Opeth - Ghost Reveries (2005) #Review

After a short review, very calm and angelic like Mazzy Star, I go to present a completely different album, a completely different genre, with a very different sound. And as not present one of the best Opeth albums and that same is "Ghost Reveries." A macabre conceptual disc, with a sound and a wonderfully engaging composition. It is undoubtedly a highlight album in the record of the Swedes, where they showed us that Opeth could continue to impress with their work. Under a fairly progressive sound, aggressive and at the same time calm and melodic, this album is composed. I think it's like a perfect combination between his previous albums, "Deliverance", by the strong sounds of Death Metal and the progressive and acoustic passages of "Damnation.

As I mentioned it is a conceptual album, with a very dark and terrifying base, since it deals with the demons and feelings of agony and guilt that torment an assassin. It is a rather obscure idea, but one that fits perfectly with this sound, which shows how this man is dragged by his ghosts to perdition. It is an album faithful at all times to the initial sounds of Opeth, for the characteristics that mark this band, progressive sounds that contrast beautifully between the aggressive and strong sound of Death Metal, with calm, relaxed and even acoustic sounds of Progressive Rock. Undoubtedly that is the greatest virtue of Opeth, the impressive agility for changes in the same song, hand in hand with the wonderful quality of the vocalist Mikael Akerfeldt, which has two impressive facets.

The album begins with a great song, called "Ghost of Perdition", one of the best of the album, which lasts 10 minutes, but which are not boring at all, with impressive changes, it is an unpredictable song , where all the instruments stand out, but I consider incredible the changes of voice of Mikael, it is impressive as of serious and powerful Guturals it happens to a calm and relaxing voice, impressive in minute 2:50. The second theme is called "The Baying of the Hounds", which starts with a fairly dynamic riff and the gutturals from the beginning, then by minute 3 give a darker change but keeping the sound death in the song, the best part no doubt are the last 4 minutes, when they resume some very quiet passages and then a crushing and strong end. Continues "Beneath the Mire", a theme that begins with a long introduction with a very melancholic piano melody, then unleash with thick and perfect riffs, a very good song with a slightly psychedelic ending.

The fourth song "Atonement", has a very peculiar sound, an Arabian melody in the background, that delights us with a darker and hypnotizing theme, the riff is quite good, although the voice of Mikael is almost whispered. Follow "Reverie / Harlequin Forest ", which are actually two songs," Reverie "is a little introduction, which resembles more the previous song than the next, then Harlequin Forest, a theme long and forceful, where the voice of Mikael shines to its maximum splendor, since it strongly expresses each of its facets to perfection, both calm and aggressive passages. "Hours of Wealth" is a song loaded with a lot of piano and guitar acoustic, with a very desolate voice that generates a very emotionally charged theme.

The last 2 tracks of the album begin with "The Grand Conjuration", my favorite of the album, a brutal and impressive song. I get goosebumps with only the melody and voices, the changes made in this court are impressive, starting with a very scary sound and a tense calm, to trigger in a crushing riffs along with the best gutturals without a doubt any. It is the most impressive and strong theme of the album, in terms of its Death part, and its changes. Finally the album ends with a quite calm and relaxed sound, which reminds us more Damnation than this album, and this happens in "Isolation Years", a ballad that culminates this wonderful album of a delicate way.

Opeth showed us in this composition, the musical agility that they possess, in addition to the true and very pleasant feeling that they transmit to us with their music. I think many agree that it is one of his best albums and one of the great works of progressive metal in the last two decades, it is undoubted.