Probably Still Life, though Orchid has more harsh vocals. Orchid focuses more on the twin harmony thing, where as Still Life is melodic, heavy riffing with lots of acoustics. It's also probably the most technical Opeth album, guitar wise.

[QUOTE=Dunkelheit509]Probably Still Life, though Orchid has more harsh vocals. Orchid focuses more on the twin harmony thing, where as Still Life is melodic, heavy riffing with lots of acoustics.[/QUOTE]


I think I may get Still Life then and get Orchid for my birthday.

Don't let me turn you off, Orchid is still excellent. It's just Still Life is often reguarded as the bands master peice, and for good reason.

[QUOTE=Dunkelheit509]Don't let me turn you off, Orchid is still excellent. It's just Still Life is often reguarded as the bands master peice, and for good reason.[/QUOTE]


Im going to get Orchid anyway. Just not this week.

[QUOTE=Dunkelheit509]Don't let me turn you off, Orchid is still excellent. It's just Still Life is often reguarded as the bands master piece, and for good reason.[/QUOTE]
Unless you're part of that filthy "Blackwater Park" crowd.

You stay away from those kids, they'll get you into trouble.

[QUOTE=Scruples]Unless you're part of that filthy "Blackwater Park" crowd.

You stay away from those kids, they'll get you into trouble.[/QUOTE]
Reya Dawnbringer...4/9 Angel I believe that brings a creature from your graveyard to play at the beginning of each upkeep? "hangs head in shame"
I played Mtg for too long:)

[QUOTE=Scruples][B]Unless you're part of that filthy "Blackwater Park" crowd.[/B]

You stay away from those kids, they'll get you into trouble.[/QUOTE]

Don't make me castrate you with a ballpoint pen. :angry:

But yea, Still Life is miles better, I think, than Orchid. And a ton harder to find.

[QUOTE=Scruples]Unless you're part of that filthy "Blackwater Park" crowd.

You stay away from those kids, they'll get you into trouble.[/QUOTE]
I think both are equal, personally.

[QUOTE=Dunkelheit509]I think both are equal, personally.[/QUOTE]
I like BWP slightly more...

/shrug

I still think both are equal, but Still Life is a little more consistent in goodness, but the high points of BWP are higher then that of Still Life, thus making the albums pretty equal for me.

^ I'd say that theory is pretty true. Still Life on the whole is better...only 1 track seems like it doesn't belong (Face Of Melinda, IMO). BWP has a few.

However, what BWP lacks in consistency, it makes up for in awesomeness in the good parts. Bleak, The Leper Affinity, certain other riffs throughout the whole album are 30 times better than the good moments on Still Life.

Oh, and the iTunes visualizer is officially the greatest thing ever. A Change Of Seasons by Dream Theater supplied the theory, Blackwater Park confirmed it. Go try it.

meh, dont pick at things, all albums are amazing in thier own respect.
honestly, i prefer still life to blackwater park, but that is as of now, it seems ever few weeks i have a new "favorite" opeth cd

You know that real melodic riff at the end of Forest Of October. Ive been listening to this song for months and just realized that that riff is the same riff as right after the intro but not distorted. How slow am i.

[QUOTE=Jude]A month? You should check up on that...sounds shady.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, they sent me an email sayin one of them is delayed so they're just gonna stall the one they have so they send me both together.

So close to havin all 8!

Same thing happened when I ordered from Play.com, they sent me Come Clarity a week before Reign In Blood. Pain in the Beeeehind.

As far as BWP and SL...

BWP is my fav, I agree with DoG, the highs are much higher... on BWP.
Plus it was my 1st Opeth album and the 1st Opeth song I ever heard was Bleak.

/Hold BWP close to chest. :p

Most people I know say that the song Dirge For November is boring but I love it!

[QUOTE=Cathedral]Most people I know say that the song Dirge For November is boring but I love it![/QUOTE]
I've started to like it a lot more recently.

I'm one of the Still Life crowd...BWP is up there, but I think my order goes SL > Morningrise > BWP. Not necessarily in order of quality but just how much I like the albums. I think BWP has more high points than SL but SL is more consistent. Plus the concept is really cool.

[QUOTE=Jude]I've started to like it a lot more recently.

I'm one of the Still Life crowd...BWP is up there, but I think my order goes SL > Morningrise > BWP. Not necessarily in order of quality but just how much I like the albums. I think BWP has more high points than SL but SL is more consistent. Plus the concept is really cool.[/QUOTE]
I love how the song has no intro, it just starts with some beautiful acoustic and Mikeal's clean voice, the song loses it's goodness near the end but I can stand it.

