Opeth - Orchid review
| Band: | Opeth |
| Album: | Orchid |
| Style: | Extreme progressive metal |
| Release date: | May 1995 |
01. In Mist She Was Standing
02. Under The Weeping Moon
03. Silhouette
04. Forest Of October
05. The Twilight Is My Robe
06. Requiem
07. The Apostle In Triumph
08. Into The Frost Of Winter [re-release bonus]
Opeth's debut album Orchid released in 1995 is a keeper. It isn't mentioned much by Opeth fans but it is certainly a lost treasure. New fans will stray from the album as more reviewers simply write the album off as being 'brutal' and 'sloppy' or 'solid death metal' as what I have read. The thing is that Orchid is just as diverse as Blackwater Park or their latest release, Ghost Reveries. Presented in Orchid is what will become of Opeth on a grand scale: brutal, melodic, acoustic, alternative, emotional and heartfelt by placing melodic death metal alongside acoustic and clean electric guitar rock.
An equal range of guttural and clean vocals is still in full form on Orchid. They are more raspy and poorly produced, many of the lyrics unlistenable at times. They come across as loud roars and screams. Many reviews I've read have said that there are only death metal vocals on the album; apparently, they didn't listen to the album at all or at least didn't listen the whole way through. However, guttural death metal vocals do show up more then the clean and there is an imbalance on Orchid; that would mean that sizing the vocal diversity on this album up with a later release would be unjust. Orchid oddly contains more acoustic guitar trinkets then some later albums, played by themselves with no instrumental accompaniment.
Although Orchid is nothing like the band's further evolution into stunning masterpieces like My Arms, Your Hearse, Blackwater Park or the brilliantly dark acoustic Damnation, Orchid still needs to be mentioned in any topic of Opeth because their musical diversity can be traced back to this album. If Opeth put out a debut album which was just death metal, then Orchid could be written off as an album where they didn't know what they were doing and hadn't stretched out their musical wings. The thing is that Mikael Åkerfeldt and his gang knew exactly what they were doing right from the beginning and it really shows on their debut album Orchid.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 7 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 10 |
| Production: | 7 |
Written by Account deleted | 17.08.2006
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Comments
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| Passenger Lost To Apathy Posts: 1464  |
Opeth's best pre-Still Life album in my opinion.
---- You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets. You do it at home. The rest is bullshit and you know it ~ Mean Streets
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| Damnated Churchburner Posts: 4943  |
I pretty much agree with Kap. I don't know why ppl label it as 'just another melo death album'. It's not. It has clear progressive elements, not as much as on the later albums, but it's not plain, simple, boring melo death
---- Blessed is he that murders Christ in himself and in his fellow men.  Written by TheBigRossowski on 10.02.2009 at 16:01
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| lordz IzZo Posts: 406  |
This album is a classic although I hate long songs that strech over 10 minutes ... I will give these guys an exception 
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| Kap'N Korrupt Account deleted |
Kap'N Korrupt
Account deleted
thanks for the comments guys...word needs to get out that this album is just as strong as their other stuff 
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| ylside staff Posts: 4727  |
That's in my opinion the best album Opeth recorded up to now!
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| bangladesh Posts: 170  |
The best Opeth album....it´s one step fordward morningrise, my 2nd. This album don´t have any average song, all the songs are fantastic. In the other albuns, (Except Morningrise and My harms) there are at least one or two songs that are not so good. This 3 firsts albuns are the best ones from Opeth and the 1st, Orchid, is the best album ever made from any band....8...have you eard the album???? or you only give a listen???? i believe in the 2nd because this whole album make that emotive feeling that only one or two songs from all the other albuns can make. that´s the reason for being the best.
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| Dreamwar_86 To Arms! Posts: 480  |
this album is so deep and so atmospheric i really enjoy it its one of my favorites , take a few listens to get into but its one of their best works
---- Stay Metal !!!
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| Kap'N Korrupt Account deleted |
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| BloodTears ANA-thema elite Posts: 11835  |
It was the begining of magic. I agree that this album has not one bad song. We can see their agression since here. I think it has amasing lyrics as well. Its diverse and original like seems to be Opeth's trademark. This melodies just stay in your head, they are strong. Oh, and I love the bass in here. My love for this album grew over time. "My amrs, your hearse" was always my favourite album but "orchid" threatens to surpass it with time, i suppose.
