Released: Feb 27, 2001
Genre: Rock
Tones: Angry, Quirky, Theatrical, Aggressive, Provocative, Nihilistic, Dramatic, Ambitious
Styles: Progressive Metal, Heavy Metal, Death Metal/Black Metal
Number Of Tracks: 8
Blackwater Park
Reviewed by:
morbid_death, on july 18, 2003 5 of 5 people found this review helpful
Impression: Again, Opeth have failed to release poor material. They are one of the few bands that succeed in taking their music to a new level every album. If you bought their previous release, Still Life, was amazing (which I sure did), then you are garentueed to be literaly and utterly awe-struck if you have not already heard any material from Blackwater Park, or Opeth either for that matter.
It starts with Lepper Affinity which takes us to My Arms Your Hearse era of Opeth, bringing out what they do best in that hard hitting metal, ofcourse, it has the versatility of your typical Opeth song. It is followed by Bleak, which is one of the greatest songs I have heard from Opeth. Harvest, which follows Bleak, is what seems to be their 'no distortion allowed' track that they manage to do on so many of their albums. Some might say "Harvest is NOTHING like Credence or Benighted...its just repeating chords!", but can those some people be able to do it as well as Opeth? I think not, with Mikael Akerfeldt's amazing voice over the top, it is by far, not a let down for Opeth. Mikael Akerfeldt would more than definatly have one of, if not, THE most amazing, and versatile voices in metal. What comes next, is easily, my favourite track on Blackwater park, and that song is..The Drapery Falls. Imagine their song The Moor from Still Life, now think of how Opeth manage to make better material every album. Now add that to The Moor, and there you have The Drapery Falls, amazing huh?
Later follows more typical, yet amazing Opeth that takes you through so many moods like a kaleidoscope. The song that finishes the album, Blackwater Park (the track is title named) is one of the rare songs that Akerfeldt doesn't show off his amazing melody and harmony vocals. All in all, a top, heavy, very death-metal influenced towards the end of the track, song. If you don't find a song that you dont like on Blackwater Park, or anything from Opeth for that matter, you obviously don't like metal.
As My Arms, Your Hearse, topped Orchid and Morningrise, and Still Life built on that again, and then followed up with the completely awsome Blackwater Park, in the future Opeth will be looked back on with the likes of Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath. I really urge those who have not heard Opeth to check out this album, I cannot stress enough the musical talent of this band. // 10
Blackwater Park
Reviewed by:
aenimafist, on may 19, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: This album, although not terribly close to, sounds quite a bit like Ghost Reveries in that it remains classy yet still has the harshness that should be in every death metal outfit. Steven Wilson is the perfect producer, and guest vocalist, for this band because his work on Blackwater Park, Damnation, Deliverence etc has been phenominal. However, Opeth don't owe everything to the producer alone. Songs such as Bleak and Funeral Portrait are exampls of songs that have good one measure riffs. Most of the songs now-a-days that have one-measure riffs are pathetic. Opeth is one of the few bands that doesn't suck in that way. Now however they have strayed from the one measure lick thing and have started to do eight measure riffs like in Ghost of Perdition. The only thing I may have had a problem with was the piano ending of Leper Affinity. But the band recover when they do the chromatic break in before the explosion of the Arabic presence of Bleak. // 10
Lyrics and Singing: I think Mikael Akerfeldt has really improved his lyric-writing ability over time. His ability to write lyrics that fit the best into the music piqued at Ghost Reveries and I doubt it will get much better. But the things that stood out to me the most about the vocals were the places Mikael put in his different bocal styles and harmonies. Adding Steven Wilson in on Bleak was a cool idea as well being such a great singer himself. // 10
Impression: I really can't give this album less than a ten out of ten because of the sheer magnificence of the writing and arrangements of the songs. This album would fit well onto the shelf of any fan of either prog metal, death metal, heavy metal, or symphonic black metal. Opeth have a shocking amount of variety in their songwriting abilities and I would be absolutely shocked if they either didn't win a Grammy or if a 20th Century Masters of them wasn't made. The best songs are Leper Affinity, Bleak, and Funeral Portrait. // 10
Blackwater Park
Reviewed by:
