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Geee View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Opeth Dilemma
    Posted: May 06 2005 at 02:51

Hi Guys and Girls

I seem to have a problem with Opeth.  The first album that I ever heard of theirs was Damnation - Simply awesome prog album.  I didn't know who they were before this album.  Since I liked this album I made it a point that I get hold of the whole discography.  What a shock!  Almost all of their albums are Death Metal.  My dilemma is how can a band that releases such marvelous album like Damnation, release Death Metal Music?

Cheers

PS Having said that I still have to say that even their Death Metal releases, musically are very technical, and I don't know how this will sound, and 'progressive'. But the vocals!



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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 03:10
Originally posted by Geee Geee wrote:

But the vocals!



Yes, the vocals are great and Mikael is the best Death metal singer the world has ever seen. Is there a problem here?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 03:13
I have the exact opposite dilemma; Damnation sounds neutered to me but I like just about everything else.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 03:16
Originally posted by Logos Logos wrote:

Originally posted by Geee Geee wrote:

But the vocals!



Yes, the vocals are great and Mikael is the best Death metal singer the world has ever seen. Is there a problem here?

When he does the clean parts IMO he has one of the greatest voices!  That's my dilemma.  How can a man with such a great voice, use growling.  As I told you I am not dishing the music.  I already said it it is great.  Usually growlers are those who cannot sing, whereas Mikael CAN SING!

Cheers

"Just as a bell that has been rung cannot be "unrung", the annoying problem with the Truth is that, once you learn it, you can not "unlearn" it."

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 03:32
What has always fascinated me in Opeth's music, is that they combine metal and prog, growls and cleans, hard rocking and mellow, in a quite unique way. And I think Mikael is the right man to sing both growls and cleans, he's the best at both! But if you don't like death metal vocals, Opeth might be a bit hard to digest.. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 03:45
On the 'making of' part of the "Lamentations" DVD, there's a great sequence where Akerfeldt is bellowing in the vocal booth like a demented thing, then looks over at Steve Wilson with a little grin on his face & asks (almost bashfully) "was that OK, Steve?"

I too, love "Damnation", and am very slowly starting to appreciate their more strident material; I just think it's a shame that Akerfeldt seems (to me, at least) to be wasting his voice with the roaring.

Jon Lord 1941 - 2012
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 03:55

Originally posted by Logos Logos wrote:

What has always fascinated me in Opeth's music, is that they combine metal and prog, growls and cleans, hard rocking and mellow, in a quite unique way. And I think Mikael is the right man to sing both growls and cleans, he's the best at both! But if you don't like death metal vocals, Opeth might be a bit hard to digest.. 

Actually they are not hard to digest. I already said that I love their music.  They are technically excellent.  I don't know if you understand me. Right now while I am writing this post I am listening to Blakwater Park.  It is marvellous.  But when I hear those growls it turns me off.  They are, IMO a progless moment.

However I love their 'other songs'.  Just a shame for the growls.

"Just as a bell that has been rung cannot be "unrung", the annoying problem with the Truth is that, once you learn it, you can not "unlearn" it."

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 03:56

Originally posted by Jim Garten Jim Garten wrote:

On the 'making of' part of the "Lamentations" DVD, there's a great sequence where Akerfeldt is bellowing in the vocal booth like a demented thing, then looks over at Steve Wilson with a little grin on his face & asks (almost bashfully) "was that OK, Steve?"

I too, love "Damnation", and am very slowly starting to appreciate their more strident material; I just think it's a shame that Akerfeldt seems (to me, at least) to be wasting his voice with the roaring.

My point exactly.  Thanks Jim Garten.  It seems you could express me better than I could!  

Cheers

"Just as a bell that has been rung cannot be "unrung", the annoying problem with the Truth is that, once you learn it, you can not "unlearn" it."

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 04:18
Originally posted by Geee Geee wrote:

But when I hear those growls it turns me off. 



Yes I understood that.

Let me explain:
You don't like growls. Opeth has a lot of growls. --> Opeth might be hard to digest since their music has lots of growls.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 04:22

Originally posted by Logos Logos wrote:


Yes I understood that.

Let me explain:
You don't like growls. Opeth has a lot of growls. --> Opeth might be hard to digest since their music has lots of growls.

It actually is their MUSIC that I like.  I wouldn't call those growls music, would you?

"Just as a bell that has been rung cannot be "unrung", the annoying problem with the Truth is that, once you learn it, you can not "unlearn" it."

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 04:24
Originally posted by Geee Geee wrote:

I wouldn't call those growls music, would you?



Growls are an important part in many sorts of metal MUSIC.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 04:33

Originally posted by Logos Logos wrote:


Growls are an important part in many sorts of metal MUSIC.

Exactly. Growling is important for metal music. Here we are talking about progressive music.  I am not saying that metal cannot be progressive - Look at Dream Theater for example.  But progressive music is all about the musicians 'showing off' their ability with their instruments.  Opeth are doing precisely that and even Mikael is doing it - but certainly not when he growls.  IMO Opeth are such a great band that they do not need growling to show how different they are from others.  I am not trying to annoy anyone here, just stating how good they are and IMO they are spoiling it with the growls

Cheers

"Just as a bell that has been rung cannot be "unrung", the annoying problem with the Truth is that, once you learn it, you can not "unlearn" it."

