Customer Reviews

Morningrise

5 star:		(102)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Does Opeth introduce the extreme metal world to the glorified complexities of progressive rock? Or do they merge the dynamic, anti-song qualities of prog with an aesthetic of death metal? I guess it doesn't matter, but whatever they're doing, they're doing it brilliantly. Based on a blend of Swedish death metal, melodic progressive rock, and acoustic interludes, they can't be classified easily. In the end, though, classifications are irrelevant. To sum the band up quickly, Opeth presents a ceaseless onslaught of dynamics, where a grinding metal assault (with death growls) can be exchanged for a gorgeous acoustic lull (with soft "clean" vocals) in a heartbeat. However, though the change happens very often, it never becomes a cliché of itself. It's perfectly natural and fits well, never disrupting a song's flow. Apart from Opeth's musical brilliance, they have a knack for conveying real emotion and beauty in their music. This album also just about has the coolest title ever - Morningrise.

The album features only five songs. This is no EP, however. Impressively, the shortest song here is about 10 minutes ("Advent") and the longest track is an incredible 20 minutes ("Black Rose Immortal"). Or at least that's what the back of the CD case says. It's hard to believe it, though. After all, when listening to the music of Morningrise, time slips away and long epic songs end far too quickly. 10-minute songs seem to end in 4 minutes... the 20-minute opus feels no more than 10-minutes. When the album is over, the listener is not exhausted...one is compelled by Opeth's seducing power to play the album again and again.

It is not, however, an easy album to put together on the cerebral level, even considering their epic nature. Individual songs don't involve repeated themes...they just flow smoothly from one movement to another. While most bands will reuse themes and melodies to establish cohesion, Opeth just goes through movements with less regard for unity. A gale of heaviness will assault you at one moment, only to replaced by a beautiful acoustic passage the next. I like what AMG's William York wrote about the album. He said: "[The musical changes] happen much like scenes changes in a movie, as there is very little repetition within the songs...the tracks here could best be described as miniature audio movies." Because of this unusual writing style, the songs on Morningrise don't really "stick." The album is very melodic, but without repetition, it doesn't sink in too fast. Only through countless listens can Morningrise be pieced together and understood musically. This is no chore, however -- it is a musical experience rivaled by few albums I've heard. There is also the possibility that the album may be some sort of concept (lyrically, all the songs seem to be about lost love). The lyrics are very visual and poetic...nothing like the Satanic-orgy-murder-sacrifice krap one might expect from an album with death metal vocals. The lyrics, like the music, are fairly unbound in terms of structure, again making it difficult to assemble mentally. There are no verse-chorus-verse-chorus structures here...nothing that even resembles conventional song structure.

I expected one problem: the lyrics are pretty spaced out, and I thought the epic songs would need lots of superfluous instrumental padding. Normally this is a criticism I raise against the many bands who meander into "nowhere land" with tripped jamming. (Usually long songs require lots of lyrical sections to give them form and cohesion.) Remarkably, Opeth easily evades any such reproach. The instrumental sections are never boring. The band's instrumental interplay is nothing short of brilliant, each passage meticulously constructed melodically. This is not random jamming. The detail, precision, and distinctness of the instrumental sections is nothing short of stunning, and they never release the fettered listener from their vice-like grip.

Tracks 1 to 4 are all fairly similar (but not interchangeable), blending amazing heavy-but-melodic riffing with sumptuous acoustic sections. The track that really sticks out musically is the 11-minute ballad "To Bid You Farewell." For seven minutes it is beautiful acoustic melodies and clean vocals. There is a brief but powerful electric section near the finale, but the soft vocals persist...there is no growling in this song! It doesn't matter that I haven't heard every ballad ever written...this is still one of the best ever! (Listen to the interplay between the acoustic guitars and the bass, and how it builds to the heavy part...so cool.) Vocalist/guitarist/lyricist Mikael Akerfeldt seems to be a romantic at heart, and I admire that. His vocals have improved tremendously on later records (especially his growl, but also his clean singing and enunciation). Still, he sounds excellent here -- full of passion. He's a favorite.

Morningrise is absolutely one of the most unique albums I've ever heard. But being original doesn't automatically make you good. Without the melodic sense and the passion to back it up, originality doesn't mean that much. Opeth is one of the rare bands with everything. I'm sure some people would sell their souls to have this band's sophistication and ingeniousness.

