[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx85NoHnZx0[/youtube]
Metal Insider contributor Anthony Maisano is listening to a different metal album that was released on that day every day this year. 16 years ago today, Opeth released their third album, My Arms, Your Hearse.
This is Opeth’s third album, and also a concept album. Man, what a difference there is in Opeth from their death metal days to their more soft, progressive later years. No matter what era, Opeth’s great musicianship and composition are there. In fact, the track “Credence” has clean singing, and shows what the band was going to become a few albums further into their career. I really love the solos all across this album, and the occasional acoustic guitar breaks. Opeth has always made long songs, and for the most part, their songs certainly deserve to be as long as they are. I was very interested in all of the new parts to each song as they went on.
I’m actually glad the band stopped being a death metal band. Now, I know this sounds terrible, and I even REALLY enjoy their death metal stuff! The reason being, there just isn’t much that set them apart from a TON of other progressive death metal bands. Their work is really interesting for sure, but not all that unique when it comes to progressive death metal. Going in a softer direction made them a bit more distinct, to me.
Favorite Tracks: “The Amen Corner,” “Demon of the Fall,” “Karma.”
There was no doubt to me that this was a really solid death metal release. Good riffs, and very interesting parts all across the board. The only shame for me was that it wasn’t really one of a kind. But then again, not every album has to be unique to be great. I recommend this album for sure. It was just a really solid, enjoyable listen, in my opinion. Check it out!
