Disco de Opeth: “Deliverance”

Opeth have become sort of an underground metal legend in the past few years, and deservedly so. Although their sound clearly has roots in death metal, at the same time they're willing to go outside the genre and do something completely different. "Deliverance," like every Opeth album, has the guttural vocals and heavy guitars that are the hallmark of death metal, but there's a lot more going on here. Opeth use acoustic guitars and clean vocals extensively, and it works wonders. I can't think of any band I've heard that creates such emotionally and musically diverse albums, and Opeth have done it six times now. I'm not one of those fans that have gone ga-ga over everything Opeth has done, but any way you slice it this album is amazing.

Although Opeth are obviously highly skilled musicians, this isn't the most complex or technical metal I've heard. I think Opeth's real appeal lies in their music's evocative power and in the element of melody that they bring to their sound. Opeth have a way of playing that manages to convey a lot of emotion, whether you can make out the lyrics or not. Sometimes the band rages, at other times they sound mournful and contemplative, but it's always obvious that they put a lot of feeling into what they do. And since Opeth are Swedish, they have tons of those catchy, melodic guitars that give that country's metal its distinctive flavor.

The eleven-minute opener "Wreath" is a fine example of just what makes Opeth such a great and unique band. Mikael Akerfeldt delivers his vocals in a rumbling, menacing death growl almost reminiscent of Cannibal Corpse's Chris Barnes, but with far more of a melodic sensibility. And like most of Opeth's songs, it has an epic feel that few extreme metal bands can conjure up. "Wreath" is followed by the even longer (thirteen and a half minutes) title track. "Deliverance" is definitely my favorite song on the disc, as well as the one that I feel best exemplifies what Opeth are all about. It starts out, much as "Wreath" does, with Akerfeldt's menacing death vocals, but then quickly switches to acoustic guitars and clean vocals. The song ends up being an emotional roller coaster, with myriad shifts in vocal and musical style (the song also has an extremely cool outro). That's what I like most about Opeth: they seem comitted to exploring a broad range of moods, both with their lyrics (which I'll admit I need to brush up on a bit) and their music.

Anyway, the next track, "A Fair Judgement," is another gem. I didn't really like it at first, but like many great songs, it needs a little time. The vocals are all sung, but that's not a problem at all. Akerfeldt's singing voice is extremely powerful and emotional, and the song expertly mixes acoustic and electric guitars, so it never gets boring. I'm not a huge fan of soft or slow music, but "A Fair Judgement" is just plain mesmerizing.

"A Fair Judgement" is followed by the brief acoustic interlude "For Absent Friends," but the album then makes a quick return to heaviness with "Master's Apprentices." This song is loaded with violent guitar work and some of Akerfeldt's scariest and most tortured-sounding vocals, but there's also a mellow acoustic section and a couple of terrific guitar leads. Needless to say, it rules. The album concludes with "By the Pain I See in Others." This song is in pretty much the same vein as the others, except it briefly includes some weird vocal effects that I don't recall ever having heard in an Opeth song before. Other than that, though, it's typical Opeth all the way.

Okay, it's come to my attention that this review may have run a tad bit long, but I think it's a testament to Opeth's abilities that they've made my keyboard run over this much. They're one of the few bands that I think have been able to develop a style that truly can't be imitated. And this album may be the best example yet of just how good they are. Keep 'em coming, guys.

Opeth are one of the finer progressive metal bands I've heard, I think. You've heard it 1000 times before: Opeth takes incredibly heavy riffs and death metal growling and mixes them with regular vocals, melodic guitar riffs, and often acoustic guitars. This does not get old; Opeth keeps every album fresh and original. On "Deliverance", the heaviness is kicked up a notch, and the melody and clean vocals take a bit of a back step. Now, don't get me wrong. There are some great acoustic guitar parts, but overall this is Opeth's heaviest album.

Just because it's heavier doesn't mean the songs are shorter. The songs are still in the 10-13 minute range, except for the brief instrumental "For Absent Friends". Opeth are very talented musicians, and they have a unique songwriting style. Peter Lindgren adds his melodic solos to many parts, and they are often paralyzingly beautiful ("A Fair Judgment" and "For Absent Friends" especially, but all his solos are good). Martin Lopez tears it up on this album, with pounding dopulbe bass and super fast fills, but he also knows how to lay back and play for the song, which he does most of the time.

Opening up the album is a lightning quick drum fill and a super-heavy guitar riff. Mikael's vocals come in reminding me of Cannibal Corpse. He's really developed a deeper voice since the days of "Morningrise". I like it better. The song slows down after a few minutes to a more melodic part in 6/8, that's stunningly beautiful, although still pretty heavy. The title track is familiar Opeth, but much more heavy and intense. The end vamps on an amazing timed guitar riff. You'll know the one when it comes. It's sick as hell. "Master's Apprentice" almost reminds me of Black-album Metallica, until the vocals come in. It has that crunchy "Sad But True" feel though. The song gets more interesting though, with some nice melodic bits in the middle. "By The Pain I See in Others" features some death metal vocals over a clean guitar bit. It sounded weird as hell to me at first, but now I think it sounds right, in a demented way. Great song.

In addition to the heavier parts, this album features perhaps the most beautiful Opeth song to date (not including anything off "Damnation", which I will review next). "A Fair Judgement" is one of my favorite Opeth songs. It's beautifully melodic and mellow at the beginning. It keeps building up, while staying melodic, and then coming back down to more mellow parts. The guitar leads are incredibly beautiful thoughout the whole song. Truly, this song is gorgeous like few others. Probably my favorite on the album. "For Absent Friends" is a nice, short piece. It's basically just an acoustic guitar with an electric lead over it, but it gives you that chillingly beautiful feeling all Opeth acoustic songs do.