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 06:02

Right now I am listening to Morningrise's 'To Bid You Farewell' and I truly cannot beleive that this is the same band that records those growly stuff.  At least try to understand what I am trying to say - Opeth is an excellent band, only that those 'Death Metal' songs, seem that they do not belong to the same musicians - that's all I am trying to say. I am not saying that they are a sh*tty band, I am saying the complete opposite.

Cheers



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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 06:37
The digesting is a long process when you're coming from classic prog to
Opeth.

Growling is a sophisticated vocal form and very hard to master.
Mikael growls with a great lot of passion, and if you listen to Still Life
along with the lyrics, you will find that the occasional growl perfectly fits
the story and provides the right athmosphere.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 06:42

Originally posted by Eemu Ranta Eemu Ranta wrote:

The digesting is a long process when you're coming from classic prog to
Opeth.

Growling is a sophisticated vocal form and very hard to master.
Mikael growls with a great lot of passion, and if you listen to Still Life
along with the lyrics, you will find that the occasional growl perfectly fits
the story and provides the right athmosphere.

Well IMHO his 'normal' vocals are by far much better.  I heard other 'angry' lyrics, being expressed without the growling and being equally effective!



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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 06:49
It'll grow on you, I'm sure. first I was like, wtf, then I started to love the growling, because it fits perfectly.

Listen to Master's Apprentice : the first part (really heavy and all) is completely apocalyptic, a true moment of brutal mayhem....and right after, it goes into this section, mellow, calm, heavenly beautiful....these kind of moments are what Opeth is all about. Contrast, transition, opposites....If you really can't dig the growling, I'd say Opeth is not for you. Sorry.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 06:54

Originally posted by henri_ds henri_ds wrote:

It'll grow on you, I'm sure. first I was like, wtf, then I started to love the growling, because it fits perfectly.

Listen to Master's Apprentice : the first part (really heavy and all) is completely apocalyptic, a true moment of brutal mayhem....and right after, it goes into this section, mellow, calm, heavenly beautiful....these kind of moments are what Opeth is all about. Contrast, transition, opposites....If you really can't dig the growling, I'd say Opeth is not for you. Sorry.

Thanks, I'm doing that right now - Listening to Master's Apprentice.  I'll try to open up!  Good to know that before being into Prog music I was totally into Metal (Although not Death as you may presume!)  But I promise that I will try to like it.  At least I like Opeth's music.  The other Death Metal Bands I used to listen to not even the music attracted me.  So this is already an improvement!

Cheers and Thanks again

"Just as a bell that has been rung cannot be "unrung", the annoying problem with the Truth is that, once you learn it, you can not "unlearn" it."

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 08:34
You can't call a band "progless" because the vocalist has a particular vocal style which could be considered an acquired taste.  Opeth are a great prog band.  True enough, I myself was a bit put off the first time I heard their heavier material, but I've come to realise that Mike's "growling" is actually extremely well done, and can appreciate it as much as his superb "clean" singing.  Mind you, it probably helps having been into metal before I was into prog.
"Progressive Rock is the ultimate form of music" (Mikael Akerfeldt, 2003)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 10:19
Opeth and Akerfeldt's growling can suck my doberman's cock. Also, it seems that this God (looking at the way people here worship him and suck his balls made me add this word to his "growling" majesty) Akerfeldt hasn't heard any other forms of musical expression to be saying that: "Progressive Rock is the ultimate form of music" (Mikael Akerfeldt, 2003). That's the silliest crap i've ever read in my whole life, and coming from a guy who's adressed here as a "musical" Lord, then i ask myself ths question: Where in satan's hell is that musical acomplishment he has developed?

p.s.: i don't care if i get banned for this reply but seeing so much people like zombies saying "Lord Akerfeldt this", "Lord Akerfeldt that", "Lord Akerfeldt masters the ancient and complex art of metal growling", and so, makes me just sick.

Cheers
Dream Theater Sucks!!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2005 at 11:25
^^^^  Thank you.  I'm going to have to change the whole attitude of my post now, dick.

*ahem*

I first heard Lord Akerfeldt's music in 1998...  I was just starting my freshman year of highschool, and I stumbled across their first album, Orchid, in a record store.  I liked the cover, and the track times just *screamed* prog.  Listening to it on the way home, night was beginning to fall...  it fit the mood perfectly. I could not believe the wonderful music coming through my headphones...

...and then, suddenly, Lord Akerfeldt began to growl!  OH NOEZ!!111  But never fear...  when the growling transitioned to the most wonderful clean (guitar/vocals both) section...  I fell to my knees in appreciation of Lord Akerfeldt's beautiful music.  I didn't make it home right away...  I walked back to the record store and got Morningrise and My Arms, Your Hearse, and bought the rest of the albums as they were released.

ALL HAIL LORD AKERFELDT!
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