James TH, on december 03, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: When Opeth began to write this album they knew that they had stumbled upon some of their best material they had ever written. Even though recording was pain staking, the sound was completely opeth, and completely kickass to fans. They stepped deeper into the melodic death metal genre, they had created in their debut album Orchid, creating songs like "The Funeral Portrait" and "The Drapery Falls". Guitar, bass and drums were all focused on moving the listener and with dynamic vocals, stunning bass lines, and tricky guitar riffs like the one in Bleak. A stupendous Spectactle from Opeth that captures the horrors of a blackwater park. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: The Lyrics and vocals off this album are the most captivating and Opeth has created. They understood the mood that they were trying to create and brought that same melancholly along for the whole ride until the last track "Blackwater Park". When everything is said and done, the last part to listen to after you have purchased the album are the lyrics. All you have to do is pull out the inside book and read the lyrics to notice that all the songs are not just a jumble of scratchy death metal growls and beautiful clean singing but also a intricate story about love and deception. The highlight of the album. // 10
Impression: Blackwater Park is my favourite album by Opeth. It was also bought out of order for me, as it was the first album that I bought. Yet, I found that even from the get go, it was very eye opening and hardhitting. This album single handidly brought me into a period of depression where I would sit and only listen to the songs deeply and spiritually. For this reason I would definetly go and buy this album if it were lost. All the songs are good, there is no filler, not even filler in the breakdowns or the main riffs, the whole album is made to musical perfection. I disliked the corny acoustic breakdowns in some of the songs, but I loved that when they did appear, they were on common sound with the rest of the song and it's mood. Congratulations to Opeth for creating such a masterpiece, and congratulations to you if you have this album, and if you don't, then go out now and get it! // 10
Blackwater Park
Reviewed by:
CarbonDeath, on march 10, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: This Opeth album has some of the greatest Opeth songs of all time. From begining to end, this album is a treat to listen to. The second song is my favorite, not sure why. Could be the overall progessiveness of it, or it could be Steven Wilsons (Porcupine Tree) voice in it. This is one of the best progressive metal albums to date, but only the second best Opeth album. // 10
Lyrics and Singing: Mikael Ã…kerfeldt is simply amazing. For anyone to go from a laid back actually operatic singing to the deepest most horrifying growl in a second is outstanding. The lyrics themselves are well thought dark and somewhat depressing lyrics Opeth usally has in thier songs. Mikael is my hero. // 10
Impression: Nothing compares to Opeth, except for Opeth. The reason I like this album so much is because this is the most diverse Opeth album to date. Bleak and The Drapery Falls are #2 and #3 on my favorite Opeth songs of all time. Patterns in the Ivy I and II are great mellow Opeth songs, but I like Opeth for the growls and progressive guitar riffs. The only thing that I don't like about this album is that of the drumming. In all other Opeth albums, the drumming sounds amazing, with the double bass and great use of the crashes, but this is still good. Overall, 2nd best Opeth album, great album. // 10
Blackwater Park
Reviewed by:
metalreaper450, on october 09, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: Opeth is an amazingly talented band. I first heard about them from my friend and decided to buy Blackwater Park. This CD, and Opeth in general, sounds different from any other band that I have listened to. They are a progressive death/black metal band from scandinavia. This album gets better and better every time I listen to it. There is some distorted guitar, some nice original riffs, including harmonic minor (Bleak). There is also a lot of acoustic guitar in this album with arpeggios and such. I can't believe an awesome black metal album could have so much acoustic guitar. I definitely like heaver or melodic metal but overall this album is overflowing with musicianship. // 10
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics are pretty good. They mainly talk about humanity and life. The singer, Mikael Akerfeldt, is really talented. He can definitely growl and sing clean. I like both of his vocal styles for sure. Sons like the Leper Affinity stand out in my mind because of the length and range of the vocals. The lyrics also fit the style of music pretty well, pretty dark and creepy. // 9
Impression: Since this is the only album from Opeth that I have it's hard to compare it because they don't compare to any other band. They are really talented. Songs like The Leper Affinity, Bleak, and Blackwater Park are my favorite. They blend cool distorted riffs with sick acoustic arpeggios. I love that they can be soft and hard at the same time, and I really don't hate anything about this album. If I bought this album I would definitely replace it but I would probably check out a release like deliverance before buying the same album again. // 10
Blackwater Park
Reviewed by:
RatiugLink, on february 21, 2005 1 of 3 people found this review helpful
Sound: Opeth sounds nothing like other death metal bands. They're ridiculously melodic and have tons of contrast. I've never heard so much acoustic guitar on a metal album before, let alone on a death metal album. Peter Lindgren's guitar solos are amazing. While showing his obvious skill, he refrains from shredding, which to many people could be considered a treat. While I have nothing against shredding, Lindgren is quite modest in his playing, and refrains from overdoing his solos. They're still ridiculously melodic, don't worry. // 10
