01	The Leper Affinity						10:23
	02	Bleak						09:15
	03	Harvest						06:01
	04	The Drapery Falls						10:53
	05	Dirge for November						07:53
	06	The Funeral Portrait						08:44
	07	Patterns in the Ivy						01:52
	08	Blackwater Park						12:06

send by ABBA 17 feb 2003

B L A C K W A T E R P A R K

Released: March 12, 2001
Running time: 67:13

Tracks:
1. The Leper Affinity (10.23)
2. Bleak (09.16)
3. Harvest (06.01)
4. The Drapery Falls (10.54)
5. Dirge For November (07.54)
6. The Funeral Portrait (08.44)
7. Patterns In The Ivy (01.53)
8. Blackwater Park (12.08)

Bonus tracks:
Still day beneath the sun (4.34) (2Cd edition only)
Patterns in the ivy 2 (4.12) (2Cd edition only)
Harvest - Cd-rom video clip (2Cd edition only)

Published by Zomba music Ltd.


As per usual I found myself in the drivers seat while the four of us were driving down to Gothenbourg to record our 5th opus, Blackwater park. This was the first album that I'd come up with the title even before we started the recordings. It was kinda nice working for something that had a title for a change. Our accomodation this time was the studio. In fact, Fredrik Nordstrom had arranged a little room next to the Studio 2 that had 4 beds. That's all we need really. We stayed there for 2 weeks or so while for the last 4 weeks of the recording we had rented Mikael Stannes (Dark Tranquility) flat. They're on tour and we're friends from before, so fortunately there was no problem.

For this recording I'd been demoing some stuff at a friends house. He has a studio and could help me to record all my ideas. The only problem is that he lived pretty far away from where I was living and I had to stay the night if I needed to work. Still it was very helpful as more or less complete versions of the songs were done there.

As for most of the stuff I had an rough idea on how the songs should sound. And we also rehearsed a little bit...3 times I guess it was.

The recording itself was rather smooth, and the "painfully concieved" quite in the booklet was put there because it looked cool more or less. Still, I must stress out that recording an album is far from the glamour that I guess a lot of people think it is. It's always hard and painful, it's just a matter of exactly HOW tough it's going to be. Now, since we have done "Deliverance", looking back at the "Blackwater" recording seems like it was like a stroll in the park.

This album was the first we did with Steven Wilson. We were all pretty psyche about working with him as well as to get to know him. I'd met him before, but Peter hadn't, and he was pretty nervous I guess.

One of the production features of Porcupine tree that we love most is the so- called "telephone" voice. This we used on "Drapery falls" and on several backing vocal things on this album. Now, working with Steve, you can go like "Telephone voice here" and everybody knows exactly what you mean. It's as much a Opeth thing now as it is a Porcupine tree thing I guess.

Opeth are pigs! Yes, you read right, pigs I tell ya! We were so filthy in the studio that we were mistaken for being bums. There was no shower in the studio, so if we wanted one we had to go to a work-out place close by. Myself (Lord stink) + the Martins kept dirrrty for the first 10 days. The first to wimp out was Peter who took regular showers...

We have videos of the entire studio process, and there are footage of us when we look just awful. My own girlfriend was disgusted with me after seeing those pictures.

As for the recording I think everything went rather OK. We're lazy muthas so we don't work until we feel like we wanna work. Soilwork was in the studio at the same time, and those guys are serious. We seem like a bunch of amateurs in comparison. They were working all the time. When they came into the kitchen for a break, we're still there, on the same break we took 3 hours ago. Anyways, this helps us in a way, cause when we do work, everybody is psyched and interested. We don't want this to become a "job", or something you do because you have to. We wanna have a good time, and thus we only work when it feels right.

Looking back on this recording session I have nothing but fond memories of it. I'm pretty sure it was hell, but as I said, in comparison with our last recording, hell has got a new face.

As we recorded this album we obviously had no idea it was going to become our most succesful album ever, out selling "Still life" by 400%!

