BLACKWATER PARK

So here we go again with another Opeth album. I like Opeth except for one thing?Cookie Monster sings with them too often. I've been told that this is a great album, despite that. I hope so. Opeth gives me so many things I like, so I hope they outweigh the parts that I don't. I do believe this is the last album in the countdown (Prog Magazine Top 100 Prog Albums of all Time) that has this type of singing on it. So, let's get it done!

Track 1 - The Leper Affinity

We fade in with some synth sounds and kick into a big fast riff. And Cookie Monster comes in right away. I do like the harmonies in the guitar parts. A new riff starts at around 2:15, but Cookie Monster (Henceforth known as CM) keeps singing. Another riff enters a minute later, but CM returns again. The tempo slows at around 4:10, the guitars are still heavy but layered beautifully. The first clean vocals come in at around 4:45. Akerfeldt has a great voice when he uses it. Acoustic guitars accompany the change of tone. Dark, sinister heavy guitar parts return at around 5:45. CM begins growling again at around 6:35. This song is very heavy overall, so far other than the one minute in the middle of the song, until at around 9 minutes in a quiet piano part enters. This piano part is bringing the song to a close.

Track 2 - Bleak

I like the sound and the drum part in the intro. I love the slightly middle Eastern riff that follows. But of course, CM returns. I just read that Steven Wilson produced this album and contributes some vocals on this track. I think that might be him at around 3:30, then joined by Akerfeldt on harmonies. I like this calmer section quite a bit; lots of shifting meters. Things get even quieter at around 5:20, as there is a short interlude before the vocals return. By 6:20 things get heavier again, although in a more melodic way. This part wouldn't sound out of place on a Porcupine Tree album. CM returns at around 8:30. Interesting electronic sound effects close the track.

Track 3 - Harvest

This one begins with a 6-8 groove with acoustic strums as the primary sound, along with the rhythm section and a bit of electric guitar leadwork. The vocals come in smooth and clean. I can definitely feel the Steven Wilson influence at around 1:30. The song reminds me a bit of Iron Maiden's "Prodigal Son '' from Killers and that's a good thing. So far CM has stayed far away from the vocal booth on this one, and that makes it my favorite on the album, so far. I love the vocal interplay in the final minute of the song. We end on a subtle electric guitar solo.

Track 4 - The Drapery Falls.

This one also begins with an acoustic strum but is quickly joined by the full band playing heavy, but not overly so. It's another moderate 6-8 groove, but different sounding to the previous track. The intro goes until around 1:45, thin things quiet down. The first vocals join around 2:15 and they are clean but with an effect. The band kicked back in at just before 3:00, but the vocals remained clean. I am really enjoying this one so far. I like the guitar harmonies that begin around 4:35. Who let CM back into the room at 5:05? This was going so well. I like what's happening at around 6 minutes with the drums. CM is back at 6:50. Things get quiet again at around 7:50 with acoustic & clean vocals. Those parts are interspersed with heavier playing. I love the vocal harmonies on the second verse of this section. The section around 9:30 sounds kind of post-rock influenced with a very dense arrangement, but no lead instrument featured. The song fades out on that part.

Track 5 - Dirge for November

This one also begins acoustically with clean vocals. A clean electric joins in playing a jazz-tone lead part after the first verse. Things kick in heavily around 1:45. So far, I am enjoying this one. Again, it's taking on the vibe of a post- rock instrumental. But CM shows up at 3:28. He's kind of buried in the mix though. Things chill back out at around 5:50. We have a bit of a jazz chord melody thing happening on a clean electric guitar. This seems to be carrying us to the end of the song.

Track 6 - The Funeral Portrait

12-string acoustic fades in and leads to a heavy riff by around 30 seconds in. But CM rears his head again shortly thereafter. I love the riffs in this one. It's just the vocals that bother me. Things chill out at 3:55, but only briefly as CM returns 10 seconds later screaming at the top of his lungs. Nice guitar solos at around 5 minutes in. Clean harmony vocals enter at 6:50 and it sounds so refreshing. Excellent guitar dual lead at around 7:45. Things fade out following that.

Track 7 - Patterns in the Sky

A very short track at 1:50. We begin with fingerstyle acoustic guitar. A bit of piano joins in as well. This seems to be a brief interlude before the closing epic. I am a bit nervous now as to what faces me when it begins

Track 8 - Blackwater Park

The title track is the closing epic at just over 12 minutes long. This one fades in with mellotron strings joined by a heavy riff at a moderate tempo from the band. I like the sound of this. Everything drops out except for an acoustic guitar part played on the lower strings at around 1:45. But CM joins at just before the 2-minute point. Things chill back out at around 2:45 with clean electric guitar playing an arpeggiated part. This section lasts for about 2 and a half minutes. Then a heavy riff comes in and CM gives a warning growl showing that he's about to take over. I like the riffs that follow while he takes a break. He comes back again, briefly before a short guitar solo. Then he's back again. He's really showing off toward the last few minutes. Excellent double bass drum part at around 9:15. Acoustic guitar fills in for a few seconds then we are right back into all the growling and heaviness. Things cool down for the last 45 seconds of the track with arpeggiated acoustic fading out.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

As usual after reviewing one of their albums I day I loved the music but hated the growling. There were a few tracks without it here. I believe Harvest was my favorite one on the album. Every track had things I liked about them. Overall, it's pretty good, so I'm going with 3.75 out of 5, which would have been higher except for CM. Well, I think we can say goodbye to him now though for the rest of the countdown. (Unless he shows up on a Tool or DT album which I don't think so on the ones that remain.)

Clicking 4, but really 3.75.