Much like my other Opeth reviews, I have to say that listening to an album of this caliber and then attempting to convey the feelings it arouses in the form of words is both foolish and futile. Nothing can prepare you for Opeth. Although the band has attracted its share of detractors now, I must say that any music listener with an open mind and long attention span should find hours of perplexing enjoyment here. Those who fail to understand, power to ya, but don't pollute this website with tasteless reviews on why you hate Opeth.

Morningrise is different from every other Opeth album. Each has its own appeal, something you look for as you're listening. With My Arms, Your Hearse it is the aggression and heavy riffs that I search for as I listen. With Still Life I listen for the enchanting vocal performance given by Mikael Akerfeldt. Blackwater Park has everything. Aggression, melody, awesome growling, awesome singing, beautiful acoustics, sweet riffs, and progressive song lengths. On here it is just the riffs. Oh, the riffs. And the twin guitar melodies. Amazing. The lyrics pale in comparison to future albums', although they are still good, and Akerfeldt has a different style of singing here. It's more of a black-metallish high shriek than the deep inhuman growl of late, and his clean vocal performance is less catchy and haunting. Therefore the guitar leads and segues into acoustic dreamland are what I look forward to when sitting back to this eclectic journey of a CD. The mood given by the amazing guitar lines on Morningrise make it my favorite, with Blackwater Park a close second.

Morningrise is also the least 'metal' of all their albums. When compared to MAYH or Deliverance, it is very soft. While those make Pantera and At the Gates sound light, Morningrise is like a heavy thrash album. The riffs do not reverberate in your skull like the opening to "Bleak," or "Godhead's Lament," or "When." They glide soothing over you, flowing in an ambient manner, rather than a percussive one. The song lengths are also unbelievable. There are five songs here, the average length 13 minutes or so, the longest being "Black Rose Immortal," at a Dream Theater-esque 20 minutes! An epic album in all proportions.

"Advent" kicks the album off with a short acoustic beginning and following with a 12-minute rollercoaster of double-bass drums and awesome riff after awesome riff, balanced with the needed, yet arbitrary acoustic interludes spicing up the mix. "The Night and the Silent Water" is a much more laid-back track, with less aggression, clocking at about 11 minutes. "Nectar" is another piledriver, this time with Medieval-sounding riffs similar to In Flames. "Black Rose Immortal" is the epic, which feels 8 minutes long at most. "To Bid You Farewell" is a largely jazzy-acoustic/clean vocals all through piece, with a bit of electric guitar finishing it off.

Opeth are beyond death metal. The incorporation of acoustic guitar is what makes them sound so classical. Many people compare bands like Suffocation or Emperor to the likes of Beethoven and Mozart. That's not accurate. Here's the real statement:

If Beethoven, Mozart, Grieg, and Mahler were transported to the present and were forced to form a rock band together, it would sound something like Opeth's Morningrise.

***This is a reissue, containing the bonus track "Eternal Soul Torture," a rough, poorly produced demo that was later cut up and used for the other songs. It sort of throws off the album's mood, but whatever.

Much like my other Opeth reviews, I have to say that listening to an album of this caliber and then attempting to convey the feelings it arouses in the form of words is both foolish and futile. Nothing can prepare you for Opeth. Although the band has attracted its share of detractors now, I must say that any music listener with an open mind and long attention span should find hours of perplexing enjoyment here. Those who fail to understand, power to ya, but don't pollute this website with tasteless reviews on why you hate Opeth.

Morningrise is different from every other Opeth album. Each has its own appeal, something you look for as you're listening. With My Arms, Your Hearse it is the aggression and heavy riffs that I search for as I listen. With Still Life I listen for the enchanting vocal performance given by Mikael Akerfeldt. Blackwater Park has everything. Aggression, melody, awesome growling, awesome singing, beautiful acoustics, sweet riffs, and progressive song lengths. On here it is just the riffs. Oh, the riffs. And the twin guitar melodies. Amazing. The lyrics pale in comparison to future albums', although they are still good, and Akerfeldt has a different style of singing here. It's more of a black-metallish high shriek than the deep inhuman growl of late, and his clean vocal performance is less catchy and haunting. Therefore the guitar leads and segues into acoustic dreamland are what I look forward to when sitting back to this eclectic journey of a CD. The mood given by the amazing guitar lines on Morningrise make it my favorite, with Blackwater Park a close second.

