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[QUOTE=Flynn]I saw them live in Minnesota, he sounded great. He actually sounded just like the songs on the album. He's a very talented vocalist. If you actually read what I typed, you will know I was talking about the recording equipment.[/QUOTE]

My mistake.

[QUOTE] And yes, he screams more on previous albums, and growls more on the latter. Sometimes I wonder if you even listen to Opeth.
[/QUOTE]

Well, I made no judgement in this regard, so I don't quite understand why you're being a putz about it.

As promised here’s a lyrical analysis of April Ethereal, but before I delve into that I think its necessary to look more deeply at the text attributed to the first track on MAYH (the track has no vocals), the prologue, which sets up the story rather nicely.

Prologue

“A morning in magenta, the petals fed from the dew.
She held her breath for a moment, to pause off the stream.
Still clinging to vast, old memories.
The coffin is beautifully engraved. Stained by soil, symbols of death.
All of which are stared upon, with porcelain eyes it seems.”

We begin with a very somber setting at a burial (the rain audible on this track and the dirt that is said to stain the coffin makes this clear that this is the actual burial rather than simply the funeral). The person who has passed away (we’ll soon find out that this person it actually narrating this story) was very close to the woman mentioned in the second line—a serious relationship between the two is implied here although the specific type of relationship is currently ambiguous. This woman is grief stricken as a result of the passing and is moved to tears (The second line actually refers to her attempt to restrain herself, as she holds her breath to stop crying—to stop the stream of tears. In case any of you are prone to maudlin moments you should keep this in mind as it works :) ).

“Some spoke, and it was my turn to go.
In death entwined, I could not believe.
But it hangs around my neck.
A soft breeze passed me by, somewhat warmer for a second.
I knew it was the coming of spring, thus our APRIL ETHEREAL.”

Here we find out that it is in fact the narrator’s burial and that even met with death, the narrator cannot bring himself to accept the religious ideology embodied in the symbol that is wrapped around his neck (a symbol that we shall shortly find out is a crucifix in April Ethereal). Thus the narrator can find neither peace nor fulfillment in his afterlife and as is customary of those that reject the afterlife, he chooses for his spirit is to remain in the Earthly realm…..

April Ethereal

“It was me, peering through the looking-glass.
Beyond the embrace of Christ.
Like the secret face within the tapestry.
Like a bird of prey over the crest.”

Thus the story continues albeit in a new setting. Line 2 sheds light on the last few lines in Prologue and thereby affirms that he did reject/was wearing a symbol of Christ. The narrator is described as looking intently through a window, hidden amidst his surroundings yet still well-positioned and with keen determination to not be seen (just as a bird of prey may choose to scout the landscape from a hill at the expense of greater vulnerability, as its position may further endanger itself).

“And she was swathed in sorrow, as if born within its mask.”

We can now assume he’s at or rather just outside the female characters house, although details in this case aren’t too important. This line lets us know that, alas, the poor lady is still grief stricken over the narrator’s death—and that’s the only information essential to understanding the plot. Mikael puts this in an interesting way by describing her situation “as being born within the mask (of sadness)”. Adds an interesting perspective to such emotions, a paradigm similar to one presented in Luigi Pirandello’s “Six Characters in Search of an Author” in which a family of characters are essentially freeze framed at a particular instance in time, in which they find themselves to be almost fully defined by the emotion they experienced during that said time. The characters are described by the author to be wearing very stylized masks that capture their emotion and thereby also become the most poignant definitions of their character as a result of the bizarre circumstances already described…. Oh right.. almost forgot—the tie-in. The description used here prompts the same question of by giving us an image of sadness as being an, if not impersonal mask, a universal one. When we’re sad we are the mercy at the totality of that emotion, for that instant in time it completely defines us and thereby our personal uniqueness is momentarily and possibly tragically lost beneath these masks of emotion. You may or may not find that to be true, nonetheless its captivating food for thought imo but in this case a needless aside. Sorry!

“Her candlelight snuffed, the icon smiled.
Emptiness followed by her wake.
I could clasp her in undying love.
Within ghostlike rapture the final word was mine.”

Here we get more words that document the depth of her depression—that’s the general meaning of the first 2 lines but I’m at a loss for specifics in this case. What’s more valuable is the broader understanding of the plot we receive from the next two lines—The narrator and female character had a loving relationship prior to his death and their relationship was a strand left loose so to speak—a case of unfinished business. The last line seems to comment—rather triumphantly--on how this out of body experience has allowed him to trump destiny and fulfill Earthly desires that he should no longer have after death. A sense of power that will soon lose its merit.

