Opeth - Blackwater Park review
| Band: | Opeth |
| Album: | Blackwater Park |
| Style: | Extreme progressive metal |
| Release date: | March 2001 |
01. The Leper Affinity
02. Bleak [feat. Steven Wilson]
03. Harvest
04. The Drapery Falls
05. Dirge For November
06. The Funeral Portrait
07. Patterns In The Ivy
08. Blackwater Park
09. The Leper Affinity [live] [Legacy edition bonus]
[Limited edition bonus CD]
01. Still Day Beneath The Sun
02. Patterns In The Ivy II
[Legacy Edition bonus DVD]
+ 5.0 Audio Mix Of The Original Album
+ The Making Of Blackwater Park
Passion. That's what Blackwater Park is all about. Pure, unadulterated passion. Forget that Opeth display musical ability and know-how that is rivaled by few. Forget that the ending to The Leper Affinity goes from what can only be described as one of the greatest jam sessions ever, to a beautiful, yet melancholic pianistic epilogue. Forget that Harvest is one of the greatest acoustic songs ever written. Forget that Blackwater Park contains the perfect metal riff. Forget that Mikael Akerfeld quite possibly has the best voice in all of music. Forget that every moment of this album will make you stand in awe of what you're hearing. Why should you forget all that? Because none of it matters.
What matters is that Opeth's music connects with the listener on a level that no other band has ever obtained. Just what that level is can's be defined. It can only be felt. And the only way to feel it is to listen. And I do mean LISTEN. You shouldn's do so much as twiddle your thumbs during the play of this, or any other of their albums. You would only be hurting yourself. Their only rivals in this department would be the immortal classical composers, such as Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. But Opeth still beats them out.
I can's tell you how difficult it is for me to rate this at all. By doing so, I'm implying that Blackwater Park, and indeed all of Opeth's works, can be somehow compared with any other album by any other band. That is simply not true. I have given perfect 10's to bands that don's even register on the scale when compared to Opeth. The very fact that I'm pretending to be worthy enough to even discuss Opeth's music is an unforgivable sin. No amount of words in this, or any other, language can begin to describe the tapestry of emotions on this, or any of their albums. Opeth's creations transcend not only metal, but art itself. This is the language of the soul.
Written by Account deleted | 18.09.2003
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Rating:
9.9
9.9
|
Rating: 9.9 |
There are few bands that dare to continuously expand their musical sphere with each release, expecting their fans to accept the changes - even fewer succeed. Mikael Åkerfeldt, song writer and front man of Opeth, has pushed Opeth to do so since the band's inception and perhaps it's this constant change, not giving the audience a chance to adjust to one particular niche, which keeps them from ending up like so many metal bands before them: repetitive and uninspired. 2001 was the year Opeth opened the floodgates of creativity and released what many believe to be their magnum opus, an album so hyped you might doubt its brilliance. I'm here to tell you not to doubt. This is Blackwater Park. Read more ›› |
Rating:
2.0
2.0
|
Rating: 2.0 |
This charade has gone on long enough. It's time someone gave this crappy album an honest assessment. Read more ›› |
Comments page 2 / 6
Comments: 162
Visited by: 1085 users
| X-Ray Rod Skandino staff Posts: 18274  |
Written by Talvi on 23.07.2006 at 14:44 I'm with you then... [even If you have changed your mind in the last comment xD Morningrise is the best IMO But this album is still a masterpiece... It's very hard to judge Opeth's albums.. because everyone is exellent [I don't like their last though.... But it's very fresh, must I say]... The Leper Affinity, Bleak [the clean vocals in this songs are out of this world], Harvest and The Funeral Portrait are my favorites... and in my top of Opeth's best songs... [my favorite song of Opeth is Nectar  ]Written by Warman on 18.01.2008 at 15:59 Do it man... Those songs are very beautiful... If you like Harvest you will LOVE those tracks [they are better than Harvest IMO]
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Blood For Cowboy Account deleted |
Blood For Cowboy
Account deleted
Every albums by them are fuckin awesome excellent and perfect, but this is my favorite because it was my first Opeth record 
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| Rupert Posts: 468  |
Written by Guest on 13.01.2008 at 11:36 Ya, I do. It's more experimental I find.
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| Jotun_01 Account deleted |
Jotun_01
Account deleted Written by Damnated on 19.07.2006 at 10:22 Blackwater Park is a great album. Opeth has not made a bad album yet. Opeth Rules!  The Drapery Falls and Bleak are my favorite songs off this album.
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| Evil Chip Posts: 505  |
Opeth rules, and this album is my favourite of them. Their music is unique, sad, heavy, evil, etc. It has all. My favourites are Blackwater park and the drapery falls.
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| BloodTears ANA-thema elite Posts: 11835  |
Ok, does anyone still have doubts about the artistic quality of Opeth? Then listen to Blackwater Park. It'll just be a part of the whole picture but it will help you to figure this puzzle out. For me, Blackwater Park was never the best Opeth's release, that doesnt mean I dont put it in a pedestal. 
