Classical composer reacts to Cusp of Eternity & Moon Above, Sun Below (Opeth) | The Daily Doug Ep156
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- #Opeth #CuspOfEternity #MoonAboveSunBelow
In this special double episode of #TheDailyDoug, I'm reacting to the second and third tracks from Pale Communion, Opeth's 11th studio album, released in 2014. These are epic songs with top notch production value. Take the journey with me! There's some interesting musical and lyrical correlations.
Reference Video: • Opeth - Cusp Of Eterni...
Reference Video: • Opeth - Moon Above, Su...
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Nah, the scratch in his voice is what makes that part beautiful;)
Agreed, I feel like scratchiness of his voice in that part really sells the energy he's trying to put out into it
11:31
@@EricGreenFrightened-Crayfish I feel like there is a difference between raspy touches to notes and scratchiness to notes. What I am talking about is the difference between here(11:31)which is scratchiness and here(14:20) which is the rasp. It sounds more soulful with the notes.
Yeah, I feel like if that wasn’t a vocal take Mikael wanted he would have gone for another one. I prefer the rawness and humanity of it, and it fits with the overall analog sound the band has been going for the last decade or so.
@@flightgravity7483 nah mikael has stated he likes when his voice struggles like that. He’s going for that. When you’re a composer with no classical training you try things and develop tastes that are outside of the norm. This is one of mikaels. He does it in In Cauda Venenem as well a lot when he can’t quite hit the right note on the falsetto.
Moon Above, Sun Below is just such an incredibly rich piece of music, I love that song!
Masterpiece!
IKR ❤️
And they played it live last tour. That was a really nice surprise :)
Fun fact: Mikael Akerfeldt, guitarist, lead singer, and primary songwriter of Opeth (in case you didn't already know that), has never studied music theory. I've read, watched, and listened to many interviews with him over the years and he does not know the names of chords or scales or anything like that. Perhaps that's why someone who is an expert in music theory might find Opeth's music a little bit tricky, or at least strange, to analyze. It was "sculpted" by ear, not designed by textbook.
That's a proof that music is one of those things that truly are for everyone... one of my favourite guitar players ever, Paco de Lucia, was similar. I do acknowledge that it's great to know this stuff (I attended a school of music myself way back when) but sometimes what truly matters is the way you express yourself through this medium. I love both trained musicians and those without any formal training who have something to say!
I’ve played for over 30 years and know just a little theory but not a lot. Im self taught mostly but other musicians love my work and can get around by playing by ear. Lol. Depends on the musician some are straight woodshed guys and some are ear guys. Im the later.
Goddamn, can you show me at least one of the "experts in music theory", who struggles with the analysis of anything related to music? You've never even tried to understand what theory is used for and you keep sowing your misconceptions
"designed by textbooks"? What the hell, who has ever done it this way at all?? Music theory is not a set of rules or laws, it's more of a systematization or classification, it acts as an information model.
I wonder if you've ever been to school, not even music school, haven't you studied physics or something? Do you know what the word 'theory' means?
what? he didn't studied music theory? it's impossible bro he is like music god
If you want more Opeth with that octatonic whole-half diminished usage, "Hessian Peel" is one to react to
Do "faith in others". Its an amazing ending song on this album!
I couldn't help but think of Doug reacting to that before I saw your comment 😁🤘
One of the most depressing songs ever.. "but you're grasping melting ice" damn Mikael, damn
definitely my favorite track off that record
That would be a great song for a piano reaction.
Side 4 of Pale Communion is amazing... Voice of Treason into Faith in Others
Brilliant analysis Doug. It is just great when you explain the notes the band are selecting....and Opeth songs go in many directions.Opeth are one of my favourite bands .. I do love the early albums with the growls but also the later albums with the clean vocals. They are heavy prog metal ...Michael Akerfeldt is heavily into 70's prog rock ..you can hear the influences...and the band have gone up another level..
I don't usually watch reaction videos - I find them to be boring and I don't think they add anything to the source material. You and Key of Geebz are my two exceptions to that rule. The clear passion you have for music and the way that you don't just sit there and emote but really dig into the piece often makes these videos more of an on-the-fly analysis than just a simple reaction. Thanks for doing what you're doing, man and I'm glad to see more Opeth on the channel.
