OPETH
I've found listening to OPETH a near-religious experience. When I search my vast collection of thoughts regarding Metal music and my involvement in the scene as both a participant, fan, and now critic, I'm humbled by the fact that OPETH alone have been one of the very few; and I mean very few bands, who have ever been able to stir this level of emotion in me. Now that was a very long sentence and if challenged to do so I could easily ramble on endlessly about OPETH and their immense creativity and uncanny ability to write and perform music that transcends all recognizable barriers. Its one thing to mesh opposing styles but OPETH have gone beyond the call and created something no other band can lay claim to. In this whirling vortex of a scene with a myriad of Metal styles, that's an accomplishment few can claim.Blackwater Park. Why is it that this title fits so well? Leave it to the mysterious nature of this Swedish prodigy and be content with the outcome, which as you may have guessed by now given my long-winded introduction to this album, is stunning. What is most interesting about this release is that, as incredible as it is, it was not an instant classic upon first listen. Then again, every previous effort by OPETH has had the same slow, gravitational effect on me. One listen demands another, then another until at some point you realize that it's yet another classic piece of moody, dramatic, ethereal, dreamy and probing Metal craftiness.
No long time fan of the band are likely to feel cheated by the fact that OPETH have really not brought anything new to the table on this album. You've come to expect the very best from the band and that's exactly what you get with Blackwater Park. However, some may have anticipated some new ingredient to be introduced. Not so in the big picture here. What OPETH have done is simply picked up where Still Life ended, thrown in some earlier elements from My Arms, Your Hearse and journeyed further into the nether of dark, emotionally charged musical nirvana. The eight tracks on this album represent over an hour of brilliant, heartfelt intricacy layered through and through with haunting acoustical backdrops, fanged guitar bites and bolstered by alternating vocal styles now commonly associated with the band's style. The flow and tempo of the album is remarkably consistent and fine-tuned which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has followed the band through their career. Vocalist Michael Akerfeldt is at his pinnacle on this album and all supporting members again brandish their finest musical traits. The vocal passion in this album is deeply interwoven amidst the sinister attack of Akerfeldt's darker side. The Jeckyl and Hyde personality is strong and always absorbing.
There are times when Blackwater Park may come across as a more simplistic rendition of Still Life but listen again because so deep is this tireless work of art that several spins of the disc are required for one to grasp the full brunt. The album is all about synchronicity and character and surely the emotive balance is striking with waves of sorrow, love, hate and madness all rolling in like successive waves at high tide.
OPETH seemingly have settled into a niche they are comfortable with and all the more power to them because whatever this is, its working and working like clockwork. Blackwater Park is as beautiful as it is dark and unsettling. A masterpiece? Yes.
