GHOST REVERIES

First of all, I'm not a death metal fan (Deicide or Cannibal Corpse are unlistenable) but this album is excellent. It's my first Opeth album. This band is the strangest band I have ever heard. All the musicians are very good (specially the drummer Martin Lopez). Mikael Akerfeldt is amazing. I don't know how this guy can make growling vocals (when he do that it sounds like a monster) and beautiful clean vocals. It's incredible!!. And this band has a special sound (by the way the album has a very good production) that can make everybody like them.

Ghost of Perdition: this song starts with acoustic guitar but quickly it gets into a killer riff and death metal part with growling vocals (mindblowing!!). After a few minutes the music stops and we got Mikael's clean vocals with acoustic guitar: "Winding ever higher......" After that the song gets heavy again but with clean vocals this time and goes on with clean vocals. Then the growling style comes again (yeah!!!) with an acoustic part in the middle. That section finishes with a progressive style (very good!) and then Mikael sings again: "higher........." and the song ends with Dream Theater style. Very good composition!!! Excellent track!!! Maybe the best of this album.

The Baying of the Hounds: this one starts like a death metal song with an excellent riff guitar with growling vocals (it rocks!!!). After a few minutes the melody changes and sounds very progressive (typical progressive metal sound) and Mikael sings clean on this part. Then the guitar solo comes. After that the song gets depressing I think with Wiberg's keyboard and Mikael vocals come again with clean style (he sings very good on this part). The death vocals come and then the song torns very quiet with nice work of acoustic guitar (and depressing too!!). But suddenly you hear Mikael's growling with a very killer riff and the song ends heavily.............Wow!!!!!!!!!!

Beneath the Mire: this is a very good track. The guitar riff is very good and Per Wiberg makes a great job here. It starts heavy and then it gets into a very good soft and acoustic part. Then it gets heavy again and it ends like this with an excellent guitar solo. The ending is very strange but amazing, anyway.

Atonement: the first quiet track of the album. I like the melody of this song very much, it's a little complex. This song it's a bit repetitive. There isn't much to say in this one. I'ts just a good acoustic song, with simple drumming and percussion and normal clean vocals by Akerfeldt.

Reverie/Harlequin Forest: very nice one!! This song has everything. I think it's perfect to discover Opeth. It has an introduction. It starts heavy with a powerful riff and clean vocals. Then the growling vocals enter and it comes a riff that blows my mind, yeah!!!!! Let's headbanging!!!!!! After that the song turns clean, acoustic and depressing. Mikael did a great job on this one. His singing is excellent. It ends heavy and very progressive. Excellent track.

Hours of Wealth: beautiful track. On this song you can realize that Mikael is one the best singers on the prog metal genre. The melody it's beautiful, the keyboards did a great job here (the acoustic guitar too). Then Mikael starts singing and you start travelling in a quiet world (???????). The "blues"solo at the end is very good. Another excellent track.

The Grand Conjuration: aaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhh!!!! This can be the moment of the show where everyone is jumping. It's a strange heavy track with some clean parts but........... you know what I mean. It has a guitar solo a la Petrucci or Romeo. It's a little diabolical, you can also realize. It has a part that you feel it's very Dream Theater. And before the end, you can hardly hear Akerfeldt doing...... satanic vocals but I don't know what is he saying. Anyway it's a very good track.

Isolation Years: this is the "weak" track of the album I think. It's like Hours of Wealth. Very quiet with very good vocals and nice acoustic guitar work.

This album is a very good place to start with the band in my opinion and an excellent addition to any prog music collection.