This Week I Listened to Opeth: Blackwater Park

[@BenEller]

This week, I listened to Blackwater Park by Opeth, but what should I listen to next week?

[@Xplora213]

Orchid. Or In their darkened shrines by Nile. Or Prometheus by Emperor... 2000 was an incredible time for music.

[@carlodecao4139]

Symphony X - The Odyssey

[@yvesacj]

Rage - Soundchaser

[@fede6126]

Steven Wilson 😁

[@herculesrockefeller8969]

Waterloo - ABBA

[@yash9410503314]

I see Opeth, I click without a moment's delay

[@vikasbiliye5023]

Bete, mauj kardi

[@anilmertkinay]

Second this.

[@lifeblood06]

Same

[@yash9410503314]

@@vikasbiliye5023 😂

[@rickplaysguitar2943]

Same

[@S_burgess0]

The GOAT album

[@defunctuserchannel]

First time that a song frightened me.

[@cjborton]

My favorite album by any artist of all time 👍🏻

[@alexkenley1]

yeah you're proabably right

[@aggelosf2008]

Honestly you could make an entire 40 minute video on the song Blackwater Park alone. That song is a masterpiece and heavy as fuck. This album is Opeth at their finest. Also, more Opeth videos would be amazing. As always, great video uncle Ben

[@aglees2b]

Snap! Fully agree that is flawless.

[@Celatra]

I'd say Still Life is opeth's best album. Blacktwater Park is kind of a step down imo.

[@gj4312]

@@Celatra I think both are beautiful albums but I think blackwater park is the better album because of pretty much everything ben brings up. How unconventional and complex it is while being easy to listen to and feel. I don't understand how the fuck they do it.

[@Celatra]

@@gj4312 ..and you're saying Still Life isn't unconvential? Out of the two, Still Life is more creative and uses more keys than BWP. All songs on bwp except for Drapery falls are just stripped down Still Life songs. My Arms Your Hearse and Morningrise are also very unconvential. Its almost like unconvential is Opeth's trademark sound... I love opeth and i love bwp. Was my first prog death album i adored. But I can't help but feel like it's a stripped down, simplified still life. Songs on BWP feel a bit forced too compared to Still Life

[@gj4312]

@@Celatra oh not at all. I didn't mean unconventional compared to other opeth stuff, all opeth is unconventional. They break the mold in everything they do. I just think for how easy it is for a novice listener to feel the subtle complexities of blackwater park is what makes it such a genius album. Much of the same applies to still life, I just think the effect that you get from blackwater park's depth and the intention behind it is second to none. Don't get me wrong, still life is absolutely one of my favourite albums of all time and I see why it could be your favourite of the two. I wouldn't call them stripped down still life songs at all. That's just completely inaccurate, they're entirely different. I'm not even claiming that blackwater park is necessarily more complex than still life. I think the effect that it creates is more powerful and has stronger intent. I see nothing that is forced in there because while the ideas are complex, they are concise and brazen in their use.

[@PelleKuipers]

I have to admit I didn't finish your video. I got through half way and then I got too distracted listening to Opeth. I've got a confession to make: I never listened to them properly. Now 3 hours later I still haven't finished your video, but I have a new appreciation for Opeth. Thanks!

[@erikberg8352]

Same, and now I can't stop digging deeper. The combination of Steven Wilson's production (from Porcupine Tree) and Opeth's evolving sound took this album to "Best of..." well, pretty much every list.

[@guyinpajamapants6892]

Lol

[@jaycobyhyde2742]

Omfg I was about to do the same!! Lmfao

[@jonbuckley]

I love this Rick Beato's Step Son Vibe format.

[@BenEller]

hahaha i'll take it!

[@fcamiola]

Beato doesn't even know who Opeth is....

