|
When I became interested in Opeth my first CD of theirs was
Blackwater Park. Like many metal musicians, Opeth started to
grow on me after a few listening sessions. By the time that I
could say I thoroughly enjoyed, and listened to the entire
record they had another release, Deliverance.
Being their 6th “observation” Opeth’s Deliverance album is the
first half of a massive project. Instead of earlier Opeth
releases where one CD would have a mixture of hard and soft
music, this collection is heavy, intense, and hard.
Deliverance seldom relents from beginning to end in an audio
assault that affirms that they are undeniably metal. The
second half of Deliverance is Damnation. Damnation is the
complete converse to record number six. But Ill get into that
in its review. Once again they amaze me by the variety of
instruments that they can fit into a song. Opeth uses pianos,
percussion, acoustic and distorted guitars, as well as various
styles of playing. In any other metal band one would never
hear the sheer difference between the songs Wreath, and For
Absent Friends. Even though the songs have such a distinctive
sound, both are enjoyable to listen to, as long as you are in
the mood.
Sliding in at just over the one hour mark, Deliverance houses
a mere six songs, where 5 clock in over ten minutes in length.
Can they hold your attention for that long? If you like
melodic metal and skillful guitar work, then yes. The longest
and most interesting track is track six By the Pain I See in
Others. Mikael Åkerfeldt, Opeth’s proves his vocal and
instrumental talent. If metal isn’t your forte, you probably
won’t be able to distinguish the vocal variety. For example,
on the last track Åkerfeldt growls, sings, and snarls through
a voice modifier that makes him sound like an alien. Few bands
have been able to pull of a melodic metal sound but still
maintain their hard edge styling.
Although Deliverance is true to metals roots I found myself
wanting a CD that sounded like Blackwater Park than anything
else. To get the most enjoyable experience out of Opeth’s
sixth and seventh CDs is to put both albums in a CD player and
press random. That way you’ll get both hard and soft tracks.
The peculiar thing about Deliverance is that even though it is
pretty rough, Opeth manages to slide in a plentiful amount of
beautifully crafted guitar solos as well as some acoustic
solos (thank you Peter Lindgren!).
By the time Deliverance came to fruition, the band was on the
verge of quitting. They said that every day something pushed
them closer to the edge and shutting down the studio.
Thankfully they didn’t. Despite the fact that they were going
through a potholed part of their careers, they persevered and
came out with an admirable album. An example of their lyrical
content would be track three:
A Fair Judgment
Nothing’s left here
Leave it be
It was meant for me
Soul sacrifice
Forget the advice
Lost track of time
In a flurry of smoke
Waiting anxiety
For a fair judgment deserved
A Fair Judgment is ten minutes and twenty seconds long. This
gives the listener and the band plenty of time to fully
develop and appreciate interesting progressions and licks. I
warn you that Opeth is not for any old fan of music. Much like
any hard music they have a certain flavor that has to be
acquired. If you have read any other of my music reviews you
know that I stay mostly to metal or rock oriented groups and
Opeth is no different.
I give Deliverance three and a half planets. I liked the music
and the variety of instruments that were used. I also enjoyed
the tone that the CD set. I didn’t like the wanton ferocity on
some of the tracks. Even though I enjoy heavy metal as much as
the next fan, the type of metal on tracks like Wreath didn’t
quite fit into the Opeth persona. If you are a fan of Opeth
make sure that Deliverance is the next CD to pick up from
them. But if you’ve never heard of Opeth before and are
looking to jump in somewhere, try Blackwater Park and work
your way into Deliverance.
Track Listing:
01. Wreath
02. Deliverance
03. Fair Judgement
04. For Absent Friends
05. Master's Apprentices
06. By the Pain I See in Others
Jameson Rating:
3.5 out of 5 Planets
Talk about Opeth - Deliverance >>
|
Game News