Faith in Others is beautiful
is he react that masterpiece?
Steven Wilson and Opeth...it does not get much better.
Uh...
ANY better imo 🏆🤠
Wish double Opeth Tuesday was a weekly thing!! Great analysis, and I'm a huge Other fan (they're my favorite band), yet it was my first time hearing that second song, so thanks for the introduction, looks like I've got to step up my Opeth game.
Eternal Rains Will Come by Opeth. This is a brilliant song no one recommends and a brilliant opening to this album.
This is my favorite clean era Opeth song which doesn't seem to be as popular as it should be XD
@@jcrosato My thoughts exactly.
fuck fuck fuck! Same. Please react to Eternal Rains. Bets song ever.
could be my favorite opeth song that isnt on blackwater park.
Yes sir, I love Eternal Rains Will Come! An all-time favorite Opeth song. Pale Communion is a damn good album. I really dig In Cauda Venenum as well. Hell, I love everything they do though I wasn't as high on Heritage.
Fascinating analysis as ever, Doug. Cusp of Eternity is the song that really introduced me to Opeth (as a full-on traditional prog fan) and I haven't looked back since. The first song on the album, Eternal Rains Will Come, is also well worth a good listen. I've since grown to love of a lot of their catalogue and reckon the whole Blackwater Park album is a masterpiece. Mikael Åkerfeldt is a songwriting genius who also possesses a bottomless well of memorable, but never dull riffs.
Eternal Rains is my favorite on the album... after a listen it just nestles in the back of your mind all day long.
NEVER a dull riff is right!
@@milton1448 I don't know how he does it. It's like he has a hidden riff factory that churns them out, one after the other. They always seem to have interesting chord voicings that refresh the parts other composers can't reach (if you'll excuse the Heineken reference...).
@@arbonne1805 Well stated and fully agree
I’m in the “missing heavy Opeth” camp but have to say Pale Communion is one of my favorite Opeth albums of all time.
Doug's genuine enthusiasm is infectious, I love it
pale communion marathon...needs to happen
your reactions on them are so intresting
greetings from greece
As much as you're enjoying the later Opeth more and more, I'm thinking once you get to In Cauda Venenum you're just gonna be on cloud nine.
Such a masterpiece of an album. My favorite release of 2019
All things will pass is one of their best songs
@@luirmi1 This song is in my top-5 of anything, along with Ninjas and pudding.
@@bryanmack3380 Oh
In Cauda Venenum immediately grew to be one of my favorite Opeth albums (next to Ghost Reveries & Watershed). In my opinion it's a complety journey. As much as I like its songs on their own, they become even better when listening to the complete album. Masterpiece!
Mr Doug, please react to Hessian Peel by Opeth. There is some growling but also beautiful singing by Mikael Akerfeldt. It is mind-blowing song
Oh, I almost forgot... and this fingerstyle, beautiful guitar and oboe (I think that's oboe) melody in the beginning and later, and these strings, and this odd guitar riff in the end, and ofcourse the grooving drums. I love this song
Yes this please
Hessian Peel is such a complex piece of music. I agree that Doug needs to hear it.
Man, I’ve been hoping for more opeth reactions!
I think Moon Above, Sun Below has one of the best endings to a song I’ve ever heard. Opeth has an almost scary talent when it comes to wrapping up songs (Deliverance, Harlequin Forest, All Things Will Pass, this one, I can go on…)
Oh, how I adore the guitar solo in cusp of eternity.
Yes, very cool iconography. I think I have 3 Pale Communion t-shirts. 😎
Fuck yes! That solo just screams Ritchie Blackmore, as with most middle eastern sounding solos.
FINALLY! Really excited to see some newer Opeth from you, Doug. I think Pale Communion is the best of latter day Opeth. Mikael really started to let his prog roots take over the entire course of the band in around 2010. They haven't done anything death metal-ish since then.
Well, the scratch in his voice makes the whole difference... It's cool, it's sounds like a real human, a real take from a real singer... The flaws sometimes are attractive and weird.
Man, I love that I've discovered this channel. It's almost like rediscovering so many of the bands I love, but have drifted away from them a bit. Thank you for being here Doug
Opeth with clean vocals is just so good. This album is one of my favorites by them.