Lyrics and Singing: At first I was going to give the lyrics a rating of 4, but changed my mind and decided to give them a 5. While the Cookie Monster vocals may be very difficult for some people to get used to, and are often the only reason people dislike this band, they should be listened to with an opened mind. If you are open-minded enough to look past the harsh vocals, Opeth is sure to please you. Those of you lucky enough to be open-minded enough to listen long enough through the album will notice that not only does Mikael Ã…kerfeldt use clean vocals often, he uses them ridiculously well. The clean vocals on this album are superb. Opeth's lyrics are often very poetic and cryptic, a nice contrast to the common stereotype against death metal lyrics about things like raping dead babies. // 10
Impression: I got this album three days ago and have been listening to it over and over. This is one of the best metal albums I've bought in a long time. There is so much contrast. // 10
Blackwater Park
Reviewed by:
tiimmmmmyyy, on september 15, 2004 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: The sound is excellent. They go from death metal to softer piano playing (progressive rock) and it ties all in quite well. I have yet to find any bands quite like these guys. In some of the songs, Mikael uses a standard singing voice, such as in Harvest, and in other songs he just blows you away like in The Leper Affinity. The guitar is frigging fast. Many nice solos. The bass is just great throughout the whole CD. You can actually hear it unlike most CDs nowadays. Drums are quite impressive. A lot of dual bass pedalling. // 10
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics are wonderful some of the best I have ever heard. Every song just makes you think, unlike that other new garbage out there. I think the lyrics on this album are better than the ones from their other CDs. They aren't like sick crap such as most death metal, but just great. // 10
Impression: This is my favorite death metal/progressive rock CD. If you have a better one in mind, tell me it. My favorite songs are Blackwater Park and The Drapery Falls. My favorite part of the CD has to be the lyrics or the bass. Both very impressive. If it were stolen I would kill the robber and lock him in a room with Linkin Park playing on repeat; the ultimate tortue. This CD is very worth buying. It may be harder to find than your Metallica, but it is totally worth it. // 10
Amazing album, I have this, Deliverance, Damnation and Ghost Reveries and they are all brilliant albums and Opeth really is a good band to get into. They cannot be classed in a single genre other than perhaps... Opeth... that's all they can be compared to.
words cannot capture the f-ing kick-assness of this album... bleak, the drapery falls, harvest... oh well i could just name EVERY song....but opeth is so amazing...im a huge fan of their progressive side...i started with damnation and i became totally obsessed with these guys.... to be honest im not a huge fan of most of my arms, your hearse but blackwater park and damnation are a collection of the greatest music ever...
Greatest band on Earth! I own every Opeth album, and BWP is definitely my favorite. Every song Mikael Akerfeldt writes is a masterpiece, and never have I heard a band (with the exception of Pink Floyd) that can make me feel the music sonically AND physically. In my opinion, Mike has the greatest vocals in music. Not only are his clean vocals absolutely beautiful, but his growls are brutal and coherent. Absolutely my favorite band of all time.
The best way to experience Opeth is to smoke a J, sit down alone, and just - Listen. Listen to the words, the riffs that compliment them, the band's dynamic quality. That, or you can listen to them sober, which is almost equally as good
Great album, great band. I wish people would stop calling them black metal though. Even with the death vocals Opeth is hard to classify as death metal. They are definitely doing their own thing. \m/(>.
i only recently actually sat down and listened to Opeth a few years back i heard one song and actually didn't like it, looking back i cant understand how i didn't like them i haven't found a single bad song, the imagery, the melodies, the harmonies, Opeth will go down as one of the best bands of all time in my book.
Greatest band on Earth! I own every Opeth album, and BWP is definitely my favorite. Every song Mikael Akerfeldt writes is a masterpiece, and never have I heard a band (with the exception of Pink Floyd) that can make me feel the music sonically AND physically. In my opinion, Mike has the greatest vocals in music. Not only are his clean vocals absolutely beautiful, but his growls are brutal and coherent. Absolutely my favorite band of all time.
+1 i agree 100% especially with the pink floyd reference, i love to listen to a opeth masterpiece like BWP then follow it up with dark side of the moon or another floyd cd
Bleak literally blew my mind the first time I put it on in surround sound, shut off the lights and just listened. Something about the acoustic break just connects with me.
