#opeth #melodicdeathmetal #metal Update 5 Aug '24- Having this video effectively invalidated by Opeth with the release of §1 makes my day. It's not about me being right, it's about their way of being heavy being an awesome thing. Apologies for the echo! I have noted this feedback, I had very limited parameters and opportunities to make this video due to family circumstances. I'll try tackle that on the next one. The Tragedy of Opeth What are your top 10 Opeth tracks? Leave your list in the comments! In this video I "Lament" over Opeth's former metal glory years and the impact they had on me musically speaking and how I completely lost touch with one of my all time favourite bands. Subscribe: ua-cam.com/channels/OkCJAmiw7xJw3ZBGeKcpLw.html Follow me On Instagram: instagram.com/masterlessmusic?igshid=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg== Follow Me On Twitter: twitter.com/HannSologuitar Checkout My Facebook Page: facebook.com/masterless1
To be fair that's kinda the point of the video. I totally respect their chosen path. I'll always have the back catalogue and I'll probably always think know one will ever touch them at what it was that they did. This isn't one of those "the new stuff sucks" kinda videos, it's more of a "they've gone down a path I'm not really interested in following" sort of Take. I don't see it as a negative other than it being something of a loss to Metal because of the brilliant dynamics they brought to the genre.
I just discovered Opeth thru their last record "In cauda venenum". and I found it beautiful with a great melodic creativity, and complex but subtill instrumentation. Loving it more each time I listen to it. The same reaction from my daughter that did not know the band. Even when looking at the reviews of this opus I found excellent reviews. I really hope they continue developing this way, IMHO. For each its own, I suppose.
Fair enough. Like I said in the video, I'm certainly not judging them for following the creative path that they've chosen. If your heart isn't in something, better to make a change and remain true to yourself. Unfortunately, I can't go with them. It's just not my cup of tea beyond a certain point.
🔥🔥❤Opeth❤🔥🔥 As a 74 yr old, Opeth is my favorite band of all time. I came across them about 3 yrs ago here on youtube watching reactions. To this day I still do a regular search for new Opeth reactions. Watershed, Still Life, and Ghost Reveries are my top 3 favorite albums. However, I do love all of their other albums too. But shhhh 🤫, Heritage is my least favorite.
I feel I'm in the same place. I first heard Opeth on Sirius back in 2003 or so and it was just the last few minutes of Deliverance. Loved it! I gobbled everything they did after. I started feeling changes in Watershed although all the songs grew on me. I couldn't get into the last 4 albums, however, listening to a Opeth Spotify channel there are songs in those albums that have grown on me. They certainly lost that driving sound in the album range you suggest though.
I got into opeth from both Heritage and Blackwater Park in 2012. which is perhaps why i love both sides to them. I think if you let go of the nostalgic mind, and the need for things to stay the same, then you can appreciate it fully. But perhaps that's the difference between old listeners and "new".
That's fair enough. Mind you, I never "fell out with them", I just lost touch with everything post Heritage because it doesn't scratch any itches I have you know?
This is an interesting subject! I remember 15 years ago Opeth was one of the biggest and most talked about bands in the local scene and influenced a lot of bands (including myself). However, it seems like the albums they did after Watershed really alienated most of the fans. Also, I think Michael has often been very vocal about his dislike for extreme metal, so I don't think that helps either, since I've noticed a lot of people see him as bit of an a-hole. Actually, I really like old school prog as well, but the post-Watershed Opeth albums (to me) are not really that good when compared to other prog bands. I would have been fine if they had dropped the growls and went with 100% clean vocals, as long as they would have kept the essence of the Opeth sound. The newer albums (to me) are just sub-standard prog-rock albums with none of the uniqueness of what made Opeth the force of nature that they were.
I'm fond of pretty much everything Opeth has ever done. They are one of the best bands I've ever seen live. Admittedly, the last 4 albums are growers, not showers. However, there is no one in metal that utilizes their influences to make great music than Michael Akerfelt. I'm a 45 year old musician. I'm not the same musician that I was when I was 15 or 20. A musician as talented as Michael Akerfelt can't stay in one place musically. They have to explore.
I stumbled upon your video, probably because I attended an Opeth tribute concert last Friday. On my way back home, I found myself searching for live Opeth videos. I recorded some songs the tribute band played, just to immerse myself in the nostalgia of Opeth's glorious days, and perhaps reminisce about my own past. I share a strikingly similar journey with you as a metalhead and a devoted Opeth fan (and a 38-year-old father, to add!). As metalheads, we develop a deeply sentimental bond with the bands we love. However, as we age, we come to realize that change is inevitable, even for our favorite bands, as they are, after all, human and subject to the passage of time. I believe it's entirely normal, especially at our age, to yearn for the golden era and find it challenging to embrace immediate change. It's a sentiment many of us share as we navigate the evolving landscape of both our musical tastes and our lives. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences in this video-it's comforting to know that others out there share similar feelings and journeys. Keep rocking on!
Your comment has literally made my day. Not necessarily because it reflects some of the sentiments in the video, which is of course nice in itself (equally I don't mind disagreement in discourse), but it's clear to me that you actually gave the video a chance and actually listened to what I had to say before coming to any conclusions and forming an opinion on it. Thanks, I really appreciated your input.
There's "technial and precise" (which D.T. is, absolutely), then there's prog with soul (and a bit of Jazz...). Opeth are masters of both. I discovered them around "Pale Communion" - STILL my favorite next to "Still Life"
The beauty of Opeth is Mikael’s eclectic taste in music. That’s how you got the progressive death metal we all love so much. With that comes new sounds era to era. I love 70’s prog so the Opeth prog era, to me, is great music. Can you really blame them for wanting to try new things? I feel like metal fans are just pigeonholed to metal and they don’t want to listen to anything else and miss out on a lot of good songs. Btw, Watershed is fucking amazing. It’s the culmination of all the facets of the Opeth golden era.
