Opeth’s first album, Orchid, was a mixed bag. It certainly provided interesting ideas and a fresh take on death metal, but ultimately the songs lacked cohesion and drifted for too long. Morningrise sees Opeth starting to move away from their early sound towards the more familiar sound of their modern work. It still has some of the same problems as their debut, but as a whole it’s a much better album.
The album starts with “Advent”, which works as a strong opener. It features a lot of their now well known transitions between heavy and soft sections, and it uses them very well. The dual guitar leads that occupy this album provide a layer of complexity that their later albums would lack. The soft, melodic sections of this song feel almost medieval in their sound, and help to establish an engrossing atmosphere. Overall the songs works well, but its long length works against it as it doesn’t stay interesting throughout it’s entire length.
“The Night and the Silent Water” is by far the best song of the album, and is a highlight of their live show even to this day. It has some great dual guitar riffs, and the massive buildup and climax in the latter half of the song is one of the most memorable moments in Opeth’s catalogue. This song stands as the pinnacle of Opeth’s early years. For the third track, “Nectar”, I’m going to use a strange analogy. It’s a bit like a summer blockbuster – entertaining while you’re listening to it yet very forgettable once it’s over. There’s certainly nothing wrong with it and has some very fun headbanging moments in it yet I never think about it when the song’s over. Due to the forgettable nature of the song, I would consider it the filler of the album.
“Black Rose Immortal” is notable for being both the longest Opeth song released so far and the only one to reach past 20 minutes. As such, it often feels like a suite of songs instead of a cohesive whole, with occasional silence between different sections. As a single track, it lacks a sense of direction. Despite that, however, I often feel that it receives some undeserved flack from both the fans and the band itself (I’ve heard them diss the song on numerous occasions). It has some very strong heavy and soft parts and while it does stumble a bit under its own weight, it’s certainly worth listening to.
The last track is “To Bid You Farewell”, which is the softest song on the album featuring no harsh vocals and acoustic guitars almost the entire song. It’s a very relaxing song that has some touching lyrics and memorable guitar parts. Unfortunately its length works against it, as 11 minutes is just too long for this sort of thing, and if it had been half the length it is it would have been much more effective. That being said it’s still a great song and a good way to end the album.
Morningrise is a step above what Opeth accomplished with Orchid but is still miles behind the masterpiece of My Arms, Your Hearse. While Morningrise is definitely the sound of a band in transition, it’s still essential listening for any Opeth fan. It has some very impressive moments that are only hampered by the album’s sometimes lack of direction. If you’re trying to get into the band, start with the aforementioned My Arms, Your Hearse or Still Life.
Rating: 3.5/5
Tracklist:
- Advent [13:44]
- The Night and the Silent Water [10:59]
- Nectar [10:09]
- Black Rose Immortal [20:14]
- To Bid You Farewell [10:54]
