Ghost Reveries Reviews

The product of hair-pullingly intense work that saw the partial completion of a second, mellower batch of material (to be released a few months hence, as Damnation), Deliverance delivers the no-nonsense, slashing progressive metal persona of the band to balance the next record's purposeful commercial side. Comprising five tracks over ten minutes long, standing like great pillars around a barely audible bit of jazzy guitar introspection called For Absent Friends, the album gets right down to business with Wreath, Mikael death-growling immediately over one of the band's signature, evil, Voivod-angled riffs. The title track pounces quickly as well, more almost Fear Factory-clean double-bass announcing the track, which, near the end of its 13 minutes of funky, double-helix, Aerosmith-meets-Tool, offers the record's highlight, an instrumental bit of heavy hypnosis that recalls the mathematical formulae of King's X's 'We Were Born To Be Loved'.

With no big changes from last album, and production from band, Andy Sneap and Porcupine Tree's Steve Wilson that is just there, competent, maybe too clinical, the album will please fans and alas, is another canny masterpiece of sinewy pan-world melodies twisted into doom-shrouded metal riffs. I dunno, there's no doubt that we all hold Opeth to crazy high standards that would incinerate mere humans, but I personally like both Blackwater Park and Still Life better than this one, although it sounds like this is an album that will be a grower, given patience from the listener to find and cultivate the hooks, if indeed there are any. Maybe they're all on the "rock" album to come. I can tell, come album after Damnation, or two or three out, these guys are going to be talking about how this album was rushed and they weren't happy with the songs or the sounds blah blah blah...

Still, it's Opeth. There is an admirable singularity of purpose here, Mikael and Peter finding dozens upon dozens of exotic and ornate riffs that pour like sylvan mercury into a single alchemical, emotional brass bowl, all manner of circuitous wiring sounding mournful yet academic, as if too much deep thought on the tiring act of living can only lead to the elevated enlightenment that continuing to breathe in and breathe out is not intellectually sound.

Review by Martin Popoff

Ah Opeth, a band that truly walks on the water of all that signifies pure metal. This particular statement may be a bit extreme but you can't argue that Opeth is highly regarded throughout the metal community as monsters of creation and harsh criticism is rarely found and rightfully so because Opeth is one of the rare bands that always delivers an album of intrigue. With what is easily explained as signature sound, the mighty Opeth smack around chord progressions so vast and emotionally dark your mood has no choice but to mold with every nuance that is created, quickly rendering you helpless to the doomed world that Opeth resides within. Enlightened is never a word to toss around after listening to Opeth but on the same accord depression wouldn't sum it up either. Somewhere within the delicate mix of emotions lies the counterbalance of inscrutability of stature so hauntingly apparent it slaps you in the face before you even know you were bludgeoned.

The absolute definitive pioneers of Progressive Death Metal Opeth step up to the plate with their latest offering of Deliverance. Deliverance clocks in at just under 62 minutes possessing a mere six songs to absorb. In essence this album is not for the weak of mind stricken with short attention span syndrome, five of the six songs break the ten minute mark but within each of the epic tunes Opeth manage to keep the listener on a short rope of distraction. With what very well may be conceived as Opeth's heaviest effort to date, Deliverance single handily symbolizes everything that is right in the world of metal. The absolute beauty of this album is that the more time you spend with it the more it sinks in that the ragged grip of trickery mocks the listener into thinking they have inhaled every ounce of the experience only to be blindsided with the subtleties that only awaken after countless listens. In true to form, Opeth monopolizes on all the attributes that make this band so special, with oddly developed time signatures and frantic chord inlays of precision to the sheer beauty of the crystal clean breakdowns, make no mistake this is Opeth doing what they do best. I think the ultimate award for stand out player this time falls onto the drumming of Martin Lopez. Whereas he has never been a slouch in the past he showcases what a superior drumming style he has developed with Deliverance. Amongst all my listens Lopez's beats always seem to remain in the forefront of each one. With bone crusher tunes such as opener Wreath and track 5 Master's Apprentices (How fitting) Lopez shreds double bass and merciless symbol work that just seems to stand high above the overall songs themselves. Mikael Åkerfeldt, genius extraordinaire brings down the pain with monstrous death vocals which have to be a byproduct of his work with Bloodbath. I think he actually made an extra effort to come across so menacing. As always his clean vocals are dead on and I can easily say that Åkerfeldt's clean side of the universe are some of the best vocals in the business. Most notably proven on track four, Fair Judgment, a song that embodies such pure exquisiteness and emotional overload at times it can be downright overwhelming. I truly look forward to part two of the Opeth legacy when the self proclaimed "Mellow" album entitled Damnation is released.