Morningrise is also the least 'metal' of all their albums. When compared to MAYH or Deliverance, it is very soft. While those make Pantera and At the Gates sound light, Morningrise is like a heavy thrash album. The riffs do not reverberate in your skull like the opening to "Bleak," or "Godhead's Lament," or "When." They glide soothing over you, flowing in an ambient manner, rather than a percussive one. The song lengths are also unbelievable. There are five songs here, the average length 13 minutes or so, the longest being "Black Rose Immortal," at a Dream Theater-esque 20 minutes! An epic album in all proportions.

"Advent" kicks the album off with a short acoustic beginning and following with a 12-minute rollercoaster of double-bass drums and awesome riff after awesome riff, balanced with the needed, yet arbitrary acoustic interludes spicing up the mix. "The Night and the Silent Water" is a much more laid-back track, with less aggression, clocking at about 11 minutes. "Nectar" is another piledriver, this time with Medieval-sounding riffs similar to In Flames. "Black Rose Immortal" is the epic, which feels 8 minutes long at most. "To Bid You Farewell" is a largely jazzy-acoustic/clean vocals all through piece, with a bit of electric guitar finishing it off.

Opeth are beyond death metal. The incorporation of acoustic guitar is what makes them sound so classical. Many people compare bands like Suffocation or Emperor to the likes of Beethoven and Mozart. That's not accurate. Here's the real statement:

If Beethoven, Mozart, Grieg, and Mahler were transported to the present and were forced to form a rock band together, it would sound something like Opeth's Morningrise.

The Amazon.com samples do not do this band any justice(espesially when you only hear 30 seconds on 10min. songs). Opeth must be one of the most musically talented bands on the planet. Their music is on so many levels it's impossible to categorize. And hearing the Death Metal parts of their music on these 30 second samples is only the begining and there is so much more to these songs. It is like hearing poetry when you listen to them. AMAZING! MUST BUY! Try Albums like Orcid, Morningrise, My Arms, Your Hearst. Try These before buying the newer albums.

If Opeth had released only this album they'd still be one of the best bands around(maybe even better...). I'm just going to say that this album goes just beyond anything this band has ever released and I really don't think they'll ever top this one (this is maybe the reason that I judge them so hard). Musicaly this album has it all. Very long songs which build around compositions which seem to have their basis on death metal but also include acoustic guitars, folk parts at some parts and the occasional clean vocals by singer Mikael Akerfeldt who has one of the best voices around, be it clean or brutal vocals. One of the highlights of this album is without doubt the 20 minute opus "Black Rose Immortal" which is one of their best songs. It's very hard to find a weak moment on this album which makes me believe there isn't any. Highest ever possible Opeth recommendation.

Humans are naturally drawn to beauty in its myriad forms. A woman, a wild animal, a great metal album - each is beautiful in its own way, ceaselessly entreating us to appreciate it. Yet curiously not everyone heeds beauty's call. Some are unmoved by the sight of a comely woman, others slay animals for sport, and then there are those who repudiate metal. "It's just noise" is a common complaint by many of the uninformed. Others look down their noses and spit, "It's only pathetic losers who listen to metal!"

Pity the Discouraged Ones, for it is they who ignore the beauty before them. If only they would open their minds and ears to the wonders that metal provides the adventurous spirit, a sumptuous buffet of ideas and emotions awaits them.

Amongst the cornucopia that is my metal collection sits an object of such beauty, no words I write can do it justice. And yet, I feel I must persevere with this review if only so that a few of the uninitiated may join the fold of brothers and sisters united in their ardor for metal. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like you to make the acquaintance of Morningrise, the most beautiful death metal album ever created.

Morningrise is the captivating creation of Opeth, arguably Sweden's most accomplished metal band. There are only a handful of geniuses in the rock music scene today, and Opeth guitarist/vocalist Michael Akerfeldt is most assuredly one of them. Morningrise is simply stunning and, unlike with most death metal albums, its power and grace become apparent as early as the first listen.

If you're like me, you remember a time when we naively thought Entombed's Clandestine and At the Gates' Slaughter of the Soul would never be topped. But then along came Morningrise which bludgeoned those death metal classics effortlessly. Like most Opeth albums, Morningrise is oddly soothing despite its stylistic fluctuations. Akerfeldt alternates between guttural and clean vocals with such subtlety that at times you don't even notice the transition.

The first track, "Advent", sets the standard so high, it is nothing short of miraculous that Opeth are able to match it again four times over by the end of the album. Throughout the album, the listener's senses are repeatedly aroused by moments of feral aggression only to be becalmed by passages of blissful tranquility. The effect is to leave the listener a bit dazed the way one feels upon emerging from a theater after viewing a particularly moving film. Yet Morningrise is somehow even more spectacular than a powerful film in that it invites the listener to conjure up his or her own images while experiencing it. I will not even attempt to waste empty words on the merits of individual songs when to truly appreciate them, it is the music, not my prose, that you must experience. Uplifting and life-affirming, Morningrise is an album to be cherished.

