BLACKWATER PARK

The greatest thing about Prog Archives is that it allows us access to music we might not normally hear. I live in the city of Pekin, Illinois, an even more conservative neighbor of the relatively conservative city of Peoria. Therefore, the radio choices are limited. Probably the only contemporary rock band listed on this website that you're likely to hear regularly is Tool. The point is that Prog Archives is probably the only way that I would have found Opeth's music. In fact, I think I owe a debt to the moderators of the Tech/Extreme Metal section of PA.

I've found a lot of really great music in this section, and so I have listened to several of Opeth's releases. I like a lot of death or black metal - influenced bands, although I wouldn't call myself a hardcore fan of those subgenres.. I love Enslaved, My Dying Bride, and Leprous, for instance. Considering the generally high opinion of Opeth expressed on Prog Archives, I wish I liked them more. I'm just not entirely convinced by their take on black metal and progressive rock. I did pick the Blackwater Park album because it's considered by many to be the band's crowning achievement. For my money, the best tracks on Blackwater Park are "Bleak", "Harvest", "The Leper Affinity", and the title track.

The rest of the album is fine, but it doesn't really stick with me. One of the tests of a band for me is whether their songs stick with me when I'm not actually to them. The issue is certainly not musicianship; everyone in the band certainly knows what they're doing. Most of the songs just overstay their welcome a bit. I do enjoy Blackwater Park more than some of Opeth's other albums, and I understand why many people consider this progressive. Musical taste, however, is ultimately a very subjective thing. Taking into account the good things on Blackwater Park and its value for progressive rock fans, I'm giving the album 3 1/2 stars.