@@ThaBigBear cool. I get that and respect it. But, let me pitch it to you this way...,if I may.. As I'm also a Yes fan. Imagine, for a moment that Yes got up one morning sounding like Dream Theater. Steve Howe starts putting everything through a MK11 C+, theres more double kick on everything, more attack and power on the vocals and generally more heavy handed use of compression and gating etc. Its not about "Metal guys" being stubborn or "pigeon holing" themselves into a box... At least not everytime. Basically, in a nutshell it's going to the store, buying a coka cola, cracking the tin open and downing a gulp only to find there's Dr Pepper inside. For some folks, they just like cola, and that's okay. For others, it just doesn't quite hit the spot. That's okay as well. You are right of course that Opeth have always liked to dabble in a bit of this and a bit of that. However it is also true that they created a brand that was associated with a few common traits across many years. Ultimately they're of course free to do as they see fit creatively and I'll always respect that about them. It doesn't mean that by extension that I must enjoy their latest dish that they've created as much as others may want to. Just like coca cola may serve up many infused flavours into their range but I may choose to stick to the original full sugar classic because it simply hits the spot for me. Also Watershed is certainly not a bad record in my opinion and I'm pretty sure I said as much in the record but there's just something about it that hinted to me that he was going to deviate sharply from it because it sounded a little... "To script" to my ears in context. So I wasn't surprised when Heritage came out. He'd hinted a bit in some interviews leading up to that point anyway. It's still very well executed though. I'm excited for this latest record though. It's sounding like more of a fusion of the two creative directions. I think there's going to be enough for me to really get that itch scratched. Hope that makes sense and I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. Take care! 🤘 Would you pick at the long time Yes fan for being less than enthusiastic over the new changes (even if they'd done a teaser record of the new approach just a few years prior, but had otherwise given no signs of a seemingly permanent or enduring dramatic change in sonic approach)
Wow, what a great summary and video. There's a lot I want to comment here, but first I feel it needs a little context. At 44, I only "discovered" Opeth 3-4 years ago? It was shortly after their last album released. I took a chance on checking them out after hearing the number of bands in interviews that had for whatever reason recently, listed Opeth as an inspiration for them. And I had heard OF them for a long time, but never quite looked into them. I had been listening to metal in some form or variation since I'm 15, but much of what got me into it was the nu-metal stuff from the 90's - so a band like Opeth was far away from my listening pallet. Come early 2000's I'm introduced to Lamb of God and In Flames, and it changed everything. Now I'm open to a lot more stuff because I'm thinking, what have I been missing out on by pigeon-hole'ing my listening. So a few years ago I gave Opeth a chance and sat with the discography (which was quite an adventure there was so much to choose from and wonder where to start.) I had the privilege of getting into them while their different sounds kind of coexisted. I was introduced to this band that was a little YES, a little Obituary, a little Emmerson Lake & Palmer - and I really enjoyed it. Going through the catalogue from first to last however, I had a different reaction to Watershed. While you heard it and thought, SOMETHING is happening - I heard it and thought, something is HAPPENING (hard to tell tone in text but I hope that made sense.) Most people I know who like Opeth, and followed them from the begging (or at least prior to Heritage,) very much feel the same way you do. I gotta imagine I'd be the same way. So I count myself fortunate to have come across them at the time I did. They are arguably now my favorite band. I want to close this by just saying how cool it was to see you deliver this video with the amount of respect and care that you did. It's obvious this band means a lot to you, and the amount of love you have for the music that was so inspirational to you comes out in the way you spoke.
Thanks. Again I find myself grateful that you considered the entire video to form the basis of your comment. I can certainly appreciate your perspective it's very interesting to consider it from the other angle of someone coming in from the post Heritage era. Thanks again. It's kindly appreciated.
I agree 100 percent with all 15 minutes and 22 seconds of what you said brother! Demon of the Fall and Blackwater Park Title Track I did covers of, on my channel, WinstonSmith911, because not only had these songs given me chills to listen to, but were also written in drop-D tuning and were incredibly fun to learn from a guitarist's perspective. I had the pleasure of seeing Opeth during their peak in February 2004 in Philadelphia. I never saw a better show until TOOL's 2019 tour.
Appreciate you stopping by man. Last time I saw them must have been maybe '05 or' 06, so similar experience. You know, I've never seen Tool live. I'd like to. I don't really follow everything they do but, I'm a fan of great drummers and Carey is definitely one of those. I'm a big fan of Maynard as a vocalist as well though.
I adore the pre-Heritage stuff and I’m not really that into their later sound… But there are a couple of good more chill/family friendly songs that I can put on in public spaces which I appreciate! River and Will of the Wisp for example:)
To be fair that is a pretty kick ass track. It's still not in my top tier (like top 10) tracks but it's a really killer one and not far off the list. I still think it's a good record. There's just something about the record as a whole that felt like it was "by the numbers" to me personally . Its hard to put my finger on it exactly.
@@Masterlessmusic I get it. The same feeling I have with certain albums of some other bands. But with Opeth - I'm so in love with their music I can't put my finger on what it is that I like even on Heritage or Pale Communion, let alone Watershed or earlier records:) For me there's no tragedy in their musical progression through the years, but I get what you mean.
I’m lucky because I just discovered opeth recently. Some of their best tracks are on their latest albums though. Just put it all in a playlist and listen on random and you won’t have the recency bias where you compare to other songs you like and get disappointed
@@Masterlessmusic "Indoctrination of the lost" is a masterpiece in its own right. And I spelled them wrong, it's "Ikuinen Kaamos" ("Endless polar night" in Finnish).
Have you listened to Wilderun? I think they have a similar vibe to Opeth while still having their own sound.Check out their albums Sleep at the Edge of the Earth and Veil of Imagination
My introduction to Opeth was Blackwater Park. I saw the cd in a store and it caught my attention, and back then stores had those preview headset systems set up, but all you would get was like a 30 second preview of 2 or 3 songs. But those previews were amazing, and I remember selling what I needed to buy that album. It's still my favorite Opeth album and eventually I bought all their other records and became an avid Opeth fan... That being said, once they released Heritage I just lost my taste for them completely. Sure they have released a couple good songs on their last couple of albums, but for the most part they've become a melo prog rock band and it's just meh.