Double feature of Eternal Rains Will Come and River next time?
If you're liking this style of Opeth, check out Continuum + All Things Will Pass from their newer album In Cauda Venenum. The album is arguably their best since they switched to prog rock.
Hey Doug thanks for your amazing videos! I believe you would be interested in "Storm corrosion - Drag ropes"
I haven’t seen any reactions to Hessian Peel. That’s a shame. It’s an odd and interesting song.
So interesting as usual!
I renew the request for A Change of Seasons by Dream Theater ;)
That's the album that really got me into them. I had heard a track or two and then picked up ACoS while on a band trip. I listened to it for the first time in a hotel room, sitting on the edge of a bed and having my 17 year old mind blown.
This would be EPIC Doug!
Mikael's clean voice are magnificent. Every year it's better and better. What a musician!
Thank you for reaction!
You should check out Wilderun at some point. It's a prog metal band with some folky touches, consisting of a bunch of Berkeley grads, and they might be the only metal band (certainly the only one I've seen) that has one of it's members credited exclusively as orchestrator. I'd recommend checking out The Unimaginable Zero Summer from their latest album.
Great great awesome album and better band. Oh Resolution is my fav track.
@TRAIANVS
You're the second one (apart from me, lol) who suggests Wilderun... I've regularly been pointing to Ne Obliviscaris, Virgin Black, Anathema, Draconian and even Uchū Konbini! - to fight the lack of variety here lately. Yet Doug's choices are more constrained and repetitive every week: almost everything is Iron Maiden, Dream Theater or Opeth. 'That point' you mention, at where he should address bands like those, seems to be moving more far away: by the time he may give them a listen, it will be in a couple of years from now... There's no wonder how Nightwish went unnoticed under his radar for so long... quite of a narrow-mindedness, to say the least :(
@@Alex-fh6wn Clearly, the variety was way more present at first, then the channel steadily turned quite stagnant... Who would have expected Jinjer and Devin Townsend? The way he sticks almost exclusively to those genres (that you rightly point out) is the constraint I talked about, so the narrow-mindedness is undeniably right there! To have such a disregard for more extreme genres would be terribly sad: from Ne Obliviscaris to Insomnium, Be'lakor, Draconian, Saturnus, Swallow The Sun... and I'm leaving out the more technical extreme spectrum of metal: from Meshuggah to Quo Vadis...
Anyways, how to explain the omission of Vibeke Stene's Tristania, Therion's bunch of female singers, The Gathering's Anneke, Virgin Black's Rowan London? To ignore them at the expenses of repetition ad nauseam of Iron Maiden, Opeth and Dream Theater is nowhere near variety: those omitted are well within the scope of his tastes of genres.
After an album mixed by Steven Wilson?
What about a song by him?
The Watchmaker is an amazing Song - The Live Version from Frankfurt is monumental
Ancestral - There's an amazing live version, but NOTHING beats the studio version
or
Something different...
Doesn't need to be a reaction video... but I leave here a song by Milton Nascimento and Fernando Brandt, and amazing duo from Brazil.. They wrote so much together. The song is Sentinela, it's a very emotional song.
There's a world into this song: th-cam.com/video/IW2UjT4MbdA/w-d-xo.html
My daily request for a reaction of Blind Guardians "and then there was silence".
Also you need to check out Storm Corrosion, it was a collaborative project between Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt, they released an album in 2012 which I think is an amazing listen.
Drag Ropes and the Title track are just on another level.
Haven't watched the video but already liked it. Daily Doug on Opeth, old or new, never disappoints.
"This takes me back to 70s prog". I think you just became Opeth's best friend :)
Take a listen to Storm Corrosion album An interesting collaboration between Steven Wilson and
Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth).
Omg Drag Ropes is soooooooo good
God bless. I love your reactions. “Thats an A major!!”. Lol! Also, Opeth is incredible and it’s refreshing to see someone like yourself listen and appreciate their art. Sincerely, thank you.
You Need ANATHEMA on your raising prog life jajajajaja.... UNTOUCHABLE 1 and 2 is a great song to beggining
WHAT! just missed my favorite song on the album ( Eternal Rains Will Come)!
ok.. let's watch!!
