• Rating:
I wanted to write this review because I noticed that the magnificent "Deliverance" had only one review, so...
I'll start by saying that for me "Deliverance" is in the second position of my mental Opeth TOP list (the first one is "Orchid").
6 songs, 61 minutes... you must have already noticed that the average is an exorbitant 10 minutes per song... moreover, one is just over 2 minutes... so you can see where the remaining 8 minutes go!
It is probably the least catchy album of all Opeth's masterpieces, but once you set it to play, it can go on for whole months.
Predominantly, it is an absolutely "death metal" album, but "progressive" structures are not lacking. In this album, the rhythm prevails over everything else, the songs are meticulously crafted, and I can assure you that not a single minute is wasted.
"Wreath": Great song for all sturdy metalheads. Beautiful.
"Deliverance": Stunning soundtrack. The rhythms are very engaging, and the final counterpoint rhythm is quite fun (it took me 5 whole days to memorize it).
"A Fair Judgement": A ballad masterpiece. The calm in the middle of the song is also wonderful. The voice is magnificent.
"For Absent Friends": Very nice instrumental... very atmospheric. Also very delicate.
"Master's Apprentices": (for me, the best of the album). Ridiculously beautiful rhythms. The final buildup and fade-out are out of this world. This song is truly awesome.
"By the Pain I See in Others": Perhaps the least catchy but still a very valid song. The effects used for the voice and guitar are very interesting. The Hidden Track is also interesting, although those 2 minutes of silence between the actual song and the hidden track are quite inconvenient.
Like all of Opeth's albums, "Deliverance" is a "concept". Opeth is also famous for their extremely diverse interpretations of concepts, so what I'm about to write is just my point of view.
The album "Deliverance" is about a couple of lovers. He is somehow possessed by a demon ("Wreath"), although it is much better to talk about a dual personality since the two parts fight with each other. The fact is He, in one night, overwhelmed by this second evil personality, kills her (drowning her) ("Deliverance"). After this episode, he returns to his senses and realizes the mess he made and thinks that sooner or later there will be a penalty, rightfully deserved (even according to him) ("A Fair Judgement").
The listener begins to understand that this second personality (or demon, as you like) took over due to a lack of some friends (probably dead) ("For Absent Friends"). He can't bear it any longer due to remorse and tries to commit suicide by setting the house on fire, believing he can put an end to this double life (Master's Apprentices). The last scene is a separate story where the aforementioned demon narrates its situation (By the Pain I See in Others).
Nice and eeee&graves;&maaac; ? Well, this is just my point of view. Now I'm trying to convince you:
(I will only refer to the lyrics translated into Italian, otherwise the review would be too long):
"Wreath": "Spiral" represents the moment when He is overwhelmed by the demon. The song can be divided into 3 thematic blocks:
-in the first block, we see Him describing the whole process of the demon's incarnation:
"Falling into it again
The same old nightmare
While I move in the dark
Dripping inside to hide"
"I observe myself in a pool of water
While I wear the mask of a ghost"
-in the second block, He describes all the sensations he feels during the mental sleep. Referring to a strange situation: indeed, he sees himself stained, eaten by worms in decay, and around he can distinguish dead, bleeding animals in a fiery wasteland (?). I won’t refer to the text as it seems inappropriate.
-in the third block, finally, we are at the resolution of this presence. He returns to his senses, and the demon vanishes:
"They call me back
End of gloomy business
End of a quest
The morning comes
They call me back
End of gloomy arguments
The morning comes-Return"
Furthermore, we can understand from the last verse that this presence mainly arises at night. It can also be understood from the fact that the song returns to the initial rhythm.
"Deliverance": "Liberation" is about the (probably) murder of his girlfriend.
The song can mainly be divided into 2 thematic blocks:
-in the first half of the song, we see the whole scene where he drowns his girlfriend:
"As I make you drown in the sea
Unfolding nets of mistrust
Your wrist grips my face
Look into my eyes, they are clear
This is your moment
Head down below the water
You stare at me in the depths"
-in the second half, we see Him waking from sleep, thinking he is finally free, at least for the next 12 hours:
"Deliverance
Returned to me
Deliverance
Laughing at me"
Yes. "Deliverance laughing at me". Indeed, this deliverance laughs at him because He has not yet realized what he did that night; he will realize it in the next song. Only apparent deliverance.
"A Fair Judgement": "Deserved Judgment" because He initially realizes the murder and starts to believe that if he should undergo a punishment, it would be rightfully deserved (humble guy).
