GHOST REVERIES

I had been waiting anxiously for this album for ages. Ahh, when I listened to it for the first time I was immediately relieved. The wait hadn't been for nothing. I liked it from the outset. As I listened from beginning till end I was pleased and delighted with the proggishness of this album. Opeth had taken a change towards more progressive music. I still liked the heaviness of the old albums, but this felt so polished and perfect that I couldn't madly enjoy it. In retrospect, this still is not my favourite Opeth record, mainly because I had grown into the Blackwater Park era, but I'm sure fans of prog who are not worried about growls will fall in love with this album. It really is quite a masterpiece, with very few letdowns.

1. Ghost of Perdition: There's nothing that can really describe how effective this intro is. The album opens up with four clean guitar chords, and your first expectation is nothing like what you get. A blasting riff breaks your head apart as soon as these chords fade out, and we are treated to the ugly side of Opeth. I mean, the heavy side, the real heavy side. The riff is huge, magnificent. An organ helps in the background. We are not immediately treated to what Per can do - till now he is sort of kept under wraps. At 1:05 you get the perfect change. Clean vocals kick in, perfectly tuned. You'll hear more of Per here. The intro riff kicks in again, this time leading out into a clean section with acoustic guitars. This part is beautiful, perfectly showcasing the subtlety of Opeth's music and Mike's soulful singing. The changes are perfect, riffs flowing perfectly without any disjointedness. Octave intervals kick in at around five minutes, providing us with some of the laidbackness of previous Opeth albums. This album is in general more present than the previous releases, making less use of atmospheric reverb. More perfect transitions at around 7 minutes. A bluesy solo at 8 minutes shows us how much the musicianship of Opeth has improved over the years, being delivered perfectly. The song ends with drawn out vocal notes over a very proggish sounding riff, with the organ giving it that vintage kind of feel. Great masterpiece. [9+]

2. The Baying of the Hounds: A very vintage prog intro. Per's playing is showcased a little bit here. Dissonant chords are blended in spectacularly with the melodic structure. Syncopated riffs are very common here. The only real gripe with this song is the happy sounding vocal line at around 2 minutes. I just didn't expect it, and it never grew on me. A great break at 3:15. Here you get kick drum played with bass. The bass sounds almost like an extension to the kick drum sound. I think the kick was tuned especially for this part and gating/compression used to blend the sounds as perfectly as they are. Atmospheric keys keep the air interesting. Intriguing guitar chords also make sure you never get bored here. Distant vocals kick in. The transition to the heavy riff at around 5:25 displays Mike's talent at songwriting. Another well done solo here. A change back into acoustic heaven gives quite a welcome breath of fresh air before the final plunge. Dissonant riffs never felt so melodic. Great song. [9]

3. Beneath the Mire: A heavily organ-ridden intro, with a vintage rockish sound to it. Octave intervals greet us with the older atmospheric Opeth style. The song kicks in with a blast at around 1:42, with Mike letting loose a demonic growled line. This section is very dynamic. There are quite some transitions, with the music flowing flawlessly, and Mike going back to clean vocals. A jazzy interlude at around 3:45 sounds very inspiring and fresh. Per and Mike play lead side by side, a great new touch that Opeth obviously never tried before. An acoustic break leads into an evil sounding riff. A sweeping solo during the 6th minute, probably done by Peter, leads into a soundscapish outro with guitar doodling and atmospheric synth. [8+]

4. Atonement: I tend to skip this song. Not that it is not good, but it is rather more of an interlude and somehow I got tired of it quite quickly. An eastern guitar tune kicks in, backed by the organ. There are quite some spacey effects here. After some time percussions fade in, with Mike's voice quite heavily modulated. Very spacey indeed, almost psychadelic. It is also quite repetitive. Some reversed piano notes make for an interesting conclusion. Nothing spectacular here. [7]

5. Reverie - Harlequin Forest: Reverie is actually usually played with Atonement, but since my CD player starts counting negative time to the fifth track I think it should be reviewed with Harlequin Forest. There is not much to be said about it, except that it is a very relaxing interlude preceding the other masterpiece of the album. Very well done there. A lone guitar kicks in, immediately backed up by the other instruments. Great vocal melodies here. Melancholic guitar leads sound on each side at a time, leading to more of Mike's haunting vocals. There is quite some ambience in the background helping the flow of them music, and perfect use of the organ is made. A welcome acoustic transition at around 3:30, leading to some interesting harmonic guitar intervals with vocals only. This section is very ambient and quiet, and the bass takes quite some space. Beautiful guitar harmony at the 6 minute mark, the kind that you can easily sing to. This part leads back into the heavy riffing. The ending is spectacular, bringing back to mind the polyrhythm section at the end of Deliverance. The riffs leading up to this riff are also nothing short of amazing. A very short breath of fresh air at around 9:00 before the syncopated riffing starts. A very reverb-ridden guitar line whines in the background as the fore guitar thuds to one of the most interesting beats I ever heard, with the synth ambience growing in volume to the end. The tightness of this band is amazing. Amazing. [9+]

6. Hours of Wealth: A clean guitar intro with synth, leading to a washed out instrumental acoustic section before everything quietens down quickly and the singing starts. The vocals sound sad and beautiful. This is emotional singing at its best. Emotional yet far from cheesy. The occasional backing is very well done. A softly driven electric solo keeps things subtle before the evil track to follow. Well done. [8]

7. The Grand Conjuration: When this song leaked out, people started crying "sell out". This, coupled with the worry that Opeth had signed up with Roadrunner Records and were going to sell us out, led me to some worry. This song, though surely not one of their greatest, is not the worst either, and makes for a great song live. This is a very heavy and evil track, probably the most evil since Demon of the Fall. Mike's vocals are modulated, and ghostly whispers are all over the place. You could say that it is the most mainstream in the whole album, in fact being released as a single. A ripping guitar solo at about 3:30 showcases Mike's technical talent. Overall, this is quite a repetitive track, and could get slightly boring after several listens. Nevertheless, I love the evil atmosphere and effects. [7]

8. Isolation Years: This closing track is really a jewel. Saintly clean electric arpeggios start in the 5/8 signature. A sweet guitar lead keeps things warm and moving. And then the vocals come up. These vocals are so sad and grieved. A haunting synth line backs the melody, with soft drumming keeping the pace. The twice repeated refrain is nothing short of memorable. If I have a negative comment about this, it is that the end comes a bit too soon. Beautiful song. [8+]

We are really left wanting more. This is not going to happen till later this year (2007), and with Opeth having lost two of its members recently (Peter having just left earlier this week), people are again starting to worry about the upcoming release. We will see whether Opeth will live up to our expectations or not sooner or later, and I hope I'll eventually return to this review with a smile. OVERALL, 8.4

P.S. I wish I could give it a half star extra. Though not my perfect album, I think this is really a masterpiece of progressive music.