I love Opeth, they are one of my favourite bands, but I kinda feel the same about their new stuff. I used to see them all the time live and it was always amazing, until that one time. The last time I saw them, they didn't play any of the songs I would have liked to hear, not even a single one. I was very disappointed, that concert was kind of boring. But there were suddenly old people next to me waving their lighters in the air. RIP Opeth
Wow, I hadn't realised it had reached that extreme live. I thought they still played a few of the heavier numbers in the average set... Thats interesting. I did see one clip where they played something heavy and the growl sounded like it had lost its bark and precision. Like his heart just wasn't in it. Wasn't sure if that was a one off or not.
@@Masterlessmusic Well, I guess they still play some of their old stuff live, the concert I was talking about happened shortly after the release of Sorceress (yeah, I'm old) and they only played songs from Sorceress and Pale Communion. I can understand that bands don't want to regurgitate the same stuff over and over, but at the time it was a huge disappointment for me.
@@erikmoenwallin9999 that's cool. Should be good with fan picks. They're still a good band. I don't think anyone doubts their ability to perform generally speaking. Enjoy!
Rule #1 in music: It's just music - not a matter of life and death! (even if it's called Death Metal ;-). Rule #2: Bands put s*** out all the time. It's their right to do whatever they want. Just keep calm and skip it. Rule #3: Some bands turn out to be real artists. And artists evolve - those who don't are the boring ones. Also artists are supposed to be challenging - otherwise it's not art. I'm on the other side of the spectrum: not a Death-Metalhead and I discovered Opeth because of their Progressive stuff and it immediately became one of my favourites. I think this is one of the greatest bands of all time, because of their artistry and willingness to evolve and experiment. Their old stuff is superb too, but to me it's more generic and a bit boring. The new stuff is where they really shine. But who am I to tell you this - however I know the feeling: for example, 10 years ago my hero Nick Cave went down the toilet and that hurts me. And it's even worse because not just his work changed, his whole personality changed for ever. So I just stopped following him and have to admit that he's not for me anymore - he's now other people's darling, not my people. That's how it is. The artists are not our property.
Yea Heritage was the last album that I liked, so for me it wasn't just about losing the duality with the growls, but I just felt the creativity and innovation dropped off a cliff after that, not as proggy or adventurous imo. Maybe I'm wrong?
It's mostly subjective, so you're certainly at least be entitled to have your own interpretation and opinion. So your thoughts are valid by that measure. For me, they filled a niche I found interesting and then they stopped filling that niche and moved to another outside my scope of interest. I don't think they've become worse, just different and that different just doesn't float my boat.
Not properly. I think I have a couple of tracks on my hard drive from it. It's pretty cool though. I should probably give it a proper listening. Some of the harmony passages remind of something perhaps from Morningrise. Thanks for the recommendation
Don't get get me wrong, the band has remained pretty cool tonally throughout their career. It's not the case that they started sounding sort of weak and pathetic or anything. I just prefer the sharper contrast of the records that came before. It's totally personal preference as opposed to an objective reflection of quality. They write high quality material regardless.
Maybe I'm just old,(52) but it only takes me at most a song and a half until my ear and brain have synched to the singer. Death to black I've always viewed the singers vocal contribution not counting the lyrical content as another instrument. Not everyone views their singing thusly. Think of Jinjer and Cradle of Filth, Tati and Danny Filth both weave insane vocals throughout the song. In one song I swear Tatiana travels through 5 distinct vocal styles. The song is Judgement and Punishment. She blows me away.
Yeah, but those are still pretty dynamic styles compared to many traditional death metal acts which was the point I was making. When there's a lot of dynamics I'm usually all in. That being said there's only a few things from Cradle that I really enjoy. I enjoyed Midian and Damnation and a Day in particular.. One or two other things but I'm not a die hard. Nothing against them though.
@Masterlessmusic cradle takes some time to grow on you. Like Islay Scotch or a fungus. Like Dimmu Borgir, I have heard them and listened to them and never really liked them, just meh. Until about a year ago. Listening to a live performance and I truly enjoyed it. Mourning Palace. Pretentious as hell. Orchestra, choral arrangement. I see what you are saying. Traditional death metal is good to dig holes or pour concrete to, rigidly formulamatic,consistent hammering pace.
@@dyxifltline I on the other hand truly treasure Dimmu Borgir. Mourning Palace being one of the classic tunes in their catalog and amongst my favourites.
@Masterlessmusic it's just odd that I had no real opinion of them until recently. Now I'm listening to Borknagar because of ICS Vortex. I've gone back into Dimmu's catalog and it is like I have new or different ears. Damn I love metal.
It's your tragedy, your sense of music, not Opeth's tragedy. It would be tragic if they didn't evolve and did what the fans expect from them, and not what they really want. People change, as does their way of musical expression. Accept it. I personally love all their phases
I'm gonna just relay what I said to the other guy... I'm in an old church hall as it happens. We use it for our martial arts club and since we have a small baby in the house, I had to find somewhere else to record. Kinda have to take what I can get at the moment when it comes to free time, opportunities and available equipment to hand when it comes to making videos for my channels. Feedback noted though.
@@Masterlessmusic Aah gotcha, because of the white part of the wall above the exposed bricks it looked like you where outdoors next to a wall. Probably because your warm clothing as well haha. That's why it sounded weird.
I've been a fan of Opeth since the beginning (1996) and I gotta say, they've forged a really unique sound, even for progmetal, but they threw it all away to become a completely mediocre prog rock band. And I'm saying this as a fan of prog rock. Granted, its hard to do prog rock without being pretentious, but Newpeth just fails at it, in my opinion. I do like a couple Newpeth songs. But it's all good. We still have their old stuff and I don't judge people who like their new stuff.
I hated Ghost Reveries, it was when I stopped listening to them. Everything before that was great but I knew the ride was over when I heard that album. Funny how it’s your favorite when it was when they fell off for me.
I can certainly see how you might have that perspective on it. It may well be that I place a heavier emphasis on production in my listening or something like that, I'm not sure. On that record to me, they still sound like they enjoy being a metal band. I can certainly see from the perspective of someone who was listening to them much earlier that it's quite a departure from say Morningrise for example. Where do sit then on the records in between those? I'm curious as on the face of it there's less of a difference say between Blackwater Park or Deliverance and Ghost Reveries to my ears. We're alarm bells ringing for you back then already?