I was looking up all of Opeth's setlists they've done in America and In Mist she was standing has never been played :(

[QUOTE=^Dream~Theater^]I was looking up all of Opeth's setlists they've done in America and In Mist she was standing has never been played :([/QUOTE]
That's actually good, because Mikeal said he doesn't like to play the same songs over and over again in the same place, so that just raises the chances of it being played over some other Orchid song that has been played.

Hehe, The new skin is cool. And I personally think that Dirge For Novermber is great. The heavy section has some very cool and interesting riffs.

[QUOTE=Cathedral]Most people I know say that the song Dirge For November is boring but I love it![/QUOTE]

Dirge for November is one of my favorite Opeth songs.

I agree with the consistancy thing. Still Life is more consistant. Blackwater park does have some slightly better songs on it though (Some of Opeth's best; Leper Affinity, Bleak, Harvest, Drapery Falls) but the rest of the stuff isn't anywhere near as good IMO. Still Life does have some amazing moments though, I'd say it's the best Opeth album.

When I listen to My Arms, Your hearse now though, I hear an almost consistantly inferior version of Still Life. Which isn't necesserally a bad thing, cos I honestly think it's actually a good album now, just never quite being a masterpiece.

Still Life and onward > before Still life

[QUOTE=Treebeard]Still Life and onward > before Still life[/QUOTE]

I totally agree. IMO It's predecessors lacked in the songwriting department.

Uhh... what? That's sheer idiocy.

IMO, it goes in this order:

My Arms Your Hearse > Still Life > Morningrise > Deliverence > Damnation > Blackwater Park > Orchid > Ghost Reveries

[QUOTE=Eleventeen]Uhh... what? That's sheer idiocy.

IMO, it goes in this order:

My Arms Your Hearse > Still Life > Morningrise > Deliverence > Damnation > Blackwater Park > Orchid > Ghost Reveries[/QUOTE]
It's not idocy, it just depends what you look for in the band. I prefer Still Life and on to pre SL also. But I love it all, as I've said before.

It really ISN'T idiocy. Pre SL songs lacked any sort of structure...it was just a bunch of different riffs jammed together.

[QUOTE=Shattered_Future]It really ISN'T idiocy. Pre SL songs lacked any sort of structure...it was just a bunch of different riffs jammed together.[/QUOTE]

I disagree, the newer stuff has hardly any actual structure for the most part either, just certain songs, and for the most part those songs are on [I]Damnation[/I].

Morningrise owns every other Opeth album.

[QUOTE=Eleventeen]I disagree, the newer stuff has hardly any actual structure for the most part either, just certain songs, and for the most part those songs are on [I]Damnation[/I].[/QUOTE]

What? The songs are way more structured on the newer releases, the way they return to previously played riffs, or verses. The stuff on the older albums really did have no structure, it was just stuff put together, but it still worked for that style of music.

[QUOTE=UpperDecker]Morningrise owns every other Opeth album.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, well, that comes down to opinion.

[QUOTE=Dunkelheit509]What? The songs are way more structured on the newer releases, the way they return to previously played riffs, or verses. The stuff on the older albums really did have no structure, it was just stuff put together, but it still worked for that style of music.[/QUOTE]

I concur. And D&D are now my favourite Opeth albums!!!

[QUOTE=Dunkelheit509]What? The songs are way more structured on the newer releases, the way they return to previously played riffs, or verses. The stuff on the older albums really did have no structure, it was just stuff put together, but it still worked for that style of music.[/QUOTE]

Yet if you compare it to something like, oh say Linkin Park, it's a lot less structured, is it not?

A lot of progressive stuff isn't structured at all, and that's what gives it its beauty, the songs progress from one part to a whole new section. It's not just a bunch of cool sounding riffs thrown together, it actually flows well, does it not?

Underoath's first two albums were a lot like that too, to say that their newer stuff is better because it's, "more structured," would be a crime.

[QUOTE=Eleventeen]Yet if you compare it to something like, oh say Linkin Park, it's a lot less structured, is it not?

A lot of progressive stuff isn't structured at all, and that's what gives it its beauty, the songs progress from one part to a whole new section. It's not just a bunch of cool sounding riffs thrown together, it actually flows well, does it not?

