Opeth "Damnation" CD
[Koch]
This is the one I had really been waiting for: The "softer" companion to the "Deliverance" CD. I've always been more of a fan of Opeth's softer moments, so the idea of a record based entirely around that side of the band is very appealing to me. And indeed, there are some superb songs herein, and more than a few passages that definitely bring to mind the calmer aspects of the mighty "Morningrise" (with a fuller, more professional recording). Immediately noticeable is that the drum sound on this record is far warmer and more natural than the rigid tones often employed on "Deliverance" - thankfully, as nothing would have destroyed the flow of this album faster than clicky, triggered drums. Obviously most of the material revolves around lush clean guitars, throbbing bass, and gorgeous singing vocals (often harmonized, and there's no growling present), occasionally bringing in some acoustic guitars or keyboards. When "distorted" guitars appear the distortion is fairly light, often used to accent lead breaks or add subtle texture to some of the rhythm lines. Admittedly this material can be somewhat slow moving at times, in part due to the nature of the style being focused on, and perhaps occasionally due to slightly flawed writing. But there are no bad songs, only a few moments that lessen the momentum to some degree. "Closure" opens with some wonderful acoustic riffing and vocals that have a ton of space to breathe before some token Opeth runs start to slowly build up with electric guitars, bass, and drums - later adding in some sustained notes and tribal sounding percussion that creates a far different atmosphere from the rest of the songs. "Hope Leaves" is one of the most memorable tracks in my opinion, simply due to the excellent vocal melodies and spacious composition that utilizes a lot of effective repetition and moving, emotional guitar playing. "To Rid the Disease" is a somber progressive rock masterpiece, even revamping portions of Sörskogen's "Mordet i Grottan". (I still wholeheartedly demand that Mikael Åkerfeldt and Dan Swanö cut the shit and make Sörskogen a real, tangible project god damnit!) But by far my absolute favorite song on the disc is the closer: "Weakness", which comes on the heels of the brief instrumental "Ending Credits". "Weakness" consists solely of melancholy keyboards, softly sung vocals, and the rare dash of heavily chorused guitars... beautiful, beautiful work. Amazing. The recording is perfect in my opinion. All of the textures are warm and crisp, the intricate layering within the mix comes through with perfect clarity, etc. I don't really know what to say, I have no complaints. It sounds exceptional. Once again Travis Smith handles the visuals and everything looks very nice, in keeping with the last few Opeth records. Everything is black and white, but the imagery is very quaint and the textures are excellent, as is the clean and consistent text. One band photo appears in the center spread, but the bulk of the booklet consists of faded images that connect with those shown in the "Deliverance" booklet (bedrooms, tables, lamps, mirrors, etc.) and can be somewhat hard to recognize, almost as if they were ghost images they're so light. And again, the lyrics are fine, though the content doesn't particularly grab me: "Close to ending it all, I am drifting through the stages of the rapture born within this loss, Thoughts of death inside, tear me apart from the core of my soul..." Another winner from the Opeth camp. I can't say I wasn't hoping to be a bit more excited about this, as after multiple listens I love it but still feel like something's missing, but as with "Deliverance" the band is nonetheless remaining on track and moving into new creative directions without shedding their trademark sound. If the whole album was as incredible as "Weakness" I probably would've had a heart attack. (9/10)
Running time - 43:18, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Closure, Hope Leaves, To Rid the Disease, Weakness]
Opeth - http://www.opeth.com

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