This aint your grandpappy’s Rock & Roll. Morningrise is the second album from Swedish metal gods Opeth and is reissued here on beautiful 180-gram split color vinyl. Originally released in 1996, this album showcases Opeth’s signature exploration of black metal and death metal parts juxtaposed with more acoustic and progressive elements. If you’re in the mood for some guttural, throat-ripping metal screams then look no further than “Black Rose Immortal”. Not only is this a 20-minute epic of a song - but lead singer Mikael Åkerfeldt takes violent vocals to a whole new level. Opening track “Advent” is a solid mixture of driving riffs and jazz-inspired instrumental breaks while “Nectar” is another great example of the band layering an acoustic passage into what is probably the heaviest song on the album. It’s all rounded out with “To Bid You Farewell”, a ballad in the truest sense with mesmerizing layers of guitar work. This release also includes the demo of “Eternal Soul Torture” which is a raw and disturbing view into the world of Opeth.

• music label: Back On Black 2013

reviewed by boumtje-boumtje 090914