Bottom line: Deliverance offers up something for everyone whether it is the cynical musician or the average listener this album will not disappoint either. These are schooled musicians who know how to write music that provokes poignant harmony within, all the while stirring your emotions into a frenzied meltdown. Even though Deliverance is an absolute significant release and there is not one reason in this god forsaken world why you should not buy it, I could not bring myself to rank it a masterpiece. As you have read I do regard Opeth as phenomenal musicians but their work within Deliverance is basically the same old Opeth. (Which isn't a bad thing, dammit) I do not think they have actually matured as much as they have remained the same. I love the album but it doesn't spell out progression and a band of this caliber should have only the expectations of topping their last release each and every time.

Review by Diabolic

More reviews on Deliverance -- metalreview.com

When Opeth announced a double album nearly half a year ago, it wasn't the concept that shocked its fan base, but the ambition behind it. Two albums; one heavy, one mellow, and both landing a year and half after masterpiece Blackwater Park. Just how good are Opeth? As much as I don't need to tell you, repeated listens to the first of the albums, Deliverance, not surprisingly reveals Opeth are still damned good - brilliant, in fact. It's not that their previous five albums haven't put a smile on my face (while at the same time giving meaning to the increasingly flaccid death metal scene), but Deliverance just beams with confidence, style and, something not really heard since My arms your hearse, real death metal intensity. Naysayers will maintain Opeth haven't 'progressed' since Still Life, but those tuned into the subtlety, contrast and flow know a cursory glance doesn't reveal how far they've have come since their humble beginnings on the amazing Orchid opus. This is Opeth after all, a band who've come from nowhere to somewhere on the merit of their own musical ability, not some high-powered promotional machine.

Few bands can wear credentials like that. Produced, once again, by the team of frontman Mikael Akerfeldt and Porcupine Tree visionary Steven Wilson, Deliverance takes on a similar vibe to Still Life than the somewhat rigid Blackwater Park; indeed, Akerfeldt is open to Wilson's layering and vulpine effects, which further diversifies Opeth's sonic palette. From echoed swells midway through opening cut "Wreath" to the downright chilling vocal effects on "By the Pain I See in Others," a warm yet modern production enhances Opeth's otherworldly appeal. Song by song, Deliverance covers in 60 minutes what it took Atheist, Cynic, Pestilence and their unsung peers years to accomplish (and weeks for the rest of the pack to decimate), and also underscores songwriter Akerfeldt's primary source of inspiration is indeed from other bands, just not metal's usual suspects. The real admiration for '60s and '70s rock and folk music percolates through '80s metal and the outcome is, well, undeniably unique and musically appealing, as has been the case since day one. By far one of Opeth's most straightforward songs to date, "Wreath" uses repetitive, cyclical riffing that creates a march-like hypnotic effect. Initial listens paints "Wreath" as an underachiever in their repertoire, but time reveals the magic between the lines. The song's smooth rhythm, lyrical soloing (some of Mike's best), expert composition and addition of tabla-styled percussive elements are something really of Opeth origin, in thought and execution. Yet on the follow-up title track, the 13-minute mammoth "Deliverance," the band employs "Moonlapse Vertigo's" swing and other fine compositional handiwork we've come to expect, but where it really takes off is in the three-minute angular riff-fest that highlights the band's musicianship and drive to put rock back in progressive. Of course, fans of "Harvest," "Face of Melinda" and "Credence" will delight in "A Fair Judgement," a song so deft it effortlessly slips in one brilliant moment and out the next and, in a way, bays time; the hypnotic aesthetic of "Wreath" closes it out with My Dying Bride prowess, slow, methodic and eerily dark. At 10-minutes, the song seems like two, especially how it connects to the ephemeral instrumental "For Absent Friends." It's the perfect time to get lost in Deliverance.

