MORNINGRISE

There are two most common approaches to Morningside. One is to regard it as some sort of a lost masterpiece, another - as a warm-up to what was to come. There are a lot of things to like here. It stays true to the trademark Opeth style - frequent changes between extreme metal and vocal sections and softer, more melodic. But it actually is less aggressive than the following albums. A poor production, paradoxically, makes you hear all the instruments, and you can find one of the better Opeth guitar harmonies and melancholic melodies this side of the Damnation album. I can never fully like an album with this much vomiting vocals, especially as poorly produced as here, but Morningrise, nevertheless, is a must for Opeth fans.