STILL LIFE

'Still Life' is the album that truly sets Opeth apart from their contemporaries in the extreme metal scene and is by far one of the most complete and balanced albums of their entire discography - the progressive influences set in on this release, allowing the four-piece to carefully craft their conceptual and brooding brand of progressive death metal, as it would later go on to be called. Notwithstanding, this is also a concept album about the protagonist's struggle with him being banished from his hometown for reasons of faith, rendering many of the album's themes as anti-Christian; it is an enchanting story in typical Opeth fashion, eventually taking place many years ago and exhibiting very haunting, grim and often desperate tones. All of this is backed up by the sheer brutality of the metal parts of the album, which are evenly balanced with a very melancholic, acoustic and swiftly progressive sound, akin to bands like Comus, Jethro Tull and occasionally even Whitesnake.

If 'My Arms, Your Hearse' was there to present an attempted elaboration of the songs, 'Still Life' sees the triumph of these efforts, with plenty of classic Opeth tracks, many of which prominently serves this complex, technical, ever-changing style. Preserving the harshness of previous releases, Åkerfeldt & Co. successfully incorporate a variety of different elements and influences into the seven compositions here, making up for a confident, evocative and coherent album. Starting off with the dark mini-opus 'The Moor', a song equally terrifying and impressively complex and melodic, the story is set as well as the overall heavy tone of the album. This is carried on by the fabulous track 'Godhead's Lament', with Åkerfeldt's vocals sounding better than ever. It is important to mention that later remasters completely bring out the utter brilliance of this great album, which is quite layered and intense. A shift to a more melancholic tone follows with the sublime 'Benighted' and 'Face of Melinda', with yet another masterful epic in the middle - 'Moonlapse Vertigo'. The riffs of this album are generally memorable and flamboyant in a very progressive manner, which is a factor elevating Opeth into the realm of the prog gods. The album closes off with two heavier tracks, both of which are quite cerebral and harsh, bolstering both heavy riffs and intricate and eclectic passages.

It is not difficult to see how well-written and excellently-performed album 'Still Life' is, introducing Opeth as the leading act of the Swedish extreme metal scene, and placing them as one of the most exciting bands offering a crossover of death metal and progressive rock, virtually unheard of before - one of the essential metal albums of the late 90s.

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