Your Hearse it is the aggression and heavy riffs that I search for as I listen. With Still Life I listen for the enchanting vocal performance given by Mikael Akerfeldt. Blackwater Park has everything. Aggression, melody, awesome growling, awesome singing, beautiful acoustics, sweet riffs, and progressive song lengths. On here it is just the riffs. Oh, the riffs. And the twin guitar melodies. Amazing. The lyrics pale in comparison to future albums', although they are still good, and Akerfeldt has a different style of singing here. It's more of a black-metallish high shriek than the deep inhuman growl of late, and his clean vocal performance is less catchy and haunting. Therefore the guitar leads and segues into acoustic dreamland are what I look forward to when sitting back to this eclectic journey of a CD. The mood given by the amazing guitar lines on Morningrise make it my favorite, with Blackwater Park a close second.
Morningrise is also the least 'metal' of all their albums. When compared to MAYH or Deliverance, it is very soft. While those make Pantera and At the Gates sound light, Morningrise is like a heavy thrash album. The riffs do not reverberate in your skull like the opening to "Bleak," or "Godhead's Lament," or "When." They glide soothing over you, flowing in an ambient manner, rather than a percussive one. The song lengths are also unbelievable. There are five songs here, the average length 13 minutes or so, the longest being "Black Rose Immortal," at a Dream Theater-esque 20 minutes! An epic album in all proportions.
"Advent" kicks the album off with a short acoustic beginning and following with a 12-minute rollercoaster of double-bass drums and awesome riff after awesome riff, balanced with the needed, yet arbitrary acoustic interludes spicing up the mix. "The Night and the Silent Water" is a much more laid-back track, with less aggression, clocking at about 11 minutes. "Nectar" is another piledriver, this time with Medieval-sounding riffs similar to In Flames. "Black Rose Immortal" is the epic, which feels 8 minutes long at most. "To Bid You Farewell" is a largely jazzy-acoustic/clean vocals all through piece, with a bit of electric guitar finishing it off.
Opeth are beyond death metal. The incorporation of acoustic guitar is what makes them sound so classical. Many people compare bands like Suffocation or Emperor to the likes of Beethoven and Mozart. That's not accurate. Here's the real statement:
If Beethoven, Mozart, Grieg, and Mahler were transported to the present and were forced to form a rock band together, it would sound something like Opeth's Morningrise.
***This is a reissue, containing the bonus track "Eternal Soul Torture," a rough, poorly produced demo that was later cut up and used for the other songs. It sort of throws off the album's mood, but whatever.
Free Music Review: Morningrise Returns...
Hit: 5 Stars
Much like my other Opeth reviews, I have to say that listening to an album of this caliber and then attempting to convey the feelings it arouses in the form of words is both foolish and futile. Nothing can prepare you for Opeth. Although the band has attracted its share of detractors now, I must say that any music listener with an open mind and long attention span should find hours of perplexing enjoyment here. Those who fail to understand, power to ya, but don't pollute this website with tasteless reviews on why you hate Opeth.Morningrise is different from every other Opeth album. Each has its own appeal, something you look for as you're listening. With My Arms, Your Hearse it is the aggression and heavy riffs that I search for as I listen. With Still Life I listen for the enchanting vocal performance given by Mikael Akerfeldt. Blackwater Park has everything. Aggression, melody, awesome growling, awesome singing, beautiful acoustics, sweet riffs, and progressive song lengths. On here it is just the riffs. Oh, the riffs. And the twin guitar melodies. Amazing. The lyrics pale in comparison to future albums', although they are still good, and Akerfeldt has a different style of singing here. It's more of a black-metallish high shriek than the deep inhuman growl of late, and his clean vocal performance is less catchy and haunting. Therefore the guitar leads and segues into acoustic dreamland are what I look forward to when sitting back to this eclectic journey of a CD. The mood given by the amazing guitar lines on Morningrise make it my favorite, with Blackwater Park a close second.
Morningrise is also the least 'metal' of all their albums. When compared to MAYH or Deliverance, it is very soft. While those make Pantera and At the Gates sound light, Morningrise is like a heavy thrash album. The riffs do not reverberate in your skull like the opening to "Bleak," or "Godhead's Lament," or "When." They glide soothing over you, flowing in an ambient manner, rather than a percussive one. The song lengths are also unbelievable. There are five songs here, the average length 13 minutes or so, the longest being "Black Rose Immortal," at a Dream Theater-esque 20 minutes! An epic album in all proportions.
"Advent" kicks the album off with a short acoustic beginning and following with a 12-minute rollercoaster of double-bass drums and awesome riff after awesome riff, balanced with the needed, yet arbitrary acoustic interludes spicing up the mix. "The Night and the Silent Water" is a much more laid-back track, with less aggression, clocking at about 11 minutes. "Nectar" is another piledriver, this time with Medieval-sounding riffs similar to In Flames. "Black Rose Immortal" is the epic, which feels 8 minutes long at most. "To Bid You Farewell" is a largely jazzy-acoustic/clean vocals all through piece, with a bit of electric guitar finishing it off.
Opeth are beyond death metal. The incorporation of acoustic guitar is what makes them sound so classical. Many people compare bands like Suffocation or Emperor to the likes of Beethoven and Mozart. That's not accurate. Here's the real statement:
If Beethoven, Mozart, Grieg, and Mahler were transported to the present and were forced to form a rock band together, it would sound something like Opeth's Morningrise.
***This is a reissue, containing the bonus track "Eternal Soul Torture," a rough, poorly produced demo that was later cut up and used for the other songs. It sort of throws off the album's mood, but whatever.