Opeth - Still Life (Dig)
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Free Music Notes for Still Life (Dig)
Free Music Review: New to Opeth? Start Here
Hit: 5 Stars
This is probably Opeth's most accessible album (Blackwater Park comes close but comes in second because of its length, although it's not overlong by any stretch of the imagination). For people who are already familiar with Opeth, you should own this already; I'm writing this for people who are dissatified with the current music scene and looking for something new. Opeth are a unique combination of intelligence, beauty, and brutality. Simply put, they are the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, or Guns N Roses of this era. This is no ordinary death metal; you'll notice that there are no Satanic or Paganistic lyrics. "Still Life" is actually a concept album. I have heard many different interpretations, but I see it as based on Shakespeare's "Othello" (the first track is entitled "The Moor"). Basically the storyline is that a man goes away for a long time and comes back to find his wife, Melinda, with another man. The story is pretty interesting and even comes with a surprise ending.
As far as the music goes, this music is more accessible than some of their older stuff, but they sacrifice none of their musical vision to get there. "The Moor" starts out with an acoustic section, but don't be fooled, this is probably Opeth's heaviest song ever. The vocals, both death and clean are fantastic, and the guitar riff stuck in my head for days. "Moonlapse Vertigo" continues Opeth's tradition of thinking of awesome names for their songs. Opeth has claimed the British prog-rock band Camel as one of their biggest influences, and it is quite evident in this song. "The Face of Melinda" is a two-part song; the first part is entirely acoustic, while the second part employs distorted guitars but Akerfeldt continues with the clean vocals, giving this well-written song a doom-metal sound. "Serenity Painted Death" starts out with some memorable guitar work before giving way a slower riff that metal-heads like me find it nearly impossible not to headbang to. The riff in the chorus is good as well, but the death vocals in the chorus don't work so well; Akerfeldt sounds like he's burping the words "Serenity Painted Death." They make up for that, though, with a good guitar solo. Unfortunately, the rest of the song isn't as memorable as the beginning, but overall this is still a worthwhile song. "White Cluster" also features impressive guitar work; Opeth isn't noramlly known for their guitar solos, but the solo in this song isn't really complex or technical, but still is powerful and arguably their best solo in any song. When the song ends, it does something that very few songs in concept albums do; close out the album and leave the listener satisfied.
Now let me remind you that Opeth is in no way "musical fast-food," if you will. It took me about ten listens before my I started picking out my favorite parts, yet I still am discovering new aspects of the songs that I hadn't noticed before, nearly three months after I first listened to it. So if you give it time, I can guarantee that it will pay off. Do I really need to say that this album is highly recommended?
Free Music Review: Metal Brilliance
Hit: 5 Stars
First off, before i start an impartial review, I LOVE OPETH. they are my favorite band of all time at this moment, and have been now for roughly 3 years. that being said....With 2000 roughly approaching, everyone had in mind a good canidate for album of the millenium. Many would say its the Black Album, or the White Album, or even the Brown Album (Primus fans love it, do you?) but one album shines through all the gems and gives these classic albums a run for their money.
Am i calling Still Life album of the millenium? Nah. i dont have such a bold claim, i am a lover of too many bands and too much music to display such favoritism toward any one release that is to sum up a time that perhaps like Still Life, has seen rises and falls, just like the rough deathy raw Opeth so darkly contrasts the jazz and acoustic laden Damnation style Opeth.
You see both on Still Life, in seperate measures too. You can see how Opeth became legendary thanks to albums like Morningrise and My Arms Your Hearse because of the sheer brutality that songs like "The Moor" and "Moonlapse Vertigo" possess. But secondly you bear witness to an evolution of sorts, where Opeth finally decided that they would mold their craft with more experimental material. You can see it in the latter track, the jazz/rock riff at the 5 minute mark is not a new aspect of Opeth's winning formula, just one that they finagle around with a bit more.
Another aspect of this disc that cannot be overlooked is the sheer beauty in anguish that the two acoustic laden tracks, "Benightened" and "Face of Melinda" offer. Gone are the gory power riffs and boombastic drumming that define the death edge of Opeth, and featured is the dramatic, tearful requiems that Opeth fans will spawn familier thoughts of "To Bid You Farewell" to for days on end. Mikael's soft voice rings forth so genuine in these two sparkling gems.
The album's dawning concept is something that is to be debated upon. Melinda is a long lost lover seemingly of leader Mikael, who's vocal performance throughout this epic disc seems hauntingly like he were performing it in front of Melinda, or even more chilling, at her funeral. Did he kill her? Did he get cast out of town? This whodunit formula shouldn't be offered while understanding the lush atmosphere of this album. Like the title, Still Life, this album represents one moment in time, one ticking second from a day in the life of someone, perhaps the crying, tortured soul that adorns the cover of the disc. all these things that are debated as a concept could be done in an instant, or might have been done in the same period.
Any fan of Opeth needs to own this essential release. Its a fitting bridge between My Arms Your Hearse and Blackwater Park. Finally, while this may not be the album of the millenium, its most definately in my mind, album of that year.
Free Music Review: Great, though uneven
Hit: 5 Stars
I struggled mightily with this album when I bought it back in 1999; I had, quite literally, never heard anything that even vaguely sounded like it before. For some, Opeth is something of an acquired taste, and this album was what eventually got me hooked, and it remains the album I lend to people curious about the band. Though "Blackwater Park" is probably a better album, "Still life" showcases Opeth better than any other of their discs.Starting off with "The Moor", the album tells the story of a man who comes to a theocratically ruled society, searching for a woman ("Face of Melinda") and ends up being hanged ("White Cluster") after stepping on the toes of the wrong people. Thus, Åkerfeldt stays with his established gloomy lyrical themes. However, "Still Life" is a musical treasure chest, far more varied in its content than it predecessor. Though "My arms, your hearse" is a fabulous album, it is mostly a thrash-it-out effort. Here, however, none of the songs are entirely hard, something that makes its still-plentiful mosh parts all the more effective. "Still life" is the album where Opeth finally mastered the art of pacing; though it is a less accessible album than "MA,YH", the rewards for sticking around are immense.
