Blackwater Reviews

We use adjectives like sophisticated, progressive and stellar far too often to describe less than ordinary heavy music bands these days. It's not that I feel entirely jaded about the heavy music scene, but when I hear an album like Opeth's Blackwater Park all my preconceptions of what makes a truly great (inside and out) album are shattered usually within a note or two. What is it about Opeth that sets them apart from the thousand or so bands in my precious collection? Why is that if and when I feel the urge to listen to something heavy, relaxing or perplexing, I finger over the A's only to end up unconsciously settling somewhere in the O's? Well, to tell you the truth, I just don't know. I simply don't know. One thing is for certain, however. Whenever I slip any of their albums (Blackwater Park is the latest to feel the wrath of my obsession) into my single-port CD-player, I feel content to know that in all my years searching, finding and experiencing heavy music, I have somehow come across the band that I'll listen to 'till the day I expire from this spiraling planet. I guess it's like those folks that just can't get over the first time they heard Pink Floyd or those that still think Led Zeppelin is the best heavy music outfit since Robert Johnson emerged from the crossroads a talented, inspired guitar player.

I have somehow come to the realization that while I'll continue my quest for extremity, I'll have a familiar home to come back to every time I feel disillusioned by the general direction of the music I've grown so passionately attached to. This level of contentment transcends stagnation.

In case, you didn't know, Blackwater Park, is Opeth's fifth album or volume as they affectionately call it. The volume also the name of an obscure German rock band from the early 70's, when music seemed to be driven by a sense of purpose and longing to discover new sounds and dimensions. I wasn't even born before most of these shadowy characters finished creating their musical vision, but I put Opeth in the same echelon of acts striving for the unknown; without thinking twice. In fact, the onset of the first track, "The Leper Affinity," is vaguely reminiscent of Nektar's 1973 album, Remember the Future album -- an organ slightly exposes a wave of sound that continues to grow louder and louder before erupting into a clever onslaught of guitar mastery. Yet, in one fleeting moment the influence is gone, replaced by twisted heavy metal conventions performed with irrepressible talent. Opeth's music is like that. I hear familiar sounds, but before I can utter the 'a' in appropriation, the band is slyly onto something more challenging. The following track, "Bleak," is a perfect example. The inclusion of contemporary prog-luminary Steve Wilson (Porcupine Tree) as a guest vocalist is a new idea in and of itself. It's not at all surprising to hear that his honeyed voice works very well with Mike's impassioned style. It also indicates that Opeth have stretched themselves across multiple musical boundaries, using the sheer weight of their songwriting prowess as a sort of sound compass to guide them unknowingly through often uncharted waters.

The discord in the finale of the song shows remarkable similitude to the breaking point in Porcupine Tree's own "Moonloop" off Sky Moves Sideways. It's like two very different bands connecting at the synapse of a winding, polyphonic highway. There are times when I find most bands that prescribe to extreme metal agitating -- their music doesn't have the depth or contrast to capture my attention for more than a few spins. The humbly titled, "Harvest," does in fantastic Opeth fashion have depth and contrast in of the highest order, usually attained by the simple chording of an acoustic guitar while one of the guitarists (Peter or Mike) carry the song with swinging melody or tastefully selected silvery. Here, as in everywhere on Blackwater Park, Mikael's vocals are eloquently conveyed in the most heartfelt manner. It doesn't matter if his voice cracks slightly or his words blend together. Opeth isn't about the confines of classical precision. What travels through the music is pure passion, and his voice, growled or not, embodies this wholeheartedly. I'll say the same for the expertly composed, "The Drapery Falls." The song's opening of slide-guitar atmospherics and alluring vocals sway like a golden field of barley on a late summer evening -- entrancing but unsuspecting of the darkness to come. I know Opeth is about to revert into its sinister alter ego, but I never quite know when. When "The Drapery Falls" does get deadly, the song moves with quick occultation. At times, what the band is doing almost seems like they've lured you into playing their record backwards as the riffs dejectedly collide into one another and then magically coalesce into familiar Opeth territory. But by far the most revealing track on the album (and in Opeth's career) is "Dirge for November." The opening vocal lines are grieved not sung. Yet, before the overbearing melancholy of the lead guitar can drag you further into calm retrospection, "Dirge for November" explodes with fervent revelry best experienced on "White Cluster" only to slip silently back into a subtly introduced keyboard-backed epilogue. I almost couldn't hear it on headphones, but they're there if closely listened to. And how do Opeth propel from the respite on "Dirge for November?" With the almost positive, bouncing rifftastic "The Funeral Portrait." The song is surrounded by the aura of a contemporary Swedish prog outfit Änglagård, where riffs, leads and drums (no keyboards here) elbow each other out for attention without sounding overtly brainy. No matter how much I restrained myself from moving, the song's rhythm is so strong it's hard not to nod in appreciation of their immense heavy metal sense. "Patterns in the Ivy" sections the last track, "Blackwater Park," with a quaint acoustic guitar-piano accompaniment, no doubt penned by Åkerfeldt and guitar producer Wilson at a late hour in the studio while sitting back checking out some Popol Vuh. The last track, the coveted title track, isn't special for rocking in the traditional Opeth style, but for its mid section. The catchy, echo-effected blues-based riff literally swells over the acoustic backdrop, featuring a ghostly vocal interruption at odd intervals. Chilling. So, a fifth time around and Opeth still haven't drained their creative resources -- I'm stunned, thankful and humbled to have another fine gem in my collection. I feel completed and I didn't ask for it. But as I try to fox my way out of an ending for Blackwater Park, I look back to the beginning of this little dissertation and know I've used more flowery adjectives than allowed by law. Fuck, I mean what I said with every single one of them. I mean it.

