Customer Reviews

Tierra Tragame

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Tierra Tragame" may be Opus Dai's debut album, but these guys have been making music together for several years under the name o.h.m. and with a slighly different flavor to their music. This artistic record could bring to mind several more well known artists, but then isn't that almost always the case? Opus Dai manages to seperate themselves from others through the uniqueness of frontman Chrispaul Basso soaring vocals and the excellent guitar work of Atsushi Miyamoto.
Picking up quickly with the second song "Firefly," the pace continues to build with "Rain." The fourth song, "Sora" was brought over from the previous band o.h.m. and doesn't quite hold up to the original song. "Nightingale" and "Vox Populi" have a more somber power to them, but are still heavy-hitting in the music department. Closing out the album is the beautiful "Bella Christa," with some haunting vocal work.

A band like Opus Dai only comes around once in a great while. I haven't heard such beautifully eclectic musicianship since Porcupine Tree! Opus Dai manages to pull off what their influences could not; make memorable, moving music that is enjoyable and yet so incredibly ground-breaking.

I cannot wait to see what else these guys do!

I used to be a less discriminating mainstream listener, but these days music pretty much has to have 3 things to grab me: innovative yet accessible melodies, very strong and unique vocals, and a truly original overall style (i.e., not sounding like anybody else). Opus Däi has all of these in spades on their Tierra Trágame CD. The harder agrresive parts of the songs at first bordered on "too hard" for my tastes (and that has to be pretty hard!), but luckily the heavy sections are balanced in equal measure by gorgeously lush melodic passages, making for a thoroughly palatable concoction. I'm always looking for bands that can pull off this yin/yang balance successfully, and they're sadly few and far between. I was therefore thrilled to find Opus Däi through recommendations for Fair To Midland fans (fellow masters of the light & dark balance). Too bad we have to mine the most obscure depths of the internet to find great music like this.

Influences of Opeth and Tool can be detected on Tierra Trágame, but OD uses these with a light hand while generously blending their own creative style. The singer's voice and the courageous ways he puts it to use are truly phenomenal; I was sad to learn he's since left the band. I haven't yet had a chance to explore OD's newer release with their new vocalist, but he has some gigantic shoes to fill. Basso's strong clear tones pour like quicksilver over deliciously complex guitar lines and nicely varied drumming, weaving into mesmerizing compositions that grab your senses and don't let go. Though I think death metal-type screams & growls can have their place and I suppose they show range, by and large I found them somewhat superfluous here...Basso needs add nothing to the haunting virtuosity of his regular singing voice. Fortunately the screams are used pretty sparingly.

I want more from my music than just pleasantly catchy background noise; I prefer music that demands attentive listening and rewards with an intensely emotional auditory journey. This album does just that; I hear fresh nuances every time I listen to it. Oh, and don't let the cover art throw you -- I found most of the songs to convey an overall positive energy; at moments they could be interpreted as inspirational. (Believe it or not, I've even been known to do yoga to this CD, much to my husband's amusement -- don't knock it till you try it!) Even if Opus Däi had never produced another note, and even if they never make it really "big", Tierra Trágame will endure as a genuine work of musical talent and creativity.

I was browsing an online provider for something new and came across Opus Dai. After listening to all the available samples I bought the whole album and could not be more pleased with the purchase.
Very tight songs with great lyrics. No space is wasted on this CD.
Strong riffs are employed on many of the songs, but there is a delicate and very human sensibility underneath that provides great depth to the music. It really feels like the band stripped themselves of all pretension and let everything out into the music. They reach some intense and aggressive levels (Firefly, Rain, The Front Line) as well as express some beautiful and meaningful softer passages (Sleepwalk, Bella Christa).

The singer's voice is quite unique. At times - and this is only me - his register puts me in mind of Echolyn, although the music, lyrics and delivery are nothing like Echolyn. But OD's vocalist has such power in his delivery and a clarity that just shoots through you. He can transfer so effortlessly between an aggressive growl and a clean falsetto. Fantastic vocal control.

Opus Dai would be received very well on the radio, but unfortunately they're too good to compete with the standard fluff and garbage that pollutes the FM band. People would eventually expect more of the same from all the bands and then we'd have a problem of too much good, quality music to listen to.

They have a progressive sensibility in their approach to their music, but the songs are all relatively short and there are no noodling solos and self-promotion. They come across as one tight, impressive unit.

Opus Däi is an interesting band because while you can compare them to System of a Down, the Mars Volta and Tool, they definitely have their own distinct sound. The singer has a incredible range, both vocally and emotionally.
I love how he incorporates some tribal-sounding chanting into some of the songs; his vocals soar above the aggressive and intricate guitar lines creating some incredibly beautiful, yet seriously intense music.

This CD surprised me. I didn't think it was going to be that good and it ended up being amazing. There are at least 8 tracks that really blow me away. I expect great things from this band in the future!

this CD is insanely gorgeous. what a wonderful experience. it hasnt left my cd player since it came.
i cannot wait to see these guys live!!!
this album is really great.

The world stopped for me on this album for the entire 12 songs! It was only myself and my new C.D. Theese guys sound amaizing. The vocals were the first thing to grab my attention. The singer has a huge range, everything from soaring highs to low melodic chants. The dynamic range is huge on this album, they know when to hit you hard, and when to soften it up. The musicianship is flawless on everybodys part! Its a reminder on how hard good music is to find theese days and what a reward it is when you do find that special album that stops time.