Written by DevilishSong on 24.03.2008 at 21:53

Written by Guest on 16.01.2008 at 23:00

old by far orchid and mornigrise are the best prog albums ever

This is really True.....
it is too hard to find better album than these in Prog metal

especially "The Twilight Is my Robe" , "Nectar" and "Advent" are amazing.

My favorite Opeth-song is Nectar... a fucking masterpiece.
So, that means that I havre to agree with both of you =)

All their career is good. But they have crafted their style and became with every record they put better.

I chose "overrated" since it seems closest to "Opeth are crap." I'm surprised at all the praise the song "Nectar" is receiving here. That song was my introduction to Opeth (back on the Firestarter compilation... kind of out of place on that CD a few tracks after "Necrolust") and though it's pleasant and mellow enough it always seemed like a prime example of the compositionally incoherent cut-and-paste metal that turns up in prog/metal hybrid music. It's representative of a problem that turns up a lot in this band's output as far as I've heard. I can see why Blackwater Park gets praise since it seems the most straightforward of their albums (although again I've avoided exploring their discography to great depth), it makes for alright "easy listening" material I guess.

Going to have to say pre-Blackwater Park, even though Deliverance is my favourite album by Opeth. The gutteral screams on Orchid/Morningrise are incredible and Still Life is for me their overall strongest album with no weak tracks (unless you ignore the final track on Deliverance ). The earliest albums did feel a bit cut+paste at times though, riffwise.

Still Life is a great album so I've chosen before Black Water Park

Mmmm the last worthy Opeth album was Orchid so I guess I'm voting old.

Written by Guest on 05.04.2008 at 23:56

Mmmm the last worthy Opeth album was Orchid so I guess I'm voting old.

Wow, the last worthy album at all? Now that's what I call hard to please.

For those that are interested - knowing that Opeth are my favourite band these days - although my favourite song is Bleak, I cannot decide whether Deliverance, My Arms - Your Hearse, or Morningrise is my favourite album. It's just very difficult for me - but although other songs are incredibly close, and no doubt depending on my mood some are equal to it, Bleak is still my favourite song. For point of interest, songs that regularly come close to toppling Bleak's pedestal in my mind are Deliverance, Face Of Melinda and When. Oh I forgot, also Credence.

Naturally I voted for before Blackwater Park.

I dont think one time frame is better than another for Opeth. They are an all around great band who has put out greatly intense albums throughout the years.

All of their cd's have been good, if you ask me. Most of them are pretty easy to get into. I don't think I can choose between their old stuff, and their new stuff. I like both very much. Still I'm wandering what "Watershed" will be like.

//I voted before blackwater park because i prefer Morningrise over every other Opeth album. I just think that all their old stuff was so awesome that they kind of used up all of their best material and haven't been able to top it since//

I like opeth. i dont like years

I think that is before blackwater park. The band was better I just think that was the classical opeth period. The past drummer was better to the band.

I vote before Blackwater Park too. Don't misunderstand me, I find that Deliverance and the following albums are also more than good but my favourites are still Orchid and Still Life so...

Written by Guest on 31.08.2008 at 12:29

How is this even a thread? I can understand obvious threads like "old vs. new In Flames" but Opeth is so consistent...

Yeah, and their progression is very gradual. It's not like they all of a sudden changed their sound drastically after Blackwater Park. This poll could f.e. also have said "before Still Life", "after Still Life"

Written by Guest on 31.08.2008 at 12:54

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 31.08.2008 at 12:43

Written by Guest on 31.08.2008 at 12:29

How is this even a thread? I can understand obvious threads like "old vs. new In Flames" but Opeth is so consistent...

Yeah, and their progression is very gradual. It's not like they all of a sudden changed their sound drastically after Blackwater Park. This poll could f.e. also have said "before Still Life", "after Still Life"

Right.

And for me the only difference between old and new stuff (if "Still Life" and "Blackwater Park" mark the change) is production quality. I like a fuller sound, so I admit to listening mostly to the new stuff, but the compositions are amazing throughout their whole career and very much Opeth in style.

True the mostt noticable difference is the production which starts to become fuller and clearer. I don't know who did the production on everything before Still Life, but for Still Life I think it was Swanö and after that Steve Wilson.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 31.08.2008 at 12:43


Yeah, and their progression is very gradual. It's not like they all of a sudden changed their sound drastically after Blackwater Park. This poll could f.e. also have said "before Still Life", "after Still Life"

I agree... their change wasn't that big on Blackwater Park. BUT I do think that there's a mark...
Right after Ghost Reveries IMO... that album doesn't sound like anything before it. ANYTHING.

The new album has also a similar sound to it.. I can't describe it though. It just feels diferent [and bad for my tastes tbh]

I guess they were just too experimental on GR...

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 31.08.2008 at 13:01

...

True the mostt noticable difference is the production which starts to become fuller and clearer. I don't know who did the production on everything before Still Life, but for Still Life I think it was Swanö and after that Steve Wilson.

Steve Wilson's involvement was basically the point of this poll. Also, the choice of before vs. after Blackwater Park was a natural division because any choice that included Blackwater Park would obviously win.

When I made this poll I was having a lot of trouble getting into Opeth's early work and wanted to find out how many people preferred their more recent stuff. I have since developed a greater appreciation for their older albums. Admittedly, I would now have a much tougher time making a decision.