I wouldn’t mind you listening to Allen Holdsworth- The things you see.
This would fill a 2 hour video.
I can't compute that man's level of melodic complexity.
You just got to do Incomudro - Hymn to the Atman by Kansas. A 12 minute prog journey with one of the best finales of a song (and album) ever!
Absolutely. Doug needs to do all of the early prog classics from Kansas.
@@frankbernard6819 Agreed, their debut album especially really is something special!
@@simonthemark I would love to see Doug do the following Kansas:
Journey from Mariabronn
Aperçu
Death of Mother Nature Suite
Song for America
Lamplight Symphony
Incomudro - Hymn to the Atman
Lamplight Symphony
The Pinnacle
Miracles Out of Nowhere
Cheyenne Anthem
Magnum Opus
Closet Chronicles
Hopelessly Human
I would recommend Jordrök or Kung Bore by another obscure prog rock band from Scandinavia, Änglagård. Awesome music!
Thank you stranger, it's awesome!
@@siriust6364 It's very lovely to hear that.
Jordrock is a masterpiece.
Makes sense why the first song had a huge Arabic/Middle East feel to it. It's the same Phrygian Dominant Scale, the 5th mode of the harmonic minor scale, used in "Rainbow - Stargazer" solo section, that was on B Phrygian Dominant over E harmonic minor. This song was the same thing, G Phrygian Dominant over C harmonic minor. It's a cool exotic scale you don't listen very often in Western music.
On that same vibe, I'd suggest you check "Iron Maiden - Powerslave" on a Maiden Monday.
I was literally going to ask why it has that middle Eastern feel. I knew it was one of the modes we rarely hear, but as a non-musician, I have a hard time remembering the modes and their feels.
Is it's rarity in western music related to how the 5th is functionally related to the tonic?
@@Bobbias A perfect fifth is one of the most used intervals in music. It's the base for the Circle of Fifths, it's used on most chords - especially on rock/metal, they use a lot what is called open fifths or power chords - and every time you hear a musician talking about a dominant, it's a fifth interval relationship to the tonic. There's a mathematival reason for it, a fifth interval has a 3:2 ratio to the root.
And yes, these exotic modes are kinda rare because most Western music were built with minor and major scales. But someties you hear Phrygian, Dorian, Locrian, Mixolidian, Lydian, etc. those are modes based on the Old Greek music theory.
@@jimmyggs91 I know about the perfect 5th being dominant, the circle of 5ths, and the modes. I was thinking that since the perfect 5th is as important in western functional harmony as it is, that might dissuade people from using it as the... Modal root? Not sure how you disambiguate the mode's tonic vs the key's tonic in cases where you've got modal mixture happening.
I was going to point out the exact same thing, bingo mate!
OMG, Doug… I don’t have time to watch now but this is going to be GREAT! All of Pale Communion is stellar!
Maybe Gentle Giant next?
"Knots" or "Proclamation" maybe
OMG yes
So Sincere would be a good choice as well
So many to choose from Gentle Giant. On Reflection, Advent of Panurge, Cogs in Cogs, Experience...
Free Hand would be fun too
The Moon Is Down is one of my favourites by them.
"Faith In Others" from the same album is one of the best songs that Mikael and Opeth ever created. The lyrics are so haunting and some of the best in all of music.
Yes, a very good song
Haken. Any song. HAKEN!!!
Now. Enough with the same five bands.
Visions or Celestial Elixir
Yes, Haken!
100% Agreed. So many great tunes to choose from. Cockroach King (would be my first pick) The Architech, Veil, Puzzlebox, Falling Back Down to Earth just to name a few.
Cockroach King
One thing is sure, you'll never get bored with an Opeth reaction Doug. One of my favorite bands, thank you!
Great video! I would love to see you do a reaction to lovelorn crime from Opeths latest album In Cauda Venenum. I think you'd love it too.
Been waiting for this since your first Opeth video, I knew that you would enjoy their newer material. Thanks Doug 👍
I was waiting for more Opeth thank you
Please react to Carolina IV, by Angra (studio version). They mix metal with Brazilian music...
