Opeth ‎"Morningrise" CD Digipack (Bonustrack)

Artwork by Tom Martinsen and Opeth. Track 6 is rehearsal recording from 1992.

It takes only three words to describe Morningrise: UNIQUE, BEAUTIFUL and MASTERPIECE. I'm a long time Opeth fan and i like every their album (from Orchid to Ghost Reveries) and each one is amazing in it's own way but Morningrise is simply the best and has to be amongst ten greatest Metal albums ever recorded! It's almost impossible to describe it by words but i'll try.
First, it would be pointless to describe every song individually because they're all equally great, instead, i'll try to write a review for the album as a whole. Morningrise is a pure naked melody. Melodies, melodies and even more melodies. Mikael really has that killer death vocals here (similar to those he did on Katatonia's Brave Murder Day album) and very emotional clean vocals (it will tear your mind apart!). Guitar sound is very sharp edged and "thin" and suits the album perfectly. All riffs are progressive and are executed perfectly. Yes it's true this album lacks of guitar solos (there are only few) but it really doesn't matter, you will enjoy it anyway because melodies are so beautiful they'll stick in your mind forever. Acoustic parts are great and sounding unreal. Transitions between distorted and acoustic parts are so incredible that it simply hurts! Rhythm section is truly amazing and plays very progressive with few pollyrhytmic parts that will make you smile of pleasure. Lyrics are intelligent and dark (mostly about death and sorrow) but somehow easy to understand and remember.
Production is really perfect. Not overproduced but, as someone already mentioned before, everything sounds very natural and "analog" and the whole sound is crystal clear. Take this advice: when you go to sleep, turn off all lights, put your headphones on, close your eyes, play Morningrise and ENJOY. Also, b/w front cover photo (Palladian bridge in Great Britain) is really breathtaking (even on CD format and i can't even imagine how fantastic it looks on LP) and makes this album a complete experiance not only for dark / progressive / death / gothic fans but for all people with good taste and with sense for art in a first place rather than brutality (don't get me wrong, this album is heavy but not as much as their later works).
As a conclusion, i will say only that Morningrise remains a timeless classic and the most melodic album (in all Metal and non-Metal genres) i've ever heard in my entire life! Oh yeah, the sticker on the original CD says: "EXTREME PROGRESSIVE METAL FROM SWEDISH GODS! 5 TRACKS IN 66 MINUTES OF THE BEST METAL YOU WILL EVER HEAR!" Believe me, it's all true!

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