“She faced me in awe. 'twas a token of ebony colour.
Embodied in faint vapour.
Wandering through April's fire.
Compelled to grasp and to hold the one that was you.”

The last three lines only embellish the concepts we established earlier, he’s a ghost whose come back to hold on to his life love. However the first line is rather foreboding as it describes her response to finally seeing him as a negative one—a dark sign of the things to come (“twas a token of ebony colour”). Token here has a non-material definition—one that really isn’t too commonly associated with the word from my experience. Looking up common words in a dictionary can be of great help as many of these common words have a multiplicity of meanings. Knowledge is half the battle! [/GI Joe]

“I will endure, hide away.
I would outrun the scythe, glaring with failure.”

He is at this point willing to escape the trappings of death to be with her. The scythe is a weapon associated with the grim reaper and therefore death.

“It is a mere destiny I thought, a threshold I had crossed before.
The rain was waving goodbye, and when the night came
the forest folded its branches around me.
Something passed by, and I went into a dream.
She laughing and weeping at once: "take me away".

He believes he is capable of maintaining his position as a ghost who lingers on Earth but is soon swept away against his will by the powers of nature—the rain and forest are of sharp contrast to his current being. They are the natural in the world where he currently abides by an unnatural lifestyle. In any case he finds himself overpowered and forcefully taken away, leaving the narrator confused and at a loss for words.

“I don't know how or why, I'll never know WHEN.”

Wow finally done. Discussion welcome.

Green Light Now Begin

Okay I really hate to do this but I've found that there's no way I can keep up with his stuff in a timely manner. Sucks to start something big and not finish but I really can't see myself consistently having the time to dedicate to this.

I know some ppl in this thread would be capable of picking up on where I left off, its just a matter of whether or not they want to do it. For those who want to take a closer look at the rest of the story (which I haven't done) my last piece of advice is to keep in mind the use of of season as a symbol of the story. Spring is accompanied by a lot of rain and those two are associated often with rebirth. But that's one case, one happy case but there are other interpretations and Opeth doesn't do happy. Spring and rain also wash away/get rid off the remains of fall/winter--months which are associated with death.

The MAYH plot certainly does turn sour toward the end and the narrator, judging from just the first two tracks (the only ones I've looked closely at so far), seems to be doomed to be in a predicament in which he will eventually be washed away and forgotten.

Wow, that was in-depth. Good work. I'd discuss, but anything I could say would seem inferior compared to that behemoth of a post.

[QUOTE=the2stranger]Morningrise > other opeth albums imo[/QUOTE]

Amen. Possibly the best album of all time.

EDIT: Wow, awesome job Electrical Storm.

[QUOTE=Cain]My mistake.[/QUOTE]

It's all good, Cain. I value your feedback more then most. I apologize for my outbursts lately, I've been going through the rough the past couple years due to a recent death of someone I was close to. I have ADHD, and sometimes I can't control myself. Her death had a huge impact on me and my life and I have not been myself lately. So tell me, what is your favorite [B]O[/B]peth album?

Wow ElectricalStorm! That was a very interesting read and you did such a good job with it(must of took you hours).

[QUOTE=ElectricalStorm]Okay I really hate to do this but I've found that there's no way I can keep up with his stuff in a timely manner. Sucks to start something big and not finish but I really can't see myself consistently having the time to dedicate to this.

I know some ppl in this thread would be capable of picking up on where I left off, its just a matter of whether or not they want to do it. For those who want to take a closer look at the rest of the story (which I haven't done) my last piece of advice is to keep in mind the use of of season as a symbol of the story. Spring is accompanied by a lot of rain and those two are associated often with rebirth. But that's one case, one happy case but there are other interpretations and Opeth doesn't do happy. Spring and rain also wash away/get rid off the remains of fall/winter--months which are associated with death.

The MAYH plot certainly does turn sour toward the end and the narrator, judging from just the first two tracks (the only ones I've looked closely at so far), seems to be doomed to be in a predicament in which he will eventually be washed away and forgotten.[/QUOTE]

I can't argue anything you've typed. What you have explained is looking deep into the microscope. I think the breaking point of the album is the outro to Credence into Karma. Certain lines in each song deal with each other in hidden ways. My Arms, Your Hearse is probably the most intricate concept album ever recorded both musically and lyrically. You need to post here more!

[I]
''And they all turn away, unable to face more of this death.''

