|  Well, I've already tried to get the word around here with a few links to my blog but haven't got any particular feedback. So I've decided I'd copy paste the review of Ghost Reveries that is within my blog around here, so I can get some feedback from Opeth fans around this community. Here it goes then:Mixed reviews, straining studio time and touring that the band has admitted to being an outright nightmare at times. All these things haunted Opeth's "D&D" releases, "Deliverance" and "Damnation". After the smoke cleared, Opeth was left with a choice: to fall back or to move ahead. Of course this has never really been a choice with the Swedish quartet (now a quintet with the addition of keyboard player Per Wiberg). Opeth are defined by their progression, their technical skills and their ability to combine sweeping atmospheres with pounding, agressive death metal tendencies. "Ghost Reveries" continues these trends while injecting more than enough variation to satisfy even the most jaded Opeth fans. It also stands as a more logical follow-up to "Blackwater Park".
"Ghost Of Perdition" is a fiery number that immediaty lets the listener know that the edge fans have been claiming Opeth lost is still there, and sharper than ever. Mikael Åkerfeldt has one of the better ranges amongst his metal vocalist peers today, and this track is just added evidence to the fact. The track flows into a moving acoustic passage before it returns to mid-paced metal. Rounding things off is a very subtle but explosive build to climax. Also worth noting is the basswork of Martin Mendez, a terribly underrated talent. Spectacular opening track despite being ever so slightly repetitive. "The Baying Of The Hounds" rips open and is punctuated throughout by Per's organs (which fit oh-so-well, I must say). We're offered up a small solo and some fretwork gymnastics before the song hits an atmospheric stand-still, and this is just in the first three minutes, folks. Opeth have a God-sent gift for packing a myriad of ideas into a single piece, and their skill at this just seems to get better with time. We're carried out of the fog and into a majestic section highlighted by Per's sampling and an outstanding guitar solo courtesy of Mikael. The final minutes contain another breezy atmospheric section which gives off a middle-eastern feel, and the song rides out on a heavy note. Another excellent track.
"Beneath The Mire" is where the album really starts to get interesting. More middle-eastern flair in the keys and rhythms, the song builds on it's eccentricities into a guitar wankfest of epic proportions. I am still amazed by Opeth's talent at times, and this is one of those times. By the time the track slows down into repetitive boom-boom patterns, any guitar fan's mouth should be properly salivated. "Atonement" is my personal favorite of the album, taking the best qualities of Damnation's best tracks and expanding upon them. What sounds to my ears like hand-played drums are a nice touch, as are the vocal effects during verses. Sharp guitar-keyboard interaction shows how in-tune Per Wiberg is with the rest of the guys, and he shines with some very tasty piano work throughout. The closing guitar immediatly brings to mind "Closure" for some reason.
After these relatively lighter numbers, we're offered "Reverie/Harlequin Forest", a rousing number that builds upon itself well until it hits a wall of Deliverance-esque repetitiveness that simply does nothing for me. If there's any part of this album that does not meet Opeth's deservingly high standards, this is it. This also does a small amount of damage to the flow of the album as a whole, but nothing too noticable. "Hours Of Wealth" could be seen as Opeth at their most experimental. While the track begins like it would have been a perfect opener for "Damnation" with sweeping guitar and piano play, it halts suddenly and Mikael delivers what sounds at once like an epitaph and a cry for help. Heart-wrenching stuff when it effects you as it does me. A slowhanded solo floats the song off into oblivion.
The album's first single, "The Grand Conjuration" is next. I'm reminded of Tool with the down-tuned guitar (or is that a bass?) and overall doomish feel throughout the first few minutes. Razor-sharp stop-start riffing leads into a smoking guitar solo. The difference between this track and the other metal-centered tracks on the album is that this one barely lets up from beginning to end, and at just over 10 minutes, it's quite a rush. Excellent guitar interaction between Mikael and Peter Lingren. This monster finishes off on a truly epic note. And finally we're gently let down (in a good way) with the closing track "Isolation Years", a gentle and progressive number that includes one of Mikael's best vocal performances...ever. This one brought tears to my eyes on first listen, that should say all that needs to be said.
I know, I know. How could I not mention the drumwork of Martin Lopez?! Say what you will about his social problems (the guy has been known to miss shows out of some sort of paranoia/fear/who knows what), he's a masterful technician behind the kit. As at home driving through double-bass-heavy death metal as he is laying down jazz-influenced bits, he's yet another underrated talent in a band full of them. Just had to throw that in there to let you all know that I don't let musical goodness go without proper recognition.
On the whole, "Ghost Reveries" is a masterpiece of middle-eastern flair, an album that brings to mind images of...well, that's up to you, now isn't it? What I really love about Opeth is the imagery one obtains while listening to them, and from what i've gathered it's different for everyone. Equal parts soothing atmospheric beauty and pedal-to-the-metal...metal, make for one of 2005's best albums from any genre, and another big step in the progression of one of today's most talented and intriguing bands. This is a must-own for metal fans everywhere.
Final Judgement - 9.6
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