Deliverance (the kind that doesn't involve dueling banjos)

Hey guys,

I know, I know...

If any of you are even still checking here for updates, it's been over six months since I've posted anything here. I've still been taking things in, but I've been posting about them over at my Facebook page.

Upon thinking and thinking about returning to the Llog, though, and some inquiries about it by new acquaintances in the realm of social media, I've decided to come back here, post and TRY and keep it semi-regular if I can. I mean, if someone's asking for more of my input on the things I take in and is actually listening to what I have to say... Well, then call me vain, but I feel the urge to get on it. :)

Anyway, in a capacity that almost scares me, I've been listening to a band called Opeth. I've listened to almost nothing else for, oh, probably a couple of months now. I've done a little "mini-review" of each one of their albums and have posted those on Facebook. If you're interested, you can dig through my wall or if anyone cares THAT much, leave a comment here on the Llog and maybe I'll revisit some of those reviews here.

Now then, I've finished up my listening of Opeth's sixth "observation" (album) this evening. What I've been doing on Facebook is posting some of my favorite tracks and saying a bit about them. Here it goes for "Deliverance".

*-NOTE: I know I say this on almost every post where I'm referencing videos and such, but the names of the tracks I post will appear ABOVE the songs. Just in case you wanna go listen to or buy them or whatever...

From the very first time I spun this album I've gotta say that the title track "Deliverance" just slapped me in the face. In a good way. Take a listen below.



"Deliverance"



With Opeth songs, though I love mostly ALL parts of every song, it's always the parts with the clean (not the growled "death metal vocals") vocals that are playing over and over again in my head all day. I enjoy them in this song, as well. There's a nice, mellow part at 1:50 that has some of these and also another heavier part at 5:00.

The one that really gets me for this song, though, is the part at 8:58. There are a few vocal lines (you'll hear them starting with "Deliverance...") that have a reverb on them and kind of bounce back and forth over each other, echoing eerily. I've been in love with that part since first hearing it.

At 9:58, we start a nice heavy jam devoid of vocals. It's got a heavy groove with staccato guitar parts and speedy double bass driving them along. This too, really caught my hear, even from first listen. I love it.

The last minor thing that I love about this one is just the presence of a couple of piano chords at the end. The piano kind of backfades (comes up in volume) until the actual chord is hit and then fades back away. Something minor, but a genius touch, in my opinion. You can hear it at 13:00 into the song.

And now, contrasting (as I usually do) I'll throw up one of the more mellow pieces from the album. This is one of the shortest Opeth offerings in their catalog, but a beautiful short instrumental that I think will stick with you. Enjoy "For Absent Friends" below.



"For Absent Friends"



I love this one. And if you cant afford two minutes and seventeen seconds to listen to pure beauty, the thing that really wows me on this one is the simply gorgeous lead guitar work, starting at :50.

Well folks...

The Llog is back and I've said my piece about Opeth's "Deliverance".

I'll try not to stay away so long this time.

Peace...