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Opeth - Deliverance CD (album) cover

DELIVERANCE

Opeth

 

Tech/Extreme Prog Metal

3.79 | 1077 ratings

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russellk
Prog Reviewer
3 stars I'll be blunt: dividing OPETH's 2002/3 material between two albums, the heavy stuff on one and the light stuff on the other, was a mistake. A big mistake. The original idea of a double album would have worked well - or, even better, choosing the best of both would have yielded a single album of the calibre of 'Still Life'.

So here's the first of the two albums. 'Deliverance' is a heavy, dark record that doesn't work. Oddly, it's unremitting weight actually works against the feel of the album: with nothing piquant to contrast them with, the slabs of blood-red meat choke the listener as they are forced down the throat. An ill-advised attempt has been made to ease their passage by ridding the songs of the abrupt mood changes that were the highlights of 'Blackwater Park'. These songs therefore lose their drama, and the album loses shape as a result.

Three of the individual songs are well worth a listen. The title track has some excellent moments, and ends brilliantly, followed by 'A Fair Judgement', my favourite from this album. 'Master's Apprentices' is also an outstanding track, with many SABBATH-like moments. On the other hand, 'By The Pain I See In Others' has to be the first poor OPETH song I've heard. Experimental, perhaps, but it sounds as though AKERFELDT didn't know where he was going with this one. AKERFELDT himself apparently dislikes it. Discard after one listen.

This is a good album, still light-years ahead of most death-metal pretenders, and still at the cutting edge of the progressive death metal genre. But it simply does not work as an album. Lose the last track, add the best four from 'Damnation' and you have something that might work. Pity you have to pay for two albums to do it.

russellk | 3/5 |

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