Review by Chris Dick

Judging by newsgroup activity in the past few months, Blackwater Park is probably the most eagerly anticipated metal release of 2001. The participation of Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson has raised all sorts of questions in Opeth fans' minds: Would Opeth turn pop? Would Blackwater Parksound like Meddle or Animals? What would Wilson add to Opeth's already well-defined sound? The real question, however, was whether Opeth would be able to accomplish the feat of improving upon their watershed 1999 album Still Life, with its compelling storyline, inspired songwriting, and overall stunning brilliance.

But there are few cut-and-dried answers, and this is no exception. Wilson's presence can be felt in a handful of touches of prog-style vocal and mix filtering and his pleasant backup vocals. But he did not alter Opeth's sound dramatically: there are no synth/Mellotron washes to applaud or drawn-out ethereal passages to deplore, for instance. An early-King Crimson influence pops un in various places ("The Leper Affinity"), with discreet vocal filtering and the vocal/acoustic guitar interplay strongly evoking In the Court of the Crimson King and In the Wake of Poseidon. It would be facile to ascribe this influence to Wilson alone - Opeth has repeatedly demonstrated that they are quite conversant in classic prog rock.

To conclude with a few brief answers, then: Is this album a turning point in Opeth's sound? No. Will it have the astonishing staying power of Still Life? Hard to tell, but this reviewer doubts it. Is it a worthy addition to an Opeth fan's collection? Definitely.

Review by Rog "the Frog" Billerey-Mosier

The band Opeth may be new to our American readers but Blackwater Park is actually their fifth full-length release. This Swedish band has distinguished themselves as one of the top metal bands in Europe with their previous four releases. One listen to Blackwater Park (Their first album to be released in the U.S. thanks to the fine folks at Koch Entertainment) and it is easy to see where all the hype came from, in fact it's not hype at all but well placed praise. I will point out for the record that I am not a regular listener to either Death or Black metal, it's not my cup of tea, while Opeth could conceivable be classified in either genre, their music really transcends both styles. Half of the vocal treatment on Blackwater Park lands firmly in the deathmetal growl category, but vocalist guitarist Mikael Akerfeldt has a more melodic side to his voice, which he utilizes throughout the album. That contrast between growl and melodic vocals is just one of the elements that helps Opeth cross genre lines. The closest comparison that comes to mind for the dueling vocal styles was the 80's metal band Pretty Maids, although Opeth sound is about 1000 times heavier.

Fans of progressive death metal should feel right at home with Opeth. Their music even reaches into the territory of epic metal that is really popular in Europe at the moment. But by far the most impressive elements to this band and album is the musicianship, instrumentation and the composition. Songs like The Leper Affinity, Blackwater Park, Harvest and Dirge for November go beyond the confines of rock or metal and take on the intensity of classical music. It's like listening to a metal orchestra.

