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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opeth
Opeth is the first band I'd ever listened to that consistently and expertly combined beauty and hardcore/badass/brutal -ness in all of their material. Beautiful Metal? You bet your expensive cans it exists!
Until I'd heard them, I hated the death growl stuff - I thought it was ridiculous and comical. They won me over and now I'll never look back.
Whether you're a self-proclaimed Metalhead that hates Death Metal and/or Black Metal, or just open-eared and looking for something new to listen to, I highly suggest that you check out Opeth. I guarantee you won't be dissapointed. And if you are, well, you're crazy and might need an MRI.
The tracks linked below (all with lyrics) show some of the different styles of theirs, each from a separate album. Enjoy!
Beauty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUU0Q9Ry58I [A Fair Judgement, from Deliverance (2002)]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YCGSwG9Rg8 [To Rid The Disease from Damnation (2003)]
Beauty+Badass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr40TWMxM3I [Harlequin Forest from Ghost Reveries (2005)]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EozLK-aCuKU [White Cluster from Still Life (1999)]
Badass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYeZ5M1tWHk [Blackwater Park from Blackwater Park (2001)]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbJCgDtjSDg [Heir Apparent from Watershed (2008)]
Prog:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FGQN9W188g [Famine from Heritage (2011)] (jump to 4:50 if you get bored)
I am a big example of prog and metal head who didn't know about Opeth until very recently... or that got to like to listen to it seriously and got to like it. I was deeply rebuked by Opeth music my friends were listening to in a period of my life where I would listen to anything other than Dream Theater. I think the contrast is so huge some will understand how, and how close minded I can sometimes be. Anyway DT phase is long gone (but lasted 2 full years) but I started listening to Opeth only one month ago. And I'm a HUGE music listener, and almost just metal.
I wouldn't agree with beauty though... I find it sinister and kind of empty (like a foggy dead village, all white and brown, and the sight of a raven eating the eye of a dead body like in Diablo 1) (which in contrast Dream Theater is full), but their licks are sooo creative and fitting for their music, and they are definitely making very progressive stuff. I don't think they were so consistent, Black Water Park is amazing for me so far, but the others I don't know, it'll take a bit of time. Right now it's "meh".
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No offense, but the suggestion of Opeth to people that include "self-proclaimed Metalhead that hates Death Metal and/or Black Metal, or just open-eared and looking for something new to listen to" seems counterintuitive to me, because let's face it, Opeth is a fairly popular band. Are there any metalheads that haven't heard Opeth?
I'd call attention to other less-popular bands, or sub-genres, for people who don't like "cookie monster death vocals". For example, sub-genres like thrash (Anthrax, Megadeth), prog (Kamelot, Symphony X), power (Blind Guardian, Helloween), symphonic (Epica, Nightwish), or folk (Agalloch, Eluveitie).
You call those less popular? I would position Opeth as was one of the less popular among all these you named, except for folk metal which I don't know nor listen much to as a genre.
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My point was that I've met plenty of people that go, "I love Metal it's da bezt LOLOL" and then say they hate vocals in groups like Opeth/My Dying Bride/Slipknot/Otep/et al., and that of all the ''death metal growl'' stuff I've heard, I believe Opeth is the best and most understandable (as in, you can hear what he's actually saying)
You give some great groups in this post though. Thank you
I definitely see a separation, a dichotomy, in the metal fans. Some of them, me included, doesn't like growls and screams (to me they are only an effect you need to dose perfectly, Opeth are having it, Otep too, otherwise they aren't musical because they sound like they are dissipating the melody and hiding the instruments behind, far too much emphasis is put in the growling vocals when there are). Although older Children of Bodom was very good, but not at all because of the screamed vocals, only instrumentally in my opinion (extreme example of poorly dosed screaming (nothing is ever sung really), at least it's not growling, but great example of not too much emphasis on the vocals).
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I don't like the growly metal either. For the most part I don't like vocals with metal at all, it rarely works for me. That's why I listen to instrumental metal:{C}
Yeah man, Rom Jarzonbek is huge. He's the best metal guitar virtuoso I know of. I'm a big fan of this band and of Spastic Ink.
His brother Bobby is also "hard-to follow" if you know what I mean... lol, "Peppered Cancer":
(Ron is doing the frantic guitar parts, this song is only for the Performance & Technique DVD or Bobby)
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Their albums Damnation and Heritage are completely bereft of growls.
I haven't been here long enough to really have a pulse on what people in general know on this forum, but in the larger musical world, Opeth is one of the most popular metal groups, and I'm also skeptical that there are all that many people who like metal and yet have never heard of Opeth. They are certainly one of the best gateway groups to more intense forms of metal, and still one of my overall favorites, though my enthusiasm for them has waned as I consider the last two albums sub-par to their previous efforts. Mikael Akerfeldt's growls are some of the best in the business, and he contrasts it with an excellent clean baritone.
One of the coolest things about metal is that there is a band out there for almost every conceivable taste. If there is some particular element that you don't like in a certain genre or band, a little bit of searching can reveal a very similar band without that particular element. There was a period of time where I also enjoyed metal, but didn't enjoy the harsher vocals style associated with the more aggressive forms, but I'm glad that I overcame that barrier, as there are so many fantastic bands on the other side.
Yep but they are a bit too intense for many other metal heads. They have heard of Opeth but they just don't like it. Opeth is far from an "universal" band or a popular genre of metal like Rhapsody, Nightwish, In Flames (very good music; good even if all vocals are screamed... I prefer scream to growls but I hate metalcore and "screamo"), Disturbed.
Actually I'm fairly surprised they got so popular, because their music, death metal, also fairly ambient and airy, and successfully added of some (the part I prefer) progressive metal in, is definitely most challenging to listen to and enjoy. Took me a while.
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I think Sigh is having the same effect on me for black metal that Opeth did for death metal. Funny!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigh_%28band%29
By the way, since many of you have mentioned (some rudely) I must inform you that I know plenty of people who love the metal they've heard, but have never listened to Opeth - and many that have never even heard of Opeth. In fact, the vast majority of people don't know who Opeth is. More people I've asked know who Otep is than who Opeth is. (comes up because of the flipped pronunciation blah blah)
Yeah Otep got pretty popular also, but I remember in 2003 I was listening (and loving) Blood Pigs on Chronix Agression metal music internet radio while playing Runescape. It was very new and I was happy to discover it before my friends. I bought their (still their best effort to this day) album Sevas Tra and my mother was so disgusted at the album cover, which I had not seen it until the package arrived to my house. My mom hated that music, but me it was my first time loving it, and with growled vocals at that. GREAT ALBUM. The rest isn't as good but I'm still impressed to see someone talk about Otep here. It's true that it's the name almost sounds the same. Otep is the first name of the singer and the founding and only constant member of the band.
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Absolutely amazing band; Blackwater Park was my "gateway drug" to death metal. Couldn't stand the stuff before them. I remember seeing them live in Dallas... 2004, I think? Possibly 2003. It was right before I enlisted in the Air Force. The concert featured Strapping Young Lad, Meshuggah, Lacuna Coil, and Opeth. Best concert I ever attended. Unfortunately, I missed a chance to see them last year when they came to Japan. Maybe next time.
Japan is full of good metal music
some epic ones like Demetori (my fav. band at the moment), some funny, and over the top, ones like 403 forbidenna, some groovy like Maximum the Hormone, some romantic like Malice Mizer.
My love for music started with Japanese video games' music.