@@Masterlessmusic I love all of the albums before Ghost Reveries, something about that album just didn’t work for me at all, they changed, I remember in their promo photos they even dressed differently. I think they had just joined Road Runner iirc.
I had a friend who said things like, "New Opeth is not REAL Opeth" - What everyone needs to realize is Opeth is a band. Not a brand. Many bands today are brands, that may be why a lot of legacy metal acts have grown sterile. I think modern Opeth is just as interesting as legacy Opeth. You gotta realize Opeth doesnt exist to please metalheads, they exist to make music they are passionate about. They are more like the Beatles than Metallica
To be fair, this wasn't one of those times. I think I was reasonably clear in the video that the band is obviously free to follow whatever creative direction they see fit. In fact I really respect them for doing that as opposed to simply carrying on doing something when their hearts aren't in it. (which is kinda how Watershed sounded to me, at least there were hints of that ) It just so happens that the newest direction falls a little too far outside my scope of interest (and therefore I've lost interest in the band since Heritage) and that I think the metal genre is a little worse off without their particular contribution to it since they offered something quite unique and they were exceptional at it. On the topic of Metallica, although it is a massive brand of course, I don't believe they run the band in that manner. From what I see from publicly available footage and interviews etc most of their "problematic" creative calls shall we say arose not from a wish to conform to their image and brand but rather in an attempt to shake loose from that. Even morseo than that though, that band suffered a lot of inter personal drama. Particularly over the subject of control over creative direction and who was able to contribute to what exactly. On paper, it seems that when Hetfield and Ulrich are in the driver's seat their output has more unity of direction but for the sake of keeping the band healthy they make conscious attempts to invite input from the others outside their particular field. That's been a back and forth struggle over the years and there's clearly some trust issues there. Whereas say Maiden, Slayer, ACDC or a Chilli Peppers type band are very much in the camp of "this is what this band does and if you want to go outside of that, do it in a side project". We're generalising a bit here, but that's the nature of the beast. You can't please everyone all of the time and you're damned if you do and damned if you don't I suppose.
@@Masterlessmusic Give In Cauda Venenum one more shot. I swear Charlatan is one of most interesting grooves they have ever done. You can still feel the Opeth DNA, its just with less gain
Martin Lopez, should've stayed with them. His drumming made Opeth.... Opeth! Being a drummer myself, I can tell what Opeth had lost from their arsenal...
Well i don t mind about the metal World, i just love music as a whole like Mikael, and Opeth is still delivrer great music in 2024. If Héritage was the turnover, it was not perfect but to me pale communion is a masterpiece, the best of last four. I m happy to hear New metal stuff from thème but it sounds less interesting to me... Will see.
That sounds like me, but inverted in this instance. It's like Yin and Yang with Opeth. I'm the in the Yin camp and I like a little yang in there. You're more the Yang camp, but maybe you don't mind a little Yin in the mix.... 😆 Or something like that. I don't know if it's a good analogy or not really.
I'm in an old church hall as it happens. We use it for our martial arts club and since we have a small baby in the house, I had to find somewhere else to record. Kinda have to take what I can get at the moment when it comes to free time, opportunities and available equipment to hand when it comes to making videos for my channels. Feedback noted though.
That echo is terrible. If you are going to film in a location like this. Be prepared to re-record the audio in a place without the reverb and overlay it into the video.
@@AleksMaik I'm pleased to say, no it didn't. What do think of §1? I enjoyed it quite a bit. Looking forward to to listening to the rest of the record soon.
Imagine that Opeth had continued to release a bunch of records after Ghost Reveries that were really similar in style. Sound kind of boring, doesn't it?
Bro, keep making movies with your friend where the zombies are chasing you (Shaun of the Dead)... 2nd it sux you've closed off & limited yrself from enjoying new Opeth... There music might not tickle yr fancy, but once you elevate to there frequency you'll see the genius... There growing and expanding musically, where you must of stopped... I know what you're saying, though, but keep an open mind, especially towards music... It's like comedy & life there shouldn't be boundaries... It's funny cause your production on this vid was ouch... Never put out something in a rush. You said it about Opeth, they learned from their mistakes of not being prepared and ready b4 making an album... You should have listened to their advice, lol... Kidding aside, Opeth released their latest album but sang in in Swedish only to be dubbed in English... Thats BOLD and risky AF to do... But thats why they are on their own frequency and thats why I LOVE OPETH!!! 🤘😎❤️🍻
Perhaps you should have watched the entire video before making your claim? I made no such claim by the way . All I said was they made bloody good metal and I'd kinda wish they'd make more of it. I also said it's not for me to judge them for changing direction if that's what they want to do. It's simply gone beyond the scope of what interests me in this particular instance. I like some Prog rock well enough but not all of it. I still respect their choice. That's why the thumbnail says "The tragedy of Opeth" and not "The downfall of Opeth". They're still well loved by many. I just think the metal genre is worse off without there particular type of metal being contributed to it.
#opeth #melodicdeathmetal #metal
Update 5 Aug '24- Having this video effectively invalidated by Opeth with the release of §1 makes my day. It's not about me being right, it's about their way of being heavy being an awesome thing.
Apologies for the echo! I have noted this feedback, I had very limited parameters and opportunities to make this video due to family circumstances. I'll try tackle that on the next one.
The Tragedy of Opeth
What are your top 10 Opeth tracks? Leave your list in the comments!
In this video I "Lament" over Opeth's former metal glory years and the impact they had on me musically speaking and how I completely lost touch with one of my all time favourite bands.
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Let's be positive. Opeth has created awesome music. If the latest albums do not fit your needs, listen to old albums and you'll still be happy!
Yup, don't gotta like everything a band puts out
To be fair that's kinda the point of the video. I totally respect their chosen path. I'll always have the back catalogue and I'll probably always think know one will ever touch them at what it was that they did.
This isn't one of those "the new stuff sucks" kinda videos, it's more of a "they've gone down a path I'm not really interested in following" sort of Take. I don't see it as a negative other than it being something of a loss to Metal because of the brilliant dynamics they brought to the genre.
Also true.
