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The setting could best be associated with a dark, weathered forest, with Opeth’s fifth studio album, Blackwater Park, being a perplexing shadow. It’s not the first album like this, but the distinction here is what Opeth casts their shadow on. Rather than dimming the lights on religion and violence, Blackwater Park takes lost love, mourning and even bits of nature to their uniquely dark place. “Bleak” leers like a thick fog, verses creeping alongside the eerie mist that makes up the album’s surroundings. “Patterns in the Ivy” is more vaguely sinister, blending pianos and acoustic guitar to bring a more subtle atmosphere to the album.
The sound here is layered and heavy, balancing gentle acoustic passages and clean vocals (“Harvest”) with progressive metal sections and fierce growls (“Blackwater Park”) in a brilliantly deep abyss that beckons (and almost requires) several focused listens. Generally the growls go excellently alongside the heavier parts, but in the case of “The Drapery Falls” it fits clean vocals into the package yet still inherits the strength of the songs before it. Likewise, “Dirge for November” sandwiches a heavier core between an acoustic intro and outro, and “Blackwater Park” executes a stellar progressive blend between the two.
Opeth fuse atmosphere with excellent instrumentation to create something thick, something that draws you in to submerge yourself and rewards you the entire way in. Blackwater Park feels like wandering through foliage at night, a sound that is organic but puts your mind into dark, pensive thought. The album is grim but it’s neither threatening nor a predator, almost elusive to attention but so very deserving of it.
other reviews of this album |
Necrotica (5) A breathing canvas of overwhelming beauty, Opeth's Blackwater Park is one of the biggest l...
Thor (5) It's almost worth the mounds of hyperbolic claims it receives....
maxenberg (4.5) Light and dark alternate and blend together in perfect proportion in what might be the hig...
HoudiniLogic (5) Opeth's Blackwater Park is more than just 8 songs on a compact disc, its the true definiti...
Cain (5) ...
StreetlightRock (3) Blackwater Park - an amazing evocation of musical styles that in the end, simply dosn't li...
Angmar (5) Blackwater park was the first opeth album I ever got and I will never grow tired of listen...
Shadows (5) Opeth albums are storms of unsung art, reaching through barriers to touch all sorts of peo...
MarvellousG (4) Opeth's first foray into the 21st century saw them drawing together everything they'd atte...
Slowburner (5) We entered Winter once again......
Killtacular (4) ...
bad metal is still metal (3.5) She didn’t sleep with me after I played “The Drapery Falls” for her and I haven’t ...
crometeef (5) Opeth effortlessly blend various emotions, brutality and overall euphoria with "Blackwater...
Eternalnow (5) A fantastic progressive metal masterpiece...
interviewer02 (2.5) Heavy Metal's most overrated album by Heavy Metal's most overrated band....
AvantKiller (5) A comprehensive, admirable, good taste, Heavy Metal response to the Progressive Rock of th...
Fenix (5) The absolute peak of an all-time great band...
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Album Rating: 3.5
yeah I know, metaphor's retarded, too short, needs moar 5 reviews. rolling the dice a bit here, just unsure if this is an effective way to describe the album. comments/criticism appreciated
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Yes, another one.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
first sentence, is a little comma, happy. but other than that a stellar review, especially considering its length. pos'd.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Some sentences look like they would be better broken up, but it's pretty good.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
pos'd as well
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
thanks guys, I'll come back to fix this later. review is pretty experimental
| | | Fantastic review, way too short. Not gonna pos', not gonna neg'.
[EDIT] Okay, the awesomeness of this review outweighs it's length. Pos'.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
oh my fucking god
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
^ Given that the review is good, can we ignore that it's the 12th one? If that's what you're referring to.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Now that's an underground band that I am not aware of...
just kidding, good review.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Opeth? How do you even pronounce that? You are into some crazy indie underground shit man
| | | I can't get behind this review
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
who are opeth again? [:
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I can't get behind this review
if it's because of the way I described their sound I understand entirely, probably doesn't make the most sense
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Review's fine, just a bit weird
| | | inb4 shadows quote
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
I like the way you described it
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
where the fuck is Irving
and thanks Sowing :]
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Why do you care where Irving is? Does he like this album or something?
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if it's because of the way I described their sound I understand entirely, probably doesn't make the most sense
No it's not that. What's written is nice enough there's just not much of it. I'm all for short reviews but there's barely anything here to truly justify your rating. That tormented wood nymph line is a little ott for my tastes though
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