Opeth - Ghost Revieries


Opeth is one of those bands that you either love or hate. There's very little ground on which you can be indifferent to the band, and I amazingly find myself balancing on that isthmus between oceans of fervent defenders of the band, and equally fervent detractors. Opeth is a band that can make you hate them by being too progressive, to death metal, and too mellow all within one song. I must admit that I am neither a fan of progressive rock, nor am I much of a fan of death metal, which would lead you to assume the results of this review before it even gets started. The funny thing about this band is that for as many things as they give you to hate, they give you just as many things to love. I want to hate this band, if for nothing else than the legions of metal fans and critics that proclaim them to be demigods walking the earth to save music as we know it, but I can't bring myself to do it.

Opeth's last album was a piece of mellow prog, consisting of clean electric and acoustic guitars. There was not one hint of death metal present in an album by a band that's ... death metal. Damnation was a nice reprieve from the usually tortuous task that is an Opeth album. Each of the previous albums released by the band are hour long opuses which contain songs that stretch from 7 to 20 minutes (Black Rose Immortal). Damnation was a refreshing turn for the band, as they abandoned the cliché of death metal to prove that they can indeed play their instruments, sing, and write songs. They did so at such a level that even their fans couldn't find much to hate about the lack of "metalness".

That brings us to Ghost Reveries, the new disc from the band. This is the first one on Roadrunner Records, the label notorious for bringing us the sonic and taste assaults that are Slipknot and Nickleback. This has worried fans of the band ever since news was spread of the signing, but is there reason for the concern?

"Ghost of Perdition" kicks things off with a horror movie intro before kicking into death growls. Say what you want about the genre of death metal, but there's very limited use for death vocals. The sheer lack of expression that they allow is not enough to cary an album. Fortunately, they don't last long, as clean vocals take over with a staccato riff that bring the song into far more progressive territory than death metal. The song alternates between acoustic passages and the staccato riffs until the death vocals come back to ruin the end of an otherwise fine song.

"The Baying of the Hounds" comes next, and the limits of the death growl become readily apparent, as a decent vocal melody is lost inside of the harsh tones. The song segues into staccato riffs as in the first song, as the clean vocals rescue the song from parody. The song alternates the two forms until the end, as nothing really stands out as being impressive or memorable.

"Beneath the Mire" opens by showcasing the newest addition to Opeth; keyboard. The keys add an additional level of horror movie cliché to the already horroresque band, and do little to advance the song, which follows the same pattern as the first two; growl, clean, staccato, repeat.

"Atonement" introduces the best treat on the entire album, as a Middle Eastern guitar figure comes in to create a calming mood. Unfortunately, nothing is made of it, as the song is largely instrumental, and the few vocals are marred with the "telephone voice" effect, which renders them useless.

"Reverie/Harlequin Forest" is two movements attached as one song, because Opeth is contractually limited to 8 songs an album. That's not the actual case, but it's the only reason why some of these songs coninue on as one, when they should be split to create more drama and tension, not to mention a better listening experience for the listener. The first half of the song is an unusual case, as clean vocals rise over the usual death riffs, showing that the band could be much better than they are if they so chose.
"Hours of Wealth" is the one moment that really stands out on this album as showing promise. A mellow piece, the acoustic guitars meld wonderfully to the piano lines to create a psuedo-jazz atmosphere for some of the best clean vocals ever laid down by the band. The melody is understated jazz, and the most developed on the album.

"The Grand Conjuration" is another ten minute epic, and unlike many of the band's other epics, actually works. The reason for the song working is that they don't try to cram too many different riffs into the song. They replicate the original modal figure several times throughout the song, using it as an anchor to pull together seemingly incoherent passages. There's even a cheesy metal shred solo stuck in the song for no reason, which makes you wonder exactly what the guys are trying to do. For the life of them, they can't pick a direction and stick to it.

"Isolation Years" finishes things off with another mellow piece, and another highlight. While nothing special occurs with the music, this song features the best vocal melodies the band has ever put together. It would have fit in wonderfully on Damnation, and that's a nice bit of praise.

So what's the final word on "Ghost Reveries"? It's a mixed bag as far as things go. There's some wonderful vocal lines intertwined with cliched death metal. As far as death metal goes, the passages are nothing special, as pummeling guitar work is not the strong suit of this band. What they excel at is creating atmosphere, which they try to achieve in many places on this album. If they were to dedicate themselves to creating an atmospheric hard rock record, we could be amazed at the talent of this band. However, if they continue to exploit their tried and true formula, nothing but more frustration on the part of listeners will entail. It's not worth the effort of listening to this band for the moments of brilliance when they're buried within ten minute slabs of bland death boredom.

Rating: 65/100