[@litos_mendes]

​@@fcamiolayou would be surprised

[@tose5566]

@@fcamiola no I did see him mention it them one time but I see your point

[@Epochstudios]

What? I'm so confused. Uncle Ben is his own man and entity and just as good if not better than Rick betoe. I mean, beato not to be disrespectful. Rick is cool, but Uncle Ben is hella better. If Rick would not shy away from 7 string guitar and extreme styles of metal, I could see him being the king. But that's not Rick. He is a Beatles fleetwood 60's and 70's guy, whereas as a teacher, he should include and dissect everything, including Opeth, Dimmu borgir, Morbid angel to depeche mode. But the dood is hung up on the Beatles, stones, and the like from those eras. Rarely, he dabbles in other things.

[@Unserene]

Great video Ben as always. Speaking of misheard lyrics RE: Harvest, Mikael said once on a live show “When i came out of the recording room, everyone was laughing. I said, why are you laughing? Then Steven Wilson said “those lyrics sounded like “Born of cement, but it’s me who’s tomato”. Now you'll always hear that. You're welcome ;)

[@BenEller]

Hahahahahaha wowwwwwww I’ll never unhear that!

[@Juliankb39]

God dammit!

[@5150forevermore]

This album holds a special place for me. Huge marker in my life. The Drapery Falls intro is something else.

[@MartyDadRiffs]

Harvest was the first Opeth song I heard. I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought it was going to be all mellow kind of acoustic stuff. Bought the cd the day it came out, and holy shit!!! Had a definitive effect on my playing. Great video. Thanks, Uncle Ben!

[@alfother]

Friend of mine gave me Opeth's discography back in 2012 and said "these dudes are BRUTAL". Only album that had its metadata correct was Damnation...took me another four years until another friend re-introduced me to open my eyes.

[@IbaChiba]

Man I still remember back in high school in 2010 randomly going on Wikipedia and looking up and reading about different music genres, and finding a list of progressive metal bands and seeing Opeth pop up and decide to give them a listen, best decision EVER.

[@KaldDodeGitarist]

I know a lot of people who hate opeth because their songs are too long, and I don't understand why. People will sit down for a 2 to 3 hour movie in a theater, but can't stand for a song that's over 3 minutes long.

[@Xplora213]

Opeth arrangements are absurd... like doom metal or ambient levels of absurd. Ben does a great job of explaining why it’s ok, the key changes are a massive palette cleanser and reward your patience - but if your ears demand a change every 8 seconds (rap!) then waiting 15 or 20 is unreasonable 😂

[@FringeSpectre]

I think the criticism is valid. I love opeth but even I think they go on for a bit too long sometimes. It's not the length that's the problem though, its simply them playing the same measure like 15 times when maybe 4 or 5 times would've sufficed. Long songs are great if there is enough variety. Regardless they're one of my favorite bands so hold your angry rebuttals please.

[@hazardeur]

@@FringeSpectre i always say that everybody can write a music piece that's 30 minutes long but almost nobody can write a song with that lenght

[@2giantmonsters]

Check out Wobbler's Merry Macabre.

[@craigjames1082]

@@FringeSpectre Ya I completely agree. Love Opeth, one of my favorites, but they're absolutely guilty of dragging the same thing out too long

[@fallxtoxdead]

I've been waiting a long time for an Uncle Ben + Opeth video. My heart is full.

[@BenEller]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@fallxtoxdead]

Mr. Eller you could fart on a snare drum and make it sound magical. I enjoy all of your content. Stay healthy good sir!

[@drewpeterson9236]

Listening to Opeth while driving by/ walking through the forest on a cloudy autumn day when the leaves are changing colors is an experience like no other.

[@benbaer3525]

I didn't Get into Opeth until 2019, but once I finally got it They're my favorite band. I still constantly listen to their 1995 - 2008 records and purchase the Garden of the Titans Bluray combo pack.

[@blackmetalbreadstick]

The solo in Blackwater Park is actually Mikael. The cool thing about the dynamic between Peter and Mikael is that both of their styles compliment each other and neither of them ever really “overplayed” Don’t get me wrong though I love Fredrik. Peter’s solos just sounded a bit more mysterious and evil. Especially Moonlapse Vertigo and Deliverance

[@tylerjacobson8012]

His solos are like basic arithmetic compared to akesson’s calculus. Fredericks solos are so much better and interesting. Watersheds solos are perfect.

