Mikael Åkerfeldt: We're no Jeff Loomis

[Manbient]

well, when i was introduced to metal, i was introduced to it in a MUCH different way than most metal fans. where most people were introduced to stuff like iron maiden, metallica, pantera and megadeth, i was listening to stuff like Haggard, therion, theatre of tragedy, the gathering, shape of despair, the sins of thy beloved, tristania, bathory and bunch of other gothic/symphonic/atmospheric/classical bands that had an immense atmosphere to them. and at the same time, they were doing dual vocals as well along with other instrument arrangements. from guitars that were mainly power chords just to create rhythm, and their solos were very basic and far from shredding. they used classical instruments for solos if need be. their vocals were seamless in terms of transition. from clean operatic male/female vocals-almost angelic, they switched to growling and demonic vocals.

and then when i was introduced to opeth, i didnt really see what others saw. sure, i found that unique that mikael(or how ever you spell his name) is the only vocalist being able to do both vocals. thats something i hardly ever see, but opeth isnt really pioneers in that.

as for opeths first few albums, i've heard of most of em from beginning to end, and have given em a few listens each, and still i say taht each album only had like one or two songs that kinda tickled my interest, but nothing really. and i still say that their song 'the grand conjuration' is the song that stays in my memory as their most different song from all their others. and even then, people seem to say that the opening riff is something epic and amazing and highly memorable and all that...i dont really see that to be honest. its just a normal riff that isnt really all too amazing.

yes, i do give opeth that they change their time signatures around mid riff/solos, and their progression in songs is pretty cool...but thats pretty much it...

Fair enough, but Opeth was not a popular band until BWP. The other bands you mentioned were much bigger. i got into metal the "typical" way (metallica, megadeth, slayer, then on to the 80's shred thing, then on to dream theater, then onto extreme metal), but at the point i'd heard Opeth, i'd also heard a lot of those gothic/symphonic kinds of bands. Those bands to me were predictable. No interesting chords, no interesting chord changes... Opeth was like the antithesis of this. I couldn't give a rats ass that mikael is the same guy doing growls and cleans, as i'm into music for the sound. not the mechanics or the "difficulty". I can listen to MAYH still and get chills, nearly 10 years later. The way that album tells a story and develops is not like any others, and certainly not like any others at all at the time (excluding Crimson by EoS).

I'm also a "transition" guy. I strongly believe the notion that the best parts of music are not found in individual parts in and of themselves, but in the connection between a certain part and what came before. Those are the moments i get chills, and i don't think it would feel the same without being put in the "place" the previous section puts you. This was something that Opeth seemed to understand and employ all the time. MAYH has so many epic endings to the songs. The end of April Ethereal (i don't know how or why, and i'll... never... know WHENNNNN), the ending of When (...AND I CRIEEEDDD), the ending of Demon Of The Fall (just one second... and i was left with nothing), etc. etc. etc. I also don't typically listen to songs alone, for this very reason. I enjoy album architecture and treat it all as a whole. Same concept on a larger scale. I have an entire project that i've been working with for about 6 years now that is only based on album architecture and creating shifting atmospheres. I don't even use my own music for it!

Anyway i am getting off track. Opeth may not be for you, but there was nary a person in the late 90's who knew of Opeth who didn't think they were one of the shining gems of metal. As things become popular, people lash back, find faults of their own, etc. and while Opeth has gotten weaker since then, in the context the first 5 albums were released, no one could touch them, and no one knew how to sound like them.

 

[Scali]

To each his own but I find Loomis' solo's to be the definition of tasteful shredding.

For me, tasteful shredding is what guys like Guthrie Govan or Greg Howe do.
Loomis is fantastic, but I consider him more of a 'hardcore' shredder

 

[Esp Griffyn]

Sure Opeth don't have the technical ability that Loomis has, but I'm sure they arent losing any sleep over it. Their songwriting ability and phrasing is more impressive than Jeff's super speed, bland shredding. I heard a lot of people going on about what a monster Loomis is, and how his solo album exemplifies this; yes he is very fast, but the album was so dull it was almost painful to listen to.

I also agree with the point raised about Opeth, that after Blackwater park they did lose it. Constant powerchording sounds good for loads of bands, but the crazy chords and non-linear composition was kind of lost a bit when they started going for more straight forward riffs in an attempt to be heavier. I don't think they needed to go in that direction, but then again I'm not in the band and don't know what it was that made them change.

 

[The Hoff]

Personally I think that Ghost Reveries is on par with the rest of their work but they slipped a bit with Watershed.

 

[Unknown Doodl3.2]

I love both Opeth and Nevermore, which one I prefer over the other changes every day...

