*sigh*...Opeth

[Eric***]

Man, Opeth.

If you would just get rid of the growling vocals and double-kick-drum metal drumming, I would love your music. As it stands, I like most of your music a lot, but those two things make it hard to digest large quantities of your songs in one sitting.

Regards,

Eric

---

So much talent in that band...

So...for everyone else, is there a version of Opeth without the cookie-monster-ing and constant 16th-note bass-drum beats? I already know of Porcupine Tree, which seems to have bloodlines to this sort of music. Anything else you can recommend?

[Katastrophe]

Man, when Spud finds this thread you are in for a treat... He'll have a number of progressive bands that you might not have heard of that fit the bill.

[bcdon***]

Sorry, Eric... but Opeth is perfect just the way they are. I love the growls, double-kicks, and everything else that makes them Metal. Their calmer stuff is awesome as well. You just need to immerse yourself with them for a few weeks and then you'll get your thinking straight. ;-) BTW, check out their live concert at the Royal Albert Hall; totally awesome.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/opethlive/

[Spudman***]

What albums have you listened to? Watershed is great with minimal growling and Damnation is great too.

Go spend some time at http://www.dprp.net/reviews/index.php and read some reviews. You'll certainly find something new that you like. They have links to clips as well.

Also, go back in thefret "Have you heard" archives. I've posted plenty of good Prog. Blackfield you might like if you want the moody haunting stuff. That's a Steven Wilson project.

[Eric***]

What albums have you listened to? Watershed is great with minimal growling and Damnation is great too.

Past couple of days has been a lot of Blackwater Park, maybe some earlier stuff like Orchid too. Not really too sure -- I just loaded all albums up in VLC and let it go to town, skipping around every once in awhile. I'll check out those two albums -- I'm listening to Watershed right now, and that's the album I'm most familiar with from my earlier time listening to them.

Also, go back in thefret "Have you heard" archives. I've posted plenty of good Prog. Blackfield you might like if you want the moody haunting stuff. That's a Steven Wilson project.

I've heard of that before. Is that the collab between Wilson and the Akerfeldt guy from Opeth that you posted about once?

[bcdon***]

Also checkout Damnation for some calmer stuff. And... I suggest you pick a single album and listen to it many times instead of listening to bits and pieces at random. I generally listen to the same album for weeks on end before I truly appreciate them.

[FrankenFretter***]

Orchid is a good album.

I know what you mean, Eric. There are more than a few bands that I love for the music and/or musicianship, but have a hang up with either the lyrics or the vocals. Nevermore is one example. I love the music, and the vocalist has great pipes, very Geoff Tate like, but the lyrics seem to almost be a parody of themselves. It drives me nuts, because there's so much potential there. High On Fire is one of the vocalist gripes for me. I don't hate the vocals, but much like Opeth, I think it would be so much better to let go of the Sesame Street muppet vocals. Also, bands like Alter Bridge, where the vocals and musicianship is great, but it's just a little too poppy for me.

Yeah, I hear ya man.

[Tig***]

High On Fire is one of the vocalist gripes for me. I don't hate the vocals, but much like Opeth, I think it would be so much better to let go of the Sesame Street muppet vocals. Also, bands like Alter Bridge, where the vocals and musicianship is great, but it's just a little too poppy for me.

I'm with you on some of these, FF. High On Fire's vocals are very Lemmy-ish, which is OK, but we only need one Lemmy! They still make some great stoner-ish metal. The latest Alter Bridge album got a bit heavier than the past ones, but some of the songs are a still bit mainstream at times. At least they aren't Creed!

I love Opeth, but I sometimes wish for less monster in my cookie vocals. Mikael Åkerfeldt is an excellent song writer and musician, to say the least. The acoustic guitar passages are enough to make you put aside the electric and attempt similar beauty.

[bcdon***]

Have you people lost your mind? First Opeth, then High On Fire!? What is next?
I'm sure you guys would be happy with this guy as the lead singer of your tin-metal band.



LOL. Just teasing you, my friends.

[Spudman***]

Have you people lost your mind? First Opeth, then High On Fire!? What is next?
I'm sure you guys would be happy with this guy as the lead singer of your tin-metal band.

Barney is currently at the Crossroads rehab center in Antigua. Fame is a fickle mistress.

[marnold***]

I love the double bass drum thing. Always have. I agree about the Cookie Monster business though. Have you listened to The Sword's "Warp Riders"? I guess I'd call it stoner metal even though that doesn't mean much.

Even though I'm not a fan of Cookie Monster vocals, I still like 3 Inches of Blood (although they've lost the Cookie Monster guy now).

[Spudman***]

Try some Dead Soul Tribe or Psychotic Waltz.

[Tibernius]

I personally like the whole double-kick-drum/growled vocals thing, especially the sudden changes to it that Opeth use. But I know what you mean, it's not to everyone's taste and it can definitely get boring after a while.

They're not strictly the same genre as Opeth, but you might want to check out Mastodon (if you haven't already). Particularly the Crack The Skye album, and the songs:

Oblivion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6WGNd8QR-U
and The Czar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx2fp-kKOIw

To me, at least, they have a very similar feel to a lot of Opeth's albums. Some incredible guitar playing as well.

[bcdon***]

They're not strictly the same genre as Opeth, but you might want to check out Mastodon (if you haven't already). Particularly the Crack The Skye album, and the songs:

Oblivion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6WGNd8QR-U
and The Czar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx2fp-kKOIw

Mastodon is very good. Speaking of which, Eric, weren't you supposed to see them live?

[Eric***]

Mastodon is very good. Speaking of which, Eric, weren't you supposed to see them live?

Yup I saw them...end of last year I think with Alice in Chains and the Deftones. They were pretty good, but I didn't know many of their songs, so it was kind of a wash. The Deftones were absolutely horrible. Alice in Chains was ridiculously good, even if the new guy can't hit all of the notes with the same power of Layne Staley.

[Eric***]

Oblivion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6WGNd8QR-U
and The Czar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx2fp-kKOIw

That's pretty good stuff -- I'll look into them some more.

[groverj3]

I'm sure you've heard of Dream Theater. So I won't bother recommending them. Symphony X is another progressive metal band that I enjoy a lot.

I would check out Ghost Reveries, its my favorite Opeth album. I'm probably in a minority thinking that though, lol.

[bcdon***]

I would check out Ghost Reveries, its my favorite Opeth album. I'm probably in a minority thinking that though, lol.

Well, add me to the minority because that is a great album!

Check out In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall for an awesome live anthology. Great concert!