These 2 songs I recorded on my own since we were all scattered across the globe at the time. They were recorded in a very simplistic fashion. At my house and at my friend, Jonas Renkses house. The songs themselves were a mish mash of ideas I had previously demoed and now finally put together into songs. Guitar and vocals, that's it. Naked and stripped down for a change. I like the way they turned out. Needles to say these we're excusively recorded for the reissued limited edition of the "Blackwater park" album"


Complete list of equipment used for the recording:
BLACKWATER PARK, Studio Fredman:

Equipment section:
Electric guitars: PRS CE24, Gibson Les Paul Custom
Acoustic guitars: Seagull S6CW, Yamaha 12Str
Bass guitars: Fender Jazz bass (Marcus Miller sign.)
Drums: Ludwig Custom, Zildian & Sabian cymbals
Amps: Laney VH 100L, Engl 100W, Peavey 5150
Strings: Dadario 010, GHS 045 (Bass), Dr. Thomastik 457
Effects: Boss GT3, Electro harmonix small stone, E-bow, etc





Blackwater Park
Date of Release Feb 27, 2001

Not since the release of Tiamat's groundbreaking masterpiece Wildhoney in 1994 has the extreme metal scene witnessed such an overwhelming show of fan enthusiasm and uniform critical praise as that which was bestowed upon Blackwater Park, the astounding fifth effort from Sweden's Opeth. Of course the album's impact has yet to be tested by time and the scale of its influence, and few would argue its very obvious stylistic debt to Wildhoney itself, but such conjecture shouldn't detract from Blackwater Park's well-deserved acclaim. Rarely does a band manage to break new ground without losing touch with its roots, but Opeth remain steadfastly committed to their black metal origins, which they regularly unleashed in all its savage fury throughout the album. A work of breathtaking creative breadth, Blackwater Park (named after an obscure German progressive rock outfit from the '70s) keeps with Opeth tradition by shattering the foundations of conventional songwriting and transcending the limits of black metal with its progressive rock aspirations. The difference between this effort and prior offerings lies not only in the remarkably high songwriting standards achieved by main man Mikael Akerfeldt, but also in the first-time involvement of Porcupine Tree leader Steve Wilson, whose contributions as producer lend an unprecedented fluidity in the way the band presents their inventive arrangements. Divided not so much into songs as "movements" (as the band likes to call them), tracks start and finish in seemingly arbitrary fashion and traverse a wide musical terrain including, but not limited to, acoustic guitar and solo piano passages, ambient soundscapes, stoner rock grooves, and Eastern-tinged melodies (the vocals also run the gamut from bowel-churning grunts to melodies of chilling beauty). With all this in mind, pointing out exceptional tracks is mostly an exercise in futility, but in the spirit of first-time listeners, these are urged to start out with the Arabian-flavored riffs of "Bleak," the memorable chorus of "The Drapery Falls," the surprisingly gentle intro of "Dirge for November," and finally, the all-encompassing title track. Then, with patience, the rest of the album's grand scheme will be revealed. - Ed Rivadavia

1. The Leper Affinity (Opeth) - 10:23
2. Bleak (Opeth) - 9:15
3. Harvest (Opeth) - 6:01
4. The Drapery Falls (Opeth) - 10:53
5. Dirge for November (Opeth) - 7:53
6. The Funeral Portrait (Opeth) - 8:44
7. Patterns in the Ivy (Opeth) - 1:52
8. Blackwater Park (Opeth) - 12:08

Martin Mendez - Bass
Steven Wilson - Guitar, Piano, Vocals, Producer, Engineer, Mixing
Mikael Akerfeldt - Guitar, Vocals
Peter Lindgren - Guitar
Fredrik Nordstrom - Engineer, Mixing
Martin Lopez - Drums
Travis Smith - Design, Cover Design
Goran Finnberg - Mastering

2001 CD Koch International 8237
2003 CD Import 31284




OPETH
BLACKWATER PARK

Koch International; ASIN: B0000584V3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jonny Sez...
The book and subsequent movie High Fidelity did a pretty good send up of record store clerks and music geeks who do things like categorize their music in terms of relevance. People of this ilk are also way too into the history of rock; they are constantly spouting off about how rock evolved from the blues. So what? Einstein evolved from a hamster if you go back far enough (I know - they shared a common ancestor).

