Customer Reviews

My Arms Your Hearse

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Opeth stands at the vanguard of progressive metal. The band's first two releases, Orchid and Morningrise, were brilliant and challenging progressive albums. The band was defined by its dynamics, which pitted vicious metal & death growls against soft acoustic music. My Arms, Your Hearse, Opeth's third release, is a bit different. It is the band's most musically aggressive album, no doubt. The recording quality is very dense, almost like a din of chaotic fury. Against Opeth's complex songwriting, beautiful sensibilities, and progressive nature, most bands' music sound like the banal, empty persiflage of mere imitators.

My Arms, Your Hearse is a concept album, told through Akerfeldt stunning lyrics, which are full of brilliant imagery and involved poetry. The story is quite enigmatic and probably open to a number of interpretations. It seems to tell the story of a plaintive ghost who watches his beloved deal with the pain of his death. The liner notes pack all the lyrics into a huge block of text, so it's difficult to read. However, it is interesting the way Opeth has put it together. Each song ends with the name of the next song worked into the lyric. For instance, "The Amen Corner" finishes with the line, "The final spark that blew life into me, the demon of the fall." The next track is called "Demon of the Fall." This is an innovative way of forming lyrical "flow." Also, the lyrics for "Epilogue" end with the line, "Telling...of the beauty of its prologue." This means that everything begins all over again. This coheres with the "seasons" theme running through the album. "Prologue" presents the coming of spring. "The Amen Corner" opens with the line "white summer." "Demon of the Fall" enters the autumn term. The song "Karma" speaks of "winter's epilogue" as "the cold season drifts over the land." This puts forth a theme of recurrence to the story, which may suggest that the ghost is trapped in an everlasting cycle from which he can't escape. Those that believe in the paranormal sometimes say a spirit can be trapped in the material world because of something unresolved that happened in life, or something that anchors him there. Just food for thought, I guess. In any case, I think this adds to the brilliance of Opeth's concept. It is seriously rare that an "extreme" metal band provide such interesting lyrical content.

Vocalist Mikael Akerfeldt has improved a great deal. He has abandoned the pseudo-black metal vocals in favor of a deep, menacing growl. His "clean" vocals, however, are used more sparingly. The production also lends an audible echo to his clean singing, which fits well with the "ghost" story. Likewise, the acoustic passages on this album are also shorter than on previous records, providing less foil for the brutally heavy parts. Instead of devoting full passages to acoustic guitars, this album seems to weave them in and out, integrating them into the heavier music. For example, a section in "The Amen Corner" layers heavy riffing with delicately plucked acoustic strings and death vocals. Very cool. There are still many great acoustic sections, though. The last three minutes or so of "When" is all acoustic. The song "Credence" is 4.5 minutes of melodic acoustic guitars and clean vox, and it's a beautiful song.

The final half of this album is pure songwriting brilliance, beginning with "Demon of the Fall" and ending with "Epilogue." "Demon of the Fall" is a slashing bomb of cut-throat guitars and diabolic vocals (distorted with an effect to sound even more evil). "Credence" is stunning, as I mentioned. Akerfeldt's painful vocals harmonies are mesmerizing. "Karma" is sustained by the velocity of thrash-inflected riffage, Martin Lopez's galloping double-kick drums, but you are given room to breathe with an aching acoustic bit. "Epilogue" is absolutely gorgeous beyond words. I literally become paralyzed by heavenly guitar harmony that carries the album to the end. Good God, it's beautiful. That's not to say the rest of the album isn't great...it is. Every track is simply brilliant. However, in my opinion, Opeth saved the best for last. That's good.

In any case, this is definitely Opeth's most sonically violent album. It definitely focuses more on the band's heavy aspect, with music that sometimes resembles a black hurricane of fierceness. Still, the dichotomy of light & shade pervades and seems more accentuated by the album's heavier focus. Since I was initially drawn to Opeth because of their "softer" aspect, this album took some time to grow on me. Now, however, there is no doubt in my mind that it is every bit as good as anything they've ever done. Every Opeth album is brilliant, and My Arms, Your Hearse is no exception. Buy everything that has anything to do with this band.

Ok, I just want to know why anyone would review this cd and give it less than 5 starts? This is one of the best CDs I have ever heard: musically or lyrically. This album is totaly amazing from start to finish. I am going to agree with the one who wrote the review stating that they were probably inspired by the Edge of Sanity "Crimson" CD. The concept behind My Arms, Your Hearse is strung together, telling a story, but was probably a good idea it was split apart. I love epic songs, especially "Crimson", the longer the better, but My Arms, Your Hearse does not fit as one song, although it all ties together to tell a story.