The contrast in the next song, "Masters Apprentices," named after the Australian late '60s rock group, reinforces that as much as Opeth like to wander off the beaten path, when they return to their death metal beginnings its with explosive results. Very much in the same vein as Morbid Angel's Domination album, "Masters Apprentices" begins with a militant and deadly stride that ends up rewinding Edge of Sanity's Unorthodox effort, especially vocally. The song's inherent death metal attitude still isn't enough to relegate it as such, in so far as that it's rendered mute. Opeth know better. The mid-section's spacey calm and jazzy flow oddly feel a lot like Porcupine Tree (Signify), which isn't surprisingly considering Wilson's involvement and Akerfeldt's outspoken affinity for the group. The most tinkering production-wise is on fitting closer, "By the Pain I See in Others." The song's initial backwards swing, gargling-blood vocals and '70s horror movie background noise actually instills a sense of discomfort, something death metal in general fails greatly in as of late. And true to form Opeth often change the style but keep the feeling, as evidenced in the "Court of the Crimson King" mellotron bop and the ethnic percussive work of drummer Martin Lopez, who shines on Deliverance.

It's often bewildering how Opeth can put down 60 minutes of music and make it feel like 20, and present not just album of high quality (in comparison to past catalogue) but songs of high quality - every one of them. True, sometimes Opeth are verbose, but it's never heavy-handed, which is a trait far too many progressive-minded bands, rock or metal, fall into easily. So, a sixth time around Opeth haven't failed, and while Deliverance isn't the massive step some of their devotees expected, the album is very much leagues ahead of the genre in which they're seemingly a part of. And believe me, when Damnation lands sometime in March 2003, Opeth will be even farther away from so-called peers, because in all fairness it's a magnificent piece of work. Trust me, I've heard it. Opeth are unfailingly great.

Review by Chris Dick

The long wait is over, at last I have a copy the much anticipated new OPETH album "Deliverance". Its just a pity that I've to review it because I'm speechless. Its simply amazing, better perhaps than "Blackwater Park" yet not as strong as "Morningrise" but if I would give "Blackwater Park" a 10 well...

The guys from OPETH claimed that this was to be their heaviest to date. Well its unquestionably heavier than anything they've done with the possible exception of "My Arms Your Hearse" but I was expecting something much heavier, I was expecting some influences from BLOODBATH because of the recent album they've completed with Mike on vocals. There is much more acoustic parts than I was expecting creating that unique OPETH sound including one completely or almost completely "soft" song reminiscent of those more in the style of "To Bid You Farewell" and "Face Of Melinda" than "Benighted" and "Credence". "A Fair Judgement" is at least as good as the aforementioned tracks.

We have to journey back in time to OPETH's first stroke of genius "Orchid" to find an opening track that dives headfirst into the rollercoaster of emotive madness. "Wreath" here does just that, no warning, no nonsense just simple, blunt yet deeply complex amazing aggressive Metal thrown at you to blow you away. It succeeds and was the only track to do so on first listen. "Wreath" has no acoustic sections but more than makes up for it with extra aggression making such straight forward emotions create a more personal atmosphere than their typical ever varied tracks that jump from emotion to emotion in an almost fantasy way. There are some bone crunching riffs on offer side by side with melodic lead lines taking over and detracting from the brutality to create beauty in an evolving song.

The "fan favourite" from what I've heard from others appears to be the title track "Deliverance". "Deliverance" is probably the closest OPETH come riff wise to the previous two albums "Blackwater Park" and "Still Life". The soft sections are more reminiscent of earlier works however and they contain some of Mike's most beautiful clean vocals to date and that jazzy lead guitar found in "To Bid You Farewell". The riffs are executed to simple flawless perfection with extreme intensity blending with the vocals to create the perfect accompaniment for the desired emotional effect.

