Disco de Opeth: “Still Life [Digipak]”

First off, I am NOT a metal expert in any sense of the word. As a matter of fact when I first heard "death" metal growls I laughed. I thought they were just so lame and corny. I bought "Damnation" by Opeth in 2003 and realized (IMO) that this music is a Godly masterpiece. Simply,cold beauty. I digress, Damnation has no growls and it was right up my alley. "Still Life" does have scorching death vox,as if Akerfeldt summoned them from the very pits of hell. Also Michael sings in a "clean" voice that is (IMO)the best voice in any genre of music. I would say 60% death vox and 40% clean, something like that. The concept attracted me, for it's about a man who is kicked out of his community by the town "council" for rebelling against the Christian theocracy held so dear in the town. In the process he loses his true love Melinda. The music and lyrics on "Still "Life are about his return and attempt to retrieve Melinda. The music could not be better in conveying this concept. As far as the growls I looked at the vocals as another instrument(for that's what the voice is)in conveying the tone and composition, that has helped me to not only like the death vox, but appreciate them as well!!! This will take a few listens to be fully revealed, be patient. Opeth is not just a "metal" band. They are all extremely gifted musicians in the truest sense of the word. You would be doing yourself a disservice for not listening to this band because of the death vox. Have an open mind and you will be rewarded. The song Benighted is quite possibly the most beautiful song I have ever heard. The way the clean vocals come in to the music is stunning. Opeth and Pain of Salvation are two metal bands that are completely unique and wonderful. They have certainly set the bar high, for all metal bands to come. All hail the mighty Opeth, Still Life is an absolute masterpiece. Peace.

I already held "Still Life" as one of my top 5 CDs, so the 5.1 mix enticed me to buy this. Definitely a good choice!

The "CD" portion of this package is just the same old "Still Life" with a slight fix on some of the audio. It no longer drops in places (such as the moor) but you won't get anything else new. The CD is just a nice addition to replace your old one.

The real seller is the 5.1 audio DVD. One quick warning though: there is no LFE channel in the mix, so technically it was only mastered for 5.0. This is not to say your sub wont work, just that there wasn't a dedicated channel to the lower frequencies. It has plenty of bass, it just wasn't mastered in true 5.1 Don't let that dissuade you though, the sound is quite superb.

The use of the surround speakers to add ambiance to the music is great, and the center channel pushes Akerfeldt's voice right out. The mix is absolutely amazing, and the music sounds totally different and new (in a good way of course). The acoustic guitars and some leads sound as if they were re-recorded (very apparent in Benighted), and the music takes on a different dynamic, becoming more drastic in changes from crunch to clean. (if you can imagine "Still Life" having more drastic dynamics)

All in all, a solid re-mix and re-master. The bonus footage of Face of Melinda live is great as well.

'Still Life' might just be my favourite heavy metal album. There, said it. I want to discard hyperbole in this review, and lead anyone who reads it into the core of this remarkable piece of work.

Opeth are like a ten ton hammer wrapped in velvet. Its actually almost impossible to describe them and fully get across how their music SOUNDS though. Theres deat metal growls, which I used to hate (I wonder how many fledgling Opeth fans find themselves typing that?), theres incongrous, simply catchy parts, theres stunning acoustic guitar playing, theres thrash runs vicious enough to rip your eras off. But Opeth, despite having all that, are something....more.

'Sill Life' has a very important edge over the bands other albums, and many of its competitors: it tells an intriguing, bleak, enthralling story. I wont (and cant) give anyrthing away here, as I havent even come close to deciphering all Akerfeldt's lyrics. Essentially, the album follows a man returning to his home after 15 years, searching for a character called Melinda. Following, analysing and being gripped by the story is half the fun of this record. So, its a conecpt album, or a theme album I suppose, but what really propels it above so much dire, bland and ludicrous extreme metal music is the sheer diversity, the range, the techinical ability and musical ingenuity contained here. Opeth sprinkle touches of progressive rock, psychedelia and wistful acoustic balladry throughout this record, but pull it all together in impossibly seamless fashion. Akerfeldt

, who writes the lyrics and plays one hell of an acoustic guitar, draws on and perpetuates the ideals of his death metal roots, utilizing the bleak lyrical style, evoking reams of misery and despair and growling his way through songs that are entirely unconventional in structure.

Opener 'The Moor' is out and out stunning, with a dreamy intro and gorgeous mid section. 'Godhads lament' has one of the most bizzarely catchy parts Ive ever heard in a song so brutal: 'searching my way to perplexion' It even has some 'ahh, ahh's. 'Benighted' discards growling vocals and crunchy guitars entirely, focusing on melody and a delightful chorus. 'Face of melinda', the albums centrepiece, is jaw-dropping, letting a vivid intro explode into life suddenly late in the songs.