[@blackmetalbreadstick]

@@tylerjacobson8012 His solos are like basic arithmetic compared to akesson's calculus. Fredericks solos are so much better and interesting. Watersheds solos are perfect.

[@DanWhiteT]

Moonlapse Vertigo is the song that finally got me to love and not just tolerate death metal vocals, true story. The solo duel (you know what I mean) is so great.

[@morgancross5481]

Yeah good call, even though it uses a really similar lick that Peter would later use in the first Deliverance solo, that one is Mikael for sure. You can always tell by the vibrato because Peter had a weird, smaller vibrato whereas Mikaels was always wider and bluesier.

[@brandonknight4945]

Its painfully obvious which solo's are Mike and which a peter as soon as a bend of any kind is involved. peters are usually a little weak and out of tune while Mikes were very spot on.

[@rsoulburnz]

Thanks again for teaching me the outro of Dirge for November

[@parrydox.gaming]

It’s crazy just how long opeth has been a part of my life. They are one of those handful of bands that have always been there and always will be there.

[@clintfu]

Thanks for mentioning the bonus tracks “Patterns in the Ivy II” & “Still Day Beneath the Sun.” Great songs!!! 👍🏼

[@thejonathandoan]

Bleak is my favorite Opeth tune. Nothing like a good build up, and Bleak has one of the best builds into the best riff section of all Opeth (in my opinion, of course) - at 6 minutes 40 seconds in the song.

[@BenEller]

sooooo good

[@honkberfkin6394]

Uncle Ben, you're legit as fuck. Opeth is my favorite band of all time, and this is the album that got me into them. Thank you so much for doing this!

[@tose5566]

Okay you've convinced me. I'll listen to it for the third time tonight.

[@mestengo22]

Awesome Uncle Ben love the way you close up on your fingers hey doggy!

[@alecneevel2897]

This was actually the album that got me into more "hardcore" progressive metal - anything with distorted vocals. I was 18 and a really big Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree fan at the time, but hadn't gotten too far into progressive metal beyond them. Imagine my surprise when Steven Wilson showed up on "Bleak" with vocals! Still one of my favorites to this day, and I was very happy to snag a copy of the 20th anniversary issue. It sent me down an awesome musical road!

[@neckcheese1356]

Hey, when the camera's positioned just right, it makes the spider's legs turn into Uncle Ben dreadlocks lol. I was super curious about Opeth around 2005, so I decided to just buy a couple songs at random. Went with Karma and The Leper Affinity. Only took me 1 listen of each one to realize that I had been missing something amazing, and ordered an Opeth box set the next day at work. One of the best musical purchases I have ever made. My favorite track on the record is Dirge For November. I just love how it starts so soft, then transitions to heavy, and then holy f**king heavy when the vocals kick in.

[@XiXora]

Yes! Patterns in the Ivy 2 is beautiful. I'm glad that had a mention.

[@funeralmuse]

Simply one of the best albums ever made. This video was a treat, great new format!

[@ar156]

The "drapery falls" gives me goosebumps every time

[@531ff]

Bleak was the first Opeth song I heard . Immediately fell in love and spent the next couple of months digesting everything I could .

[@td601]

Man I love this album. Blackwater Park, the song itself is just so nastily evil. The riff that starts at 1.56 minutes into the song is by far my favourite, and I love playing it on the guitar as well.. Can't help but dance with it kinda. Though I think out of the songs on the album itself my favourite song is 'The Funeral Portrait' as it is overall groovy, and has a decently fast pace which I prefer ( Given Thrash is what kind of metal I got into originally. ) and the ending when the clean vocals hits is just brutally beautiful. Dirge for November is top notch as well.

