Now, he's the motherfucker.

Could Burden be a contender for best Opeth song? I'd give The Moor a good run for it's money.

I really like this album, actually, one of the better Opeth records, and I think it is superior to the 4 albums before it.
EDIT: Actually, this could be in my top 3 Opeth albums, the other two being Orchid and MAYH

Hmmm, maybe better than Ghost Reveries and Deliverance (or at least more consistent than those two). But it won't touch their golden period for me (first 5 albums).

Written by X-Ray Rod on 27.11.2017 at 15:56

Hmmm, maybe better than Ghost Reveries and Deliverance (or at least more consistent than those two). But it won't touch their golden period for me (first 5 albums).

Here is how I would rank their albums as of right now:

1. My Arms, Your Hearse
2. Still Life
3. Watershed
4. Orchid
4. Morningrise
5. Blackwater Park
7. Damnation
8. Ghost Reveries
9. Deliverance
10. Pale Communion
11. Sorceress
12. Heritage

Written by [user id=159927] on 27.11.2017 at 19:41
List

It's almost completely backwards for me. I stopped caring with Heritage so I wont take those albums under consideration:

1. Still Life
2. Morningrise
3. Blackwater Park
4. My Arms, Your Hearse
5. Damnation
6. Deliverance
7. Orchid
8. Ghost Reveries
9. Watershed

I am a massive pre-Heritage Opeth fan though... So all of the albums on this part of their discography are worth at least an 8.0 for me. So It doesn't say a lot in my case.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 27.11.2017 at 23:14

1. Still Life
2. Morningrise
3. Blackwater Park
4. My Arms, Your Hearse
5. Damnation
6. Deliverance
7. Orchid
8. Ghost Reveries
9. Watershed

What? What?


Watershed last? Orchid lower than Deliverance?

Lol, that image is obviously a reference to our last convo about Ahab, so again, we are having completely different experiences with Opeth this time around.

EDIT: Again, I am in the minority here, most fans praise Still life and Blackwater Park as their best works, I am just not one of them.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 27.11.2017 at 15:56

.... But it won't touch their golden period for me (first 5 albums).

+1
Here is mine:
1. Morningrise (9.9)
2. Still life (9.8)
3. Blackwarwe park (9.6)
4. Orchid (9.5)
5. MAYH (9.5)
6. Ghost reveries (8.2)
7. Deliverance (8.0)
8. Damnation (7.9)
9. Watershed (7.6)
10. Heritage (7.2)
11. Pale communion (6.6)
12. Sorceress (5.3)

Written by [user id=159927] on 27.11.2017 at 23:23
Watershed last? Orchid lower than Deliverance?
Lol, that image is obviously a reference to our last convo about Ahab, so again, we are having completely different experiences with Opeth this time around.
EDIT: Again, I am in the minority here, most fans praise Still life and Blackwater Park as their best works, I am just not one of them.

Watershed does linger into a lot of the prog rock that will ultimately create the awful Heritage. Not only that... But it keeps repeteaing an element I did not appreciate with Ghost Reveries either: That fucking keyboard. Opeth never needed it to begin with.

As for Orchid: It gains points solely for the grim sound and production but for songwriting? It's immature and the awesome rawness and savage growls still won't save it from that.

The reason why Deliverance is so high on the list, specially considering some of it's flaws (like songs being too long and some are quite repetitive)... It's simply because it was my very first contact with the band and for a band I fell in love for more than 10(!) years ago (shit... how time flies)... The Nostalgia points are huge and can not be fully explained. You'll understand that later.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 27.11.2017 at 23:48

The reason why Deliverance is so high on the list, specially considering some of it's flaws (like songs being too long and some are quite repetitive)... It's simply because it was my very first contact with the band and for a band I fell in love for more than 10(!) years ago (shit... how time flies)... The Nostalgia points are huge and can not be fully explained. You'll understand that later.

