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Swedish metal outfit Opeth are as well known for their forays into symphonic and progressive territory as for their grinding riffs and skull-crushing power. STILL LIFE continues to refine Opeth's unique fusion: balancing atmospheric interludes (the lush acoustic guitar passage on "Benighted" is a good example) with slash and burn black metal (as on "Godhead's Lament"). Lead vocalist Mikael Akerfeldt's satanic growl sends mortal chills up the spine, but his singing can also be surprisingly melodic, as it is on "Face of Melinda". Opeth exhibit plenty of technical mastery, but it's their multi-part compositions and their ease in switching between styles that make the material on STILL LIFE so compelling. This 2 disc special edition has re-mastered stereo mix on CD plus a DVD with 5.1 surround and a live video for 'Face Of Melinda' from 2006.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Many Opeth fans argue that Still Life is Opeth's best album. For me, it's their first proper album, with unarguably great production and a little more diversity on offer than before. It is also the first to feature the classic lineup of Akerfeldt and Lingdren on guitar, and Martins Lopez and Mendez on drums and bass. Still Life treads the line of heavy and mellow perfectly, from ridiculously deathy passages on Serenity Painted Death to the guitar heaven of Face Of Melinda. As Mike Akerfeldt himself has said, it's a very dense album; every song is chock full of music, intense instrumentation, ideas and life (no pun intended). It is without doubt a masterpiece, and paved the way for its spiritual sequel Blackwater Park a few years later.
Still Life reviews are readily available, but I thought I'd provide a little more insight into the specifics of this latest release (the third, I believe). First of, the packaging is gorgeous. The album comes in a sort of hardback book, with the CD trays on the inside covers and the booklet as the pages. The artwork has been reworked (mercifully by the original artist and with the band's permission) and the new style is just as pretty as the old. The booklet features extensive liner notes from Akerfeldt on everything from he and Lindgren's in-studio hallucinations to why the Martins could not be trusted with shopping for groceries. Amusing and light hearted, and as enjoyable as he always is. The main attraction for most will be the new mix of the album. While I didn't notice the main album being much different, the 5.1 mix makes all the difference, and if you're into that sort of thing, this is the version to buy. Also included is an excellent rendition of "Face Of Melinda" live from what I presume is to be an upcoming DVD, with new drummer Axe (another Martin!). The performance is well shot and laid back, and immaculately played with fervour as always with this band.
This latest version of the album seems to be the cheapest as well, so, considering the band's fresh input, you don't need to worry about Peaceville pocketing all the money unfairly. This is an update worth your cash.
Still Life reviews are readily available, but I thought I'd provide a little more insight into the specifics of this latest release (the third, I believe). First of, the packaging is gorgeous. The album comes in a sort of hardback book, with the CD trays on the inside covers and the booklet as the pages. The artwork has been reworked (mercifully by the original artist and with the band's permission) and the new style is just as pretty as the old. The booklet features extensive liner notes from Akerfeldt on everything from he and Lindgren's in-studio hallucinations to why the Martins could not be trusted with shopping for groceries. Amusing and light hearted, and as enjoyable as he always is. The main attraction for most will be the new mix of the album. While I didn't notice the main album being much different, the 5.1 mix makes all the difference, and if you're into that sort of thing, this is the version to buy. Also included is an excellent rendition of "Face Of Melinda" live from what I presume is to be an upcoming DVD, with new drummer Axe (another Martin!). The performance is well shot and laid back, and immaculately played with fervour as always with this band.
This latest version of the album seems to be the cheapest as well, so, considering the band's fresh input, you don't need to worry about Peaceville pocketing all the money unfairly. This is an update worth your cash.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Still Life is, for me, Opeth's most accessible album, and the best starter for those not from an extreme metal background (as I certainly wasn't when I first heard them). The first song that drew me in was Face of Melinda, a stunning track that remains one of my favourites. It took me much longer, and seeing them live a couple of times before I _really_ got to appreciate the death vocals on some of the other tracks. However, it does not take long to start getting into them, and perseverance even if you are not at first a fan yields huge rewards. This album, as other reviews mention, is a concept album; the story is (at least in comparison to other Opeth work) fairly easy to follow, and is well documented elsewhere. I am undecided as to whether (as other reviewers argue) the story adds to or detracts from the overall quality, but it at least makes the lyrics more interesting to read. When reading the next section, bear in mind that there isn't a single Opeth song ever that is actually bad, and any criticism is relative to Opeth standards, which stand not just head and shoulders above the rest but dwarf them.