Opeth has nothing to do with the blues. Opeth has nothing to do with rock. In fact, they have nothing to do with Scandinavian Death/Doom Metal . Much like the great and northern NoMeansNo is always lumped in with "punk" even though they redefine the genre at every sound check, Opeth completely transcends not only Death Metal, but music as well. These guys pull off more shit during the first song on their first album than the majority of bands will in a career.

On their fifth album, Blackwater Park, Opeth not only pick up where they left off with Still Life, but they keep on running so as that no other band even has a chance to ever catch them. "Bleak" is the name of track 2, and it is the highlight of the record. Think Middle Eastern death metal. Not only is Ackerfeldt the only Cookie-Monster voiced guy I can listen to with a straight face, but his clean vocals are more gorgeous than usual.

Like all Opeth records, Blackwater Park is a true masterpiece. Anyone who tells you different thinks that REM's old stuff is good.



Ruthless Ratings
Buy It Or Burn It: Buy It. Plus, that way you get all the track listings. They have songs called, "The Drapery Falls" and "Dirge For November."

Quantify It: 10 out of a possible 10. No weak spots or nothing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When it was suggested to Mr B that Opeth were as good as Nomeansno he replied thusly
I seriously hope you were taking the piss.

This is just production line doom, death, black, shite, kak metal.

I won't say that this is the worst band I've ever heard cos they aren't, but as good as Nomeansno? You've got to be fucking kidding.

They desperately want to do for death/doom/black metal (though they're not like any of those bands, HONEST) what Metallica did for thrash in the 80's and to a certain degree they do succeed but that's not exactly a hard achievement with the musical genre they're trying to advance being the bottom of the musical food chain.

I could make a better record if I taped myself having a wank. (sorry "The Gerogeriegege" have already done that)

Lets review the songs in no particular order:



Leper Affinity - ooh, Voivod sound good lets copy them and rehash Leper Messiah for a title
The Funeral Portrait - Lets cover ground conquered in the 80's
Harvest - A classic guitar intro, how original, let's follow it up with some boring wank and more original acoustic shit
Patterns In The Ivy - Acoustic guitar again what a fucking shock.
Harvest - Acoustic shit yet again. Are these guys desperate for and MTV unplugged slot or what.
Dirge For November - Surprise Surfuckingprise another acoustic intro. God these guys are so deep!!!!!!!!!!!
Bleak - Doesn't really sound like anything apart from shit metal.
Blackwater Park see no. 7
Here are (only) 10 bands/artists you should check out before OPETH (Not counting NoMeansNo)

Can
Spacemen 3
Black Sabbath
Buddy Rich
Ruins
The Prestidigitators
Killdozer
Funkadelic/Parliament
Captain Beefheart
Any Jah Wobble except "Take Me To God"
Mr. I know what the fuck I'm talking about B.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erich Swings to the Rescue

Mr. B., what have you done?

Listen gubnuh, you're wrong to say that black/doom metal is the bottom of the musical food chain. We all know that that position is occupied Creed, Kid Rock and the other plankton sold at malls. Scandinavian metal is much closer to the top of the chain - like an octopus or something. If we're talking about popular music only, it's a tiger shark. Listen to Covenant for God's sake! But that's not the main issue; Opeth is.

Opeth are masters of all that they survey and there are two main reasons. One is emotional intensity. I suppose it's no surprise that this would be lost on a Brit. We say "Unwound," you say "Travis." We say "Fugazi," you say "Radiohead." Let's call the whole thing off. Or maybe just the Spice Girls. Anyway, Opeth's music has this quality that only great music has, by which even simple melodies somehow feel like the climax of a Bergman film. I can't explain it, but it's there.

