DELIVERANCE

This was the first of a two-part release recorded at the same time. "Deliverance" and "Damnation" were meant to go hand-in-hand, "Deliverance" being the heavy cd and "Damnation" being the mellow cd. They switched the titles around because they felt it would have been too predictable to have the names make sense. (I'm not making that up).

Although this only has six songs, it runs a little over an hour long. It was partially produced by Steve Wilson, who has a noticeable effect on the band’s sound. Everything sounds a bit washed out and dry, and parts of it sound very similar to Porcupine Tree’s “In Absentia”. The band seems to really work together well here, and the songs take a step backwards from their convoluted song structures of past. Opeth has adopted a much more straightforward style which makes getting the riffs a lot easier. The vocals are often layered with four or five tracks, another really great effect. All of the songs still have the same “Opeth-y” feel to them, Mikael Akerfeldt has a real way with creating memorable and exciting riffs. The drummer Martin Lopez is also very talented, often blasting away for minutes on end, but I feel his best drumming is the slowed down approach found on “Damnation” and the quiet bits in this album.

This is Opeth's heaviest album to date. That's right, folks. This will pound your face in. Ok, it's not THAT heavy, but it an artsy, prog way it is. Six songs of conceptual genius. Wreath begins the storm with pounding drum work, crushing guitars, and wicked vocals. This album is probably the second longest album after Morningrise and you can tell by looking at the song lengths. "Wreath" is 10-11 minutes long, but it never gets boring, instead sweeping you into the eye of a death metal hurricane. Oh, by the way, all you people who claim that Opeth aren't death metal can shove it. There's a thing called SUBGENRES. The title track is next, and it is also bludgeoning. It's not quite as annihiliating as Wreath, but it's quite syncopated and the extended outro is mystifying. Following the title track is "A Fair Judgement", which is one of Opeth's best songs ever. It begins with an extended gloomy, barely audible piano solo which shifts to Akerfeldt's murky, mellow singing and a very simple guitar line in the chorus. Midway through the song is a very quirky guitar interlude that sounds like it was stolen from The Romantic Age. This song also has an extended outro which adds awesome drama to the song. Following this epic masterpiece is the short instrumental "For Absent Friends". It's the first one I've heard from the band and I must say I'm impressed. This ISN'T a Dream Theater-styled solo, folks. It's just a simple guitar line repeated over and over again with slight variations now and then. The tone of the guitar on this song is very reminiscent of Eric Johnson and I'm sure Johnson fans will notice this as well. "Masters Apprentices" is next and it is quite turbulent, being so shifty in rhythm as to be reminiscent of Meshuggah. There is no extended intro or outro here, but epics tend to get boring after all. Chronologically, though, every song on this album save for For Absent Friends is epic. MA seethes with malice and wickedness. "By the Pain I See in Others" is the haunting final track. It's about as groovy and straightforward as MA, but much more profound as there is an extended silence near the end of the album reprised by reverberating warbles courtesy of Akerfeldt and chilly whispers. Haha, maybe Opeth was inspired by Korn on this song, seeing as the technique of using an extended silence was pioneered by Korn on their Follow the Leader. Trust me, though, Opeth utilizes this concept much better than Korn does. Plus, Korn is lame anyway.

People who like extensive songs and Progressive rock/metal fans who can appreciate Death metal, especially the vocals that death metal bands bring will like this album. If you like original Opeth you will still like it because it holds many of the characteristics of the bands original releases. Anyway, this album is a haunting, epic, aggressive progressive death metal tour de force and it should not be ignored. Pick up if you have rest-money, which wants to be invested in some excellent extreme progressive metal. It's not as memorable as Still Life or Blackwater Park, but it will still satisfy.

album rating: 8.5/10 points = 87 % on MPV scale = 4/5 stars

point-system: 0 - 3 points = 1 star / 3.5 - 5.5 points = 2 stars / 6 - 7 points = 3 stars / 7.5 - 8.5 points = 4 stars / 9 - 10 points = 5 stars