This album is disgustingly good, but I wouldn't recommend it as your first Opeth album, as it's heaviness may be over powering. Get "Blackwater Park" first, and if you like that, immediately buy "Deliverance" and their newest "Damnation" (which is incredibly good also.)

I was blown away when I listened to Deliverance. The sheer power of it is beyond description. I felt that every song was even better than the one before it, if thats at all possible.

To all Opeth fans: YES! Its true that Deliverance is the heaviest Opeth to date. However, that doesnt mean that the usual soft spots aren't present. For Absent freinds is a soft, beautiful instrumental. Not as good as Harvest on Blackwater Park, but if thats what Damnation (the upcoming softer Opeth album) sounds like, it will be another masterpiece.

For people new to Opeth, they are a band that mixes Death Metal with Prog influences. As opposed to many Death bands, Akerfeldt (the singer) is not ashamed to use clean vocals as well as death growls, i.e he doesnt growl for the sake of it, only when necessary as befits the lyrics and music. The music is melodic and, at times, haunting. The lyrics are some o the best I've heard in metal.

All in all, this is one album I'd recommend to all ineterested in Prog And Melodic Death Metal. 5 Stars.

Wow, absolutely a work of art. I could go on for hours about this Godly creation of an album. I'll try to keep it a little short, considering that near everything I want to say has already been said or inquired. This is not the album that turned me on to Opeth, but I'm ecstatic about having checked it out. Of course, as everyone knows, "Deliverance," is part of a double album, along with "Damnation" ( which I also love, just not as much as this right here ). "Deliverance," I feel, being the darker half of the two, has a much better chance at becoming a hit with metalheads, only because something as brilliant as "Damnation," requires patience, as well as an open mind. Yes, Akerfeldt does prove here that he eats run of the mill metal vocalists for breakfast, but what really makes some of this album to me is drummer, Martin Lopez, being that I, myself, am a drummer. So many ridiculous runs, double-kicking, and so much complexity is what makes him shine on this disc. As I had mentioned earlier, I'd hate to sound repetitive, so I'll end it here. This album may not be for you, especially if you have a short attention span, but if you appreciate near PERFECT metal, as I do, then DO NOT miss out. Pick up or download "Deliverance" as soon as possible, really. Thank you for your time.

I've never really liked the label "progressive". Somehow it always conjured up images of pretentious, pompous music, filled with technical proficiency but devoid of any emotional impact. Opeth, however, always seem to condense all that is good about progressive metal into album-sized chunks of brilliance.

"Deliverance" is Opeth's sixth album (or "observation", as they prefer to call it) and easily their heaviest and bleakest yet. But instead of overwhelming the listener with sheer complexity and all sorts of technical wankery as some progressive bands are wont to do, Opeth understand the idea of subtlety. The best way to describe Opeth's sound would be "musical chiaroscura", i.e. the contrast between the light and the dark. One particular musical passage might be full-on death metal, with roaring guitars and singer Mikael Åkerfeldt's menacing growl, but another might a soft acoustic passage, with Åkerfeldt's beautiful "clean" vocals. One can even see this light/dark dichotomy in Deliverance's companion album Damnation, which is devoid of anything "metal-ish", as well as the album and insert art for both Deliverance and Damnation, which consist of black and white photos. Despite the rather disparate elements present, Åkerfeldt and co. manage to pull it off without ever sounding discordant.

Of course, Opeth have never been the easiest band to get into, and those unfamiliar with the band might, upon their first listen, think "what's all the fuss about?" Opeth's songs are completely devoid of the typical "verse-chorus-verse" pattern that most music today sticks to, rather, their songs are structured in a manner similar to classical music, with each song divided into separate "passages" or "movements". I am not exaggerating in saying that one 12 minute Opeth song probably has enough material for some throwaway mainstream rock act to construct an entire album out of.

Musically, every one of the bands formidable talents are one display. Åkerfeldt proves he is one of metal's best vocalists and songwriters, with beautifully poetic (and sometimes downright creepy) lyrics. Guitarists Peter Lindgren and Martin Mendez lay down crushing riff after riff with astonishing creativity, and drummer Martin Lopez pounds away with machine-like precision, most noticeable one the finale of "Deliverance". But at no point do they ever become self-indulgent and riddle their songs with pointless, Dream Theater-esque showmanship. Finally, Steve Wilson's production is spot-on and sounds razor sharp, exactly as it should.

For the entire album, Opeth lays down great track after track. Opener "Wreath" launches immediately into a storm of crushing guitar riffs, going through several equally heavy passsages during it's 11-minute length. The follow-up track "Deliverance" continues where the previous track left off, mixing heavy and soft passages as only Opeth can do. The album only slows down for sorrowful, ballad-esque "A Fair Judgement" and the acoustic instrumental "For Absent Friends", before becoming brutally heavy again for "Master's Apprentices", with furious drumming and roaring guitar riffs, which segues into "By the Pain I See in Others" which is one of Opeth's most experimental songs, with unusual structures and time changes throughout. (Be sure to keep listening even when you think it's done!) As a whole, the album is one of those rare types where there are literally no weak tracks throughout. You can listen to whole thing through and the minutes will just fly by. It's that good.

This album is highly recommended, and a great start for anyone new to the band. Be sure to take a listen to the companion album "Damnation" as well to see the variety of styles Opeth can conquer. A fantastic band.