Blackwater Park is an album of Epic proportions that can easily be called a modern metal masterpiece. Even if you are like me and just can't get into the death or black metal sound, this band transcends both styles in such away that it might just open your mind to those genres; I know it has for me.

Review by antiGUY

"The music spreads out of the speakers like long, porcelain white fingers, but rather than the well manicured nails one expects at the ends, the flesh tapers into unkempt claws."Opeth's latest opus (god, I love putting those words in the same sentence), like all of the previous works, is best taken as a straight listen from start to finish. There aren't really any huge surprises on this album. It's what we all expect from Opeth. Grand, epic metal compositions that combine beauty and darkness. Splashes of grays, whites, and reds on a black canvass. And it, like the others, is a masterpiece. While many have copied Opeth's style in the last six years or so, no one has come close to matching their mastery of composition, that is with the exception of themselves. These guys have yet to come out with a disappointing album, a feat made all the more impressive by the fact that they continually raise the bar so fucking high. Many a time a band comes out with an impressive piece of work that, unfortunately, pales in comparison to their previous achievements. This is not the case with these masters. Each album has been a sonic rhapsody, digital brilliance. And this new work is no exception. Resisting the urge, as many other bands have, to go too soft, to over-utilize clean vocals, to place melody over brutality- Opeth have crafted a perfectly balanced album, the music spreads out of the speakers like long, porcelain white fingers, but rather than the well manicured nails one expects at the ends, the flesh tapers into unkempt claws. While the music may soar and elate, it also rends and tears. "While the music may soar and elate, it also rends and tears."The songs all meld into one, so pointing out any individual track is troubling. "Bleak" hits me the hardest right now, the death metal growls that accompany a rather folk-y guitar riff reminds me a little of latter day Amorphis, but this comes across as altogether darker, even when the clean vocals take over. While one would expect the cleaner vocals to brighten the mood, the atmosphere remains dusky and the only emotions that come forth are sorrow and fear. And emotions are what this band are all about, perhaps it's what makes them so successful. The influences seem to abound on this one, Amorphis, Pink Floyd, Sabbath, Death, but somehow it's all Opeth in the end. These guys never cease to amaze me, which is surprising and scary considering my bleak outlook on life.

Review by Abyss (Read reviews from Death and Hell)

Named after an obscure progressive rock band from the '70s, Blackwater Park is the Swedish group's fifth full-length, overall. It is also actually their first to see a domestic release in North America at the same time as the rest of the world. Self-produced with help from Porcupine Tree mastermind Steven Wilson, a modern prog/psych genius in his own right, the record is yet another in a long line of brilliant records that masterfully intertwine progressive and black metal influences into the best Swedish death metal band to ever record. Musically speaking, the record is actually not that far off the band's last offering, 1999's Still Life, with leader Mikael Akerfeldt still alternating between clean and growling vocals throughout, and the band playing with convincingly blistering precision. Any hopes or fears that Wilson's affiliation with the record might end up making it sound much more like Pink Floyd than the band's previous output can be forgotten: there are spots where a bit of vocal harmony between the two singers ("Bleak") sees shades of the Porcupine Tree sound bleed into the musical mix, but Meddle II this simply is not. If anything, there might be a little bit of similarity in the songwriting to early works by Nektar and the initial King Crimson line-up, but I think it's safe to argue those influences have always existed. Nevertheless, this might be the best metal record this year, and it is worth every bit of energy the band has put into the creating of it.