The song is mainly divided into 2 blocks:
-in the first one, He realizes what he did during the night while still sleepy:
"Losing sleep, too deep
The sun fades away, what have I done
Came so close to what I needed most
Nothing remains here"
-in the second block, He believes it was destiny that wanted his ruin. He gets ready in confusion to commit suicide by setting the house on fire:
"Let it be
It was meant for me
Sacrifice of the soul
Forgot the advice
Lost track of time
In a whirl of smoke
Eagerly waiting
For a deserved fair sentence"
"For Absent Friends": "For the absence of friends" is the song that can be interpreted in its way. I interpreted it as the motive, the cause of the demon's presence. In "Master's Apprentices," in one verse, it says "Consequence of an absent friend". This is the song I have least identified thematically.
"Master's Apprentices": "The Master's Apprentice" because (in my opinion) He (the apprentice) does something that usually the demon (the master) does: murder. Not exactly, but suicide is a murder.
The song can be divided into 3 main thematic blocks:
-in the first block, we see the whole scene where he is suffocating and burning. We can also understand the thoughts that cross his mind:
"There is a voice calling me
There is a light coming down on me
There is a doubt clearing up
There is a wound healing
There is a road turning
There is a fire still burning"
"There is a peace I am seeking
There is a pain that never ends
There is a dream I am living
There is a life I am dreaming
There is a death I am waiting for
There is a house I am leaving
I hold my breath and wait
Only memories remain
The movement for a vanished hope
Consequence of an absent friend"
Very interesting "There is a fire still burning" where we perfectly individualize the presence of the fire.
"There is a peace I am seeking" is practically the reason for Him to commit suicide. Indeed, He seeks peace, considering that this demon wants nothing to do with leaving, so he applies the ultimate remedies: suicide.
"There is a dream I am living-There is a life I am dreaming" here we can understand his entire life: a whole life where it isn’t clear if there’s life in a dream or dreaming in a life, a complete and constant confusion.
"There is a death I am waiting for-There is a house I am leaving" here we can perfectly understand His desire to die.
-in the second block, we can understand all the thoughts of Him who is trying, indeed, He is dying:
"Colors fade
And disappear
Ethereal Light"
"Fading away
And leaving
Long to sleep
Closer now
Show the path to death"
-in the third block, we see (the hardest part of the song: the stratospheric final buildup) He finally realizes he has left his body and reached a desolate place (I interpreted it as the afterlife):
"As I fall into the deepest void
A dead and empty shell left behind...
Walking unknown roads
Searching for a new home
The desert in my eyes
Barren lands within me"
The figure of the shell is very interesting. In the end, He is dead.
"By the Pain I See in Others": "Through the Pain I Perceive in Others" is the only song where the demon speaks in the first person. Indeed, in my opinion, the entire song is narrated by this demon.
The entire song is a thematic block, although within this block I found a small glimpse:
-in the main block (beginning and end of the song) the demon explains the obsession with thirst for power and dominance:
"Rising to submission
I am still underground
Take off the clothes
Untie the hair
We are bound forever and always have been
Speak the word
And I will go away
On your lips, nothing remains except the meaning of my cause"
"This is ours, solitary
We feed on the warmth
Attracted from within
Dependent on lifeblood
Silently
Whispering
Move in me and set me free"
The ultimate verse is very fascinating, where we can observe the immense slyness and thirst for power of the demon: "Silently-Whispering-Move in me and set me free".
-In the sub-block (in the middle of the song), we can see this demon in a certain park, explaining that the owners of the demons can do nothing to stop their own demon:
"Out in the park
The days go by
And nothing changes
They have no influence over us
And we have always known
That nothing ever changes"
Regarding this last verse, I would like to say something: I interpreted this park as the "BlackWater Park"... because in that concept, I assigned the figure of the afterlife to "BlackWater Park" (read the "BlackWater Park" lyrics, and you’ll understand). You can also notice a certain rhythm while singing that seems very akin to one of the songs heard in parks and circuses (in "Psycho Circus" style by Kiss). Another analogy is that the very last riff heard in "By the Pain I See in Others" is quite similar to the final rhythm of "BlackWater Park".
That concludes my review.
I would give this album a 9+.
I hope you like it.
Please criticize; let me know the idea you developed about the concept after knowing mine. And if you have another interpretation, write it to me.
1784 words... ouch!!
By LUGREZZO
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