Opeth:Damnation// well waddiya know... [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

PDA

View Full Version : Opeth:Damnation// well waddiya know...



3-LockBox
06-22-2004, 11:07 PM
I have read a few things about this band, at this site in particular, and decided to give these guys a listen. My first impressions were "hmm...I've heard this before", then "where's the prog metal?", then "this sounds like <b>Porcupine Tree</b>". I log on to AMG.com and find out that Steve Wilson (the afore mentioned <i>Tree</i>) produced and played some melotron on this album. Did anyone else know?

It's alright, but what album is best for the true <b>Opeth</b> experience?

-Jar-
06-23-2004, 04:34 AM
the question you need to ask yourself: can I deal with "death metal growl" vocals?

If no, then you probably should hear them first. Not all albums sound like DAMNATION with the "clean" vocal style.

If yes, then by all means.. fans don't seem to agree on their best album. I've heard many different one's mentioned. The only other one I have is DELIVERANCE, which is very proggy, plus lots of death metal mixed in (these things they call "blast beats" which don't turn up much in other types of metal. A "blast beat" is when the drummer rolls the double-kick really fast and everyone is just rocking out full on.. pretty neat effect if not over-used).

Anyway.. BLACKWATER PARK is another one that gets a lot of recs.. has some beautiful non-death parts, esp the tune "Harvest."

Beyond that I can't say. There are others on this board who know their stuff way more than I do.

-jar

Dusty Chalk
06-23-2004, 09:30 AM
What jar said -- if you can deal with the cookie monster vocals, then you should definitely investigate them further. Damnation is nothing like the rest of their catalog. A lot of people point to Blackwater Park as a good starting point -- it's got the lovely "Drapery Falls" on it. But if you want to dive in the deep end, just go straight to Morningrise -- it's an exhausting listening experience. They really never quite accomplished that level of intensity ever again.

BTW, Wilson helped produce a couple of their albums, including Damnation, Deliverance and Blackwater Park. He's also on the DVD, Lamentations (not in the live part, but in the studio part). It's worth watching at least once, to see the light behind the dark.

Kudos for trying something different.

mad rhetorik
06-23-2004, 11:18 AM
the question you need to ask yourself: can I deal with "deal metal growl" vocals?

If no, then you probably should hear them first. Not all albums sound like DAMNATION with the "clean" vocal style.


Agreed. The growling takes a while to get acclimated to, and even then some still can't put up with it. Me? I like growls in moderation, and I prefer it if they're not the ultra-ultra low, usually pitchshifted variety that sound like a rhino in heat (most American death metal bands are guilty of this).

I'd argue that Mikael Akerfeldt's growls are not only pretty good (aggressive, while still maintaining a degree of clarity), they're essential to Opeth's dynamic sound. To hear the music transition from tumultous metal to shimmering folk, and back again is what I listen to Opeth for, and virtually nobody else does it better.

BTW Lockbox, other melodic death metal bands to look into are In Flames and Amorphis. In Flames is a metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden, whose trademarks are very Iron Maiden-esque twin guitar melodies and harsh (but still very listenable) vocals, with a bit of clean singing here and there (though not as much as Opeth). I highly reccommend <b>The Jester Race</b>, <b>Colony</b>, and <b>Clayman</b>.

Amorphis is Opeth's Finnish counterpart, and they are sort of similar, except that Amorphis is a bit more melodic and jazzier-sounding to my ears. <b>Tuonela</b> is the best starting place; it's a lot like <b>Damnation</b> in that it's mostly soft, except that a couple songs on <b>Tuonela</b> use the harsh vox. <b>Elegy</b> is another good album, and it has more of the growling blended in with the melodic music.

Yet another band you might want to check out is Katatonia, which is very similar to Opeth except that there are far fewer acoustic interludes, and on their latest releases there is no growling--just clean singing remiscient of The Cure's Robert Smith. Check out <b>Viva Emptiness</b>, their latest album--it's great.



The only other one I have is DELIVERANCE, which is very proggy, plus lots of death metal mixed in (these things they call "blast beats" which don't turn up much in other types of metal. A "blast beat" is when the drummer rolls the double-kick really fast and everyone is just rocking out full on.. pretty neat effect if not over-used).


Technically, a "blast beat" is a really fast series of snare+bass drum hits in excess of 230 BPM. The technique was popularized by grindcore bands like Napalm Death. While it takes a good deal of speed and endurance to pull these off, some bands just don't know when to quit and blastbeat nearly constantly. As a result it becomes repetitive and numbing. Fortunately, Opeth doesn't overdo it.



But if you want to dive in the deep end, just go straight to Morningrise -- it's an exhausting listening experience. They really never quite accomplished that level of intensity ever again.

I swear by <b>Morningrise</b>. To me it is their best album, and that's saying a lot. Classic guitar harmonies, beautiful transitions, good lyrics, and epic song lengths (there are only five songs and the whole album is slightly more than an hour long). It's split roughly 50/50 heavy/soft, so it makes a good album after the almost entirely soft <b>Damnation</b>.

From there, check out their other releases. <b>Still Life</b> and <b>Blackwater Park</b> have more heavy parts than <b>Morningrise</b>, while <b>My Arms Your Hearse</b> and <b>Deliverence</b> (originally intended as <b>Damnation</b>'s companion piece) are heavier still. Good luck Lockbox.

3-LockBox
06-23-2004, 05:18 PM
Kudos for trying something different.


Ya know, my whole experience here at Rave Recs has been a "try something different" phase, even with the retro stuff. I would never have investigated Gabriel era <b>Genesis</b> or neo prog like <b>Spock's Beard</b> or indie stuff like <b>Built To Spill</b>. I do appreciate the heads up about the vocals. I have been a <b>Porky Tree</b> fan for some time, so <i>Damnation</i> probably isn't much of a stretch for me. But I don't have much tolerance for 'cookie monster' vocals anymore than I do for hose-poser vocals (Le Brie). I guess I lucked out picking this CD.

Thanx

3LB

Dusty Chalk
06-23-2004, 07:23 PM
I swear by <b>Morningrise</b>. I have come to appreciate Morningrise as one of their best efforts. AAMOF, I have come to appreciate all their albums. Once you get into them, they really are all essential -- I have a hard time picking a favourite, it really depends what I'm listening to. If I'm listening to Morningrise, then I think to myself, yeah! this is their best...but then I put on Deliverance...and etc.

Have you watched the studio portion of the DVD? It's interesting. I didn't realize they were 1/2 polar bears, 1/2 tropical creatures (I believe it's like this: two are from Scandinavia and the other two are from Brazil). I haven't gone back and listened to their entire catalog listening for this (if it's even possible to hear), but I think it contributes to their unique sound.

mad rhetorik
06-24-2004, 11:48 AM
Have you watched the studio portion of the DVD? It's interesting. I didn't realize they were 1/2 polar bears, 1/2 tropical creatures (I believe it's like this: two are from Scandinavia and the other two are from Brazil). I haven't gone back and listened to their entire catalog listening for this (if it's even possible to hear), but I think it contributes to their unique sound.

Heh. I knew the name "Martin Lopez" in a band from Sweden sounded a little off. : P

Dan Swano (drums) and Johan DeFarfalla (bass) were the band's previous rhythm section, I think, and with the all-Swede lineup they still sounded more or less the same. Still kind of neat that they have two guys from Brazil in a band based as faraway as Sweden, though.