•
Rating: First, let me state that I am currently experiencing a period of acute Opethitis (by the way, I’ll be there in Florence on December 14th!!). Captivated by the latest works of the Swedish group and several good reviews, last Friday I decided to dig deep into my wallet and buy the first three CDs. Here's the aesthetic judgment, with the history of its fluctuations, on "Morningrise", which many consider to be the compositional pinnacle of the band.
So, upon the very first listen, the initial "Advent" immediately won me over: great work from De Farfalla on bass, a complex structure moving from very hard moments to other acoustic yet unsettling ones. However, the final arpeggio is almost a rip-off of the outro of "Dancing with the Moonlight Knight". Compare to believe. The next two tracks left a good impression until I reached the punctum dolens, the much-acclaimed “Black Rose Immortal”. I expected an enormous masterpiece from this 20-minute track, so the disappointment was bitter. The sections of the suite are rather disjointed from one another, and I did not find that ingenuity and variety of themes often mentioned. The result from the second listen was even worse; Akerfeldt's growl seemed rather "phlegmy" and strained, not as deep, hostile, and natural as heard in the latest albums.
There was a moment when I even regretted the 20 euros and thought I couldn't give it more than three stars. Fortunately, subsequent listens partially mitigated such a negative judgment. Above all, I increasingly liked "The Night and the Silent Water", undeniably the most progressive and Genesis-like of the bunch, and the aggressive yet dynamic "Nektar”. Thus, the suite seemed better to me as well, while doubts remained about “To Bid You Farewell”, which sounds monotonous and is hampered by a drum that's too static and geometric, almost like a drum machine, which doesn't help the type of atmosphere they were trying to create.
Those who spoke of a largely rough production were right, which will be focused and improved significantly already in the splendid, upcoming "My Arms Your Hearse", but that’s another story and, I believe, another review.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Advent (13:45)
It was all true
A parlour strode, and the night sets forever
I stray in the quiet cold
And you gird me when I dare to listen
Elastic meadow, endless arms of sorrow
Lips try to form "because"
Trying to adapt to the wilderness
Where even foes close their eyes and leave
We are inside the glade
Every now and then I wipe the dust aside
To remember...
How I drape my face with my bare hands
The same that brought me here
But you were beyond all help
The folded message that wept my name
Shadows skulk at my coming
We survey the slopes
In search for the words to write the missing page
The tainted dogma
Time grows short
As the piper plays his tune
We are almost there
You are beyond all help
Dancing into the void
We are almost there
02 The Night and the Silent Water (10:58)
And so you left us
Jaded and gaunt, some September
Wilted with the seasons
But hidden inside the delusion
I saw your eyes, somewhere
Devoid of death
The aura poises amidst the storm
In solid tears I linger
A parlour glade, moonlit sorrow
Lonely resting pools
Relics of the moon-dogged lake
Whisper: "All your words are missgiven"
Am I like them?
Those who mourn and turn away
Those who would give anything
To see you again
If only for another second
Your face was, like the photograph
Painted white
We did not speak very often about it
What does it matter now?
Cloak of autumn shroud
I gaze, dim ricochet of stars
I reckon it is time for me to leave
You sleep in the light
Yet the night and the silent water
Still so dark
03 Nectar (10:09)
I arose from the lullaby
Enduring yet another tale
You tempt me again
With your embrace, so tainted
Within the night you beckon
Cursing me with every glance
Bring me through
Carry my empty shadow
And guide me inside your warped labyrinth
To the well of sin
I swear I will always love you
Leave me speechless
Release my yearning
The soil I walk is clad with light
Drifting moons thrust me with their rays
And I fall inside
I lament this heritage
Cannot bid farewell
The pale face...you went as far as you could
And from that moment
I witnessed your beauty, fealt your death
Mine is yours, mine is yours
In the wake of dawn
The mist of morning linger before it leaves
Invisible eyes, red reflection
It is you
Smiling in the midst of the moor
04 Black Rose Immortal (20:14)
In the name of desperation
I call your name
A lamentation I sigh
Again and again
Spiritual eclipse
The gateways are closed for me to seek
The night...
A veil of stars, watching
My shadow is born from light
The light of the eye, in darkness
Over troubled waters memories soar
Endlessly, searching night and day
The moonlight caresses a lonely hill
With the calmness of a whisper
I wear a naked soul
A blank face in the streaming water
It is cold in here
Frost scar my coat with dust
Eyes attach to your mute portrait
We spoke only through thoughts
Together we gazed, awaited
Hours brought thirst and the rising sun
Sunbirds leave their dark recesses
Shadows glid the archways
Do not turn your face towards me
Confronting me with my lonliness
You are in a forest unknown
The secret orchard
And your voice is vast and achromatic
But still so precious
Lullaby of the crescent moon took you
Mesmerized, its kaleidoscopic face
Granted you a hollow stare
Another soul within the divine herd
I have kept it
The amaranth symbol
Hidden inside the golden shrine
Until we rejoice in the meadow
Of the end
When we both walk the shadows
It will set ablaze and vanish
Black rose immortal
It is getting dark again
Dusk shuffle across the fields
The evening trees moan as if they knew
At night I always dream of you
05 To Bid You Farewell (10:56)
I am awaiting the sunrise
Gazing modestly through the coldest morning
Once it came you lied
Embracing us over autumn's proud treetops
I stand motionless
In a parade of falling rain
Your voice I cannot hear
As I am falling again
Devotion eludes
And in sadness I lumber
In my own ashes I am standing without a soul
She wept and whispered: "I know..."
We walked into the night
Am I to bid you farewell?
Why can't you see that I try
When every tear I shed
Is for you?
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By StefanoHab
"If you don't love this album, you can't say you love music."
"Mikael Åkerfeldt wrote some of the most spectacular riffs I've ever heard in my life."
By KingJudas
Black Rose Immortal... just one word: IMMORTAL!
If you sit on your home sofa, close your eyes, and create a space of your own where you can be alone to listen to this song without anyone disturbing you... you can fully enjoy the beauty of this creation!