[@RohannvanRensburg]

Man, good job getting these riffs right, lots of covers don't seem to get his voicings correct. One thing that did surprise me though is that their chords and fingerpicking lines are often simpler than I thought they were. Might be wrong but around 21:21 I think it's just open strings and a single descending note. "Ruby eyes in the fog" Other things I can't unhear: Master's Apprentices: "There is a penis, I am certain" Harvest: "Born of cement but it's me who's tomato"

[@Three-LeggedCat]

Every time you make an Opeth video, I always end up watching it about three or four times

[@dejugulators]

Thank you so much for posting this/creating this. This is my favorite Opeth album hands-down. It is a rock classic and is highly underrated

[@Erick.Peixoto]

The Funeral Portrait is probably the most underrated song in the album and arguably in their entire career, it's nasty and groovy and have some really iconic sounding sections with probably the most satisfying transitions Opeth has ever done, this album is my favorite album of all time, in any genre, the sheer amount of creativity and just smart songwriting in this album still impresses me to this day, would love to see you do one of this for Watershed, it's probably the most interesting in terms of songwriting from their "heavy" era

[@DoctaSab]

Killer video for an immaculate album. Made me want to jump out of bed and grab my guitar! I loved this video style, it’s so cool to see the theory laid out like that. Also, I definitely contributed to the Turkey pets.

[@prawtism]

Instant neuron activation by seeing the Opeth logo on the thumbnail

[@rydwest]

I listen to Blackwater Park every Friday. A little gift to myself :) Thanks for this deep dive, I really enjoyed it!

[@halohat2286]

"Every note is everywhere" Love your channel Ben...

[@janneranta7373]

A video on this amazing album and then... The Cure is mentioned. Never thought about it, but yet another connection with two bands I love. The Cure is a perfect example how layering works, and so is Harvest.

[@KaldDodeGitarist]

I can't wait for the MAYH album breakdown. Demon of the Fall is another all-time favorite

[@darkwanderer326]

One of my favorite bands and albums, it changed how I play and look at the guitar.

[@samueljones5421]

Uncle Ben that album was also my first, long story short I now I them tattooed on my arm and still love their work, awesome to see this video!

[@pgmusicla]

Absolutely love this! Great job as always Ben, and kudos to the extensive knowledge of the theory behind their riffs! PLEASE do Ghost Reveries next!

[@St.Crusher]

The Drapery Falls is my favourite too, man!

[@jinxie1080]

Honestly a masterful album and I can't fault anyone for having it as their fave album, yet it probably wouldn't make my top 3 fave Opeth albums (Damnation, My Arms Your Hearse, Still Life). That's the beauty with Opeth, their early discography is absurdly strong, even Orchid edit: everyone unfamiliar with Still Life, check out Mikael's solo on Serenity Painted Death; I don't think he's ever come up with a better solo in the rest of his career

[@fcamiola]

Great, great video for us music theory nerds and Opethians! cheers. Would love more like this on any and every Opeth record.

[@Ramdas_Devadiga]

I will be ever hungry for anything Opeth. Thank you Uncle BenOpeller.

[@UndeadBoogie]

I never thought of bass tone much. Until now. That bass sounds delicious!

[@arjundhannyify]

each song if this album can be as long as this video! i just love this album!!

[@pattibo3130]

Best Opeth line up ever. That rhythm section is phenomenal, complementing Micheal's inspirational melodies perfectly.

[@NicolasREVA7X]

Man, Blackwater Park is my favorite album of all time, what a jewel.

[@SkorpioMusic]

What a great breakdown! I'm blown away by your knowledge of theory. EDIT: I'd love to see you do this for some others, Damnation, Deliverance, Ghost Reveries and Watershed. Your insight is awesome.

[@sansubr]

I spent many years in my 20s listening to this masterpiece album and go back to it from time to time.

[@playdelay]

Classic Opeth lineup... one of my favorite albums ever

[@Djent33]

Great video! One of my all time favorite Opeth albums and to me is the quintessential album for the start of Fall.