I just discovered Opeth thru their last record "In cauda venenum". and I found it beautiful with a great melodic creativity, and complex but subtill instrumentation. Loving it more each time I listen to it. The same reaction from my daughter that did not know the band. Even when looking at the reviews of this opus I found excellent reviews. I really hope they continue developing this way, IMHO. For each its own, I suppose.
Fair enough. Like I said in the video, I'm certainly not judging them for following the creative path that they've chosen.
If your heart isn't in something, better to make a change and remain true to yourself. Unfortunately, I can't go with them. It's just not my cup of tea beyond a certain point.
🔥🔥❤Opeth❤🔥🔥
As a 74 yr old, Opeth is my favorite band of all time.
I came across them about 3 yrs ago here on youtube watching reactions. To this day I still do a regular search for new Opeth reactions.
Watershed, Still Life, and Ghost Reveries are my top 3 favorite albums. However, I do love all of their other albums too. But shhhh 🤫, Heritage is my least favorite.
Excellent, absolutely excellent!
@@Masterlessmusic 🤘
I feel I'm in the same place. I first heard Opeth on Sirius back in 2003 or so and it was just the last few minutes of Deliverance. Loved it! I gobbled everything they did after. I started feeling changes in Watershed although all the songs grew on me. I couldn't get into the last 4 albums, however, listening to a Opeth Spotify channel there are songs in those albums that have grown on me. They certainly lost that driving sound in the album range you suggest though.
This sounds exactly how my journey with Opeth went.
I got into opeth from both Heritage and Blackwater Park in 2012. which is perhaps why i love both sides to them. I think if you let go of the nostalgic mind, and the need for things to stay the same, then you can appreciate it fully. But perhaps that's the difference between old listeners and "new".
That's fair enough. Mind you, I never "fell out with them", I just lost touch with everything post Heritage because it doesn't scratch any itches I have you know?
I’m a little late to the Opeth party 😂 Absolutely amazing band. Really love them.
This is an interesting subject! I remember 15 years ago Opeth was one of the biggest and most talked about bands in the local scene and influenced a lot of bands (including myself). However, it seems like the albums they did after Watershed really alienated most of the fans. Also, I think Michael has often been very vocal about his dislike for extreme metal, so I don't think that helps either, since I've noticed a lot of people see him as bit of an a-hole.
Actually, I really like old school prog as well, but the post-Watershed Opeth albums (to me) are not really that good when compared to other prog bands. I would have been fine if they had dropped the growls and went with 100% clean vocals, as long as they would have kept the essence of the Opeth sound. The newer albums (to me) are just sub-standard prog-rock albums with none of the uniqueness of what made Opeth the force of nature that they were.
I'm fond of pretty much everything Opeth has ever done. They are one of the best bands I've ever seen live. Admittedly, the last 4 albums are growers, not showers. However, there is no one in metal that utilizes their influences to make great music than Michael Akerfelt. I'm a 45 year old musician. I'm not the same musician that I was when I was 15 or 20. A musician as talented as Michael Akerfelt can't stay in one place musically. They have to explore.
I stumbled upon your video, probably because I attended an Opeth tribute concert last Friday. On my way back home, I found myself searching for live Opeth videos. I recorded some songs the tribute band played, just to immerse myself in the nostalgia of Opeth's glorious days, and perhaps reminisce about my own past.
I share a strikingly similar journey with you as a metalhead and a devoted Opeth fan (and a 38-year-old father, to add!). As metalheads, we develop a deeply sentimental bond with the bands we love. However, as we age, we come to realize that change is inevitable, even for our favorite bands, as they are, after all, human and subject to the passage of time.
I believe it's entirely normal, especially at our age, to yearn for the golden era and find it challenging to embrace immediate change. It's a sentiment many of us share as we navigate the evolving landscape of both our musical tastes and our lives. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences in this video-it's comforting to know that others out there share similar feelings and journeys. Keep rocking on!
Your comment has literally made my day. Not necessarily because it reflects some of the sentiments in the video, which is of course nice in itself (equally I don't mind disagreement in discourse), but it's clear to me that you actually gave the video a chance and actually listened to what I had to say before coming to any conclusions and forming an opinion on it.
Thanks, I really appreciated your input.
There's "technial and precise" (which D.T. is, absolutely), then there's prog with soul (and a bit of Jazz...). Opeth are masters of both.
I discovered them around "Pale Communion" - STILL my favorite next to "Still Life"
The beauty of Opeth is Mikael’s eclectic taste in music. That’s how you got the progressive death metal we all love so much. With that comes new sounds era to era. I love 70’s prog so the Opeth prog era, to me, is great music. Can you really blame them for wanting to try new things? I feel like metal fans are just pigeonholed to metal and they don’t want to listen to anything else and miss out on a lot of good songs. Btw, Watershed is fucking amazing. It’s the culmination of all the facets of the Opeth golden era.
@@ThaBigBear cool. I get that and respect it. But, let me pitch it to you this way...,if I may..
As I'm also a Yes fan. Imagine, for a moment that Yes got up one morning sounding like Dream Theater. Steve Howe starts putting everything through a MK11 C+, theres more double kick on everything, more attack and power on the vocals and generally more heavy handed use of compression and gating etc.
Its not about "Metal guys" being stubborn or "pigeon holing" themselves into a box... At least not everytime.
Basically, in a nutshell it's going to the store, buying a coka cola, cracking the tin open and downing a gulp only to find there's Dr Pepper inside.
For some folks, they just like cola, and that's okay. For others, it just doesn't quite hit the spot. That's okay as well.
You are right of course that Opeth have always liked to dabble in a bit of this and a bit of that. However it is also true that they created a brand that was associated with a few common traits across many years.
Ultimately they're of course free to do as they see fit creatively and I'll always respect that about them. It doesn't mean that by extension that I must enjoy their latest dish that they've created as much as others may want to. Just like coca cola may serve up many infused flavours into their range but I may choose to stick to the original full sugar classic because it simply hits the spot for me.
Also Watershed is certainly not a bad record in my opinion and I'm pretty sure I said as much in the record but there's just something about it that hinted to me that he was going to deviate sharply from it because it sounded a little... "To script" to my ears in context. So I wasn't surprised when Heritage came out. He'd hinted a bit in some interviews leading up to that point anyway. It's still very well executed though.