Surprised was how I felt when listening to "A Fair Judgement". I was not expecting any of OPETH's softer tracks to appear because the band had stated that this album was to be brutal and because another album "Damnation" of softer songs is to be released in March next year. The track is led into by a beautiful piano intro courtesy of PORCUPINE TREE's Steve Wilson. It is here that Mike gives what is probably his best clean vocal performance to date showing that he's still improving with every release. This track eases the tense feeling one has after the heaviness of the preceding tracks. Relaxing, sombre, melancholic and breathtakingly beautiful is how I would describe this track. Primarily the vocals are used with the acoustic guitars to achieve this, but moments of distortion and some beautiful jazzy leads add to the effect.

The only non stand-out track for me is the instrumental "For Absent Friends". It's well crafted and does create a very reflective mood as suggested by the title but its not their best instrumental although better than most of them. It does however also provide the perfect contrasting lead into OPETH's heaviest moment to date, the opening riff to the brilliant "Master's Apprentices".

Is this MORBID ANGEL? ...nope there's not a flaw in my CD, the opening riff of "Master's Apprentices" is slow and so heavy that you would be forgiven for thinking that you were listening to Death Metal gods MORBID ANGEL. Here Mike showcases great variation in riffs, tempos and heaviness from some of the most beautiful soft harmonised clean vocals to the most sickening growls this side of their "My Arms Your Hearse" standout track "Demon Of The Fall". Definitely a worthy track to the OPETH name. Brutal yet beautiful.

The track that took me the longest time to get into was the closing track "By The Pain I See In Others". This is without question the strangest track OPETH have conceived to date. The various sections that make up this composition are strange fitting at best yet they are unquestionably OPETH even if they are being at their most experimental. The growling over acoustics with the strangled effect put on them has never before been used but here it is done well although I would have preferred the way this effect is used by bands such as AGALLOCH. There is a strange waltz section again courtesy of Steve Wilson which sounds as though its being played on an old gramophone. Overall there is a very personal ambience achieved in this track and only when you sit down and actually listen 100% do you fully grasp the greatness behind it.

The production is perfect on this, and as with "Blackwater Park" maybe a little too perfect. Each instrument is given the perfect levels in the mix which is maybe just a little too clean for the atmosphere the music is creating.

The band's performances are perfect with guitars, bass, drums and vocals all sounding top notch. In particular I would like to highlight the drumming of Martin Lopez which has come on leaps and bounds since his arrival around the "My Arms Your Hearse" era. His Death Metal approach mixed with a jazzy technique that up until now had made me prefer Anders creates the perfect balance of style and speed (bass drums in particular) in the percussion on this album. The bass of Martin Mendez is solid as usual and the guitars of Mike and Peter are crisp and precise. Beautiful.

Overall this is definitely an album worthy of the name OPETH. Better than "Blackwater Park" and "Still Life". Beg, borrow, buy or steal, do whatever you must to acquire this musical masterpiece. (Online November 4, 2002)

Review by Niall

Submitted by Allan 'Enigma' on 11/13/2002.

Nice and predictable.

When I first heard about Opeth releasing a double album, I was excited for what might come. It wasn't because I'd have twice the amount of material to listen to (hey, I'm not complaining), but more because I'm hoping that after Åkerfeldt and Co. are done with the second half of this project, "Damnation", they might be able to come out ahead farther than before. I'm hoping that "Damnation" gives them a new sense of song writing and musicianship, because honestly, watching Opeth's progression from album to album is a little tedious. I'm certainly not denying that Opeth don't improve, or at least change a little bit with each album they put out, but so much of it has stayed the same that the new album "Deliverance" barely even surprised me.

What makes "Deliverance" stand slightly apart from all the past efforts of Opeth is the heaviness. "Deliverance" is the heaviest of all the albums that Opeth has ever released, largely due to the fact that the lighter sections are less abundant. However, the fact that "Deliverance" has a much stronger rhythm section also increases the heaviness, as well as some of the riffs themselves.

There is more to "Deliverance" than it being the heaviest of all the Opeth albums. On "Deliverance" Åkerfeldt takes both his guitar and vocal ability up. As for the guitar, Åkerfeldt has thrown many more solos into the songs and they're duration has increased. Unfortunately, Åkerfeldt also opted for a less acoustic approach on "Deliverance", maybe because he felt it would hinder the albums ability to be heavy, or maybe because he wanted them to be exclusive to "Damnation". Either way, it's disappointing. Vocally, Åkerfeldt has improved in both of his styles clean and death. While the clean vocals aren't around as much before, when they do arise they generally tend to blow me away with the emotion that Åkerfeldt puts into them. And as always, Åkerfeldt's death metal vocals are far beyond what others offer. Sinister and as powerful as ever, Åkerfeldt offers the class and polished sound that nobody else can offer.