The album opens with a typical Opeth plucked acoustic guitar riff that breaks out into The Moor, a good opener, but not one of my favourite tracks. Of course it is a fine song, but by Opeth standards, fairly run-of-the mill. It is easily surpassed by the raging Godhead's Lament, a song containing one of the best riffs ever written, and an excellent mix of death vocals and singing. The next track, Benighted, is not one of Opeth's most inspired works, a slow ballad that lacks some of the intensity of their other slow and/or quiet tracks. It is fairly unrepresentative of the body of Opeth's slower work (try Credence on My Arms, Your Hearse or Harvest on Blackwater Park), but still a pleasant interlude with good acoustic guitar work. Moonlapse Vertigo, the following track is almost entirely death vocals and heavy guitars, and has a fine instrumental break in the middle. The unsurpassed Face of Melinda comes next, and never disappoints after any number of listens. It is split roughly in half, the first section acoustic guitars and the second heavier, but is sung throughout. Serenity Painted Death has some excellent excellent riffs and is one of the best heavy tracks. The only annoyance is that the guitar cuts out at the end; it sounds like a mastering error but I read that it was deliberate because Opeth were bored of using a fade. Still Life closes with White Cluster, a good, heavy track that completes the album well and brings the story to its inevitable conclusion.
This album is a metal classic, with some of Opeth's best work. If you don't already have it then you've unfortunately missed out on the first two pressings with their card slipcase, but a Digipack is hardly worse and irrefusable at this ridiculously low price. Buy this, then buy Blackwater Park, then buy all the other albums and marvel at a career that comes as close to perfection as is possible.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Opeth really are fantastic but this is exceptional, the best albumn i have ever heard, and this comes from someone who listens to virtually no other death metal bands, indeed i am usually into flamenco! So never be put of by the narrow minded people who lump Opeth into that genre and leave it at that, they do everything and do it all so well. Death metal vocals are not easy to listen to if you are not use dto it.....however with time you begin to appreciate them (i cant do it!) especially after seeing them live (5 times for me) he really can just switch between his amazing melodic voice and then his 'demon of the fall' voice without litres of water.
It is in this album that they really hit the spot for me, it satnds in the middle of their early work which was more raw and unforgiving and the newer albums where the become i think a little more experimental than the had done in the early days. Still life combines the best of those worlds and every song is a classic pact with amazing guitar riffs and fantastic song construction the twists and turns in the music are quite unpredicatble, never boring and always rewarding. Softer beuaty is acvailable in the Face of Melinda and Benighted whilst white cluster and serenity painted death show the heavy monster they can be. The Moor however stands out to me as the best song to open an album.....after years the hairs stand up still when it reaches the end of the buildup when Aekerfelt begins to roar.
It is in this album that they really hit the spot for me, it satnds in the middle of their early work which was more raw and unforgiving and the newer albums where the become i think a little more experimental than the had done in the early days. Still life combines the best of those worlds and every song is a classic pact with amazing guitar riffs and fantastic song construction the twists and turns in the music are quite unpredicatble, never boring and always rewarding. Softer beuaty is acvailable in the Face of Melinda and Benighted whilst white cluster and serenity painted death show the heavy monster they can be. The Moor however stands out to me as the best song to open an album.....after years the hairs stand up still when it reaches the end of the buildup when Aekerfelt begins to roar.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Opeth - Still Life
'Sttill Life' was released in 1999 and is therefore Opeth's fourth record, a year after 'My Arms Your Hearse' and two years before 'Blackwater Park'
Still Life is a... Read more
Still Life is a... Read more
Published 2 months ago by N. Green
A sad but beautiful story
I really like this album, and this band as well !
If you don't know Opeth, they are in my opinion progressive, death metal. I hate naming sub genres though to be honest. Read more
If you don't know Opeth, they are in my opinion progressive, death metal. I hate naming sub genres though to be honest. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Metalmythology
Creative peak?
I have most Opeth albums and feel comfortable in saying that this represents their creative peak as a band, although Black Water Park is a peak in terms of musical execution and... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Bathing Ill Mom
Good from start to finish...
even for someone like me who isn't into this genre of music really (just gets the odd thing to try). Read more
Published 19 months ago by Paul
Amazing concept album
This album is one of the best when it comes to concept albums. You can make a concept album out of any album, really. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Scott Peers
Simply stunning
I only discovered Opeth about a year ago. I thought I had become an age where 'death metal' was a thing from my youth (i'm 47). Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2009 by Marc Van Kerschaver
brilliant
if im honest i just bought this album so i could have an opeth album in my collection. Last year they were on the defenders of the faith tour and a magazine i was readin said that... Read more
Published on 23 Jan 2009 by Lewis
as close to perfection as an album is likely to ever get
To put it very, very bluntly indeed; this album is nothing short of a MASTERPIECE, definately Opeth's best work to date and one of the great albums of all time. Read more
Published on 10 Oct 2008 by Schpleeb
Opeth's magnus opus
I'm not going to drone on about the brilliance of this work of art, my review title sums it up short and sweet. Read more
Published on 7 Oct 2008 by mangaholic
another triumphant masterpiece
recently purchased this deluxe edition with new packaging and more important the 5.1 mix (dvd) wich compliments opeth's music just perfect. Read more
Published on 28 May 2008 by A. Mcfadyen
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