Opeth
Morningrise

THE REVIEW

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.