Need help getting into Opeth
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=109513
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Topic: Need help getting into Opeth
Posted By: A_Flower
Subject: Need help getting into Opeth
Date Posted: November 25 2016 at 09:51
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What are the best Opeth songs/albums to listen to if your not a fan of death metal? I can't stand death metal, but I've heard some more symphonic sounding Opeth songs which sound unbelievable! ------------- User Banned for this Post |
Replies:
Posted By: LearsFool
Date Posted: November 25 2016 at 12:01
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That means you're looking for the entirety of the albums Damnation, Heritage, and Pale Communion. Very solid symph revival from Akerfeldt and Co, especially Communion. -------------  
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: November 25 2016 at 15:33
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The new one, called Sorceress. This is superb. No growling. Total Prog blowout !! |
Posted By: Quinino
Date Posted: November 25 2016 at 15:54
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The most pleasure comes from the hunting and finding, why would one want somebody else to do it for him, I ask myself... |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: November 25 2016 at 16:19
| ^ Unlike most bands with their one and only fanbase, OPETH appeal to different fanbases - those who lap up Death Metal, those who don't, and disciples of Steven Wilson. Such is their diversity. Back in 2003, I wouldn't go near an album with growls, but in the last few years, I've gotten used to them. Still don't 'love' them as such, but I wouldn't want anything else to the music behind them. Black Metal gives me nightmares, Death Metal doesn't !! |
Posted By: A_Flower
Date Posted: November 25 2016 at 21:08
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I will say that I fear if I get into Opeth, I will start to like Death Metal. I have no idea why but I don't want my future ipod to have a bunch of death metal instead of prog ------------- User Banned for this Post |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: November 25 2016 at 22:14
^ You can always have both !! For some inane reason, Death Metal is addictive 
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: November 25 2016 at 22:15
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OK, I was much in your position when I started getting interested into Opeth, so I can tell you which are the non-growling songs of theirs I got to love. First, "Closure" from Damnation... but not the studio version... for me it would be the live version from "Lamentations", that's the one (though I only got Lamentations on CD format because I got it on a box-set, otherwise I think you can only get it on DVD). Actually, the whole Damnation is growl-less, in case you hadn't found that out already, but in general the album didn't click with me, except for that song... still, Lamentations feature the whole Damnation album, and once again I find it better on it's live versions. Then I love "Burden" and "Folklore". Now, the whole list of growl-less songs that I like from them: - Soldier of Fortune (Deep Purple cover). - Remember Tomorrow (Iron Maiden cover). - Would? (also cover, I just forgot the band). - Den Standiga Resan (Marie Fredrikson - from Roxette fame - cover). - Epilogue. - Face of Melinda. - Harvest. - Patterns in the Ivy. - A Fair Judgement. - Windowpane. - Closure. - Ending Credits. - Atonement. - Coil. - Burden. - Porcelain Heart. - Hex Omega. And then begins the three new growl-less albums which have several songs that I like too... so far I have listened to the last one few times, but it seems bound to be my favourite overall album from them. I think I heard the song "To Bid you Farewell" online and liked it, but couldn't buy it individually because it was too long, and I wouldn't want to buy the whole album. Oh yeah, and to end my list, the only Opeth song with growls that I have come to like... and love, and which actually has become my favourite song from them, is "The Drapery Falls", once again the Lamentations version. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: November 25 2016 at 22:23
| Ghost Reveries and Blackwater Park have mostly growl vocals, but they are both amazing albums. Give them a chance. |
Posted By: Progmind
Date Posted: November 26 2016 at 20:19
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I recommend Storm Corrosion, a great project of Steve Wilson and Akerfeldt (no growls here) I really love "Still life" and "Blackwater Park", give them a chance, Akerfeldt its a great singer, Opeth never was a classic death metal act like Entombed, Dismember, grave, etc |
Posted By: Nymmeria
Date Posted: November 26 2016 at 21:03
I started my prog life with Opeth. I also was not much into death metal, but I got used to it and I don't regret it at all and hey! Opeth listeners would agree, probably, that today's Michael is waaaay far away from Death metal.  They still stay in my priority list. http://www.last.fm/music/Opeth/Watershed/Burden" rel="nofollow - This was my first.  'Var Kommer Barnen In' - another great cover. I heard it live last year and fell in love with it immediately. ------------- ' From dust I come, through dust I wander. Dust I'll remain - dust all I am. ' |
Posted By: Upbeat Tango Monday
Date Posted: November 26 2016 at 21:35
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Watershed might be my favorite Opeth album. I've found the heavier albums to be proggier than the last releases. More vocal and instrumental variation, time signature changes, interesting riffs and melodic passages. The new albums lack variety in a way...you are expecting something to happen, but it never happens I do like them, though. ------------- Two random guys agreed to shake hands. Just Because. They felt like it, you know. It was an agreement of sorts...a random agreement. |
Posted By: Pastmaster
Date Posted: November 27 2016 at 01:30
Why not both? Death Metal and prog are awesome. My music collection contains Gentle Giant, Yes, and Rush along with Death, Arch Enemy, and Cancer. Become one with the metal.