I'm excited for this latest record though. It's sounding like more of a fusion of the two creative directions. I think there's going to be enough for me to really get that itch scratched.
Hope that makes sense and I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. Take care! 🤘
Would you pick at the long time Yes fan for being less than enthusiastic over the new changes (even if they'd done a teaser record of the new approach just a few years prior, but had otherwise given no signs of a seemingly permanent or enduring dramatic change in sonic approach)
Wow, what a great summary and video. There's a lot I want to comment here, but first I feel it needs a little context.
At 44, I only "discovered" Opeth 3-4 years ago? It was shortly after their last album released. I took a chance on checking them out after hearing the number of bands in interviews that had for whatever reason recently, listed Opeth as an inspiration for them. And I had heard OF them for a long time, but never quite looked into them. I had been listening to metal in some form or variation since I'm 15, but much of what got me into it was the nu-metal stuff from the 90's - so a band like Opeth was far away from my listening pallet. Come early 2000's I'm introduced to Lamb of God and In Flames, and it changed everything. Now I'm open to a lot more stuff because I'm thinking, what have I been missing out on by pigeon-hole'ing my listening. So a few years ago I gave Opeth a chance and sat with the discography (which was quite an adventure there was so much to choose from and wonder where to start.)
I had the privilege of getting into them while their different sounds kind of coexisted. I was introduced to this band that was a little YES, a little Obituary, a little Emmerson Lake & Palmer - and I really enjoyed it. Going through the catalogue from first to last however, I had a different reaction to Watershed. While you heard it and thought, SOMETHING is happening - I heard it and thought, something is HAPPENING (hard to tell tone in text but I hope that made sense.)
Most people I know who like Opeth, and followed them from the begging (or at least prior to Heritage,) very much feel the same way you do. I gotta imagine I'd be the same way. So I count myself fortunate to have come across them at the time I did. They are arguably now my favorite band. I want to close this by just saying how cool it was to see you deliver this video with the amount of respect and care that you did. It's obvious this band means a lot to you, and the amount of love you have for the music that was so inspirational to you comes out in the way you spoke.
Thanks. Again I find myself grateful that you considered the entire video to form the basis of your comment. I can certainly appreciate your perspective it's very interesting to consider it from the other angle of someone coming in from the post Heritage era. Thanks again. It's kindly appreciated.
I agree 100 percent with all 15 minutes and 22 seconds of what you said brother! Demon of the Fall and Blackwater Park Title Track I did covers of, on my channel, WinstonSmith911, because not only had these songs given me chills to listen to, but were also written in drop-D tuning and were incredibly fun to learn from a guitarist's perspective. I had the pleasure of seeing Opeth during their peak in February 2004 in Philadelphia. I never saw a better show until TOOL's 2019 tour.
Appreciate you stopping by man. Last time I saw them must have been maybe '05 or' 06, so similar experience. You know, I've never seen Tool live. I'd like to.
I don't really follow everything they do but, I'm a fan of great drummers and Carey is definitely one of those. I'm a big fan of Maynard as a vocalist as well though.
I adore the pre-Heritage stuff and I’m not really that into their later sound… But there are a couple of good more chill/family friendly songs that I can put on in public spaces which I appreciate! River and Will of the Wisp for example:)
Can't remember Heir Apparent from Watershed? It's a masterpiece
To be fair that is a pretty kick ass track. It's still not in my top tier (like top 10) tracks but it's a really killer one and not far off the list. I still think it's a good record. There's just something about the record as a whole that felt like it was "by the numbers" to me personally .
Its hard to put my finger on it exactly.
@@Masterlessmusic I get it. The same feeling I have with certain albums of some other bands. But with Opeth - I'm so in love with their music I can't put my finger on what it is that I like even on Heritage or Pale Communion, let alone Watershed or earlier records:) For me there's no tragedy in their musical progression through the years, but I get what you mean.
I’m lucky because I just discovered opeth recently.
Some of their best tracks are on their latest albums though.
Just put it all in a playlist and listen on random and you won’t have the recency bias where you compare to other songs you like and get disappointed
Love this answer. Playlists are so great to put together - Throat of Winter fits right in after Master's Apprentices. Beautiful no matter what era
Check out Ikuinen Kaimos if you're looking for something that matches Oldpeth and even adds a little more (Black Metal vocal passages) on top of it.
Thanks bud. I shall check it out.
@@longingbydesign sounds pretty wicked man. Appreciate the recommendation.
@@Masterlessmusic "Indoctrination of the lost" is a masterpiece in its own right. And I spelled them wrong, it's "Ikuinen Kaamos" ("Endless polar night" in Finnish).
@@Masterlessmusic ua-cam.com/video/JrB7RRgsI5k/v-deo.html
Have you listened to Wilderun? I think they have a similar vibe to Opeth while still having their own sound.Check out their albums Sleep at the Edge of the Earth and Veil of Imagination
Thank you for this recommendation! A shall give them a listen 🎶
My introduction to Opeth was Blackwater Park. I saw the cd in a store and it caught my attention, and back then stores had those preview headset systems set up, but all you would get was like a 30 second preview of 2 or 3 songs. But those previews were amazing, and I remember selling what I needed to buy that album. It's still my favorite Opeth album and eventually I bought all their other records and became an avid Opeth fan... That being said, once they released Heritage I just lost my taste for them completely. Sure they have released a couple good songs on their last couple of albums, but for the most part they've become a melo prog rock band and it's just meh.
I remember those 30 second demo stations 😂.
I love Opeth, they are one of my favourite bands, but I kinda feel the same about their new stuff. I used to see them all the time live and it was always amazing, until that one time. The last time I saw them, they didn't play any of the songs I would have liked to hear, not even a single one. I was very disappointed, that concert was kind of boring. But there were suddenly old people next to me waving their lighters in the air. RIP Opeth
Wow, I hadn't realised it had reached that extreme live. I thought they still played a few of the heavier numbers in the average set... Thats interesting.
I did see one clip where they played something heavy and the growl sounded like it had lost its bark and precision. Like his heart just wasn't in it. Wasn't sure if that was a one off or not.