Fairy tale from Shaman (live version) is also a great song
This album is a masterpiece
It’s very underrated. Cusp is one of their best tracks
@@linusfotograf eternal rains and river as well
Well here I am again with the pleas for blind guardian. Love your channel, the opeth, night wish and the like are always awesome. The dream theatre is deadly of course, no question. The genesis too, super cool. But honestly blind guardian, so overlooked and underrated. Twighlight Orchestra album, lots of great picks, still think Sacred Worlds album opener off At the Edge of Time or And then There was Silence - it is also super awesome. Love the channel 🇨🇦
don’t forget Wheel Of Time
@@3601-c3k yep that one too
Finally some Opeth instead of the Iron Maiden spam.
It’s neat to see you really liking Opeth. Even if Damnation (2003) is an earlier album, there’s no growling on it and it’s their first real foray into prog. Check it out next!
Love Damnation! It's been in heavy rotation for me lately :)
You will be surprised on how different this cd is....Damnation!!!!
You should react to Face of Melinda by opeth next!
Pale Communion is one of the best Opeth records
Great reaction and analysis, Doug. Pale Communion is easily one of Opeth's best works. It's sad how often it gets overlooked because it's not "heavy."
Damn, I never would've known about the symmetrical scales without this channel! Loved your head perk-up whenever a major key showed up. You should give The Contortionist a listen - the first three tracks of their album Language (The Source, Language I: Intuition, Language II: Conspire) exemplify some of the most distinctive organic-yet-synthy prog metal I've heard.
This whole album is super cool!
This was my entry into Opeth as at the time I didn't appreciate harsh vocals. That changed though :P
Mikaels growls are so contagious. You always yearn for more.
Do some more Symphony X.
Iconoclast, Devine Wings of Tragedy, When all is lost, Seven
I completely agree with the more mature, sophisticated musicians at the height of their powers. Pale Communion might be my favorite album.
I love those Opeth reactions videos Doug. Newer Opeth is amazing, more mature just like you said. I hope you get into Haken sometime soon. I think they belong at the top of prog rock, just like Opeth and Dream Theater.
pale communion is a masterpiece.
I recommend once again to listen to River from the same album😁
The divine wings of tragedy by symphony x
Please do Opeth - Bleak.
Steven Wilson + Opeth, what can go wrong
Doug, you should react to serrana by jason becker, its an amazing classical piece, do the studio version please
Here's an old Opeth fan,
They became more professional but they lost the most important thing.....Texture.
.
The new Opeth is awesome though.
The mirrored imagery in Moon Above, Sun Below video reminds me of another Swedish prog band Kaipa, they have multiple album covers like that. You should definitely check them out, eg. Unique When We Fall from the album Sattyg.
Fredrik Åkesson is criminally ignored by most music press. He compliments Mikel’s songwriting so well, and he can do it all - solid rhythms, tasteful melodic runs and super clean shred.
How about some Haken? Maybe Paradolia, or even better, Crystalized.
Faith in Others from this record is just... mind-shatteringly good.
On first listen a few years back, I always thought the changes in melody sounded quite similar to Franciscan/Gregorian chanting: mournful, mysterious, slightly ominous.
I can't think of a better album that captures the "we can do something heavier than metal that isn't metal" because of the classically bombastic nature of the album.
It's time Doug, pleeease.... it's "Therion" time, finally!!!
Please, Therion Army please... help me with this, where are you guys? Just let's convince Doug to finally react to our beloved band!!!
I'm with you 👍🏻
Loved the Opeth double header. Thank you! Please spoil us with more... and the longer the better.
I know, here come the "That's what she said" guys. 😅
No wasn't going to say it. Hey floridabelle
I had the wrong impression that Opeth had more harsh vocals... And nope
The Words - Soen | You should give this song a try as it has a powerful music video with it. 'nother swedish band w/ ex-Opeth drummer, Martin Lopez. Good stuff. Some critics of Soen are that they seemed like a Tool ripoff from their early stuff, but they turned out pretty diverse over their later album releases.
