Opeth "Ghost Reveries" (Roadrunner)
By Taylor Green
Tuesday. Sep 20, 1:04 AM
What else but brilliance from the Swedish masters?

It's a new label, but it's the same old Opeth: another hour-plus lesson into what can be done with musical instruments. Opeth are simply phenomenal, and there's no change of formula here. The highs are ripping and heavy, the lows are melodic and beautiful. But on Ghost Reveries, the highs and lows don't peak nearly as far as they should, falling short of some of the best Opeth works such as Still Life or Deliverance. But though it may seem that Opeth have lost a step from my previous statements, they have never been stronger.

Ghost Reveries explores some of the most melodic material to date for the Swedish beast, but what the album loses in its experimenting between heavy and light the band makes up for in exploring the many elements of specific tonalities. That is not to say that there aren't some brutally heavy portions of Ghost Reveries, because Opeth still is and always will be a melodic death metal band at their foundation. Opeth don't hold back in their writing, and some of the tracks strike that brilliant balance that draws so many fans to the speakers. But the balancing act isn't the focal point of this album, to its credit. The melodic flow of Ghost Reveries melds beautifully and carries from start to finish no signs of slacking. Opeth do what they do best, and that's churn out amazing songs of terror and beauty. Moreover, rather than overloading the heaviness, the lighter moments hold and evolve throughout the album, offering some darkly eerie moments. The album cover says a lot about the writing on the album: a large swirl of darkness with twisting light to lead the way.

No one crafts a record quite like Opeth, and it shows in every second of Ghost Reveries. I can't say enough of what the band do on this journey to refine themselves and put out another great album that doesn't follow anyone, even the band's previous seven works. If you haven't heard Opeth yet (and you should not admit this to ANYONE), go out and buy this record and the seven others while you're at it. For Opeth fans tried and true, this is more of the brilliant sound that our favorites keep on churning and churning. Prepare to be blown away yet again by Sweden’s finest.

Highlights: "Ghost of Perdition," "Reverie/Harlequin Forest," and "The Grand Conjuration."
www.opeth.com
www.roadrunnerrecords.com

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Taylor Green

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