@@Masterlessmusic Well, I guess they still play some of their old stuff live, the concert I was talking about happened shortly after the release of Sorceress (yeah, I'm old) and they only played songs from Sorceress and Pale Communion. I can understand that bands don't want to regurgitate the same stuff over and over, but at the time it was a huge disappointment for me.
@@artfreak2074 totally understandable.
I will see their Fan Picked Set on Tons of Rock festival next month and I am really looking forward to them playing all the classics
@@erikmoenwallin9999 that's cool. Should be good with fan picks. They're still a good band. I don't think anyone doubts their ability to perform generally speaking. Enjoy!
Rule #1 in music: It's just music - not a matter of life and death! (even if it's called Death Metal ;-).
Rule #2: Bands put s*** out all the time. It's their right to do whatever they want. Just keep calm and skip it.
Rule #3: Some bands turn out to be real artists. And artists evolve - those who don't are the boring ones. Also artists are supposed to be challenging - otherwise it's not art.
I'm on the other side of the spectrum: not a Death-Metalhead and I discovered Opeth because of their Progressive stuff and it immediately became one of my favourites. I think this is one of the greatest bands of all time, because of their artistry and willingness to evolve and experiment. Their old stuff is superb too, but to me it's more generic and a bit boring. The new stuff is where they really shine. But who am I to tell you this - however I know the feeling: for example, 10 years ago my hero Nick Cave went down the toilet and that hurts me. And it's even worse because not just his work changed, his whole personality changed for ever. So I just stopped following him and have to admit that he's not for me anymore - he's now other people's darling, not my people. That's how it is. The artists are not our property.
I was going to make a longer comment, but simply put, they lost me after Watershed. I'd just as soon see Blackmore's Night now.
🤣
Time to re-check...
@@longingbydesign yes it is. What did you make of the new material?
Yea Heritage was the last album that I liked, so for me it wasn't just about losing the duality with the growls, but I just felt the creativity and innovation dropped off a cliff after that, not as proggy or adventurous imo. Maybe I'm wrong?
It's mostly subjective, so you're certainly at least be entitled to have your own interpretation and opinion. So your thoughts are valid by that measure.
For me, they filled a niche I found interesting and then they stopped filling that niche and moved to another outside my scope of interest. I don't think they've become worse, just different and that different just doesn't float my boat.
@@Masterlessmusic I'm mostly about the prog, so if they had maintained that even without the growls I'd still be buying the albums.
Have you ever listened to Dissection's Storm of the Light's Bane?
Not properly. I think I have a couple of tracks on my hard drive from it. It's pretty cool though. I should probably give it a proper listening. Some of the harmony passages remind of something perhaps from Morningrise. Thanks for the recommendation
@@Masterlessmusic Definitely do, the alikeness to the early Opeth stuff also has to do with Dan Swano being behind all of these albums. :)
to me, heritage is honestly a heavy record in many ways if not heavy musically
Don't get get me wrong, the band has remained pretty cool tonally throughout their career. It's not the case that they started sounding sort of weak and pathetic or anything. I just prefer the sharper contrast of the records that came before. It's totally personal preference as opposed to an objective reflection of quality. They write high quality material regardless.
Maybe I'm just old,(52) but it only takes me at most a song and a half until my ear and brain have synched to the singer. Death to black I've always viewed the singers vocal contribution not counting the lyrical content as another instrument. Not everyone views their singing thusly. Think of Jinjer and Cradle of Filth, Tati and Danny Filth both weave insane vocals throughout the song. In one song I swear Tatiana travels through 5 distinct vocal styles. The song is Judgement and Punishment. She blows me away.
Yeah, but those are still pretty dynamic styles compared to many traditional death metal acts which was the point I was making.
When there's a lot of dynamics I'm usually all in. That being said there's only a few things from Cradle that I really enjoy. I enjoyed Midian and Damnation and a Day in particular.. One or two other things but I'm not a die hard. Nothing against them though.
@Masterlessmusic cradle takes some time to grow on you. Like Islay Scotch or a fungus. Like Dimmu Borgir, I have heard them and listened to them and never really liked them, just meh. Until about a year ago. Listening to a live performance and I truly enjoyed it. Mourning Palace. Pretentious as hell. Orchestra, choral arrangement. I see what you are saying. Traditional death metal is good to dig holes or pour concrete to, rigidly formulamatic,consistent hammering pace.
@@dyxifltline I on the other hand truly treasure Dimmu Borgir. Mourning Palace being one of the classic tunes in their catalog and amongst my favourites.
@Masterlessmusic it's just odd that I had no real opinion of them until recently. Now I'm listening to Borknagar because of ICS Vortex. I've gone back into Dimmu's catalog and it is like I have new or different ears. Damn I love metal.
Ghost Reveries is their best album and I'll die on that hill.
Yeah. It's pretty feckin brilliant.
It's your tragedy, your sense of music, not Opeth's tragedy. It would be tragic if they didn't evolve and did what the fans expect from them, and not what they really want. People change, as does their way of musical expression. Accept it. I personally love all their phases
Whats up with the echo xD
I'm gonna just relay what I said to the other guy... I'm in an old church hall as it happens. We use it for our martial arts club and since we have a small baby in the house, I had to find somewhere else to record.
Kinda have to take what I can get at the moment when it comes to free time, opportunities and available equipment to hand when it comes to making videos for my channels.
Feedback noted though.
@@Masterlessmusic Aah gotcha, because of the white part of the wall above the exposed bricks it looked like you where outdoors next to a wall.
Probably because your warm clothing as well haha. That's why it sounded weird.
I've been a fan of Opeth since the beginning (1996) and I gotta say, they've forged a really unique sound, even for progmetal, but they threw it all away to become a completely mediocre prog rock band. And I'm saying this as a fan of prog rock. Granted, its hard to do prog rock without being pretentious, but Newpeth just fails at it, in my opinion. I do like a couple Newpeth songs. But it's all good. We still have their old stuff and I don't judge people who like their new stuff.
I hated Ghost Reveries, it was when I stopped listening to them. Everything before that was great but I knew the ride was over when I heard that album. Funny how it’s your favorite when it was when they fell off for me.