17:26 Yeah, Mikael Åkerfeldt is a massive fan of obscure 70s prog, and Opeth have evolved from a progressive death metal band to a straight up 70s prog band. And lost a bunch of fans in the process, because metal fans are very passionate about what they like, but the flipside of that is that they can be very intolerant of artists stretching beyond those narrow borders. Not all metal fans, of course, not meaning to generalize - but there's definitely a type that closes their ears to anything that doesn't fit into the metal formula, or even that of a very specific subgenre thereof.
What I call the "Slayer Generation". I have many friends who do need to occasionally remove their Metal blinkers and accept music that isn't "Brutal as f**k".
You say Opeth lost a load of fans, but I will say when I saw Opeth on the last tour for In Caudia Venunum, there seemed to be a new batch of younger fans and these fans were definitely into the post Watershed era more than the heavier stuff. It doesn't seem to be harming their sales figures either!
Spot on!
Mastodon - Jaguar God.
I'm not going anywhere :)
Auto-like enabled for OPETH reviews!!!
There’s a lot of flat-2’s in there…..And that’s what i ❤️
Yes Doug, Mikael doesn't growl on last four albums, and they're maybe more 'up your alley': Heritage (2011), Pale Communion (2014), Sorceress (2016) and In Cauda Venenum (2019). Heritage took on a full-fledged progressive rock sound, and it is It is a stark contrast to the progressive metal and death metal sounds of their past albums. I recommend The Devil's Orchard or Haxprocess from that one or Eternal Rains Will Come from Pale Communion.
You just HAVE to analyze "Faith in others"... it's one of the ten best songs of all times and all genres in my humble opinion...
SW called it his fav Opeth song iirc
I'd love to see a reaction to Ghost's 'Ghuleh/Zombie Queen"
I prefer the death metal era from opeth overall. but pale communion is the exception. incredible album and even though it is all clean it is still suuuuper heavy. love your technical analysis and appreciation of music. you should check out the ruins of fading light from crypt sermon.
Could you please react to pink floyd- dogs
Please do Stevie Ray Vaughn "Lenny" Thanks!
Caligula's Horse latest album for fun :)
I love the way you perk up whenever a band plays an unexpected major chord!
This album was really important to me during a time when I needed resolution, it’s full of moments where the dissonance resolves just like you need them to.
Instant top 5 favourite reaction. I have long argued that opeth fans only suggesting their older stuff is keeping people from developing their understanding of the band.
As for the 70s prog rock sound, i jave to say that Yes, Rush, King Crimson, Camel and Jethro Tull are all obvious inspirations for theit last 4 albums. Mikael is a fan of all these bands and Steven Wilson who played an increasingly important role in the development of Opeth has also remastered records from all of these 70s bands.
For more New Opeth i heartedly suggest checking out Folklore from the hereitage album and All things will pass from theur latest one (in cauda venemum if I'm spelling it right).
P.S. Shred and Doug both explaining the tritones symmetry in one day made me chuckle muahahaha
I recommend HAKEN -Crystallised… it's Dream Theater with emotions!
Yes yes. Crystalized is awesome. Just heard it recently.
Faith in others would be great to review. what sort of chords are those? sounds heartbreaking....
Would love to hear you check out Wintersun Doug!!! Please put Sons of Winter and Stars on your list, cheers!
It's really the same formula they use in their heavy tracks only difference really is that the heavy parts are now replaced with hard prog rock and some soft sections are now psychedelic
Recommemdation: Pain of Salvation- King of loss or The perfect element pt.1 (Remixed versions)
Black horseman by king diamond is an amazing storytelling song
Wow, never heard this band before. If the rest of their stuff is like this, I'm intrigued. Singer has a little Layne Staley (Alice In Chains) in him. Music is a mix of a few bands. Definitely got some Dream Theater going on, but dueling guitars. They've got some Ghost (another Swedish band) in there too.
Well, they have a cover of AiC Would, you can find it on youtube. And the rest of their stuff is... different, they went from black metal (Orchid, their first album) Death metal, Progresive Death, and prog metal. Give this band a chance, it will blow your mind.
about 40% of their stuff is like that, the rest is variations of progressive extreme metal
They have a vastly varied discography so be aware of that. Their earlier stuff is more death and black metal.
opeth is way above most bands especially AIC
@@ixxgxx That’s a matter of opinion
More opeth new albums plz ....