October 18, 1999 - Still Life

Three weeks after my last release and just 14 months since "My Arms, Your Hearse", Opeth released their fourth album "Still Life" on October 18, 1999. Frontman Mikael Akerfeldt played the bass on their last album but Opeth are back to a four-piece on this record with Martin Mendez joining as their new bassist. Opeth are still playing the same style of progressive death metal as always though, let's check out the latest from Opeth!

The album kicks off with the eleven and a half minute "The Moor" and they fade in with Akerfeldt and Peter Lindgren playing different guitar riffs and together things sound quietly epic. After almost two minutes of this both guitarists change to acoustic guitars and together they play a cool new riff with both Akerfeldt and Lindgren playing some good stuff and they somehow segue smoothly from here into a heavy new riff with everyone playing some much louder stuff. Almost three and a half minutes on we finally hear some vocals as Akerfeldt comes in with his usual, amazing low growl. He sounds as epic and awesome as ever, his voice is just so powerful and heavy! Akerfeldt reminds us that he's a a great singer as well with some nice singing vocals and there's some cool guitar backing him as well. They do a progressively wonderful job switching from loud and metal to quieter, acoustic parts and not only are the transitions expertly done, but each section sounds pretty damn epic, in it's own way. There's no weak parts to this pretty long song and it's a pretty typical Opeth way to kick things off. Up next is "Godhead's Lament" and they kick right into a nice heavy riff with some nice heavy rhythm guitar and some epic lead guitar. The first few minutes is all pretty heavy and cool and then Akerfeldt sings a short verse before they move into a typical acoustic Opeth riff with both guitarists playing some cool acoustic guitar. Akerfeldt and Lindgren play off each other so well and words don't do proper justice to all the cool little nuances throughout this lighter section. Eventually things get heavy again and some cool guitar leads the way. Akerfeldt sings and screams overtop and he does a great job of mixing up the two, and he sounds great doing both! This near ten minute song was even better than the last one! Ttack 3 is the only song on the album under eight minutes (at a mere five minutes) and it's called "Benighted". It's driven by a light guitar riff that sounds pretty good. Akerfeldt sings after a long intro and his soft voice fits the mood perfectly. After over three minutes the rhythm section finally joins in and we hear a cool light guitar solo before they move onto a slightly louder version of the main riff. With no screaming at all this is a really light song, but it's still a good one. The next track is "Moonlapse Vertigo" and the first couple minutes sound like some heavy, typical Opeth with both Akerfeldt and Lindgren playing some different guitar riffs that combine very nicely. One guitarist goes acoustic and it surprisingly works well with the heavy everything else and Akerfeldt starts to sing a verse. Things snap nicely into a heavy part with some typically awesome growling and they continue to transition smoothly back and forth between light and heavy. Mendez plays some cool bass in the lighter parts and words can't properly do justice to all the cool guitars, including a pretty sweet solo overtop a heavy backdrop. No weak points at all for the whole nine minutes, another pretty sweet tune! Track 5 is "Face Of Melinda" and it starts out with a slow almost space-y riff with some light drums by Lopez and some interesting light guitar. Mendez's bass sounds cool as well and with Akerfeldt singing nicely overtop this is a pretty cool main riff for one that is not heavy at all. After about half the song the mood shifts into a cool new riff that is nice and heavy and pretty catchy as well. Akerfeldt continues to sing and he sounds pretty good even with the heavy music. No growling at all, but still some solid music makes this a good but not great Opeth song. Up next is "Serenity Painted Death" and they begin with a typically heavy and cool riff with Akerfeldt growling very nicely. Lopez plays a great drum beat to keep time and as usual there's some pretty cool guitars, including a groovy and catchy new lead riff that Akerfeldt growls perfectly along with that becomes a great chorus. After a bit more nice heavy jamming Akerfeldt sings for the first time this track and it's a solid little verse that bridges the gap from the heavy to a quieter new part with Akerfeldt and Lindgren both playing some cool lighter guitar in their beautiful chemistry. They emerge out of this nicely back into heaviness with some more nice growls and there's even a guitar solo, and it's a good one too! I' not sire who does itz but it's a beautiful and epic solo with lots if good stuff and it leads perfectly into a new verse with Mikael singing, and this somehow seamlessly turns into the heavy and catchy chorus! Everything drops off for the final minute as we hear just the two guitarists and nothing else as they play off each other so well and we hear two simultaneous yet independent guitar parts that go together so well. All in all this was a pretty fantastic song! The final song on the album is called "White Cluster" and the first couple minutes are some typically heavy and cool stuff before the mood nicely shifts to a new riff. Akerfeldt sings an epic verse overtop one electric guitar and one acoustic guitar and the Martin's provide a pretty cool rhythm section to complete this light but very interesting riff. They slowly and epicly build things up until things are loud again, and then they drop us off a cliff into silence and one acoustic guitar starts up. Out of this they snap beautifully into a heavy new riff with some awesome guitar and drums and one hell of a long growl by Akerfeldt! It's all so awesome! It gets even better too when they move into solo time and Akerfeldt and Lindgren start trading solos! They both play some fantastic stuff in this part and I am so happy! They return to the light but interesting riff and then seem to jam things out to a close but the final 45-50 seconds is.a cool little bass part by Mendez. It's an unexpected way to wrap things up, but it sounds good enough, and the rest of the song was phenomenal!

That is the end of "Still Life" and I thought it was a pretty freaking awesome album! Martin Lopez is a pretty good drummer, newcomer Martin Mendez fits in great and seems like a solid bassist and I think the review speaks for itself when it comes to the guitar work of Peter Lindgren and Mikael Akerfeldt. The singing is tasteful and solid, and the growls are as mean and heavy as ever and I think they easily put together their best package of songs, with three of them being quite awesome! I think it's easily better than their last album, and it wasn't bad at all! I like this album even more than "Orchid" so "Still Life" is now the new top rung. I look forward to more Opeth next century!