STILL LIFE

I know I'm in the minority here but I rate both the albums that bookend Still Life higher than Still Life itself. It is allegedly their masterpiece, and while certainly very good, I simply do not enjoy it as much as some other Opeth records. it is a great transitional record, more mature than My Arms Your Hearse, and moving towards the more prog and rich sound that would reach greater heights on Blackwater Park, Ghost Reveries and Watershed, but it pales in their company simply due to being a bit dull. Take The Moor. Though highly thought of, I find that two minute droning opening is a terrible mistake and I find the song hardest to remember clearly of all Still Life tracks despite having listened many times. it's accomplished but it just doesn't hook into me. Godhead's Lament does and it's a lot better. The thundering metal moments rock out more and you can feel the drums and chords bouncing off the back of your skull- the shift into the beautiful "Searching my way to perplexion... Thought I could not leave this place on this imminent day" sections which are like a cool, refreshing drink of water amidst the violence and rage. But it's not all cookie monster gone bad as for the first time, there are TWO laidback tracks and they're both very good. Benighted is folky and secretive, darting in and out of the trees shyly but in a very beguiling way. Face Of Melinda is a more typical ballad with a big finish but shows Akerfeldt's "proper singing" confidence continue to grow and also has some real emotion in it which excuses the cheese. Elsewhere though the band loses its way a bit. It's as though after the brilliant My Arms Your Hearse they didn't have much left to say about metal and just trundle through the motions. Moonlapse Vertigo is alright but Serenity Painted Death's corny nu-metal chorus always makes me roll my eyes. White Cluster works a little better but doesn't excite or enthrall me the way I wanted the finale to. Still Life is a fine album and above average, but in my eyes it is far from flawless or from being Opeth's finest work.