I sort of understand that now (no where near as long of a time period) but listening to any Type O Negative album or KISS's Alive! gives me some good old nostalgia feels fo' shizzle.
EDIT: Actually even some of Opeth's work, specifically Orchid and MAYH give me lots of nostalgia, they were one of my first metal bands along with Type O and Celtic Frost

Are we doing this?
1. Still Life
2. Blackwater Park
3. Ghost Reveries
4. Watershed
5. Damnation
6. Deliverance
7. Heritage (I enjoyed it and I still do)
8. Morningrise
9. My Arms, Your Hearse
10. Pale Communion
11. Orchid
12.Sorceress

And to keep this on track even though I've already said everything I've got to say concerning Watershed, I think that it had the perfect balance between what the fans wanted the band to write and Mikael's Progressive tendencies.

Written by InnerSelf on 28.11.2017 at 00:09

Are we doing this?

Yes.

Also I kind of hate your list.. Sorry, mine is just too different. I like what you said about Watershed, though, I agree. It is a very nice balance between what fans wanted and what Mikael wanted, part of why I think it is the best Opeth album. I think I even watched an interview with Mikael a while ago during the recording of this album and he said it was his favorite of theirs, and I don't think he was just saying that so people would go buy the album, but because he truly felt it was their best work, and maybe he would still say that today.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 27.11.2017 at 23:14

list

I'd swap Morningrise and Blackwater Park, but other than that I pretty much agree with you (though I may put Damnation above MAYH). Watershed isn't even close to their other pre prog stuff.

It's very difficult to write down a list of all their works... but for sure watershed is on the bottom for me just a step above damnation! It deserves a 9

Written by Alex F on 28.11.2017 at 20:31
I'd swap Morningrise and Blackwater Park, but other than that I pretty much agree with you (though I may put Damnation above MAYH). Watershed isn't even close to their other pre prog stuff.

Yeah, under further consideration I'd put Damnation on fourth or at least tied with MAYH. It really is a beautiful album with plenty of good memories! I had a short-lived band with my dear high-school friends (still great friends!) and we covered Hope Leaves for a high-school presentation. It was cool to listen to a slightly different version since we had a girl on vocals It was well-received! Aaaah, nostalgia! <3

Written by X-Ray Rod on 29.11.2017 at 19:31

Written by Alex F on 28.11.2017 at 20:31
I'd swap Morningrise and Blackwater Park, but other than that I pretty much agree with you (though I may put Damnation above MAYH). Watershed isn't even close to their other pre prog stuff.

Yeah, under further consideration I'd put Damnation on fourth or at least tied with MAYH. It really is a beautiful album with plenty of good memories! I had a short-lived band with my dear high-school friends (still great friends!) and we covered Hope Leaves for a high-school presentation. It was cool to listen to a slightly different version since we had a girl on vocals It was well-received! Aaaah, nostalgia! <3

That's so cool. I also play Hope Leaves a lot on acoustic guitar and many songs off of Damnation

No way would I put Orchid in almost last place though... What? My Arms, Your Hearse is the top one for me.

Written by BloodTears on 30.11.2017 at 12:21
No way would I put Orchid in almost last place though... What? My Arms, Your Hearse is the top one for me.

I could put Orchid on sixth above Deliverance if I ignored the nostalgia bonus... but not more than that, sweetie.

Even after coming back to this album years later with a more mature and fresh mind it's still and will forever be a 7.

Between Black and White

Opeth could have been the best band ever if they did not go downhill with the prog-rock nonsense after this.

So far my least favorite album of their death metal years.
I'll give it another chance, maybe it will grow on me.

Not to be too pedantic, but they were not death metal, unless you consider growling enough to make a band death metal.

Written by mz on 16.12.2021 at 15:35

Not to be too pedantic, but they were not death metal, unless you consider growling enough to make a band death metal.

yes, I do.
Ok, progressive death metal. Better?

Their best album...with Heir Apparent being their best song

Their most underrated album, imo it's just as good as Still Life, Blackwater Park and Ghost Reveries

I mean this album is beautiful, but sounds deranged at the same time.

Decided to go on an Opeth marathon to decide which ones were my genuine favourites, and I'm pretty sure this is it, alongside Blackwater Park, Ghost Reveries and the one with the bridge.

Edit: Kinda meh tbh. Too many songs that go nowhere - I mean, the opening riffs of "Porcelain Heart" and "Hex Omega" are just obnoxious. But there are some very good songs here like "Heir Apparent" and "The Lotus Eater" as well as the solo sections of "Burden" and parts of "Hessian Peel".