Album Rating: 4.5

Jordan Rudess is a fluent and professional piano player with zero personality. That solo in Opeth's song has potential.

Lots of Rudess' parts have potential. That Opeth solo sounded soulless as fuck.

Album Rating: 4.5

Okay, I liked Rudess's work in Metropolis and maybe even ToT. But no, he isn't a genious. He is just a very proficient player. He has potential, how could he lack any, his skills are amazing. But, can he write a song to save his soul? No, don't think so.

Who are you talking to? I hate Rudess for the most part and agree with everything you just said. Just don't pretend that that Opeth keyboard solo was any better than what Rudess can do because even he can compose something much better than that.

Not that there was any real composition anyway, it was just some shitty wah-wah sounds.

Album Rating: 4.5

I'm not pretending and I'm in a dialogue with you, so... Anyway, it's not the best solo, but it's a solo that fits the music. And it's way better than Rudess's solos. It's wierd, yes, it's rouchly mixed, yes, it's not very thought out, agreed. But, it's nice.

How is it better than a Rudess solo though? It really is just some wah-wah sounds with zero personality. He's not even really playing anything for most of it, he's just messing around in a way that Rudess does in his least memorable and most unbearable moments.

Album Rating: 4.5

Take that abomination of a solo from Along for the Ride, from DT's album of the same name. There is melody, structure and direction. Is it any good? No. You don't have to play something in particular, as long as the sounds are good. It's apparent that we agree on a completely subjective matter, but that's fine, the product of our discussion is good.



For instance, take a random solo from Buckethead. It's going to be very difficult to play, a truly chimaira for evey up and coming guitarist. Then, take SW's solo from Hatesong, live. It's like a moneky on acid. But guess which one has personality and which does not.

I haven't even heard that solo and to be honest I'd rather not. We seem to agree completely about Rudess anyway. I just don't understand how anyone could think that that little bit of soulless wankery is better than what Rudess can do. Maybe some of Rudess' very worst moments might be just as bad but to say "if Rudess could play like that" makes no sense at all and is an insult that I can't even accept being said about a musician I hate.

"You don't have to play something in particular, as long as the sounds are good."

Agreed completely but just wanking the mod on a synthesiser really doesn't sound good and is something we've heard a thousand times before.

Album Rating: 4.5

Well, I can't explain it enough, obviously, but Rudess has become such a sterile musician and player that even that simple and immature solo from Joakim can surpass his recent work. I personally wouldn't mind even if this was the final product. It's got this unique element, it's hazy, it's trippy, it's a bit psychedelic. It creates a certain musical landscape, a void. I'm not saying it's better than Rudess overall, it's just better than what Rudess has done recently.

It's not unique at all though and is something that Rudess does regularly within his solos.

Album Rating: 4.5

Does he?

Yeah he often makes those kind of sounds or perhaps more unusual variations of that in his solos and it's often the worst part of his playing, to my ears at least.

Album Rating: 4.5

I'm asking because I really, most honestly, can't recall any song that he's done that rather than play up and down a very difficult but stale melody.

Yeah just look at any solo he's done pretty much, especially live solos, he does the whole mod wheel thing a lot.

Album Rating: 4.5

Haven't really listned to anything he's done in extense, but I see what you say. The cope stone is that I do trust Opeth will release a fine album.

I'm certainly not going to let that 20 second clip lower my expectations too much. I just hope that's not representative of how Joakim's keyboard is going to be used on the album.

Album Rating: 4.5

20 secs can't be a serious indication of an hour of music.

Definitely not. I also don't feel I've heard enough of what's going on in the background of that solo to make any kind of comment, positive or negative, on how it sounds stylistically.