Mikael Äkerfeldt is an amazing song writer, wait until you all hear Opeth's new album "Still Life" (Releasing in Europe on October 18th), it is phenominal! The story behind My Arms,Your Hearse is just as amazing as the music. It looks as if Mikael is talking about someone who has died and went back to Earth in the form of his sprit. He starts out at his funeral and tries to reach out to his soulmate. IT is just one twisted love story. I haven't spent too long analyzing the lyrics, but what I have grasped just lets me know that Opeth is truely one of the best bands in the 90's.

All I can say is this CD is just pure metal and total energy. Opeth has the ability to capture music like no other band. They are an amazing group with lots of talent. Listen to the drummer on this CD, he is a primary example. Opeth couldn't have done a better job on creating this CD if they spent five more years on it. "When" is perfect, the only song I have ever heard and said "there is not one thing I would change about this song, it is flawless from begining to end." Without a doubt, I reccommend this CD to anyone, and to all of the perfectionists out there who like tons of talent in their music. Opeth is a true inspiration to many musicians, especially me. Buy this album, you won't regret it! Trust me, you can't get any better than this one!

Well, what can I say about this album? This is my favorite Opeth release, and I own them all (except for the new one). It's hard to explain exactly *why* I love this album as I do, but I will do my best.

First of all, this is a concept album. Normally, concept albums don't excite me that much, but this one is special. No, the story isn't tremendously elaborate and complicated (although it is elaborate and complex, in its own way), but the story, and the way it's told, is simply beautiful. It's the tale of a man who has died, and over the course of the album, his spirit tries in vain to communicate with his beloved, but instead, he only watches her mourn his death, and eventually fall out of love with him. The lyrics (some of the best ever written) are more or less one long prose poem, and the last word or phrase of each song is the name of the next one - a very ingenuitive method of creating flow. This also plays an interesting part in the songs 'Prologue' and 'Epilogue', whereby a cycle is implied.

And now to the music. Strangely, all of the music on this album sounds very similar to me, almost as if it's all one song. This is probably Opeth's most aggressive album, if not their heaviest (it's between this one and Blackwater Park). This aggressiveness serves to portray a sense of longing and desperation, and if the music wasn't enough to do that, then there's Mikael Åkerfeldt's searing vocals and sorrowful lyrics. He manages to throw every feeling of anger, frustration and sadness possible into his growls and screams; an impressive feat, to be sure. Then-new drummer Martin Lopez tears it up on the drumkit, especially in the songs' many drum fills. He's technical without going overboard, and there's soul in his playing. Also new to the band was bassist Martin Mendez. Mikael Åkerfeldt actually played most of the bass on this album, since most of the album was already written, so I don't know which parts featured Mendez on bass. But all of the basswork on this album is flawless, so I can only give props to both of them. The guitarwork of Mikael Åkerfeldt and Peter Lindgren is simply astounding. On this album, they moved away from the twin-guitar melodies that were so prominent on Opeth's first two albums (Orchid and Morningrise), focusing instead on creating the atmosphere with raging riffage. One need only to listen to 'Demon of the Fall' to hear what I mean.

So far, I've only concentrated on the sonic maelstrom that is so prevalent on this album, but starkly contrasting this are the many quiet acoustic passages and soft clean vocals. Make no mistake, Opeth can create an aural hurricane that can pound you into the ground, but their mellow moments are the stuff of dreams, and they know exactly where to put them. It's something to experience, feeling (for you don't just hear it, you feel it) the music go from roaring to weeping at the drop of a dime. Mikael and Peter are two of the best acoustic guitar players I've ever heard, period; and Mikael's clean vocals drip with despondence and longing.

This album is the reflection of its front cover: obscure, dark, and haunting. You can see a woman, but it is almost just a silhouette; details elude you. You can discern that she is lonely and mourning - but is she really alone?

I don't really know how to wrap this review up, because I could really just go on and on trying to describe how great this music is. The truth is, it can't be described - it can only be experienced. Listen for yourself, and only then will you know the beauty that is Opeth.