''You have nothing more to find, you have nothing more to lose.''[/I]

[QUOTE=shamed-angel]He didn't write it. He just sung on it. The keyboardist from Type O negative wrote it.[/QUOTE]

I really don't trust what they say because Roadrunner said Ghost Reveries was thier 7th CD, but it's really their 8th. plus it's a 12 string guitar.

[QUOTE=The Cynic]I really don't trust what they say because Roadrunner said Ghost Reveries was thier 7th CD, but it's really their 8th. plus it's a 12 string guitar.[/QUOTE]

Which goes to show, never take anything by that label seriously.

[QUOTE=the2stranger]Morningrise > other opeth albums imo[/QUOTE]

This is true.

Edit: Here's a segment of a song I recorded this morning. It's quality is garbage, but the song is really cool live. Check it out.

[url]http://d20.yousendit.com/C/231PI4TFHD25Q1RNYIT4XCEK10/The%20Fall%20Of%20Osyrus%20(Complete).wav[/url]

[QUOTE=the2stranger]Morningrise > other opeth albums imo[/QUOTE]
Stop lying.

It's like fourth for me, now.

[QUOTE=Scruples]Stop lying.

It's like fourth for me, now.[/QUOTE]
I can never decide. MAYH and especially Morningrise have really been growing on me lately. Morningrise is seriously approaching Still Life. Even Deliverance is really rising up in the ranks. Right now it looks kind of like....

Still Life > Morningrise > Blackwater Park = Damnation > GR = Deliverance = Orchid = MAYH

[QUOTE=the2stranger]Morningrise > other opeth albums imo[/QUOTE]
I think it's a classic and a work of genius in the metal genre. It's one of my favorite albums of all time, hence my username.

I wish I could give ElectricalStorm rep. That was incredible stuff.

I may pick up the story in time, though I'm a little busy at the moment.

[QUOTE=Jude]Still Life > Morningrise > Blackwater Park = Damnation > GR = Deliverance = Orchid = MAYH[/QUOTE]

Thats about where I am right now, except I don't have Still Life or Deliverance, and GR > Orchid. Morningrise is definitely first, I've been listening to it non-stop lately. I think BRI and TBYF are my favorite Opeth songs.

Nice job Storm, I love that song.

I'm trying to get into new bands.

I've heard the great conjuring and I was floored. What are some other good things to check out from them?

Ie, an awesome album to buy?

[QUOTE=lightningmetal666]I'm trying to get into new bands.

I've heard the great conjuring and I was floored. What are some other good things to check out from them?

Ie, an awesome album to buy?[/QUOTE]

I would go with Morningrise or Blackwater Park.

Still Life > Damnation > Deliverance > Morningrise > Blackwater Park > My Arms, Your Hearse > Orchid > Ghost Reveries
That's right, Flynn, Orchid's almost on the bottom.

Still Life
Morningrise
My Arms, Your Hearse
Blackwater Park
Ghost Reveries
Damnation
Deliverance
Orchid

That's really a range of 9.0 to 9.9 though.

Such a shame D&D is so underrated 'round here.
:(

Hey, they get like a 9.4 and a 9.3 from me. I love them.

[QUOTE=Scruples]Still Life > Damnation > Deliverance > Morningrise > Blackwater Park > My Arms, Your Hearse > Orchid > Ghost Reveries
That's right, Flynn, Orchid's almost on the bottom.[/QUOTE]
And Ghost Reveries is [i]at[/i] the bottom :upset:

[QUOTE=Kage]And Ghost Reveries is [i]at[/i] the bottom :upset:[/QUOTE]
It's just not up to par with the rest.
Meh. It happens.

ghost reveries is not nearly as bad as you are saying it is. better than orchid, thats for sure. i like the diversity in GR

Ever since GR was released, I've found myself listening to Opeth heaps less. I used to listen to them... oh at least half of the time music was on. In the past month I can only recall putting on Damnation once, and that's it.

I think my disappointment in GR coupled with an interest for a genre I'd never listened to led to this. I've had no desire to put on even my favorite Opeth album. A year ago I was positive that Opeth would always be my favorite band.

Oddly, I'd still say they are my favorite band, but I just never listen to them much.

[QUOTE=whatduffhuck7]ghost reveries is not nearly as bad as you are saying it is. better than orchid, thats for sure. i like the diversity in GR[/QUOTE]

I never really said it was bad, it's just not up to par with the rest of their discography.

It beats Damnation, in my opinion. Way more interesting.

I think my list would go something like this:
BWP
Damnation
Still Life
Deliverance
Morningrise
MAYH
Ghost Reveries
Orchid