Opeth — Blackwater Park

Scandinavian metal for audiophiles

Album score: 7.0
Audio score: 7.9

Equipment:

Source: Tidal Hifi
Streamer: ifi Zen Stream (ifi iPower2 power adapter)
DAC: Denafrips Ares II
Amp: Singxer SA-1
Cans: Audeze LCD — X (Hart Audio Cables)
DSP: Tuned to Harman Target, upsampled to DSD256

Album review:

Score: 7.0

Ladies and gentlemen, we are back! It’s been a long time! And we are probably not just back for this one. I plan to pick up reviewing again. And what an album to start with. We are coming in hard: Opeth. A metal band from Sweden. I’ve been a fan of their album “Damnation” for some time now, but I also know that album is their softest, most accessible production. So without further ado, let’s dive in!

KABOOM. The album starts just as rough as I expected/feared. I need a moment to acclimatize. Luckily, halfway into the first track heavy distortion and grunting is traded for acoustics and voices. As if the album is reaching out its hand, ready to take me along. I am immediately hit by the sheer sound quality. More on that later. Then, the track takes a progressive turn. Progressive metal. Yummy! The album “Station” by Russian Circles comes to mind. Quite a lot of praise for 1 track! Let’s see where it goes.

Ooeehhh The album continues perfectly. The balance between rough distortion and progressive storytelling is on point. Sometimes metal can get so rough and distorted that rough and distorted is basically all that is left, but that is not the case here. This is exactly the type of metal I love. It’s melancholic, sweet, progressive, but most of all, balanced. Without soft, there is no hard. Opeth seems to be very much aware of that.

Opeth can sometimes become a bit too poppy for me. “Harvest” is an example of this. I hear myself think “I see what you did there” as if they are using a simple trick to add some sweetness to the album. It sounds like an artificial sweetener and I am not buying it. It’s not bad, but it’s a bit corny. Nothing terrible, but out of place after the first two brilliant tracks of the album. I do have to admit that artificial sweetener is still pretty sweet. And as much as I don’t like to admit it, it’s tasty. Their album “Damnation” is basically artificial sweetener from beginning to end, and like I said, I like that album. But still, I feel like Opeth is capable of achieving the same effect with more finesse if they wanted to. I mean, the way “Harvest” is followed by “The Drapery Falls” says it all. As if Opeth’s big brother has picked up the guitar to show how it is done. This all isn’t a huge issue by any stretch, but I think it’s worth mentioning.

The grunting throughout the album is absolutely phenomenal. The level of control makes it sound anything but forced. As if this is his normal voice. It sounds natural, as far as grunting can sound natural. The grunting falls beautifully in the mix as well. It’s treated as just another instrument with its own place. They make it all sound easy, which I am sure it isn’t.

Halfway through I notice that I am losing focus. Either this album peaks early, or I am being exposed for not being a true metal-head. I come back to the album a day later to verify and I think the answer is a combination of both. There is nothing wrong with the second part of the album, but it doesn’t make me want to sell everything I own, move to Sweden and run around in the woods covered in warpaint with a torch like the first part of the album does. But that I am not a true metal-head is a fact as well, so all of this is for what it is worth.

So, should you give this album a try? I think the answer is simple today: if you love metal: yes, if you don’t love metal: no. This is not the type of album that is going to change your opinion on anything. It’s just a solid production from a great metal band. There is one more reason I can come up with the check it out though, and that is the sound quality.

Audio review:

Score: 7.9

Opeth is the best sounding metal band I know of. And due to their usage of softer passages this quality is easy to pick up on. This also serves as a schoolbook example of the inherent problem metal has with sound quality: distortion destroys everything. I am all for valuing creative expression higher than sound quality, so I don’t mean metal shouldn’t use so much distortion. It is just an observation. I see it as an unfortunate characteristic of the genre. The moment distortion is introduced, soundstage collapses, imaging is pretty much non-existent and songs start sounding the same. The balance Opeth strikes between distortion and softer passages is perhaps the best remedy. It’s a band aid, but a damn good one.

Applying this band aid is not the only thing that Opeth does right though. They truly excel during acoustic passages. Timbre is especially spectacular. Everything sounds so real. Add to that an expansive soundstage and top-notch imaging and you got yourself a more than solid performance. Also, there is literally nothing to complain about in terms of issues or mistakes in the sound. It’s well, recorded, well mixed and well mastered.

So, all in all, the softer parts of the album sound amazing and the distorted parts sound like distorted parts. I can’t blame the distorted parts for sounding distorted, for this is inherent to the style and genre. I can’t give praise for it either though. I’d say it’s a solid performance. Amazing within its context, great when compared to other music and other genres. A 7.9 is where I am landing.

What album should I review next? Let me know in the comments or at:

soundgeekreviews@gmail.com