37. Opeth - Still Life (1999)



Genre: Progressive death metal

Opeth is a Swedish progressive death metal band from Stockholm. The band was formed in 1990 and has since gone through several personnel changes. Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's driving force since joining the group immediately after its inception in 1990.
Opeths music is rooted in death metal but they have always incorporated elements from various other genres such as progressive rock, folk, blues-rock and jazz into their music.
Opeth's music is charecterized by the use of strong dynamic shifts from soft acoustic guitar interludes to heavier metal riffs as well as going from melodic clean vocals to death metal style growling.

Opeth has released nine studio albums in their twenty year career and Still Life is the fourth studio album. The story starts as the main charecter returns to his old hometown from where he was banished years earlier for being a heathen and not having the same faith than the other town inhabitants. The man returns so he could meet his old loved one Melinda that he had to leave behind years ago. Soon the man hears that during the time he has been gone Melinda has become a nun. The man tries to convince her to leave the town and follow him, but Melinda declines although she loves him. Soon the girl is killed by the townsmen for talking with his old love. Hearing about the demise of Melinda the main charecter goes on rampage killing the inhabitants of the town. The guards catch him and soon they hang him.

I used to be a huge Opeth fan for a long time, but these days I don't care that much for them since they have steadily gone worse after Still Life.
I was quite hesitant at first about even writing about this album, but this album is just so great I had no other choise. Everything about this album is great. The story, lyrics, songs... everything. I think this album is a masterpiece and I love it so much I even have two different copies of it in my CD collection. Im also going to buy the vinyl as soon as I get myself to buy a new vinyl player.

Track listing:

1. The Moor
2. Godhead's Lament
3. Benighted
4. Moonlapse Vertigo
5. Face of Melinda
6. Serenity Painted Death
7. White Cluster

36. Charles Boston - Your Mind Leaves Faith to Dance With Possibilities on Light Ropes Above Dark Abysses



Genre: Post-rock, instrumental

Charles Boston is the solo project of a swedish guy called Simon Allzén.
That's about all the information I have about this project. I heard about Simon Allzén when I went to see Ef earlier this year. He was their tour guitarist at that time.
Your Mind Leaves Faith to Dance With Possibilities on Light Ropes Above Dark Abysses is basically an EP but I don't want to restrict myself on writing only about full length albums.
This album is really cool and has beautiful stuff on it. Guitars, Saxophones and some Alan Watts and Charles Bukowski mixed in there also. You can download the album free from his Last.Fm page.

Track listing:

1. You just left but I miss you already
2. When sunshine lacks, we turn our backs away from the glory days
3. Little japaneese footsteps in my garden
4. Silverette (Alan watts version)
5. Weak is the wilderness
6. Where bomb pilots lay down to rest



also the guy looks really cool with the moustache and all

Originally Posted by Pedestrian Hey, did that album ever get corrected on lastFM, to your knowledge? I'd still like to hear it in full. I haven't forgotten it.

35. Isis - Panopticon (2004)



Genre: Post-metal

Isis was a post-metal pioneer founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1997 and later relocating to Los Angeles.
Isis' early music was deeply rooted in hardcore and metal but their 2002 released album Oceanic the music had started to include elements of post-rock and ambient. This change in style helped in creating the whole genre of post-metal.
In 2004 Isis released Panopticon which saw them dwell deeper into the post-rockish ambient sound.
Unfortunately in 2010 Isis decided to break up.

I remember when I bought Panopticon from a record store while visiting in Helsinki few years ago. I had only heard a few songs from Isis and wasn't a big fan but for some reason I really wanted to buy the album when I found it in the record store. When I got home I listened to it for the first time and fell in love with it. Isis is one of the bands that I really respect and Im sad that they broke up before I had the chance to see them live. Well stupid me for not going to see them the last time they were here, but back then I didn't know they were going to break up only few months later.

Track listing:

1. So Did We
2. Backlit
3. In Fiction
4. Wills Dissolve
5. Syndic Calls
6. Altered Course
7. Grinning Mouth