Written by Guest on 31.08.2008 at 12:29

How is this even a thread? I can understand obvious threads like "old vs. new In Flames" but Opeth is so consistent...

Opeth's consistency does make it a challenge to respond to the poll. But how does this invalidate the thread? Does a poll have to be obvious to be worthwhile? Or has the simple act of thinking gone out of fashion on account of requiring too much effort?

I think that Opeth were simply hilarious while releasing Damnation and Deliverance albums.. The last two albums are not that good as the older ones for me... Especially ghost reveries... Last opeth album was better than I expected it to be...

Written by Anathemani@c on 10.09.2008 at 15:31

I think that Opeth were simply hilarious while releasing Damnation and Deliverance albums.. The last two albums are not that good as the older ones for me... Especially ghost reveries... Last opeth album was better than I expected it to be...

I agree man, but new Opeth is not so bad like other bands after style changing, its less changes how Sentenced, Amorpfis, Paradise Lost, emo band Lacrimas Perfondum and others

I'd say before Blackwater park.. My favourite albums are Still Life and Blackwater, but Watershed is damn close to perfection.

I've only known them for about a month and I pusposefully chose to start with their latest work and advance backwards through their history. Funny enough to this day I've exactly come to Blackwater Park. So technically I'm not even allowed to post here. I apologize in advance
But I read this thread carefully and listened to every song anyone of you mentioned as being good from the albums I don't yet know. From what I've gathered so far their new sound is somewhat more distinct. If you haven't known them before and start with Watershed you have to love it. I bought this album one morning and didn't leave my room for two days listening to it. It's just pure perfection. Maybe not musically (not from the infamous technical aspect), but listening to it put me in this dreaming state of enjoyment that only few bands' music can provoke. Then advancing backwards I was bit disappointed at first, rapidly going through Damnation and Deliverance until Blackwater Park hit me. And there I'm stuck for now, loving what I already know and enjoying it so much that I don't want to ruin it by putting more and more of their albums on top. Therefore I voted after for now. But I won't be finnished with this band for a long time and things may change for me.

I remember when I first heard opeth it was back in 1996 one of my friend buyed Morningrise and I 've listen Black Rose Immortal, it was really intense, maybe because I had to much THC in blood but all my perception of music turn in a very different way so opeth change my life. album after album it's totally a perfect evolution every new album are my best so now with watershed.... I say with Blackwater park, I voted After

I think watershed is the best work of opeth. this album is more progressive than other albums. progressive drum caused somebodies think it's jazzy drum but being unpredictable is a trait of progressive.
moreover using keyboard in all music resulted more melodic album

I have voted for new Opeth as think their have matured since that time and their post-Blackwater Park albums have better songs. And Watershed may easily be their best album.

I definitely like older Opeth. The new stuff is great but it just lacks so much vision and potential. The older albums, you can just feel all the fresh ideas and it sounding a bit purer and undefined. The newer albums seem like Opeth have found their niche in music, they have found their sound and are gonna keep it that way. Old albums held a bit more wonder and just better musicianship in my opinion.... did that make sense?

Written by -DC-002- on 04.03.2009 at 03:09

I definitely like older Opeth. The new stuff is great but it just lacks so much vision and potential. The older albums, you can just feel all the fresh ideas and it sounding a bit purer and undefined. The newer albums seem like Opeth have found their niche in music, they have found their sound and are gonna keep it that way. Old albums held a bit more wonder and just better musicianship in my opinion.... did that make sense?

Definitely. Explains why Watershed was so freaking bland.

Although "Blackwater Park" probably is their best and one of my all time favourites my vote has to go to their old days. "Orchid" to "Blackwater Park" was definetly their best period. Every single Opeth album from that period are highlights in my album collection. Sure, after "Blackwater Park" we got "Damnation" and "Watershed" but also the weaker Opeth releases: "Deliverance" and "Ghost Reveries". Great albums, but "Opeth great"? Don't think so.

Written by Warman on 04.03.2009 at 03:32

Although "Blackwater Park" probably is their best and one of my all time favourites my vote has to go to their old days. "Orchid" to "Blackwater Park" was definetly their best period. Every single Opeth album from that period are highlights in my album collection. Sure, after "Blackwater Park" we got "Damnation" and "Watershed" but also the weaker Opeth releases: "Deliverance" and "Ghost Reveries". Great albums, but "Opeth great"? Don't think so.

You mixed up Deliverance and Damnation in the wrong order.

I don't like Opeth. They sound pretentious, boring, uninspired and dull. And then on top of that they always seem like they're trying too hard. Ok, so they want to appear to be the next big thing to happen to metal and act all artsy and progressive and shit. Problem is they ain't got the proper inspiration to pull it off. It just comes off as a wannabe strange variant of bland Gothenburg melodeath that's been subjected to some kind of failed experiment to make it even more cringeworthy. It was maybe a nice idea, but it's a shame they couldn't pull it off. I also hate Åkerfeldt. Can't stand his vocals whatsoever, especially not his clean vocals. I've really never understood the appeal of Opeth.

I've found that this applies to different degrees no matter what era of opeth we're talking about. The only album which shows a glimmer of quality IMO is Orchid, and even then it's not enough to make it something I'd like to listen to. As such I don't care much about what era of Opeth sounds in what way, since it's crap anyway. "Who cares, Opeth is overrated!" seemed like a good choice to vote for.