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| spirit_inblack harshhead Posts: 715  |
Not Opeth's best work, but it is better than some of their other albums. In the Mist She Was Standing is one of my top 5 Opeth songs. I love the riffs, but it would be better if there were more vocals. Silhouette has some beautiful piano work as well. One of my friends is trying to play it, but she is having a little bit of difficulty  . I still like Morningrise better, but this is an essential Opeth realease.@InMist everyone has their own personal thought about an album, and everyone's opinion should be respected. I find there are some flaws in Orchid, but if you think that it is Opeth's best album, i'll respect that. I won't go and get mad about your opinion. If everyone that listened to metal had the same opinion about every album, it would be boring. [yay, 200th post] 
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| lazarus Posts: 352  |
Agree, they knew exactly what they wanted since the beginning and they did it
---- And sometimes I despair At who I've become I have to come to terms With what I've done
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| Dangerboner Lactation Cnslt Posts: 7262  |
This has slowly become my favorite Opeth album. I like the piano song (track 3?) and I especially enjoy the clean vocals. Mikael doesn't sing often on this album, but when he does, it sounds pretty amazing.
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| Evil Chip Posts: 505  |
Mikael Akerfeldt sounds amazing in this album.... well he always sounds good. Requiem is my favourite of this album.
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| Uirapuru Liver Failure Posts: 2955  |
i like their rythms.. but.. i've never seen whats so big about Opeth... why so much worship for this good/regular band (thats my opinion). Sure they have explendid guitar work, but only that is not enough. 10 minutes each song is such a exaggeration, i can easily get some sleep while listen to this album. Besides all that, the album gets a 7 by me, for its legacy. Its not on my favorites list, but the band sure deserves a recognition for their success in the metal scene.
----  ---- member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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| Shadowcross The Summoner Posts: 481  |
I think this is by far one of their best and musically divine albums... in essence perfect, 10/10 from me. I agree with this review, how you say they knew what they wanted to do from the start. Opeth is a special band in the way that they grow on most who listen to them, the appreciation needed can take years. It is the kind of music that you forget you are listening to, as it puts you in another place. This is a very special album and should not be ignored by any fan. If you really want to appreciate this, get really really stoned before listening to it, with the lyrics handy. 
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| Warman Erotic Stains Posts: 7695  |
"The thing is that Mikael Åkerfeldt and his gang knew exactly what they were doing right from the beginning and it really shows on their debut album Orchid." EXACTLY what I believe too! Opeth did it right here with their debut. They actually almost peaked right away. Orchid can proudly stand together with all the other albums, actually hold its head up much taller than some of them (*coughs*"Ghost-Reveries"-and-"Deliverance"*coughs*). That they IMO already wrote their best song with "The Twillight is My Robe" (although they have a bunch of other songs equally good) says it all. At least for a big Opeth fan as myself.
---- 
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino staff Posts: 18274  |
Written by Warman on 11.12.2008 at 02:21 You can add Watershed to that () It's funny.. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that think that GR is fucking overrated. This album is pure magic... and probably the darkest one. It's deadly serious. And the growls are out of this world... really haunting music.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Warman Erotic Stains Posts: 7695 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 11.12.2008 at 18:06 It is overrated but I still like it though. It's a disgrace that the swedish Metal magazine "Close-Up" put it on the list of the "100 best albums 1991-2008" but left out Opeth's four first albums. And yes, Blackwater Park is on it.
----
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino staff Posts: 18274 |
Written by Warman on 12.12.2008 at 00:08 I also like that album... But it's not that good as people want us to think.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| advent Posts: 268  |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 12.12.2008 at 16:18 man you are so right. blackwater bark is a good one...but moringrise,orchid and still life are much much better.But i think the measure it by commercial success not by album quality unfortunately 
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| drudkhsheepdawg Posts: 13 |
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| BlankFile Posts: 686 |
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| K✞ulu Seeker of Truth Posts: 2570  |
Good review. Very true, Orchid is amazing and should not be overlooked in any case. This is an amazingly epic debut with great songwriting.
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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| 1Yossarian1 Posts: 44  |
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| Daniell _爱情_ elite Posts: 6061  |
Quote: This is Opeth's debut, so "still in full form" seems out of place.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist staff Posts: 21306  |
Written by Daniell on 08.11.2011 at 09:17 Maybe he means the bonus song specifically. 
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| JCJen7 Posts: 423  |
Written by Evil Chip on 08.03.2008 at 09:13 you mean the minute-long interlude song....?
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| DJ Cosimoto Posts: 39  |
Orchid is such a lost gem... they don't even play any songs from it live anymore.. such a shame coz it's not just Opeths best work alongside 'Morningrise', but maybe one of the most original, powerful and important debuts within any metal subgenre. 10/10
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| Uldreth Posts: 1150 |
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