BLACKWATER PARK

This being my first review, I may end up leaving a few minor details out, so I apologize in advance for that. But to start I'd like to give some background before my review. Before I got into prog, I was already a self-described and proud metalhead. However a friend of mine who has been listening to prog for about the past three years or so introduced me to some of the big bands in the genre, consisting of Genesis, Yes, GG, etc. One of the other bands he first introduced me to was Opeth. Still being new to progressive rock, this unique blend of progressive rock with death metal was something I found odd at first yet intriguing. I decided to persist with it and explore it further.

Now for my actual review. This was the first Opeth album I truly got into. Not only has Opeth done something unique, they have completely revolutionized a genre that talks mostly about blood and guts and instead given it a much more mature and emotional feeling. And yet at the same time they remain complex in many of their song structures. The Leper Affinity and Bleak are two great songs to start an album on, with mostly aggressive guitar riffs and a few melodic vocals over these. Harvest is a sign of things to come in Damnation, and The Drapery Falls (one of Opeth's best songs I might add) starts off with a brief acoustic intro before moving quickly into the aggressive yet unique Opeth feel. Dirge for November has a longer acoustic intro than The Drapery Falls but of course eventually moves to a more aggressive style. The Funeral Portrait begins with an acoustic-like ambiance and jumps suddenly into the typical Opeth style, and finally Patterns in the Ivy is a beautiful piano piece that serves as an excellent transition into the final track of the album, the title track. Overall I feel that Opeth's unique blend of both death metal-esque growls and it's smoother progressive feeling makes them a unique band unlike any other metal band I've ever experienced. And yet the only reason I feel that I'm not giving this album 5 stars is because, quite frankly, the previous album, Still Life, just had that something extra in it's kick that BP seems to be lacking, even though this is an album I often find myself going back to.

4.5/5