For starters, this is the best CD I have EVER heard in my whole life. I have ALL of Opeth's CDs, including the latest, Blackwater Park, but this... This is a masterpiece of their set of masterpieces. I cannot stress enough the kind of music this is. Yes it's Death Metal, yes it's Black metal, it's METAL alright! But, thanks to Mikael Akerfeldt's genious, this becomes an Opeth kind of metal. If I was to name this, I'd name it Opeth Metal, a new genre.

Ahhh yes, I was talking about Morningrise, get carried away describing Opeth sometimes. Anyway, Morningrise is such an astonishing piece of work, after hearing it thousands and thousands of times, I dont get tired of it EVER! I know lyrics by memory, yet, everytime I hear them, they sound differently than before. Every riff. Every drum beat. Every grunt!

Sadly, after this album 2 Opeth members split, but the 2 new Lopez guys are just about as awesome. However, the kind of genious that took to create/produce this is uncapable to comprehend. The production is crisp, thanks to Dan Swano's studio work (another Death metal GENIOUS).

Morningrise came to wound our souls and minds and to leave an unhealing gash, that never closes, and asks for more. Every day, I repeat, every day I have to get my fix of Morningrise. As someone stated above, everything you hear after this CD sounds, not dull, but kinda falls short. Morningrise. Everytime I listen to it my heart beats and I sweat.

Hello, I'm an Opeth addict. My daily fix is Morningrise.

While "Morningrise' is not near as well produced as the later albums would be, this is far more genuine. Their sound has changed so much since the days of 'Orchid' and 'Morningrise' that I can say, without a doubt, Opeth will never reach as high as they did here.

Later albums such as 'Blackwater Park' and 'Ghost Reveries' would lean more to the progressive side of metal (which is perfectly fine), but their earlier albums had a much more primal feel to them. The guitar lines were more prominent (and absolutely jaw-dropping) over-shadowing the bass and drums just enough to avoid sounding muddy.

Vocals are quite different then on the later albums, too. The growl isn't as deep and sounds almost Black Metalesque in comparison...a good kind of Black Metalesque. The thing with 'Morningrise' is that the whole is far greater then the sum of it's parts, and the picture on the front very astutely matches the over-arching tone of the album. Very fine artwork indeed.

For some seriously awesome riffs be sure to check out the opening theme riff to 'Night and the Silent Water' and really anything from the mid-section of 'Black Rose Immortal'.

Visceral, technical, and enduring...this one is a keeper. One of metal's all-time best.

I don't think Morningrise is Opeths BEST work, but it's definitly up there with Blackwater Park and Damnation. Now, even though it's one of their best albums most people will be turned off by it at first. I honestly was not the impressed with it the first time I heard it. But take my advice, over time and repeated listens this one will be on top of your favorite albums list, I'm about 99.999% sure of that.
Opeth takes a step forward from their 1st record "Orchid" and begins to stucture songs better and not make them so instrumental (this is further done in their 3rd album "My Arms Your Hearse" where the record becomes more Progressive then Black). Michael Akerfeldts vocals also sound better, the death and clean vocals are better evened out. There are only 5 songs on this and the record comes in at over an hour in length, no song is under 10 minutes.
The album kicks off great with "Advent", definitely one of Opeths greatest songs. The acoustics in this are some of the most beautiful you'll ever hear, as a matter of fact the entire album has some of the most beautiful acoustics you'll ever hear. Anyway, afterwards comes "Night and the Silent Water," not as good as "Advent" but still amazing, most especially the acoustic interlude in the middle. The 3rd track OVERALL isn't one of Opeths best, I was and honestly still am a little bored by this one. Although during the middle of the song comes another acoustic interlude which saves it and makes it semi-great, the bass work is also amazing and the best off the album on this song. After that there is the 20+ minute "Black Rose Immortal." Now, being Opeths longest song ever I liked it a lot, Loved it even at some parts, but it did have its slow moments. Opeth sort of teases us at the last few minutes of the song because just when you think it's going to end it doesn't, and it does this tease about 3 times towards the end of the song, but does end with a hauntingly great guitar lick. Track 5- "To Bid You Farewell"- An Opeth CLASSIC. No Opeth fan should be without this song, it is in my opinion the most "structured" song on the record as the passages from electric to acoustic are smooth and everything is even, it's not too long or too short either. The Bonus track is something Opeth wrote and rewrote and finally became Advent. The production is horrid on this bonus track and it brings down the album as a whole, but you can always just hit the Stop button after track 5.
I didn't really have a problem with anything on this record, the only thing that was slightly off (but not really that bad at all) was the way Opeth went into and out of thier acoustic interludes. An electric guitar would suddenly stop, and a second or 2 would go by until the acoustic came in, not very smooth transistions at all, I mentioned them earlier how on track 4, the song never seemed to end when it really should have because a guitar would do this tease and stop, then start up again with something that sounds competely different. It's done on Advent but doesnt hinder the song at all after you get used to it, it's also done smoother on track 2 and 3. This is probably why the album takes a lot more patience to get into than any other Opeth album.
I have to recommend this album, it's too amazing and gorgeous not to, but I wouldn't recommend it as an opening album for anyone looking to get into this band. There is nothing like coming home after a stressful day and playing Morningrise, a gorgeous record.

