GHOST REVERIES

Opeth

Tech/Extreme Prog Metal

4.28 | 1779 ratings

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LiquidEternity
Prog Reviewer

The inclusion of a keyboardist into their ranks is exactly what Opeth needed, I have to say.

Before Ghost Reveries, their sound was a bit stale, inexplicably flat. Just a bit monotonous, though without this album I couldn't have said why. Per Wiberg jumps onto the scene here, adding the sonic backdrops that Opeth deserves. Suddenly there are more flavors to Opeth than just the sour taste of old, sad rust, which isn't a bad sort of vibe, just a bit much to hang on to for seven albums.

The music is more lively, too. The heavy parts play heavy like you would expect, but they also start adding speed--and adrenaline. No longer just a sense of fear or doom, but a sense of thrilling fear, of intriguing menace. Hard to explain, but the difference to me is quite clear between this album and the ones before it. The overall production and sound quality is rounder, fuller, more full of life, if you will, though still retaining that ideal of death metal.

Also of note is, in the vein somewhat of Damnation, the presence of three completely clean-vocals mellow tracks (Atonement, Hours of Wealth, and Isolation Years). The rest of the tracks feature some measure of growling and grunting. This album also marks the first (and I guess last) album where Martin Lopez's drums strike me as interesting and creative. Fans have long sworn by the man, but only here do I find his rhythm work worthy of extra notice. The band still keeps the bass prominent in the mix, filtering out some of the domination of the guitars to add in the keyboards.

And in the end, the balance works great. This is a very good starting point for someone interested in Opeth, and a must have for anyone who is enjoying the band to much of a degree at all.

LiquidEternity | 4/5 | 2008-9-29

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