DELIVERANCE

I purchased this album from a friend for $5, as he said he tried to get into Opeth but when he bought this he was disappointed. I thought "are you crazy? this is Opeth! They know what they're doing!"

I was wrong. This album is a very weak effort from a band that has given us so much. Thank god for Ghost reveries, which pardons this monster. The only saving grace to this album if "A Fair judgement;" an epic ballad-esque track that is undoubtedly one of my favourite slower opeth tunes. As for the rest of the album, there are moments where a song is interesting, but the end feeling is BLAND. This album paints a wall of grey in my mind; empty, boring, and uninspired. The repetition is also unbearable at times, as riffs are held for uncompromisingly long, or returned to when their replay value is next to zero. Its intense, but so what? I love intensity, but it has to have PURPOSE, which this entire album seems to lack. I also forward that comment to Damnation(this is NOT due to the fact that that album is soft). Musicianship is great here but won't save the album on its own.

Overall, it was possibly worth the $5, although I cant remember ever putting it in my cd player this past year. Go for Still Life, Ghost Reveries, or Blackwater park. 2/5