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 4 / 6
Comments: 162
Visited by: 1085 users
| Land Of Doom Posts: 101  |
Very Amazing Album Espicially Harvest Good Luck For Opeth
---- We Only Fear What Comes And Smell Death Every Day Search For The Answers That Lie Beyond
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| HellGuest? Posts: 1  |
You may not agree with the review but in the top 100 album, Blackwater Park, speaks for itself! 
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| Uirapuru Liver Failure Posts: 2955  |
The album is good. Best of Opeth to me. But this review is way exaggerated.
----  ---- member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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| Derwood Posts: 511  |
I love death metal. I love progressive metal. This album bores me to tears, as does everything else I've heard from Opeth. I don't get it; I don't understand the attraction. Dull dull dull. If I want progressive death metal, I'll listen to Obscura.
---- You can't fight evil with a macaroni duck!
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| Panterica Posts: 341  |
I don't know what you all complaining about, Blackwater Park is a good album, some may think differently, so what? Stick for the bands you like and stop attacking others for their opinions. I think that Opeth is a great band and that Blackwater Park and My Arms Your Hearse are the best albums they have released so far.
---- Li'ed - Prog-Metal from Jerusalem https://open.spotify.com/artist/7aZWDrAAvDSLMaSmDSE8zA https://www.facebook.com/LiedBandMusic http://lied-band.bandcamp.com/
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Admin Posts: 15250  |
May or may not be OPeth's best... i think i prefer Morningrise. or maybe Still Life. none of those are a 9.9, though, let alone better than Beethoven. that comment in the review was pretty absurd.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18274  |
Written by BitterCOld on 30.07.2009 at 21:45 Yeah.. I think the same, the review had way too much ass-kissing imo. If I were to give it a rate it would be around 8,5. Morningrise is by far the best album and I think that everything before Blackwater Park is way better.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| tea[m]ster Au Pays Natal Contributor Posts: 5245  |
I like Opeth's "newer" stuff better than the "older stuff". Everything after including BWP blows me away. Professional Musicians. Period.
---- rekt
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| JonSnow Posts: 3 |
Written by Slayer666 on 16.12.2008 at 15:17 Hurrdurrduhdurrdurrdurrdurrduhdurrdurrduhdurduhhuurruhurrderpderpderpgorp. Duderpduhderp. Progmetalsucksderp. Herpduhdurrderpduhderp. My favorite album. I'm so glad I listened, it got me into so much other music, and real got me to expand my horizons to lots of other genres. Thank you Opeth. 9.9/10
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| Slayer666 Posts: 2466  |
Written by JonSnow on 28.11.2009 at 06:13 Amaizing. Your conversation skills and intelligence are simply awesome. Do you give private lessons, perchance?
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| K✞ulu Seeker of Truth Posts: 2570  |
Written by Slayer666 on 16.12.2008 at 15:17 Dude, you can't make statements like that. And what do you mean by the "THAT good." If you don't like the album or don't agree with the reviewer, just say that. No need to trash the whole genre and a band.
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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| JonSnow Posts: 3 |
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| Andresopeth Posts: 201  |
Written by BloodTears on 27.03.2008 at 17:57 I feel the same, when my friends ask me about which is the best Opeth album i always answer: "Blackwater Park, but is not my favorite" i can't deny is a masterpiece but i feel more identified with Orchid and Morningrise!. Besides Opeth has a discography which makes the selection of a favorite album a hard topic.
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| BloodTears ANA-thema Elite Posts: 11835  |
Written by Andresopeth on 09.12.2009 at 16:58 With me, it changes a lot but MAYH and SL usually stay up there, than come all the others. But is indeed hard to choose, especially if you actually like Opeth. Some people listen to Opeth casually and will have maybe a more objective analysis of their albums.
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| T.H.C. Posts: 6  |
I guess another factor would be how u got introduced to the band ... blackwater park was the first album from opeth i heard and then i listened to MAYH n others ... my fav would be blackwater park but i enjoy the other albums just as much ...
---- I'm not in denial i'm just selective about the reality i choose to accept
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| opeth771 Posts: 172 |
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| RELIC Posts: 5 |
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
Quote: The most ridiculous statement ever posted in the history of reviewing.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| MétalNoir Fils du Lys Posts: 847  |
I tried to hate Opeth for a long time, but yes this album is good from what I've heard. The review is ridiculous but the reviewer obviously FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELS what he writes...
---- Notre destinée n'est pas encore tracée....
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| Entropic Silence Posts: 251  |
Quote: So, how bout them Opeth guys?
---- VICTORY!!!!! (They love it in France)
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Entropic Silence on 06.08.2010 at 08:29 For starters, "their only rivals ... [are] Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. But Opeth still beats them out."  Sorry, I still think that's probably the funniest thing I've ever read on this site and thanks for bringing me back to this review so I could enjoy myself for a few minutes. 
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| ErnilEnNaur Account deleted |
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| vezzy Stallmanite Posts: 3493  |
Written by Guest on 18.08.2010 at 04:40  Still, you have to take into account this was written back in '03. Like, the earliest year the system shows when the reviews were published, so it seems fair that there are some bloopers to be found.
---- Licensed under the GPLv3. Relinquish proprietary software for a greater GNU/America.
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| Todgeist Posts: 9  |
Opeth is just awesome (my favorite band, actually), and I personally think they are the best metal band out there, but I guess you got a little carried away when you said they are better than Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. No way. 
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| BlankFile Posts: 686 |
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| Dragzad Posts: 7  |
I find later Opeth extremely boring.The only albums I enjoy from them are the first three.I think Orchid in particular is a masterpiece.But from Still Life and onwards I think Opeth are just recycling the ideas they had in their first three albums.I find their later albums tedious and inoffensive and completely unoriginal.Opeth are just repeating themselves with every album and I have lost all intrest in them,though I still listen to their first three albums.
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| malaikat Posts: 405  |
Written by Dragzad on 13.02.2011 at 15:10 Hipster Opeth fanboy: only enjoys first albums, others are unoriginal and tedious.
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| FrozenJoy Posts: 60 |
Um, I agree with the 10 you gave them... But this review is pure bullshit. Saying Opeth beats Bach, Beethoven and Mozart it's not only idiotic, but also absurd, cuz you just CAN'T compare ProgDeath Metal and Classical Music  ...Focusing on the album, yeah, I think (at least for now) it's their best release until now... Maybe I still have to listen to other albums (like Orchid and Morningrise), but it's just that I find this album flawless, and FULL of killer tracks (The Lepper Affinity, Bleak, The Drappery Falls, Blackwater Park...), and simply beautiful tracks like Patterns in the Ivy, or Still Day Beneath the Sun... Just perfect  And yeah, Opeth's probably the band with the most quality-balanced discography... There's not even one mediocre album=P
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by FrozenJoy on 19.03.2011 at 01:10 I'd venture so far as to suggest Watershed is a mediocre release. Granted, I don't see Opeth the way most of their fans do (BEST BAND EVER!!!) but I understand their music and the "complexity" and all that jazz. This is probably one of my least favorite Opeth releases, but it's at least more adventurous and interesting than Watershed. PS - thanks for bringing me back to this review (second time someone has). I still laugh when I read the part about Mozart and co. 
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| FrozenJoy Posts: 60 |
I don't know... I have to admit, I haven't listened to Watershed yet... I didn't have the chance to buy it yet... what do you mean with more adventurous than watershed?Nah, thank you guys from metalstorm for helping me see reviewers like this... xD
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