...but whoever says Loomis's playing is bland or lack of taste needs a Q tip IMO

 

[Jongpil Yun]

Opeth is my favorite band. Period. I have every album. I honestly don't see what the big fuss is about Watershed; it owns. I don't like Lotus Eater that much, although Åkerfeldt says it's his favorite Opeth song right now, but Burden, Hessian Peel, and Hex Omega can stand with side by side with April Ethereal, Under the Weeping Moon, or Blackwater Park without being diminished by them, although they're all more The Drapery Falls than Blackwater Park.

 

[All_¥our_Bass]

To each his own but I find Loomis' solo's to be the definition of tasteful shredding.

Both bands are completely awesome though. Opeth did encourage me to continue and expand my "dissonant chords with distortion" ideas. As well as the mixing of metal and accoustic/physcedelic textures.

 

[awesomeaustin]

awesome!

 

[Randy]

Squier?

 

[estabon37]

In relation to the "how I got into Opeth" posts above, I came at it from a much different angle. You see.....I'm not really a fan of metal. Sure, I listen to it a lot these days coz as a guitarist metal's always interesting, but...

I appreciate Opeth from the perspective of being a Radiohead fan. While I can't say they're alike, Opeth play the 'prog-y' side of metal and Radiohead play the 'prog-y' side of...well, whatever it is that they do. For all the growling and thunderous riffs, I can only think of Opeth as being one of the world's best ROCK bands.

PS. I think 'The Lotus Eater' is the best song on Watershed. I think it's the unexpected drums and keys part that gets me .

 

[Emperoff]

I don't get why all the people despise the newer albums. I've yet to hear a song from Opeth that's not plain awesome. I started to listen to them since Ghost Reveries, and "Hours Of Wealth" blew my mind so heavily (a song that everyone hates ) that I had to listen to all their past albums for more!!

The Lotus Eater is fucking great, as the whole album. Very fresh sounding and experimental, I'd say. Mikael's songwritting abilities never cease to amaze me.

MAYH has so many epic endings to the songs. The end of April Ethereal (i don't know how or why, and i'll... never... know WHENNNNN), the ending of When (...AND I CRIEEEDDD), the ending of Demon Of The Fall (just one second... and i was left with nothing), etc. etc. etc.

I've been listening Demon Of The Fall a fuckload times a day lately, the whole ending part that starts with "Run away... Run away..." till the end it's just beyond epicness

 

[All_¥our_Bass]

^
While there are opeth songs or albums that I think are are better/worse or that I perfer to each other, everything I've heard from them has been quite good to say the least.

 

[Curt-Platt]

Yeah, from the Lamentations DVD. They've played some shows with Nevermore, and I'm sure Loomis made their jaws drop

i think thats the case with anyone watching jeff!!

 

[Scar Symmetry]

Opeth + Nevermore + Meshuggah =

 

[Axel]

Personally I think that Ghost Reveries is on par with the rest of their work but they slipped a bit with Watershed.

I guess I'm in the minority. I got into them when Morningrise came out and I also bought Orchid. But I lost interest in them until Watershed came out and I saw them live.
Watershed imo is one of the best albums in metal period. From the compositions, to the performance, to the production.
None of that trendy quantized drum samples. You can tell it's all real and all skill.

 

[fuzzboy]

I guess I'm in the minority. I got into them when Morningrise came out and I also bought Orchid. But I lost interest in them until Watershed came out and I saw them live.
Watershed imo is one of the best albums in metal period. From the compositions, to the performance, to the production.
None of that trendy quantized drum samples. You can tell it's all real and all skill.

Hey, a fellow South-Floridian!

I have to agree 100% with that statement, though. I also don't think Opeth have ever put out a bad album.

 

[B36arin]

Opeth + Nevermore + Meshuggah =

Rep for that, I couldn't agree more. 3 of my top favourite bands. Add The Haunted to the list and you're set

I loved Watershed. Axe's drumming is immense, and Hessian Peel is one of Opeth's best songs, period.

 

[willyman101]

Seeing as I'm really new to Opeth, the first album I heard was Watershed. And I've got all the others but for some reason Watershed really sticks out to me. I can't put my finger on why, but if I had to choose any one album it would be Watershed... and not just from Opeth's back catalogue, over almost any album ever

 

[Oogadee Boogadee]

Squier?

i'm no fender expert, but often times i pick up a high-end fender at guitar center, strum some chords on it, pick a few notes, and think "my cheapo 13 year old peavey predator sounds and plays far better than this thing". Sure, i might have got lucky with my peavey and unlucky with the strat i pick up.... but i'm always getting unlucky with the strat i pick up, i guess.

while the above is simply personal taste, i could say that, if Mikael was playing an over-priced SRV or something, I would have thought "gullable? ?

 

[Mazzakazza]

I think Akerfeldt is an amazing singer and frontman (He's hilarious + awesome live), which more than makes up for Loomis' technical skill; having said that though, Loomis is still a brilliant guitarist. I don't think they're particularly comparable, because Akerfeldt has his focus elsewhere.

I don't like Opeth's new guitarist all that much though, dunno, he just doesn't seem to sit as well as Peter Lindgren did.