Opeth - Ghosts Reveries (1 Viewer)

[Lee M T]

I received my copy from Tower Records a day early. I'm very happy.

I don't know how many of you are fond of Opeth, but this is their best album yet. Damnation was great, but a one-of type album. Though the mellow tracks on this album outdo some songs on Damnation.

Mikael Akerfeldt puts forth some high quality clean vocals on this album. The mellow track Hours Of Wealth contains, dare I say? some of the best vocals I have ever heard, period. And I'm not just talking about Mikael. This is truly a remarkable effort.

The other two mellow tracks Atonement and Isolation Years are also very well done. The first of which has a very Porcupine Tree "Dark Matter" bass line and drum section. It also has a very Arabian sort of guitar feel along with more great vocals. Isolation Years, the final track on the album is short, but sweet.

The death tracks are also brilliant. My favorite being Harlequin Forest which actually has clean vocals for the most part. Baying Of The Hounds is also brilliant with some great riffs. The other three death tracks are also great, but I haven't even given the album a full spin through yet, as the songs are so long. So it'll take me some time to break down the harder tracks.

I know the death vocals are hard to get past, I still can't believe I even listen to them, but Opeth does them in a way unlike other death metal bands. Mixed with the very proggy keyboards and mellotron efforts of new member Per Wilberg, this is one fantastic album for any fans of true musicianship and non-mainstream sugar coating.

 

[Sheldon C]

I can't wait to pick this one up tomorrow, I'm glad to hear you like it.

You're right about the death vocals, he puts all the rest to shame. Not only do they sound good, but you can actually understand what he is saying most of the time.

 

[Jim_C]

>>Not only do they sound good, but you can actually understand what he is saying most of the time.

 

[Andrew Bunk]

A great record. Definitely a band that makes progress. While I like their first 4 releases, it was really the Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) produced records that hooked me. Blackwater Park, Deliverance and Damnation are all excellent, and all have that same air of class and perfect execution IMO.

While Ghost Reveries has all that, there's something else there-I think it has more of an adventurous spirit. It sounds like the band is very confident now, and I love the addition of a permanent keyboardist. The fact that they seem to use nothing but vintage analog and pianos gives them a sort of elegant quality.

I hope they can sustain this level of excellence.

 

[Rich Romero]

Amazing album, not quite as good as My Arms, Your Hearse or Still Life but few albums will ever approach those. This album is 100% recommended.

 

[Sheldon C]

This album has the best production of all of their albums, and that's saying something. In fact it may be the best sounding album I own and that includes all of Dream Theater's albums, Dark Side of the Moon, Absentia, and some others.

Granted a lot of my metal collection sounds like poo through my Axiom speakers, so I have limited experience with great sounding albums.

What do you guys think of the production?

 

[Lee M T]

I too find the production to be of very high quality. My car listening experience was very exciting because my metal dome tweeters usually kill my ears with metal. But for the most part, this album is very clean and I can crank the levels quite high. The album was produced by a guy named Jens Borgen, he's 25-years-old. Mikael raves about this guy. I can see why.

 

[ElevSkyMovie]

That means he's probably not deaf yet, hasn't killed his ears like older metal producers. I've met several engineers (not metal) who wouldn't/couldn't admit that they couldn't hear high frequencies. They tend to apply eq to compensate for what they can't hear instead of realizing they need help.

 

[ChrisDixon]

The production is very good. Opeth CDs tend to find their way to my car since I am very picky about what I listen to in my reference system. This one and Damnation will be mainstays there! Really great CD too, though I've only listened to it twice now. It is the best blend of styles yet. Only time will tell if it has the staying power of some of the others, but it has the inside track to be one of my favorites of theirs.

Chris

 

[Rich Romero]

The production I think is only average. It sounds like every other release Jens has done right down to the snare and bass drum samples. Metal producers tend to want to fake everything for the sake of clarity. Steven's production style was WAY more natural and so was everything they did pre-BWP.

 

[Sheldon C]

Well, I guess if that's what fake sounds like then that's what I prefer.

What else has Jens produced? I would like to hear some more of his albums.

 

[EricB]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I was surprised to discover only this morning when I played it that Ghost Reveries is encoded as HDCD.