Opeth - Ghost Reveries out this Tuesday!

[third_eye]

So who else is excited about The Ghost Reveries? Although I have had a copy of this for a while now I will be buying it this Tuesday at my local Best Buy. Was surprised to see it advertised in the Best Buy weekly Sunday ad under this week's new releases.

The album is excellent for those who have yet to hear it!

 

[DarkAngel]

I got my Ghost Reveries Tshirt already \m/

\m/

I am not really excited like back in the "old days" when buying the 1st five albums and getting blown away.........but I expect it will be an improvement over Damnation but still just a pale imitation of their past acheivements......some call it progress

 

[third_eye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAngel I got my Ghost Reveries Tshirt already \m/ \m/ I am not really excited like back in the "old days" when buying the 1st five albums and getting blown away.........but I expect it will be an improvement over Damnation but still just a pale imitation of their past acheivements......some call it progress

Yes, I will agree with you that it would be near impossible to top the brilliance of Orchid-BWP; I think you might be pleasantly surprised though!

 

[Dusty Chalk]

(raises hand)

 

[RotAtoR]

I'm very excited, I'll be running out to buy it tomorrow. It's already my favorite of theirs so far having nearly listened to it to death recently.

 

[eyeteeth]

I was already supposed to go pick up a Dylan thing tomorrow...two birds with one stone I guess. Depends on the price at my usually overpriced BIG store. I may pass for awhile, shop around.

 

[eyeteeth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyeteeth Depends on the price at my usually overpriced BIG store.

$12.
Now playing.
9:42 of track 1.

EDIT: Turn up your speakers real loud for the lengthy delicate intro.

EDIT II: 3:10 track 4 OMG I'm so bored!

EDIT III: 3:18 Track 6 Just shoot me already! Gad damnit!
I've got something (?) waiting at the corner post office, let me go!

EDIT IV: Track 7 began with a nice bang.

 

[eyeteeth]

Only one play so who knows with repeated listens if it grows better.
I like both Deliverance and Damnation. I like them both better than this. Strangely the only song that I liked enough to play a few times was the last track which is pure Damnation, very sweet 'n soft.

I don't feel so bad, I'm saving all my condolences for DarkAngel!

 

[DarkAngel]

I have my copy but will not listen till tomorrow morning........but as I already said above my expectation level is low so only surprise will be it it is better than I thought, I will keep open mind going in

 

[eyeteeth]

Replaying track 1 and it's kind of good. Very, very heavily flavoured with the prog parts of Blackwater Park. A real deja vue feeling hearing the guitar. Sounds like little wee bits of Death & Tool in there too.

Edit: track 2 5:56
It's OK!
Maybe I'm too quick to be mean?

OK, apologies to fellow members for spouting off without having a finalized opinion.
I'm gonna **** and not say another word about this CD for one week, let it sink in.

 

[third_eye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyeteeth Replaying track 1 and it's kind of good. Very, very heavily flavoured with the prog parts of Blackwater Park. A real deja vue feeling hearing the guitar. Sounds like little wee bits of Death & Tool in there too. Edit: track 2 5:56 It's OK! Maybe I'm too quick to be mean? OK, apologies to fellow members for spouting off without having a finalized opinion. I'm gonna **** and not say another word about this CD for one week, let it sink in.

Yes, this one definitely needs time to sink in, but once it does.........

 

[roadtonowhere08]

Honestly, eyeteeth, let it sink in. I was disappointed with the first listen, but it really started to grow on me. Here is my breakdown of the album from about ten listens over the past month:

1. Ghost of Perdition - Quite simply one of Opeth's best songs, IMO. Very good song, best on the album. Ending kicks butt with a good sub.

2. The Baying of the Hounds - Another great song. Absolutely awesome around the 6:30 mark. Has a nice lull toward the end of the song. The end is very hard.

3. Beneath the Mire - Very different intro, but it really kicks once it gets going. Has some good clean vocals by Mikael, but also some friggin good growls.

4. Atonement - First thing my wife says "Ohh, I like that song!" LOL, sounds straight out of an new Alanis Morissette CD. It's okay but kinda boring to me.

5. Reverie,Harlequin Forest - This song breaks my heart. The beginning is flat out killer, but the second half and ESPECIALLY the ending destroys the song. Much to much repetition at the end. Drove me nuts. But the first half is excellent, IMO.

6. Hours Of Wealth - To me, this is Mikael at his finest in terms of clean vocals. I love this song.

7. The Grand Conjuration - This was the first song to leak, and the quality sucked. Being the first glimpse of the new album, I did not like the new direction. The whole song was too repetitive to me. But once I got a good source of the album, this song really grew on me. Sure, it is repetitive, but what makes this song great to me is the building of momentum of the song. Kinda reminds me of BWP. This song is one you should just kick back to and not analyze. Just let it play. You will like it much better that way.

8. Isolation Years - This song sounds like a Damnation B-Side, which is not a bad thing. I really like the song, but it is much too short. Build on the song, make it evolve and it would have been better.

Overall, I like this album much better than Damnation and Deliverance. The first three songs are just awesome. Sure, it cannot touch MAYH, Still Life, and some of BWP, but it is still a really good album. I really like Mike's singing on this album, IMO his best ever. I really like the addition of Per Wiberg. He adds even more texture and ambience to the music.

Not the best album by Opeth, but it is still an outstanding album.

 

[Nacher]

I really wouldn't expected myself to say this, but I think there is too much prog-stuff and not enough dark metal on Ghost Reveries. Well anyways, this album might not be Opeth's best, but it sure isn't a dissapointment either. Good stuff, at moments really killer. To be honest, I never have really been into any Opeth album at first listens, but with time, they have grow on me. Even with BWP, it does have it's boring moments as well, as every Opeth album, but we are really digging these things out from Ghost Reveries due to the high expections and/or long wait. It's the most progressive / weird Opeth album and hardest to get into, but it does offer a lot of depth. Beats Swallow the Sun - Ghosts of Loss, which was also great.

 

[DarkAngel]

Opeth is back.....almost

RTN has pretty accurate rundown, but I have some differences to note.
First overall GR much better album than Damnation with teasing fragments from bands illustrious past occassionally making appearance, but more progressive style overall especially with more keyboards.

The first three tracks are very strong as RTN notes, if rest of album was this good it would join the ranks of 1st five albums in dark metal valhalla. Akerfeldt brings back the heavy rasp vocals to contrast his various clean vocal styles, music skillfully transitions from heavy to soft/acoutic almost seamlessly while maintaining a dark heavy edge, this is classic Opeth at work.

Also please note the Moorish/Middle Eastern motifs that make brief appearances in several songs......this is new twist for band. (ie track 4 the song RTN's wife likes)

All is not paradise however, What is this crap with track 6 "hours of wealth" sounds like outtake from Damnation, be easy to mistake for Barry Manilow song.......it is weak, lame, soft, muzak etc. (must disagree with RTN here)

Track 8 is another "soft" song but I like it better and can be though of as outro to album, so I guess we can keep it......to fix/improve this album we need to remove track 6 and replace with song as good as 1st three then we would have a very good overall Opeth album, to be great tracks 4,8 also would have to be improved/replaced.

I like GR overall and am pleased with purchase, but bands best days are definitely behind them. I think Deliverance edges out GR for 6th best Opeth album, make GR 7th and Damnation 8th

 

[Nacher]

I do like track 6 quite a lot. Track 4 however, argh.. Well, I consider it as an interlude.