| Allmusic.com |
4.5 stars out of 5 |
link |
| The Metal Observer |
Extremely favorable |
link |
| Ruthlessreviews |
10 out of 10 |
link |
| Metal Refuge |
Extremely favorable |
5/18/02 |
Still Life is
Opeth's fourth album, released under Peaceville/Snapper in
1999, only a year after their previous release,
My Arms, Your Hearse. It was also reissued on
February 27,
2001. Up until their next album was released (
Blackwater Park),
Still Life had been the most successful. Like nearly all Opeth albums, this album combines both
death metal and
progressive rock elements. The exception is their
2003 release,
Damnation, which is completely progressive, and contains no heavy death metal vocals.
Still Life gives the narrative account of a man and his beloved Melinda, who does not return his love. Like its predecessor,
My Arms, Your Hearse,
Still Life is a
concept album, with vocalist
Mikael Åkerfeldt's voice gaining a deeper death metal style, and experimentation with the
dynamics of their songs; the transitions between soft and heavy parts. The album's "Benighted" is its only
acoustic track, containing a
jazzy guitar solo. "Benighted" is also one of the band's few songs that follow a linear song structure, containing verses and a chorus. The song "Face Of Melinda" is also a fairly soft song for Opeth, and while it does not contain heavy death metal vocals, it does contain heavy guitar
riffs. A fretless
bass guitar was used in "Face Of Melinda" to make it sound more
jazzy.
Track listing
- The Moor - 11:28
- Godhead´s lament - 09:47
- Benighted - 05:01
- Moonlapse Vertigo - 09:00
- Face Of Melinda - 07:59
- Serenity Painted Death - 09:14
- White Cluster - 10:02
Personnel
This album was the first recorded with Martin Mendez, who has continued to be the band's bass player.
External links
Last updated: 05-31-2005 14:22:12