Not everything about "Deliverance" is as good as one would hope. One of my biggest problems with "Deliverance" is the theme of the album, or lack thereof. Between the first two songs ('Wreath' and 'Deliverance') and the last two ('Master's Apprentices' and 'By The Pain I see In Others') are two songs. The first, 'A Fair Judgement', is one of the best songs on all of "Deliverance". The problem is that the song doesn't completely fit in with the other songs, and along with it the somewhat lackluster instrumental 'For Absent Friends'. Neither of the songs are all and all out of place, but both of them seem like the black sheep of the family.

"Deliverance" truly lacks the cohesion that Opeth reached with "Blackwater Park", not only with the feel of song by song, but also by the turmoil created within each song itself. Usually the songs and transitions move along excellently, but when you get to a song like 'By The Pain I See In Others' where by the end of the song you're switching gears every other second, you begin to get the feeling that Åkerfeldt just had to many riffs to work with. With that becoming a problem in many parts in each of the various songs, the songs begin to unravel and lose the emotion and feeling they started with. Even then that is another problem that clouds "Deliverance". Overall I feel that "Deliverance" lacks a lot of the emotion that Opeth has been able to create in the past, maybe due to the atmosphere of the album not being as strong as it should be, or just the way the album was written.

Bottom Line: "Deliverance" is a really good album, however it's exactly what you would expect from Opeth, and that's where it hurts them. I was looking for more in "Deliverance" and when I didn't find anything I didn't expect, I was disappointed. I guess for now Opeth will remain a band that just stick to what they're good at, and that is still respectable.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 7

Musicianship: 9

Atmosphere: 7

Production: 8

Overall: 7

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by Allan

"Every time Sweden´s Opeth releases an album, the entire underground shutters with awe and envy. It is as if some benevolent god whispers into the ears of each and every Opeth fan telling them that the future of metal is going to be all right." Chris Dick

The music of Opeth is unlike anything else in the world of metal. The first time I listened to them was last year when a friend of mine suggested I download Blackwater Park. My first impression was that this band was unmistakably death metal, just with better production. This, of course, was only after listening to the first three minutes of the first track off the CD. Then, something completely unexpected happened. The driving force behind the band, guitarist/singer Mikael Akerfeldt went from the growling vocals associated with death metal into a clean voice that was melodic and entrancing. This went on to happen several more times throughout the disc. That was the first hook that kept me listening. After that it was the superior songwriting and musicianship that this band displays.

Anybody who has listened to Opeth before knows what to expect from them. For those of you reading this that haven't heard them, I'll try my best to describe it. From the first song, you are drawn in by the monstrous guitar riffs and pounding drums. What holds you in is direction the song takes from there. Just when you think you know where the song is going, Opeth throws a curve ball at you that kicks your ass, and they do this throughout the entire disc. In the end, the music is stuck in your head and you're begging for more.

With their sixth release, Deliverance, Opeth continues building on the legacy that they will leave on the world of metal music. Six songs in sixty-one minutes, which reminds me to mention that there is no such thing as a short Opeth song (the shortest one on this disc 10:22). There's a short instrumental interlude, For Absent Friends, on this disc but that's it. The first two tracks on the disc, Wreath and Deliverance, are a combined 25 minutes of unleashed fury that will please the seasoned Opeth fan and leave the new ones completely dumbfounded, the same way I felt the first time I heard The Leper Affinity and Bleak off Blackwater Park. The third track, A Fair Judgement, takes a more bluesy approach, but it has great vocals and solid guitar riffs throughout. After the instrumental, Master's Apprentice is a combination of the aggression of the first two tracks and the mellowness of the third. The final track, By the Pain I See in Others, has both elements as well, but much more aggression and the most evil sounding vocals I have heard Akerfeldt lay down.