Review by Sean Palmerstone

Music: For the first time in awhile, Opeth doesn't shift their sound drastically. In the same way that Morningrise is a revision, refinement, and improvement over Orchid, so is Blackwater Park superior over Still Life without being very different from it. Arrangement seems better (Maybe because they're fresher. I've had Still Life 18 months as of this writing and Blackwater Park 3.), the added spices make this fresh. Opening up once again (they do this every album) with a slow build instead of just starting the song, when it does kick in it once again peels skin with one of the more violent riffs on the album. In fact, I don't think I've mentioned Opeth's bizarre riffing patterns which nobody else has duplicated (yeah I hear the Voivod influence but it's not that close) that first appeared on My Arms Your Hearse are just ten shades of wicked. Anyway, with the exception of Dirge For November (the hard parts of which sounds like was some unreleased My Arms song, just real close to that album and out of place here... but it does get dirgey.) and the short piano-and-acoustic Patterns in the Ivy, everything here is a winner. Bleak and The Funeral Portrait win big here, Funeral Portrait because of this huge, bouncy, catchy riff that enshrouds the songs and gives the band a million places to work from, and Bleak which I think has become the definitive Opeth song, combining the most seamless transitions the band has made between its modes, as well as the most chaotic transitions as well and it's my vote for song of 2001 after the first quarter of the year. Harvest continues the 'calm song #3' idea and it's greatly aided by the verse/chorus/verse structure as frankly the band hasn't had a massively worthy all-calm song since To Bid You Farewell off of Morningrise and they just fixed that. Drapery Falls makes friends and influences people through the excellent chorus (if indeed it can be called that) portions of the music, and the absolutely insane and fucked up guitar dischord caused right around 5:50-6:10, and then for the almost misdirection leading into an acoustic section near the end. Genius, pure genius, and Opeth is just now hitting their stride with their current style. Add in the fact that Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree has an acoustic guitar part in here, as well as some piano bits for extra trimmings, and we have a really complete album. Another triumph.

Lyrics and Vocals: With the step up in labels, Steven Wilson producing, and just a general lightening of the sound last album, the question was, would the death vocals still be prominent? That's answered pretty quick as the darkest death voice of Akerfeldt comes spewing out of the speakers with the 'We entered winter once again...'line. Clean/growled is probably about 50% (I am not enough a freak to count out the lines, ever), and Steven Wilson contributes a few lines, which makes the climax of Bleak amazing as Mikael and Steven first trade off lines, then sing together, and I hardly think a duet on an Opeth album is an expected thing, you know? Awesome sequence there and while it seems to be general consensus that Bleak is the best song here, I don't know that people are giving it the proper credit as to why. Their singing together on Drapery Falls produces similarly engaging results and in both cases it's like the eye of the hurricane, as the calm is immediately preceded and followed by insanity. But once again every song has the ups and downs, the brutal and the singing, it's what Opeth does. Love it, or you're wrong. Heh. For the first time in a few years, there's no concept to the album so all of the songs stand on their own lyrically. And they're not happy, not a one. Subtle hatreds, more blatant disgusts, of a more contemplative, thoughtful nature, hah. "Enough of this, you will leave me now, You will see it now, perish at my hands..." Nastiness like this is never pretty. Production: Aside from his performance, Porcupine Tree leader (I think he's the main man, anyway) Steven Wilson was in as co-producer on this album, and by virtue of owning just one Porcupine Tree album as of this writing, that was still enough to recognize some quirks that appear in that band that have just shown up for the first time here. Mid-song fade-ins and outs, vocal effects, that kind of thing that adds flavor without changing the music itself. The bass makes a grand return as a fully audible instrument, even if it's not as flamboyant as it was the first two albums. It's certainly the most grounded and all around solid production the band has had, even if I personally greatly prefer the more 'otherwordly' sounds captured on Morningrise, and to a lesser extent Orchid. Packaging: More Travis Smith artwork, although frankly the cloudy murky environs of the past three covers now aren't thrilling me. I keep going on about the first two albums but there's a reason. On those, the covers were understated, yet vibrant. Ever since then, the color schemes have been drab and just not rich enough I think to fit the multifaceted music they are representing. Or maybe that's just me. Summary/Notes: There aren't very many bands in the history of music, let alone metal, that have produced five albums of such superior quality. Opeth has built themselves a legend here that's going to live on long after the band itself is gone. Hell, even if they go to shit (in 1998, Iron Maiden's first five were still of unquestionable legend and two more beyond that should have been!) what they've done up until this point will have them mentioned by old timers into the year 2020. Where things will go from here, I don't know, but it is pretty clear with larger label support and massive worldwide touring for the first time ever, perspectives will change and where some are calling this album Still Life II (those calling it My Arms III are out of line), I highly doubt we have to worry about an album that could be called Still Life III coming down the pike... But as for this album, Opeth is my favorite band and this album fulfilled all expectations unquestionably.

Review by Jim Raggi