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Roadrunner Records' habit of re-releasing albums with bonus material soon after the original record release continues. See Trivium's Ascendancy or DevilDriver's The Fury of Our Maker's Hand for other recent examples. On this treatment of Opeth's Ghost Reveries quite a few tasty treats await the band's growing legion of fans. These include a June 2006 recording of Deep Purple's "Soldier of Fortune" with Martin Axenrot (who, in addition to being in Bloodbath and Witchery, toured with the band in 2005 when Martín López could not do so for whatever reason) on drums, and a DVD with a 40+ minute documentary film, 5.1 mix of the entire record, the director's cut for "The Grand Conjuration" video, as well as an extended booklet with additional artwork, photos, and liner notes from Mikael Åkerfeldt his damned self. What more could you ask for as a fan of Opeth? The dual digipak layout is simply beautiful, replete with the textured feel of a bound leather volume.
For those of you unfamiliar with this magnum opus of Opeth, Ghost Reveries is a monstrous blend of Progressive Rock and Death Metal, which grossly simplifies things. Some fans cried foul -- or worse, "sellout!" -- when the band signed to Roadrunner Records but such is not the case. Opeth continued on their own musical path and really have created an original and mesmerizing release that should appeal to open-minded fans of all music. It would of course help if you enjoyed Metal in some fashion, particularly Death Metal since that vocal style can be off-putting to some. Anyhow, I will confess to having not enjoyed or gotten into the band's debut album, Orchid, though Ghost Reveries makes me want to revisit that thing and maybe even more of the band's extensive back catalog to see how the band has progressed. What a long, strange trip it surely has been. This album is solid and artful in any format.
| Tracklist |
| Disc 1: CD |
| 1. Ghost Of Perdition |
| 2. The Baying Of The Hounds |
| 3. Beneath The Mire |
| 4. Atonement |
| 5. Reverie / Harlequin Forest |
| 6. Hours Of Wealth |
| 7. The Grand Conjuration |
| 8. Isolation Years |
| 9. Soldier of Fortune (Deep Purple cover) |
| Disc 2: DVD |
| 1. Beyond Ghost Reveries: A Documentary |
| 2. 5.1 Mix of the Ghose Reveries album |
| 3. Director's cut video: The Grand Conjuration |
: 70.14
| Buy other Opeth albums |
