Opeth - Ghost Reveries

2005 Album Award

Opeth’s Ghost Reveries is an album that defines what the word “progressive” truly means in the musical sense. Opeth has been making the average music listener question their definition of beauty ever since they came onto the scene with their album, Orchid, and why would this be any different eleven years later?

I originally wrote a review for this album that was all stream-of-consciousness. I was trying to separate preconceived notions of what an Opeth album should be from what my mind was truly telling me. I listened to each track and wrote down everything I felt about the songs as they progressed through. It may be one of the most honest reviews I’ve ever written…but it’s not an easy read, and therefore, I decided to post a review that takes a more traditional approach though keeping in mind the lessons of my stream of consciousness review are not forgotten.

A few questions needed to be answered with Opeth’s first major label album. Let’s not kid ourselves, Roadrunner is a major player now in the metal market and is a major label for a band like Opeth. Those questions were: Would the tone and feel of our beloved Opeth change with this new label and how was Opeth going to follow up the much acclaimed, but acoustic driven, Damnation?

To answer those questions in order, yes and damn well!

Ghost of Reveries is not a dramatic shift for Mikael Akerfeldt and company, but it is a shift nonetheless. The addition of full-time keyboard player, Per Wiberg, while adding interesting textural difference to some songs, doesn’t truly find his home in many of the more aggressive moments as much as he does in the albums softer sides. It’s hard to not appreciate what Mikael is trying to accomplish with this album—his hope to fuse eerie keyboard work with his already atmospheric darkness is laudable. I think though, that in this venture, he falls slightly short of the mark that he has set. Where for most artists this particular melding would have be an accomplishment, for Mikael, high expectations are abound and so the addition of a full-time keyboard player should have helped him mold entirely new atmospheric sections in an already dynamic guitar driven band. The keyboards, in the heavier sections, become redundant. Opeth’s ability to craft darkness and melody with guitar is renowned and therefore, forces you to question the need for keyboard in those sections.

That being said, Per’s keyboard work in songs like “Reverie/Harlequin Forest”, “Isolation Years”, and my personal favorite, “Hours of Wealth” are irreplaceable and make his addition seem more like genius than overkill!

“Reverie/Harlequin Forest” may be the best song Opeth has ever written. While not my favorite on the album, it’s hard to deny the level of perfection this band has attained when it comes to creating mood. Mikael is really exploring his clean melodic voice over-top of the harder sections now and this song is a major benefactor of that experimentation. Steven Wilson fans take note; much of the melody from songs like this is heavily influenced by Mikael’s work with Steven on Blackwater Park. If you can’t hear Steven singing “A Trail of sickness… leading to me…” I’m not sure we’re listening to the same band! The keyboard work during the acoustic passages of this song is subtle and necessary and is followed by a distortion driven section that has one of the better melodic leads on the album over-top of it. If Opeth were to be the embodiment of one song, “Reverie/Harlequin Forest” would be that song. A true masterpiece. Directly following is the song “Hours of Wealth.” This song is both the truest departure in sound on the album while also melding sounds from previous albums. Per creates a wonderful atmosphere in this song with a sense of desperation and searching being echoed by the acoustic guitar. When everything cuts out, Mikael comes in with his melodic voice, crooning in a 1950’s esque style. It’s not so much the song… but it has the feel of a song that would be sung in an old jazz bar. To me this is the most compelling song on the entire album: It’s stripped away sound, its delicate harmonies and guitar work all joined together by Per’s keyboards. No drums… Mikael lays himself out there and is in his glory on this track. A truly unique track that see’s the blending of musical decades as well as recalling the grandeur of one of Opeth’s most recognizable songs, “To Bid You Farewell” (which “Isolation Years” also does a great job of doing). While not quite as memorable or creative as Johan DeFarfalla’s bass work on Morningrise, it is worth noting that this is the best bass work an Opeth album has had since then. While we’re at it, it must be pointed out that Martin Lopez is one of the best drummers in metal, period. His growth as a drummer since his days with Amon Amarth has been ten fold and I count him among the irreplaceable pieces of this band now.

This is a stunning piece of work from a man who continues to confound classic death metal and progressive metal fans. A genre-defying force that dares you to listen and not be moved, Opeth has, yet again, crafted a force to be reckoned with. This may be the same old Opeth to some people, but if you dig beneath the surface, the subtlety’s and nuances are far from the same. Redundant keyboard work aside, do not make the mistake of not buying this album.

For Fans of: Katatonia and Porcupine Tree