My Arms, Your Hearse makes a huge change from Morningrise, relative to Morningrise's change from Orchid (virtually none). There were some internal conflicts in the band, ultimately resulting in the replacement of the drummer, and removal of the bassist. This without a doubt contributed to the change in sound, as the previous drummer was an integral part of the development of the previous releases. The new drummer, from Amon Amarth, however, is fully capable of doing a fantastic job, and does a great job of showing this on his debut for the band. The change I keep talking about is really just a progression. After making two albums that sound nearly identical I'm sure Michael Akerfeld was anxious to create something new and refreshing. The sound of the band has shifted from the stereotypical "black/death" more towards the death end. The guitars are heavier, the drums are, well, different, and the vocals have a new deeper tone. It is a very new and refreshing sound. I would like to note, though, that although the sound has shifted towards the heavier side, it still really has very little to do with death metal. There are a few big changes in the music besides the production. First, the songs are shorter. This is not a bad thing, by any means. Opeth have started to unify each song by using fluid transitions between the hard and soft parts. This is very successful, I think. Also, Michael has decided that it's okay to sing cleanly even when using electric guitars (rather than conserving it only for acoustic interludes like on Morningrise), further blurring the line between the two extremes found on Morningrise. This is great! You can tell he is much more comfortable with his voice, and uses it confidently throughout the album. It blends surprisingly well with the electric guitars, and I wonder why this didn't happen before. The deeper growl adds a new dimension of emotion in this album. It accurately accompanies the frustrated and often depressed lyrics. Everything on this album nears perfection, and I don't see how it could be better or worse than Morningrise as a result of its drastic differences. In the end, it's more diverse and contains better songwriting in my opinion. Morningrise is such an epic album, though, that it's hard to put down. Don't be afraid that MAYH will be so different that you won't like it, though. It's still Opeth! If you liked Opeth's previous releases and you're willing to keep your mind open, give MAYH a shot. It's a fantastic album that defies the boundaries not only of metal, but of music in general.

There will be those of you whose interest will be sparked by the opening of this album...then the death growling will begin and you will run from the room in an attempt to keep from listening to anything that might be labeled as "evil" or "satanic"...you will miss out on a journey of cascading emotion and dark, horrific beauty. How does this band pull this album off? How are they able to tease the listener's feelings and then turn around and stomp them to pieces...then gather them back up again to rebuild? Unlike 99% of musical groups (who might or might not posess talent) Opeth is multi-faceted and causes the listener to not only delight in the sound but to delight in the imagery the band calls up with their story. Don't EVER make the mistake of pinning a "Death Metal" badge on Opeth...a sharp-minded individual with an appreciation for moving soundscapes will see past any such limiting labels. Purchase this album with a warning: it will require some time and serious attention...you just can't pop this in at your buddies keg party...you have to STUDY this work...you will be greatly rewarded.

I've been listening to metal for a lot of years, and usually when I hear a new band, I warm up to them over time, eventually coming to appreciate what they have to offer. In all this time, there have been only two bands that really blew me away on the very first listen. The first was Metallica, as they were the first metal band I'd ever heard back in the 80s. When I heard Master of Puppets in all its splendor, I knew I'd found something that would change my outlook on music forever.

The second was Opeth. I'd been hearing about them for some time, and finally on a whim, I picked up "My Arms, Your Hearse" in a record store one fateful day. The opening of this record is unreal. The sound of rain establishes the atmosphere; a brief, simple, but haunting piano melody adds to the sense of sadness; and then, Åkerfeldt's voice fades in, and "April Ethereal" *explodes* into life. My jaw dropped and I was held transfixed throughout the entire album. Opeth is, quite simply, perhaps the finest active band in metal today.

This, their third album, is also their heaviest, so if you have not heard death metal before, MAYH may not be the best introduction to Opeth. But this is not just a brutal death metal assault; far from it. The music is heavy, and Åkerfeldt's growl is menacing indeed, but there are softer moments as well, bridges played on an acoustic guitar and outstanding "clean" vocals that contrast sharply to Opeth's harsher moments, yet sound perfectly at home. These contrasts are a large part of what makes Opeth's music so effective.

Progressive death metal is probably the best way to describe this; it is death metal with much more complex song structures. And the average Opeth song usually clocks in at eight minutes or more, yet they never wear out their welcome. This album in particular is more of a single experience than a series of isolated songs. MAYH is a concept album about a man who looks back on the world from beyond the grave, and it all flows together nicely.

As to particular tracks, "April Ethereal" will always be a favorite, especially for that initial impact on me that I'll never forget. "When" is a magnificent track as well, especially the last few minutes when Åkerfeldt's clean vocals positively shine. But the album's highlight is "Demon of the Fall," probably the heaviest song that Opeth has ever done. About two and a half minutes into the song, there's a quiet, acoustic transition that ends abruptly as Åkerfeldt erupts with one of the most frightening growls I've ever heard. I *still* shiver every time I hear it. "Credence" shows the lighter side of Opeth and will be good for those of you who may not be accustomed to death metal.