Underoath's first two albums were a lot like that too, to say that their newer stuff is better because it's, "more structured," would be a crime.[/QUOTE]

But the structure is not the only reason I prefer the newer stuff. They have generally IMO improved their sound and have evolved more as musicians. And by structured, it doesn't necesserily have to be Linkin Park's Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus/Bridge/Chorus. I prefer some structure in songs and generally I feel that the earlier stuff is two stop starty for my taste. Thus Morningrise is my least favourite album. (I do not have Orchid yet but I have some songs from it.)

I guess what's being... said here is that around... pre My arms, your hearse, the songs flowed from a riff to another like just copied-pasted after the other. Black Rose Immortal is a great example of that. The song is like a bunch of songs put together into one massive song. Not exactly bad or anything like that, it just seems like they have really found a way to make it "progress" into the next section, more than just putting unconnected riffs one over the other.

However, Ghost Reveries was D&D minus the double package. It contains both the soft/mellow side and the heavy side, all in one package, but for some reason it just doesn't feel very well together.

...

Oh yes and Still life drags in the acoustic parts. :eek:

There I said it.

[QUOTE=TojesDoLan]

Oh yes and Still life drags in the acoustic parts. :eek:

There I said it.[/QUOTE]

:amaze:

How dare thee!!!

[QUOTE=JamJar]I concur. And D&D are now my favourite Opeth albums!!![/QUOTE]
While they are both very solid, they don't compare to Blackwater Park and Still Life if you ask me.

And if I had to pick between Deliverance and Damnation, I'd probably go with Damnation.

[QUOTE=JamJar]But the structure is not the only reason I prefer the newer stuff. They have generally IMO improved their sound and have evolved more as musicians. And by structured, it doesn't necesserily have to be Linkin Park's Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus/Bridge/Chorus. I prefer some structure in songs and generally I feel that the earlier stuff is two stop starty for my taste. Thus Morningrise is my least favourite album. (I do not have Orchid yet but I have some songs from it.)[/QUOTE]

Blah, I think the newer stuff is better than Orchid, but I think [I]My Arms, Your Hearse[/I] and [I]Morningrise[/I]are masterpieces.

[QUOTE=JamJar]:amaze:

How dare thee!!![/QUOTE]
I don't know. I'm not particularly in love with the acoustic parts in "the Moor" and some other assorted acoustic parts. They are just way too much.

However, I enjoyed the little acoustic parts such as... the one in "karma". Short, amazing, to the point. Yep. Probably the song length had something to do.

[QUOTE=TojesDoLan]I don't know. I'm not particularly in love with the acoustic parts in "the Moor" and some other assorted acoustic parts. They are just way too much.

However, I enjoyed the little acoustic parts such as... the one in "karma". Short, amazing, to the point. Yep. Probably the song length had something to do.[/QUOTE]
How many people have told you that your avatar is slightly disturbing?:)

And I'll agree that the opening two or so minutes to "The Moor" is a great way to open the album right before the heaviness kicks in. That's got to be one of Opeth's best songs of all time.

[QUOTE=Eleventeen]Yet if you compare it to something like, oh say Linkin Park, it's a lot less structured, is it not?

A lot of progressive stuff isn't structured at all, and that's what gives it its beauty, the songs progress from one part to a whole new section. It's not just a bunch of cool sounding riffs thrown together, it actually flows well, does it not?

Underoath's first two albums were a lot like that too, to say that their newer stuff is better because it's, "more structured," would be a crime.[/QUOTE]

Actually, there are some parts on Orchid that I find don't flow very well, where as you would almost never find that on SL or BWP. Linkin Park is formuletic (verse, chorus, etc.) and repetitive, where as the later Opeth, while still holding on to the main structure of a song, is still able to venture outside the box and explore new sounds all within one song, while still making it fit, and have meening in the song. This is done well with songs like "The Drapery Falls" where the song starts off formuletic, but instead of just returning to the chorus after the solo, it goes into a completly new direction that still flows perfectly, then it returns to the sound displayed earlier in the song, then fades away with the intro riff. That's an example of what I meen by "structured". There are songs that are much different then this obviously. Dirge for November comes to mind, and I think the reason I (and seemingly many others) don't like it as much as the rest of BWP, is because it doesn't flow as nicely, as say, Bleak. Bleak has a structure, it's just a different structure then that is shown throughout the rest of the album, but still flows very well. (I still hate Steves vocals in that song though :p )

I hope this made sense, it's kind of hard to explain what I have in mind.