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A_Flower wrote:Posted By: deandob
Date Posted: November 27 2016 at 03:52
I'm similar, 10 years back wouldn't touch a song with growling, now have become more accommodating. A bit off topic but the main band that got me 'accepting' the growls was Italian Death Metal band Novembre, the melodies & atmosphere from their music is top class and helped me ease into the growling, although like Tom if I had a choice I prefer clean vocals but have learnt to appreciate the growls as another musical element.
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: December 01 2016 at 02:45
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Currently spinning the latest Meshuggah album, and, I still think highly of Sorceress. But, as a 'blast from the past' been going back to VENOM, a band that struck me as quite 'extreme', especially in the late-80's. Their 'At War With Satan' release was fascinating to me (a Genesis, Maiden and Yes-head at the time) having constructed a vinyl 'side-long' piece of music. Now, going back to these 'buffoons' , Cronos and his cronies are a bunch of party animals that just wanted to take 'Rock Music' to the next step. Cronos (Conrad Lant - yeah, I'd rather be known as 'Cronos'......) is a dude, like him or not....... I thought they were dead.............. Venom are much more precious to me than, say, Metallica. Just like an extreme version of Motörhead !! Being an English band with a sense of humour does help........ |
Posted By: omphaloskepsis
Date Posted: December 01 2016 at 12:12
| I think Pale Communion is the best so far. |
Posted By: Jeffro
Date Posted: December 05 2016 at 12:13
I love to hunt around and explore but sometimes you like it if someone can at least point you in a direction. Sometimes, you don't know what you don't know. I've discovered so much wonderful music since I found Prog Archives. Never would have found most of it had I never come here.
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Posted By: Pigab
Date Posted: February 04 2017 at 06:25
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I'm not a fan of death metal as well, and from Opeth I love the albums Heritage and Pale Communion. Also, the last album The Sorceress is quite good, although I don't like the way it was mastered. But even if I'm not into metal, Blackwater Park is their masterpiece! Totally amazing. Try and listen the songs "Drapery Falls" and "Blackwater Park". Yes, there's a lot of growl, but they are very well composed.
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: February 04 2017 at 06:40
^ Agreed  I always return to Blackwater Park...... |
Posted By: paragraph7
Date Posted: February 04 2017 at 15:28
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My advice would be to just try an digest the growls on Still life - that album shines in its non-growl moments which will give you a lift after enduring the onslaught. Think of the growl parts as the storm that you have to endure, if you will, and then let those brilliant acoustic clean moments bring you up. That's how it's supposed to work anyway. BWP is the standard, but I feel it's high moments are mostly in Death metal, whereas Still Lifes high moments are in those melancholia packed clean passages. ------------- What you cannot speak of, you have to pass on in silence. |
Posted By: EGallager
Date Posted: February 06 2017 at 16:12
Pale Communion is really good, this really got me into Opeth just a few months ago. Not much growling and some pretty cool breakdowns that aren't death metal. Still Life is another one I like a lot, a lot of growling and very metal but a good story and done really well.
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: February 06 2017 at 16:21
| Death Growls - take it or leave it, but when the music is as great as Opeth, Meshuggah, Gojira or Gorguts, the vocals don't bother me (as much as they used to.......) |
Posted By: Dopeydoc
Date Posted: February 07 2017 at 12:51
Yes, and when you hear "In my time of need", it's no more death metal, it's birth metal!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x6YclsLHN0 |