Ok, I've droned on enough. If you like metal, prog metal, or are just open minded enough to go for an album that, I assure you, is actually fairly physically and mentally draining, then buy this instantly. Look past the growls and wild riffs, and discover some extremely original and vital music. Remember, your parents wont like it, your girlfriend might not like it, your pets wont like it, but embracing Opeth might just make you a better person.

As a long time fan of heavy metal I was of two minds when I purchased this cd. I had heard to many good things about it, but was apprehensive regarding the stereotypical "death" metal singing style that is used on some of the songs. A few listens to this cd changed everything. The music that is woven on these songs just dispels all stereotypes. These guys are very good composers and musicians. The styles run from very melodic, acoustic passages to brutal heavy metal that is in your face, with some jazzy feels and tempo changes added for good measure. Add Mikael's storied lyrics and you have a great set of songs. The opener, the "Moor" showcases everything there is about the band in one song: melody, brutal riffs, excellent lyrics and tempo changes. From the start, they make their point that they are not just another metal band. I quickly forgot about the harsher vocals by the time the track "Benighted" had appeared. It is a very atmospheric and surreal acoustic flavored number that showcases Mikeal's voice. The whole album is full of these surprises and should please any fan of heavy metal: period.

I remember the first time I heard Opeth. It was the samples on this site. After a couple of songs I was in love this band but then I heard the vocals... death vox, something I hated at the time. After hearing the vocals I abbandoned the band on the spot.

Later, after hearing much postive stuff about the band I decided to give them a chance. After hearing the song "The Moor" I was confused but enthusiastic about the band. The music was great throughout with great metal riffs, rocking melodic vocals and top notch acoustic work. I had to give the band a chance despite the obnobsious death metal vocals.

After several listens I began to come around to the death metal vocals. They were tolerable. Then after a month or two of listening to the album I noticed I loved the vocals. Mikeal doesn't just scream for the sake of it. He does it where its neccacery in the music and in the lyrics. He also has great control and range with his growl making it a perfict instrument to convey the dark, sad and angry lyrics.

Still Life is a concept album about a man who is outcasted from his village for his religous beliefs. However he returns for his lover Melinda, only to see she is married. Melinda decides however to go off with him. However the story takes a turn for the worst and has a very Shaksperian ending.

As for the music, it is nothing short of brillient. Containing beutiful acoustic segments followed by powerful metal riffs as well as some good rock, blues and jazz moments the album shows the bands wide array of tatse in music. However the album comes together perfictly with none of the music sounding too out of place or far out of style.

Starting out with the masterful "Moor" the album gets going with a bang. After a long haunting intro, theres a short spanish guitar peice which feeds into a brutal metal movemenat. Finaly the vocals come in with all they're fury. After switching bettween clean and death segments for a while there is a beutiful acoustic part where Mikeal sings alone with his guitar. This puts most singer songwriters to shame. Then the song concludes with one more burst of furry. This song is the highlight of the album, as well as one of the best songs in the Opeth catalogue. The next song "Godheads Lement" is similar to the first song, containg an equal amout of death and clean vocals. However the highlight of the song is the rennacance part in the middle where Mikeal beutifuly sings "what would they care if I would stay, no one would know-know-know" conveying a masterfuly painful want for Melinda to be with him always. The next song "Bnighted", is a change being all clean vocals and all acoustic (other than the solo). The song contains some beutiful mellonchollie plucking and semi pornographic solo. "Moonlapse Vertigo" is basicaly a typical Opeth song other than the jazzy middle part. Then theres another all clean vocaled song "Face of Melinda". After a lot of bitter sweet acoustic jazz the song explodes into a drmatic metal climax, although the vocals remain clean. Then comes the heaviest song on the album, "Serenity Painted Death". In this song Mikeal almost raps in the grovvy chorus. There are also some good clean vocal lines in this song. The only problem I have with the song is the ending cuts off right in the middle of the song. No conclusion, no fade out, just STOP! Its very frustrating and one of the few flaws of the album. The final song is "White Cluster". After a massive metal start and then some good rocking grooves the song slows down to a single guitar and then explodes into a final vicous growl before the final clean vocal part and a concluding acoustic movement. The song is a masterful ending to a masterful album.

After hearing this album I moved on to buy every Opeth album there is. Also thanks to Opeth I have leared to understand death/black vocals for what they are. I've learnd that it takes real talent to be a good growler. Anyone who is interested in Opeth should definatly start out with this album. The first three have little to no repitition wich make them harder to get into especialy if your not used to Opeth's unique style. The newest one, Blackwater Park was the hardest for me to get into out of the whole lot, so I would say Still Life is the place to start. Soon you will notice the enitire Opeth collection has been added to your record collection. After hearing this album I can almost garuntee you will be a full fledged fan or at least hear something very one of a kind that you have to apriciate for its creativity.