I can certainly see how you might have that perspective on it. It may well be that I place a heavier emphasis on production in my listening or something like that, I'm not sure.
On that record to me, they still sound like they enjoy being a metal band. I can certainly see from the perspective of someone who was listening to them much earlier that it's quite a departure from say Morningrise for example.
Where do sit then on the records in between those? I'm curious as on the face of it there's less of a difference say between Blackwater Park or Deliverance and Ghost Reveries to my ears. We're alarm bells ringing for you back then already?
@@Masterlessmusic I love all of the albums before Ghost Reveries, something about that album just didn’t work for me at all, they changed, I remember in their promo photos they even dressed differently. I think they had just joined Road Runner iirc.
I had a friend who said things like, "New Opeth is not REAL Opeth" - What everyone needs to realize is Opeth is a band. Not a brand. Many bands today are brands, that may be why a lot of legacy metal acts have grown sterile. I think modern Opeth is just as interesting as legacy Opeth. You gotta realize Opeth doesnt exist to please metalheads, they exist to make music they are passionate about. They are more like the Beatles than Metallica
To be fair, this wasn't one of those times. I think I was reasonably clear in the video that the band is obviously free to follow whatever creative direction they see fit. In fact I really respect them for doing that as opposed to simply carrying on doing something when their hearts aren't in it. (which is kinda how Watershed sounded to me, at least there were hints of that )
It just so happens that the newest direction falls a little too far outside my scope of interest (and therefore I've lost interest in the band since Heritage) and that I think the metal genre is a little worse off without their particular contribution to it since they offered something quite unique and they were exceptional at it.
On the topic of Metallica, although it is a massive brand of course, I don't believe they run the band in that manner. From what I see from publicly available footage and interviews etc most of their "problematic" creative calls shall we say arose not from a wish to conform to their image and brand but rather in an attempt to shake loose from that. Even morseo than that though, that band suffered a lot of inter personal drama. Particularly over the subject of control over creative direction and who was able to contribute to what exactly.
On paper, it seems that when Hetfield and Ulrich are in the driver's seat their output has more unity of direction but for the sake of keeping the band healthy they make conscious attempts to invite input from the others outside their particular field. That's been a back and forth struggle over the years and there's clearly some trust issues there.
Whereas say Maiden, Slayer, ACDC or a Chilli Peppers type band are very much in the camp of "this is what this band does and if you want to go outside of that, do it in a side project". We're generalising a bit here, but that's the nature of the beast. You can't please everyone all of the time and you're damned if you do and damned if you don't I suppose.
@@Masterlessmusic Give In Cauda Venenum one more shot. I swear Charlatan is one of most interesting grooves they have ever done. You can still feel the Opeth DNA, its just with less gain
Martin Lopez, should've stayed with them. His drumming made Opeth.... Opeth! Being a drummer myself, I can tell what Opeth had lost from their arsenal...
Yes, I miss his sonic contribution quite dearly. Phenomenal drummer with a really nice touch on the kit.
💯 agreed
Well i don t mind about the metal World, i just love music as a whole like Mikael, and Opeth is still delivrer great music in 2024. If Héritage was the turnover, it was not perfect but to me pale communion is a masterpiece, the best of last four. I m happy to hear New metal stuff from thème but it sounds less interesting to me... Will see.
That sounds like me, but inverted in this instance.
It's like Yin and Yang with Opeth. I'm the in the Yin camp and I like a little yang in there. You're more the Yang camp, but maybe you don't mind a little Yin in the mix.... 😆 Or something like that. I don't know if it's a good analogy or not really.
why does it feels like the audio part was recorded in the bathroom?
I'm in an old church hall as it happens. We use it for our martial arts club and since we have a small baby in the house, I had to find somewhere else to record.
Kinda have to take what I can get at the moment when it comes to free time, opportunities and available equipment to hand when it comes to making videos for my channels.
Feedback noted though.
That's a funny way to pronounce "reveries" ...
Glad my accent is amusing I guess.
Red Rock live
Round house
Re do this
That echo is terrible. If you are going to film in a location like this. Be prepared to re-record the audio in a place without the reverb and overlay it into the video.
See the pinned comment. Thanks for the feedback.
so I guess this video didn't aged well
@@AleksMaik I'm pleased to say, no it didn't.
What do think of §1? I enjoyed it quite a bit. Looking forward to to listening to the rest of the record soon.
Imagine that Opeth had continued to release a bunch of records after Ghost Reveries that were really similar in style. Sound kind of boring, doesn't it?
Come on now, nobody is saying that 😂..... It'd be nice if they were heavy though.
Bro, keep making movies with your friend where the zombies are chasing you (Shaun of the Dead)... 2nd it sux you've closed off & limited yrself from enjoying new Opeth... There music might not tickle yr fancy, but once you elevate to there frequency you'll see the genius... There growing and expanding musically, where you must of stopped... I know what you're saying, though, but keep an open mind, especially towards music... It's like comedy & life there shouldn't be boundaries... It's funny cause your production on this vid was ouch... Never put out something in a rush. You said it about Opeth, they learned from their mistakes of not being prepared and ready b4 making an album... You should have listened to their advice, lol... Kidding aside, Opeth released their latest album but sang in in Swedish only to be dubbed in English... Thats BOLD and risky AF to do... But thats why they are on their own frequency and thats why I LOVE OPETH!!! 🤘😎❤️🍻
new opeth sucks!
🤣 Way to go keeping it simple there.
You suck
Yet another case of a fan "growing out" of metal.
Pity.
??? Come again? 😕
You have to be pretty narcissistic to pronounce to the world the "downfall of Opeth" when it's really only the fact that you don't like them anymore.
Perhaps you should have watched the entire video before making your claim?
I made no such claim by the way . All I said was they made bloody good metal and I'd kinda wish they'd make more of it. I also said it's not for me to judge them for changing direction if that's what they want to do. It's simply gone beyond the scope of what interests me in this particular instance. I like some Prog rock well enough but not all of it. I still respect their choice.
That's why the thumbnail says "The tragedy of Opeth" and not "The downfall of Opeth".
They're still well loved by many. I just think the metal genre is worse off without there particular type of metal being contributed to it.
Tragedy? super bad take.