Opeth - Morningrise
|
List Price: Our Price: $9.99 You Save: $2.99 (23%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $7.00 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Morningrise
Free Music Review: Everything youthful
Hit: 5 Stars
This album is intense and narrative in a way that few are. It transcends its genre and uses its musical elements as tools for expression; it doesn't matter what you classify it as. It is metal in that there are growls and heavier parts, but even then for the most part I feel a lot more of a sensitive, paranoid romanticism than any usual kind of aggression. Morningrise is a natural vivid world with no rules, all emotions are as intense as the days of adolescence where a relationship could mean everything even irrational and wild as it was. It captures that life, and maybe in particular what that life was to a much younger Mikael Akerfeldt, in all its radiant forest imagery and pale pink lights like the Christmas lights in my girlfriend's dorm room.
Listening to Morningrise could either make you feel nostalgia for this lifestyle, or sadness at never having experienced it at all. Or you could feel nothing, because without real focus on the part of the listener, these songs drag on and their narrations don't come across. This is an album for the patient.
There are technical flaws. There are a few transitions that may not quite work (although the songs flow much better than on "Orchid", which was still good). The growl is not as polished as it would become later. Yet, this just might by my favorite album in the world. Its soul is more real and vibrant than almost anything I've experienced.
Free Music Review: One of my Favorites
Hit: 5 Stars
I was reading the reviews and noticed Dan Swano was given no credit to the production of the first 3 albums to include Orchid and My Arms Your Hearse. All 3 have a definite Dan Swano feel. Listen to the bass lines on the change ups (Dan Swano all the way) and you will notice they are different in later works. Check out Edge of Sanity's "Crimson" (a band he was in) release and you will note much of the skill and time placed in production although the lyrics were corny. I think MAYH was partly inspired by the same idea of 1 long story with no real breaks in the recording. You can definitely tell the difference in the producer. Although I think Mikael Åkerfeldt being the front man of Opeth learned a great deal in the early productions and has done a fine job after the fact.
Let it be known though it is just my opinion. There is a mastery coming from Sweden that surpasses American metal by far and these guys are a tight nit group that all share their knowledge in the studio. Hence other great producers like Peter Tägtgren. I would also give some credit to Dan on (my favorite) Katatonias' success, having produced their early works also.
This is a great cd. I wish I could discover it again for the first time right along with the other 2. The people who dislike Opeth are Slipknot types. They listen to stuff they will hate in 10 years.
Free Music Review: Much better than Orchid - less brutal, more idyllic
Hit: 5 Stars
Considered by metal gurus to be Opeth's best album to date, the Swedish quartet's sophomore effort was a definite improvement over their debut. The album has everything the original had: the dual-guitar attack, Mikael Åkerfeldt's violent screams, and significantly longer songs. The improvement is, no doubt, in the innovations. The 20-minute colossus "Black Rose Immortal" contains brief passages of Nordic folk music within the powerful death-metal movements. "The Night and Silent Water" contains a simple acoustic line that provides a sound bridge between the forceful death-metal riffs. My personal favorite on the disc is the last track, "To Bid You Farewell", of whose ten minutes, over half are acoustic and soothing. This song (along with parts of the rest of the album) showed that Åkerfeldt was capable of both screaming and letting out a delicate croon. The album's production did not change from Orchid's raw, dry metal. Both guitars are distinct, as are the other instruments. Though not as clean as Opeth's sound was to become, Morningrise was a step forward for Opeth with the continuing emergence and incorporation of softer sounds and the rising presence of Åkerfeldt's "softer" side. Stunning and epic.
See also: Opeth - Orchid, Vanitas - Das Leben ein Traum, Vanitas - Der Schatten einer Existenz
Free Music Review: Brilliance. Pure Brilliance.
Hit: 5 Stars
While "Morningrise' is not near as well produced as the later albums would be, this is far more genuine. Their sound has changed so much since the days of 'Orchid' and 'Morningrise' that I can say, without a doubt, Opeth will never reach as high as they did here.
Later albums such as 'Blackwater Park' and 'Ghost Reveries' would lean more to the progressive side of metal (which is perfectly fine), but their earlier albums had a much more primal feel to them. The guitar lines were more prominent (and absolutely jaw-dropping) over-shadowing the bass and drums just enough to avoid sounding muddy.
Vocals are quite different then on the later albums, too. The growl isn't as deep and sounds almost Black Metalesque in comparison...a good kind of Black Metalesque. The thing with 'Morningrise' is that the whole is far greater then the sum of it's parts, and the picture on the front very astutely matches the over-arching tone of the album. Very fine artwork indeed.
For some seriously awesome riffs be sure to check out the opening theme riff to 'Night and the Silent Water' and really anything from the mid-section of 'Black Rose Immortal'.
Visceral, technical, and enduring...this one is a keeper. One of metal's all-time best.
Free Music Review: 5....and it deserves so much more.
Hit: 5 Stars
This album...this band...and I have all of their albums from Orchid to Damnation and all of their albums have something to offer. This album has the best thing though, me personally, when i listen to music i listen for vocals that are original and music that is brillant. Opeth delivers with Morningrise and then some. First and foremost, if anyone else knows of any band that is similar to Opeth besides the impossible to find Novembre band, let me know but this album offers two songs that I love. Black Rose Immortal and To Bid You Farewell are awesome songs. 20 min masterpiece and one of the best ballads ive heard EVER. If you have never heard of Opeth, this isnt that album to start with, id say start with thier latest, Damnation, alotta clean vocals with the great music, this is the cream of the crop though. Opeth outdid themselves very early in their career with Morningrise and this is one of the BEST albums I have, I can't say that its the best becasue i love so much music but its one of the best. Death Metal meets melodic metal (if there is such a thing). Get this album if uve heard of Opeth and u want more and if u love Opeth then u have this album, really great stuff here.