Ghost Reveries, Opeth

One of the most brilliantly performed Opeth albums, this clearly sets a threshold for any "copy-cats bands" to be able to reach, a feat yet to be surpassed. Although all of the songs are not as impressive as some of those from the previous albums, the album as a whole is simply stunning. Here's more inspiring words on the album by someone more suited to do the job.

Let me start by stating the obvious: Opeth isn't exactly the most accessible metal band around. Too boring for those who only need METAL!!!1 and too extreme for the fans of lighter genres, it takes either a fair amount of patience, or an unusual enough taste to appreciate. Ghost Reveries doesn't change this at all, with five large, complex compositions and three shorter, calmer songs working, as great as they are, as interludes more than anything else. Still, there's plenty of those, including the one writing this, who really enjoy thorough digging into the creations of Mr Akerfeldt and co., and the reason is simple enough – it's extremely rewarding in every way. The journey we're taking on Ghost Reveries isn't exactly an optimistic nor a simple one – we're dealing with ghosts (in the more spiritual meaning rather than the fantasy one), solitude, guilt, and even occultism at more than one point. It takes time and patience to fully get into the world presented here, but the way it is presented makes it worth the effort entirely. As (nearly, there's Damnation after all) always in case of Opeth, the music is a combination of straightforward death metal with a progressive edge, more melodic and melancholic sections, and the calmest, mostly acoustic parts. On Ghost Reveries, all three are executed and combined with perfection and finesse, as the music can pass from crushing riffs and deep growling to acoustic guitars and clean vocals within 30 seconds, and it feels entirely natural. However, this time the focus is definitely on darker parts, even though there are four songs feeling – more or less – lighter than the others. The longest one of them, and actually also the longest composition of the album, called Reverie/Harlequin Forest, is an impressive work with a more melodic approach, some beautiful guitar leads and solos, and also an amazing combination of clean vocals and heavier riffs in the first part. It's still not void of heavier parts with growls, which are very nicely combined with the rest, but this time it's not the main part. This song also perfectly displays another strength of the album – the incredible use of keyboards and mellotrons. This is the first Opeth album recorded with Per Wiberg, and also the first “normal” album using the keyboards so extensively - they're present pretty much from start to finish of Ghost Reveries, they hardly ever take the lead, and greatly add to the whole sound. They're used to great effect in the heavier sections, just as the first half of The Baying of The Hounds and intro/outro of The Grand Conjuration, but obviously, it's the lighter parts in which they have more space and importance. The three shorter songs, called Atonement, Hours of Wealth and Isolation Years, are particularly dominated by the use of keyboards. Atonement has a slightly jazzy feeling to it, but it's the vocals that shine the most – it's one of the most emotional moments of the entire album, with a beautiful, slightly processed voice that really remains in your mind... Hours of Wealth may be the weakest track of Ghost Reveries, but it still works as a very good acoustic interlude. However, the closing track – Isolation Years – is a different thing entirely. The most melancholic and the shortest track on the album, but full of emotion and feeling, it's extremely memorable since the first listen, and the perfect ending of the album, it's also probably the most impressive clean vocal performance of Mikael Akerfeldt on Ghost Reveries. The most impressive growling performance, on the other hand, would be the first half of The Baying of The Hounds. Actually I'll go as far as saying this is one of the best growling performances I've ever heard, with a really deep, dark, powerful voice, that really will make you feel the lyrics (and we're talking about lyrics such as “the cities lay dead and beyond despair”). The truth is that vocals on the whole album are absolutely top notch, emotional, powerful and simply excellent in every way, and these examples are just the ones that stand out the most, but there are many, many more (such as the beautiful “Drown in the deep mire...” part – The Baying of The Hounds, again). I admit I had considered Mikael Akerfeldt a good, but not great vocalist – I was proved entirely wrong by this album, which is vocal-wise one of the best things I've ever heard. The metal side of the album is nearly perfect as well, and the aforementioned The Baying of the Hounds is one of the heaviest tracks, dominated by excellent death metal riffs, with a particularly great, heavy, chugging one around the 7th minute. Another one is the opener, Ghost of Perdition (which seems to have gained a nearly untouchable spot in the band's live setlist), also alternating a bit between heavier and softer moments, both being equally brilliant. Beneath The Mire is the most unusual and probably also the most prog-metal oriented track on the album, with a slightly more technical approach and some unconventional experiments (such as the opening riff), and also an amazing outro. And then, there's the song which has really possessed me. But hell, I'm happy with that. It's called The Grand Conjuration, and it's hands down the heaviest and darkest piece on Ghost Reveries. It's the most focused on the theme of occultism and ritual, which is rather obvious, looking at the title, and the atmosphere is so dark and dense that it's capable of giving chills during most of its duration. On one hand, there's the particularly grim growling style, sounding like you really don't want to mess with him, and on the other – there are the quiet moments, with a repeating low guitar sound, and a clean, silent, nearly whispered vocal style... but the way it sounds is so incredibly discomforting (especially with the “ritual” whispers in the background here and there) that it manages to sound even darker than the heavy parts, which, by the way, are just filled with amazing riffs, from start to finish. And the outro... I've mentioned it when talking about keyboards, I'm mentioning it again, and it's still not enough. I'm listening to this song for around the twentieth time and it feels just as incredible, monumental and powerful as for the first time. I'm not the “if it's the heaviest, it's my favourite” type, especially on albums like this, but this is an exception... One more thing that shines on the album, in fact on The Grand Conjuration the most, is the drumming. This is the last Opeth album with Martin Lopez, and his performance here is excellent, with lots of finesse and feeling, but also a lot of punch in the heavier parts. This was one of those rare albums which I had decided to try not really knowing what to expect, and ended up forgetting about the rest of the world for two weeks. If someone can't stand long songs and the “boring” acoustic sections, I don't think Ghost Reveries can change his/her opinion. Otherwise – this is an album with amazing songwriting (and with this song length and the diversity of musical styles involved, this means a lot), absolutely stunning and incredible vocals, excellent riffs and drumming, beautiful softer parts, and everything combined together by a unique, dark atmosphere. Impossible to do all at once? Maybe. But this is Opeth.

Originally from: the records of Encyclopaedia Metallum, done by Darkes_7