Still Life by Opeth

Listening to the beautiful reissue of Still Life,  Opeth's fourth album, released in 1999, is an essential album for progressive rock.

Much has been said about this album, but I consider it a masterpiece, the perfect fusion of death metal with its distorted guitars, heavy, rhythmic beats, and growling vocals, but not only that, with the typical sound of progressive rock, an extraordinary album from a compositional standpoint.

Still Life is considered a transitional album for Opeth, marking the point where their death metal elements merged with the English progressive sound, demonstrating Mikael Åkerfeldt's passion for the latter genre.

A bridge between genres, a "true link" between the death metal of their origins and the progressive metal that Opeth would later develop.

It is a romantic and at times poignant work that combines the length of Opeth's songs with progressive melodies and dark atmospheres, making it a classic.

The songs are still long and aggressive, but there's a growing influence from English progressive rock, with a "softer" and "muffled" sound that characterizes Åkerfeldt's music and foreshadows the band's future direction.

The Moor and Godhead Lament are masterpieces in my opinion. Unlike the others, "Benighted" is a completely acoustic track with jazz guitar solos and follows the "Canzone" structure with verses and chorus. The opening guitar piece is a reference to Camel's "Never Let Go."

This is the band's first album to feature the new logo (still in use today), designed by Timo Ketola.

A fundamental work in Opeth's discography, and an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to discover the band.

Beautiful in every sense.

The Tracks

1. The Moor (11:28)
2. Godhead's Lament (9:47)
3. Benighted (5:01)
4. Moonlapse Vertigo (9:00)
5. Face of Melinda (7:59)
6. Serenity Painted Death (9:14)
7. White Cluster (10:02)

Running Time: 62:31

Line-Up

- Mikael Åkerfeldt - electric and semi-electric guitars, vocals, producer
- Peter Lindgren - guitars
- Martin Mendez - bass (Fender Precision, Samick 5-string fretless)
- Martin Lopez - drums