Truth be told, I'm one of the newer Opeth fans out there. In fact, I had never even heard of the band until a few months ago, where I saw the band name, amongst a few others lumped in the "similar artists" section for In Flames. However, it wasn't really until I began to notice the heaps of praise placed upon this band by Amazon peers that I decided to give Opeth a try. I began by downloading a couple of mp3s to get a gist of their sound, and though I fond it undeniably unique, in all honesty, I wasn't that immediately impressed. Where was the musical genius, (which it had so often been referred to as) I was expecting to hear? Thus, a bit disappointed, I cast Opeth aside for a bit.

Fast forward about a month or so later, where I find myself bored in a record shop, with nothing really catching my eye, until I happen upon a copy of... tada! Morningrise. I was feeling a bit adventurous that day, and, with nothing really else jumping out at me, I decided to give Opeth my infrequent second chance. I locked my room, made sure there were no immediate distractions, and once again entered the world of Opeth.

Two and something hours, two full run-throughs of the album, and one deep breath of satisfaction later, I hit the stop button on my stereo a full-fledged Opeth fan, the depth and beauty of the music fully reaching me at last. If there's one thing that's disappointing about this band, it's how many people in the world will never get to hear them and see for themselves just how brilliant these guys are.

If you ask most Opeth fans what the band sounds like, most will have a bit of difficulty answering that question, simply because they cover such a broad spectrum of different musical styles it's impossible to peg them as simply metal. There's so much going on in their music that really classifying them as anything but Opeth really seems inappropriate. Be that as it may, I'll try and give it a shot... They have the brutal intensity of metal, for sure, but then on any given moment, they might replace their screeching guitars and groling vocals with a delicate and ambient acoustic melody, with soulful clean singing. At first listen, the music may seem convoluted and directionless, but you soon realize that these changes are most definitely appropriate, echoing the different emotions of the heart and soul, from light to dark, and anger to sadness. This becomes even more apparent once you read the beautiful lyrics.

One of the biggest problems I have with... well... almost ANY song over the 10 minute mark is that most must rely on long, drawn out musical interludes either containing a redundant riff/melody, a promising riff which eventually wears out its welcome, or an entire portion (usually somewhere in the middle) where the song essentially stops, save for a few guitar notes and a lackluster beat. Considering that EVERY song on this album tops that mark, you would think you're in for one boring cd, but no! that is not the case here. Opeth have apparently mastered the art of writing a lengthy song, without making the songs their songs long for seemingly no purpose other than... well, being long. This is most especially true on their 20 minute mega-epic, Black Rose Immortal, the most well-done epic since A Change of Seasons.

Although Black Rose Immortal is certainly one of the album's highlights, every song here is relevant and gives no hint of filler material. My personal pick of the album is the emotional closer, To Bid You Farewell, a perfect example of Opeth's acoustic brilliance, and Mikael Akerfeldt's moving lyrics. Credit also needs to be given to the band's gifted (though now replaced) bass player, who, unlike many other bass players, isn't afraid to allow his instrument to stand out and accentuate the song.

If I can clearly convey any message in this review, I hope it's that you give this band a shot, and keep an open mind and let the music really reach you. These guys are truly gifted, not just in their instrumental skill, but in their ability to echo the rawest and purest of human emotions in their music: sadness, betrayal, anger, and love. You don't just listen to their music, you FEEL their music. Go and experience it now.