STILL LIFE

I have not been a fan of music where the singers growl, I feel kind of offended. When I knew Opeth, I had the same impression. Then, I listened to DAMNATION and my perspective towards this band changed completely. I could learn and admire the intelligent musical arrangements in every song and of course Mikael Akerfeldt's voice. So, little by little my interest in Opeth grew more with WATERSHED, an impressive album. So, I decided to go and see them live, and believe me, it has been one of the best concerts I have been. I sweated a lot jumping and headbanging and screaming and singing aloud. Then, I decided to give it try to all the albums and STILL LIFE was one of them. Supposedly, the one that marked the change in their music, and indeed it is different... yes, it is aggressive, yes, it has growling voice in most of the songs but the complexity in their music is worthy of progressive rock, with excellent mixtures of acoustic guitars and electric guitars, a bass player (Martin Mendez) who is remarkable at the way he plays, and the drumming of Martin Lopez, remarkable as well. Akerfeldt also combines his voice from growling to melodic, from melodic to growling, and believe, never had I heard a neat and perfect growling as Akerfeldt has, the best by far. The album contains a couple of quiet songs, which are really covered with acoustic nuances. This album is incredible! Yet, if you want to hear it, you must be open and ready for whatever it comes!