Second, melodic complexity. Culture is no excuse here. Opeth's music is sometimes like a great symphony insofar as a casual listen reveals pleasing, but simple sounding and intuitive choices. Like pop. But unlike pop, if you listen more closely, as the normally astute Mr. B has obviously failed to do, and you hear complex and unusual melodic choices. How many other rock bands have melodies of this quality? As far as I know, only POD and Blink-182. [Ed Note: That is Erich's strange attempt at sarcasm]

Opeth are amazing in all of the more mundane ways, like musicianship. But the above is what sets them above. Metallica are a good comparison, but I've found that Metallica aren't as good as they sounded when I was 15. Opeth really are as good as I thought Metallica were ten years ago.

But hey, if you can't hang, you can't hang. Stick to kidney pie and Oasis. I am gonna check out that Japanese techno girl you were raving about though.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. B Replys
Sure Kid Rock etc., is lower in the musical food chain than Opeth but that goes without saying. If Opeth are an Octopus then NoMeansNo are Jaws who eats people who eat octopi.

As I said it's not the worst album I've heard, but for me they are covering conquered ground. They haven't contributed anything fresh musically, and while I understand that freshness isn't a pre-requisite for liking something, it is for a band to be considered the best in the world! All the way through this CD I just kept thinking that I'd heard it before, from the suspicious "Creeping Death" sounding lick toward the end of the title track to the "Shudder To Think" vocals of "Bleak", I could go on. For me it isn't emotionally intense at all. It doesn't take me to that special music place your trying to describe, it just makes me think of other bands who took me there.

I will let the "Bare Naked Ladies" sum up my defence.



IT'S ALL BEEN DONE
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one

With regards to Metallica, are you sure you haven't filed it in the wrong sleeve and put on "Agent Steel's Unstoppable Force" or something by mistake?

"Master Of Puppets" sounds as good as the day I bought it (Jesus that's 17 years ago).

DISCLAIMER 1 Mr B in no way endorses Bare Naked Ladies products and that no attempt should be made to play their CD's in the home environment. Radio DJ's are trained professionals or are supervised by trained professionals and Mr B will not review any Bare Naked Ladies CD's sent to him.

DISCLAIMER 2 Mr B in no way endorses Steak & Kidney pie or any other meat based product (although if your desperate there is a chip shop in my home town of Penrith that serves a nice home made one with thick gravy)

DISCLAIMER 3 Mr B does not endorse OASIS who are so lacking in ideas that now they've run out of Beatles songs to rip off they've started to rip off their own songs. Do yourself a favour America, ignore them as you have wisely done most other UK pop music.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Schultz Weighs In
DISCLAIMER; no one has EVER IN ALL HUMAN HISTORY won an argument on who is a good band and who is crap. So I'll start out with some facts.

These 4 things don't mean you have to like Opeth, but they are true.



Opeth has chord progressions where 4 OR MORE melodies are playing at the same time. Most metal does not.
Opeth has many moods in one song-from the epic to the dissonant to the acoustic/melancholy to the wacky prog/technical stuff. Most metal does not.
Opeth has songs that don't follow the usual verse/chorus/bridge/verse/chorus of METALLICA or THE BEATLES, or the do-this-8-times-then-do-that-8-times blueprint of later metal bands. There actually seems to be some thought put into the arrangement of the songs..
Their kick drum doesn't sound all clicky. Christ I hate that.
Abandoning objectivity, let me say why I think Opeth is among the best:

Most bands are lucky if they were even recorded correctly. Some really lucky bands have catchy riffs, or good loud/soft dynamics, or emotional realness, or creativity. Opeth has EVERYTHING on EVERY SONG. That can't be just luck. Knowwumsayin? I've been to literally a dozen metal record stores in 4 countries and asked for 'more music that sounds like opeth' EVERY TIME the response has been, 'no one sounds like Opeth.'

Maybe I'll ask them if anyone sounds like CAN or FUNKADELIC.