This disc is available in the States on November 11. If you can't wait that long, download it, but please go buy it once it's released. This is one of the few bands who will always put out a disc that is worth spending the money for. Deliverance is no exception. The 411 .::. No metal fan that checks out Deliverance will be disappointed. Get hooked on them; their next disc comes out in March.

Final Score: 8.0

Review by Rhett Walker

Opeth might as well have just called their latest release, Deliverance, "We're So Fucking Good That All Other Bands Should Stop Trying To Make Music." They could have then subtitled it, "We Really Mean It. You Can't Compete. In Fact, We Got Another Record Coming Out in March so Fuck You. Cut Your Hands Off." Seriously, I don't even know what to say about this record, because it is so fucking amazing. Because of my recommendation, a guy on a music mailing list I subscribe to bought Deliverance and listened to it eight times in a row. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant.

OK, let me pull back for a second. Catch my breath. Is there anything that distinguishes Deliverance from other Opeth releases, such as Still Life or Blackwater Park? Yes. Unlike the overwhelming majority of metal fools out there, Opeth are just not content to rehash what they have done in the past. Remember how otherworldly and demonic Åckerfeldt's vocals used to sound? They are even more intense now. He is using some sort of effect processor to scare you even more. Truly evil, and it sounds great. In addition, the chorus parts where he sings all pretty are better, too. In fact, there is even a guy doing backing vocals (Steven Wilson). Surprisingly, a first for Opeth. Actually, if these guys came out with a fucking reggae record I wouldn't be surprised. The rest of the world would be though, because it would be better than all the other reggae records ever made. Times ten.

But it is not just that. For a long time Opeth has been the black metal band that comes out of insanely heavy parts and then breaks into pretty, acoustic sections. Well, it's not just the guitars anymore. There are some measures where über-drummer extraordinaire Martin Lopez climbs off his kit and does some hand percussion. Yeah, that's right percussion. The scourge of almost all world music and "soulful" bands (Dude, we've got a percussionist!) is put to excellent use right in the middle of Wreath, the first track on the album.

So, to summarize, the hard parts are harder and much more Satan-infused. The soft parts are dreamier and even more relaxing. Combined, Opeth flexes its ridiculously limber muscles and serves up what is easily one of the best records you will hear all year. All hail the dark kings. That's about the jist of it.

I'm kidding.

The real story of Deliverance is the emergence of drummer Martin Lopez as the biggest ass kicking motherfucker to sit behind a trap set since the mighty Hellhammer himself. Seriously, Lopez's performance on Deliverance is numbing. There are lots of parts where he is laying down the requisite double kick lines, but instead of just doing straight beats with his hands, he is playing chops totally counter to his what his feet are doing. He is so good it is stupid. During track #5, "Master's Apprentices," Lopez is actually doing the equivalent of a snare roll - with his feet!

But nothing, and I mean nothing can prepare you for what happens at the ten-minute mark of "Deliverance," the album's title track. Everyone I've played this part for, even people who say idiotic things like, "I hate bands that sing like that," shut their fucking mouths and listen in disbelief to what these guys are doing. Well, they stop talking at least. Usually their jaws hang slack and their eyes bug out or go cross or something. I'm going to do my best to describe what happens. Opeth goes into a part where this ludicrously tight, heavy and syncopated riff that involves double bass blasts, odd timing and repetitions of five is going on. And, they play a counter melody to it! If any other band had come up with this particular rhythm (No one else could, I know, but bare with me) they would have been content to just play it. But as you listen, you will notice that not only is Lopez playing the main, off-time stuff, but that in the background he's got a third arm or something banging away keeping it all in 4/4. It just doesn't even make sense. No one can be that good. No one that is, but Lopez and his band, Opeth.

Ruthless Ratings

* Buy It or Burn It: Buy It. And then burn down a church. Oh wait, that's Norway...

* Qualify It: 10

* True or False: Opeth has another record coming out in March of '03 called, Damnation - True

* Should you listen for the backwards, really Satanic stuff after the last song is finished: Yes

* Go see these inverted and blasphemous fools play live Opeth.com

* Do you think Opeth is really going to do a reggae record: No

* Were you wearing pants when you wrote this review: No

* Do you know why there is a little midget lying on the pillow on the front cover: Maybe

Review by Ruthless reviews