Opeth — Ghost Reveries

Last time we heard from Opeth was with their Damnation album, the second part of a two album set which saw them divide the two main aspects of their sound. The acoustic prog folk of Damnation next to the heavier and rawer Deliverance. Since then they have changed labels, released a well received DVD, and toured the US.

Ghost Reveries see the band recombining the elements of their sound and rather than taking large steps sidewards as with their first five albums they are moving their sound into new territories.
The opening track Ghost of Perdition begins with a few soft strums before leaping in with both feet into a classic Opeth cascade of riffs and Akefeldt growls. But it doesn’t take long before the newer elements reveal themselves in the form of epic mellotron swells and greater amount of switching between harsh and clean singing. Some may see comparisons with the opening track on Blackwater park and this track certainly has a similar quality but here Opeth slow things down every now and then for a little prog workout before lurching back into the grind.
The Baying of the Hounds starts out as a full on in your face death thrash song but incorporating electric piano and more mellotron. Like the first track it’s a fairly tried and trusted Opeth formula piece but after some accusations of parring down arrangements on Deliverance its great to hear that wall of guitars that made Blackwater park so enjoyable. Theres also a nice piano, mellotron interval three minutes in that serves as great counterpoint to the death metal intro.

We have to wait until track three Beneath The Mire before Opeth move out into deeper waters. It begins with a quite odd sounding drum intro with what could almost be a Russian folk ballad played on the synth. But remarkably Opeth intergrate this into another heavy as hell song as if it were a natural progression. Staccato riffs and a nice proggy jam in the mid section make this a stand out track before the weird semi post rock feedback and jitter ending.  Atonement is quite a shift from the first three tracks in that it’s a full on trippy Pink Floyd like jam that will hopefully have the fans of most Roadrunner releases running for the hills. The lead guitar curls a psychedelic path through piano, synth and light percussion. A few studio tricks are thrown in also to make this probably the most unique Opeth track ever. It aint half bad either, and makes you wish they had done this sort of this on Damnation.
Reverie/Harlequin Forest is for me the albums standout piece. It has all the elements of the first four tracks mixed into an airtight package. The riffs explode and licks of melody sooth the savage wounds of the Akerfeld vocals.  Sonic seasoning is applied with the keyboards while Martin Lopez thrashes at his drums.  The part that makes this stand out above all the rest is the wonderfully atmospheric solo at around six minutes. The only thing that the other songs lacked was that trademark quality of Opeth to effect a sense of melancholy in the listener.

Hours of Wealth is a beautiful King Crimson like acoustic piece recalling the best parts of Damnation but with an added sense of the epic, something that runs through the whole album.
Oddly I think The Grand Conjuration (the track that was the taster for the album) is the weakest song on offer. It’s quite formulaic compared to the Other tracks and gives me the feeling that this was what they were expected to produce for the whole album. It you were to take the most obvious elements of Opeths sound and add an extra electronic bombast to it then this track would be the result.
The closing piece Isolation Years is another beautiful slow acoustic piece that features some of the best clean Akerfeldt singing I’ve yet heard.  This like the many of the other more moody moments of the album recall Anathema at their very best.

I admit that when I first heard Ghost reveries I was a bit taken back by the depth and contradictions it presents, it will confound the expectations of most. Those looking for a continuation of the last two albums will be disappointed, and those who thought they will have sold out coming to Roadrunner will be eating their words. In reality Opeth have with Ghost Reveries turned a corner, they reached the pinnacle of their sound with Blackwater Park and have now embarked on a new journey into a richer, more complex soundworld, this album could be their most essential yet.