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino staff Posts: 18274 |
Written by BloodTears on 27.03.2008 at 17:57 Damm right. For me... This can't be the best one... it's impossible. MAYH, Still Life and Morningrise beats this album soooooo easily. But still... this album is freaking good. The clean vocals on "Bleak" and the growls and brutal riffs on "Blackwater Park" makes this album hard to forget...
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| BloodTears ANA-thema elite Posts: 11835 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 27.03.2008 at 18:05 Yes, its hard to forget indeed, your absolutely right.
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| Plaguebearer Posts: 57  |
I continuously hear a lot of hype over opeth, expecially this album, but every time I try to listen to them I only hear an acoustic riff that seems to go on forever and I stop listening to it. Now Im not saying they are bad, I just can't see how they are progressive death metal. I would greatly appreciate someone pointing me in the direction of a song that best describes Opeth so that I may appreciate their so-called wonderous music
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| Warman Erotic Stains Posts: 7695  |
Written by Plaguebearer on 10.04.2008 at 23:31 Do you mean you can't hear the Death Metal elements? 'Cuz the Progressive ones are kinda easy to recognize. If you mean the Death, then you've probably heard the "wrong" songs. 
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| Plaguebearer Posts: 57 |
Quote: Thats what Im sayin man. I need someone to tell me the right songs. Every song I hear is just acoustics and stuff. Not that I don't like that, but I would enjoy to hear the death metal finese of Opeth. Can you send some recommendations? It would be greatly appreciated!
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino staff Posts: 18274 |
Quote:Written by Plaguebearer on 13.04.2008 at 15:18 Form this album you can hear: The Funeral Portrait Blackwater Park If that's not death influenced... then I don't know what you're looking for ^^ You can also hear songs from the other albums such as "Serenity Painted Death" [from still life] and "Demon of the Fall" from the cd My arms Your Hearse. Enjoy =p
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Warman Erotic Stains Posts: 7695 |
Quote:Written by Plaguebearer on 13.04.2008 at 15:18 Listen to "Master's Apprentices" from Deliverance.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino staff Posts: 18274 |
That song is a killer Warman... Mikael's vocals on that album are excellent IMO...
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Warman Erotic Stains Posts: 7695 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 13.04.2008 at 18:10 Yeah, just me who thinks that's his best growls so far?
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino staff Posts: 18274 |
Written by Warman on 13.04.2008 at 18:25 Mmmm Maybe you're right... if you mean "violent growls" But the growls on "Serenity Painted Death" are also one of my favorites, specially when he say: White faced, haggard grin This serenity painted death With a halo of bitter disease Black paragon in lingering breath...  both songs are among my favorites from opeth discography... and both has awesome drum work... Damn, I really miss Lopez, He was one of my favorite drummers.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| BloodTears ANA-thema elite Posts: 11835 |
My favourite growls are also in serenity painted death and demon of the fall. Their killer.
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| Plaguebearer Posts: 57 |
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| Metalhead2 Skinhead1 Posts: 271  |
"Their only rivals in this department would be the immortal classical composers, such as Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. But Opeth still beats them out. " I am wondering is there ANYONE who listens to both classical music and Opeth. Because Opwth is too much boring for those guys who listen to classic music. If they listen to metal, they listen to death/black/doom/thrash(maybe thrash). They consider prog metal as a shit.
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| Quadz Account deleted |
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser staff Posts: 9718  |
Written by Metalhead2 on 08.06.2008 at 00:37 I suppose your crowd are orchestra buffs then, and they've told you this? I dont think your argument has any basis whatsoever. I dont think I could say anything more without it being a direct insult.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| Galar Wicked Mung Posts: 598  |
Written by Doc G. on 08.06.2008 at 22:58 anal thermomitor
---- YOUR ARGUMENT IS INVALID, SUCK A DICK
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| Volknor Account deleted |
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino staff Posts: 18274 |
Written by Guest on 16.11.2008 at 13:33 The first three albums are unfortunately behind the shadow of Blackwater Park, that sucks IMO becuause Morningrise is my favorite.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Elio Red Nightmare Posts: 4920  |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 16.11.2008 at 22:08 Yeah, besides the first 4 albums are better than Blackwater Park.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino staff Posts: 18274 |
Written by Elio on 16.11.2008 at 22:15 I agree on that, I forgot Still life, oops
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| DanielViking Posts: 163  |
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| nana.MD Star-Queen Posts: 2052  |
This was the album that got me into opeth...i like it alot, looking forward to see them soon i hope!
---- Live how you want just don't feed on me, if you doubt what I say I will make you believe...
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| Bleak Account deleted |
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| Slayer666 Posts: 2466  |
Whatever drug the reviewer is using,my advice to him is to get off it as soon as possible.I mean,Jessus Christ,it's good,but,damnit it's not THAT good.Personally,i consider Opeth (and prog metal,in general) ultimate shit,but objectivly looking,it's a good album.But it doesn;t deserve this rating,or this position.Not even by far. 
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