BLACKWATER PARK

I got this album after I already had Heritage, Watershed, Damnation and Ghost Reveries by Opeth. They all impressed me, but none as much as Blackwater Park. This is a truly monumental collection of songs that all work together to create an atmosphere that most musicians would die to be able to form. The production on this album is phenomenal, it sounds great. Let's get into the individual tracks! The Leper Affinity This song didn't really impress me on the first listen, but after about 5 more listens I started to appreciate it more. This track has it all: brutal growling from Mikael Akerfeldt, memorable riffs, beautiful acoustic breaks, even a nice piano ending. The musicianship of the band really shows on this track. The only problem I have is that there is a really nice part before the piano ending. The guitar plays a nice melody in this section, and it was cut way too short. We don't really have enough time to appreciate it. 8/10 Bleak This is one of my favourites from this album. It starts out with a killer riff, and the growling is introduced. This song has a memorable 'chorus' (if that's what you wish to call it), where a melody (and a nice melody at that) is sung with clean vocals, with the words 'Devious movement in your eyes''. This song has lots of nice instrumental breaks, with time signature changes and changes in texture, really making this song something special. 9/10 Harvest This is a nice song, softer than the last two. It doesn't contain any growling, and has a memorable chorus melody. It is a nice cool-down track from the madness of the last two, but by no means does that mean it is bad. This is in fact one of Opeth's most famous songs. 8/10 The Drapery Falls This is another of Opeth's most famous songs. This was my favourite off the album after my first listen. It opens with cold-sounding acoustic strumming, before segueing into another memorable, killer riff. The verses of this song are some of the best I've ever heard in an Opeth song, and the beautiful melody of the line 'Pull me down again, and guide me into pain' really shows how Opeth can combine brutality with melody, something which most bands struggle to do. Additional background vocals by Steven Wilson are also good. 9/10 Dirge for November I seem to be the only person in existence who loves this song. The introduction with the vocals and guitar is one of the most interesting and beautiful moments on this album. Then, when the heavy guitars and drumming come in, the song really turns special. It's a song which is quite hard to describe, have a listen yourself and see if you like it. 9/10 The Funeral Portrait This song starts with a chilling riff played on the acoustic guitar. This riff is then played by the electric guitars, with the growling coming in soon after. I feel like this track drags on a little, and is a little boring at times. However, I loved the bit where Mikael sings 'And you are just like them all, stained by the names of fathers'. This is a good song, but probably the weakest of the album. 7/10 Patterns in the Ivy This song is a nice calm breather, and acts as an intro to the final track. It would have been better if it was a bit longer (I felt like it was cut short a little). 8/10 Blackwater Park The final track of the album begins with a dark-sounding riff. I didn't really 'get' this song on my first listen, but I do now. After a short acoustic break, the song plunges into some of the best growling I've heard from Mikael Akerfeldt. After this, there is a longer soft break, which sounds a little like the beginning of Dirge For November (except without the vocals). The riff from the earlier growling section then comes in, and from there, the song just becomes more and more intense. 8/10

Overall, a very good album. 9 out of 10 stars.