"My Arms, Your Hearse," and indeed Opeth's entire catalogue, is a must for any fan of metal, but I'd recommend Opeth to anyone, because the level of talent and musicianship on display here is unparalleled. I've introduced a lot of people to this band, and one reaction that comes up a lot is, "I love the music, but those death metal vocals are horrible." If you're not used to that, don't expect to enjoy it right away. It is an acquired taste. You may dislike the vocals at first, but given enough listens, you will come to tolerate them, and then finally, you will come to enjoy them, and understand that Opeth performed any other way just wouldn't be the same.

This is magic. See the other gloating reviews for this record for song specifics. This whole album is beautiful. Violent, sad, intricate, well executed, refreshing, etc. My list of adjectives could continue ad nauseum. Plus, it rocks! Take a chance with Opeth. You will thank yourself again and again. Trust me.

I do have every single Opeth CD and I must say that this one stands out as the most prolific and polished album from this band. It is flawlessly structured with harmonuous composition. It is very true as some previous reviewers have noted that the work is like a continuous story that has no logical gaps in between, a feeling that you get from other bands that undertake the standard approach of one song at a time. It has everything youu could crave for: the mellow sound along with the extremely effeective change of rythm, growling vocals that have never sounded so good anywhere else (may be Crematory's Just Dreaming is the only close contestant I can think of right now), excellent musical craftsmanship flowing from every note.

This is a gem in a genre where it is very hard to achieve the accord and consistency between vocals and instruments. Opeth is doing remarkable job pulling those seemingly opposite means in a coherent, very accessible I would say product that certanly cannot leave you indifferent. By the way Still Life was mentioned quite a bit. I have it and it is great piece but I still believe that My Arms Your Hearse is untouchable. I hope you would enjoy this masterpiece as much as I did.

This was my 4th Opeth album. The first time I popped it into my CD player, I was disappointed. "This isn't what I expect from Opeth," I told myself. None of the tracks really jumped out at me; there really weren't too many hooks. For several days, I was saddened that Opeth had let me down. Then, all of a sudden, it hit me like a freight train: this is a great album. Not great in the sense of _Still Life_; this is a perfect example of an album being more than the sum of its songs. Take a single song out of here, and you'll be disappointed. Take the album, give it some time, and you'll be amazed. The ending of _When_ is a stunning, gorgeous melodic section that sweeps you off your feet, but without the proceeding _Madrigal_, it loses something. For one just beginning to delve into the Opethian realm, I wouldn't suggest this album, but at a later point, it's an absolute essential.

Yes, i just used mathematics to express how much i enjoy this album, get over it.

Anyways, "the third observation by Opeth," as described in the two-page inner sleeve, is nothing short of sheer, "Opeth-ian" brilliance. As Opeth's first of their two concept albums, (the other being "Still Life," which came after MAYH, and my personal favorite), this tells the story of a dead husband/lover, who returns as a ghost during Autumn to haunt his wife/lover, only to be forgotten by her, and to be spoken of only as a myth. The lyrics are, as typical of Opeth, eloquent and articulate, poetically using vivid metaphors and descriptions.

The music is captivating. The first five songs all blend together very well, and if you're reading along with the lyrics and immersing yourself in the story, you know what the story holds for track 6, but you have absolutely no idea how awesome the music is gonna be. A sonic tsunami, "Demon of the fall" is a flurry of passion that's nothing short of gripping. the guitar-work is pulverizing, and mikael does some of the lowest growls opeth fans hadn't heard yet, not even on "Orchid" or "Morningrise." It's full of energy, flair, and fervor. After it's over you are BREATHLESS, i promise, but it's only that good if you listen to the first 5 songs and read the lyrics along with it. The three after are great also, but hard to describe cause i already used all my cool words for "Demon of the Fall" hehehe.

Opeth seemed to have arranged their songs much better on "My Arms, Your Hearse." On "Orchid" and "Morningrise," the songs were created very well, but on MAYH, they just seem to have been more thought-out and arranged properly. Perhaps the concept compelled Mikael and Peter to arrange their music a little better in this one.

The Opeth logo has already established itself to the entire metal world as a symbol of quality, of a promise of a damn good listen that will change your life. "My Arms, Your Hearse" is just as much a good introduction to Opeth as any of their other albums.