The atmospheric opener "The Moor" might not be Opeth's finest, but is has a poppy chorus and a well-crafted riff structure, and sets the scene for the showstoppers that follow. "Godhead's lament" is simply awesome, with its clinical intricacies and brooding lyrics, while "Benighted" and, especially, "Face of Melinda" are good, atmospheric ballads. However, the main event is the knockout "Moonlapse Vertigo", with its colossal riffs, catchy melodies and awe-inspiring vocals - witness Åkerfeldt's vocal transformation from polite crooner to rabid dinosaur when the guitars go from acoustic to full distortion. It might very possibly be Opeth's best song, and is easily worth three stars alone. The unrelentingly punishing "Serenity Painted Death" and the sophisticated closer "White Cluster" are good, powerful death/thrash tunes that round out an excellent, if rather demanding album.
"Still life" is a bit of an litmus test. If you like it, you'll probably like all the other Opeth albums as well. If you don't, you might still love the viceral intensity of "MA,YH" or the cool sophistication of "Damnation", depending on your temperament. But don't take my word for it; instead, check it out. You will not be sorry.
Free Music Review: Opeth's best, period.
Hit: 5 Stars
A lot of Opeth grognards will tell you that "My Arms, Your Hearse" is their greatest album. Don't believe them; they get off on listening to music that was recorded in forests and other such nonsense. "Still Life" is Opeth's masterpiece, their best album from top to bottom.
The overall sound of "Still Life" is undeniably classic Opeth, but also unique among their albums. Nothing else they've made fits so perfectly with its underlying concept (except maybe "Watershed", but that album is the orange in Opeth's apple cart). The album is unabashedly brutal, and often discordant to the point of being unpleasant. Revenge is the album's state of mind. The message is clear: this is not a nice story, and it's not supposed to be fun. But it is fun, as long as you immerse yourself in the art.
One thing that makes "Still Life" better than "My Arms, Your Hearse" is the variety. The latter contains very few accoustic breaks, and although "Credence" is soft compared to the rest of the album, it doesn't break the pattern enough to really stand out. "Still Life" goes all the way with its two soft tracks, "Benighted" and "Face of Melinda", which is what makes them work so well. It's weird, but these two tracks fit "Still Life" better than "Credence" fits "My Arms, Your Hearse" because of the greater difference between them and their context.
I believe that "The Moor" is Opeth's heaviest song, "Wreath" be damned. No other Opeth track (not even the overhyped "The Baying of the Hounds") can project the same sense of inevitable and thoroughly unpleasant doom. From the moment the heavily-distorted electric guitars smash through the pretty accoustic introduction like a blunt axe through the side of your neck, the mood of the album is clear.
The remainder of the tracks on the album are some of my favorite Opeth songs to date. They perfectly mix the soft with the heavy, with the best transitions Opeth has yet written. "Godhead's Lament" might be my personal choice as Opeth's greatest song. The transitions between melody and discord are amazing, and the melodic sections absolutely soar. "White Cluster" feels like an execution. Which is good, because it actually is an execution. It's dreadful, but in a fun way.
Overall, "Still Life" is Opeth's masterpiece. The usual Opeth-ian emotions such as sorrow, pain, and regret are present, but saturated with an underlying sense of pure rage that exists nowhere else in their catalogue. This is a mean album, a concept executed (no pun intended) to perfection.
Free Music Review: Both haunting and beautiful. Still Life is a magical experience!
Hit: 5 Stars
There are certain terms and phrases of praise that can be applied to everything Opeth does. Wonderful musicianship, epic tracks of varying styles and textures, consistent class and quality all come to mind. But with "Still Life", Opeth's fourth album, you can add a few more. The music on this release is incredibly beautiful, enchanting and haunting. While I always listen to their albums in awe of their brilliance, this one touches me much deeper. The artwork, the lyrics, the melodies, the intertwining acoustic, the mixture of tender and brutal vocals, it all combines to form something that's purely...magical!
"Still Life" is a concept album, following the journey of a man who returns to his home, long after being banished, attempting to find his beloved Melinda. From what I can gather, she is in no position to be with him as he is still an outcast, and yet she still loves him. Unfortunately, they are discovered together and Melinda has her throat cut. In a rage, the man begins to slaughter the town members until he himself is finally executed and joins Melinda in the afterlife for good.
As you can tell, the mood of the album is that of despair. Album opener "The Moor" is a perfect example of the feelings of loneliness, anger and loss that is consistently portrayed throughout. The quiet intro sets the scene perfectly, seguing into beautiful acoustics which in turn mixes seamlessly with heavy guitars and Mikael's awesomely crushing vocals. Within a few minutes the music transforms without losing the mood and before you know it the band are playing death metal. While other bands fail to combine styles seamlessly, Opeth have become experts and this is the release that proves it.
Highlights include the above-mentioned "The Moor", "Godhead's Lament" (which has a simply awesome heavy riff, "Benighted" (an exquisite acoustic track) and "Face of Melinda" (the centrepiece of the album). But every track plays it part in the story both musically and lyrically to form a wonderful, moving piece of art. If you like death metal (but don't expect brutality throughout) or progressive metal (but can handle things a little more extreme at times) then check Opeth out. "Still Life" is a perfect place to start!