[@niallcampbell]

Was waiting for this upload! Nice! Everything about this video is perfect. Love the theory inclusion, even though I barely understand it. Ace tones too. Great work!

[@Bangulo]

I didn't need to be reminded that its 20 years old! Thanks ben! lol

[@luigizanellato2959]

Awesome. Opeth is such a great band. Thanks for the song insights for "Blackwater Park" \m/

[@MartyDadRiffs]

Patterns II is such a lovely tracks.

[@MindSculpture1]

Opeth come up with the most original, engaging guitar riffs - both heavy and acoustic.

[@TheShinyShow]

2001 was a blessed year, Blackwater Park and some of the best games of all time.

[@alecneevel2897]

It was a great year for video games! Super Smash Bros. Melee is my favorite game of all time, and it came out that year.

[@hazardeur]

@@alecneevel2897 forget SSB lol. 2001 was the release year of our lord and saviour of shitty games, Diablo 2 LOD!

[@michaelsinclair5876]

Gonna use my bi-yearly KZbin comment to say this is an awesome video format. Keep it up uncle Ben!

[@coreyrramsay8858]

This video was excellent, really enjoying this format. And a great choice of album. I first got into Opeth when this album came out and to know it was 20 years ago makes me feel so old. Good to know Turkey has a great taste in tunes as well.

[@weeerd2509]

These videos are so awesome Ben. Huge respect for all the work you put into this.

[@BenEller]

Glad you like them! Thanks dude!

[@St.Crusher]

I liked this a lot. I'd love to view more on Opeth's albums!

[@Randinator]

You just absolutely blew my mind by mentioning “Still Day Beneath the Sun”, a track I never even heard of. I’ve listened to Blackwater Park religiously for many years and I’ve known about “Patterns in the Ivy II”, but never heard of this track.

[@dpaulsen2]

My favorite album from my favorite band! Thanks Uncle Ben!!

[@dpaulsen2]

I need more content like this!

[@blakfloyd]

Thank you so much for this amazingly researched and presented video, Uncle Ben. This is one of the best guitar vids I've seen in years. The "blak" in my name is specifically in reference to Blackwater Park (someone else had "BlackFloyd" in 2006, hence the intentional typo in my handle.)

[@carlodecao4139]

Loved the bass highlight at 12:40 and awesome video overall

[@taylorlambert5752]

We can never have enough Opeth. Keep it up!

[@kathima6459]

Dear Uncle Ben... Thank you so much for the in-depth look at one of my newly discovered favorite albums! I have been into metal since Master of Puppets came out. One would have thought that, around 2001, when Blackwater Park would have been at the top of my new album list. Wrong! I sadly missed the Opeth train. I have only become an Opeth fan in the last 5 or 6 months and when I saw this video of you going in depth into Blackwater Park I had to watch and I loved it! Like you, I firmly believe there is not a stinker on that record. Thank you for your wonderful content.🙂

[@brandonessick775]

Thanks Uncle Ben! I remember listening to this album back in 2004. Thanks for bringing back memories.

[@Jedediah73]

My favourite guuirtrr yutubber and my favourite guiart qlbum in the same video?!?! We are similar ages, and so this album was/is super significant for me as well. You absolutely did it justice here, great to see your take on some riffs that I've known how to play for years, and some I've never dared to attempt. You're an inspiration UB, 2 severed thumbs up

[@seanclements3783]

I fucking love this album, definitely one of my favourites of all time. I was without internet for a month, but fortunately had this beauty downloaded. So I spent lots of time trying to figure out what I could by ear. That first riff off of “The Leper Affinity” had me stumped though, so thank you! Another thing I noticed they like to play with asides from the 6’s and 9’s is chromatic movements, like the ascending line cliche they use in “Patterns in the Ivy” it’s a cool way of stringing together chords that don’t really have a diatonic relationship!

[@dontom196]

Woaho! Totally blown away! BWP is my most favoured Album of All time. By the Song "funeral portrait" i've waited for the moment that you announce the riff at 6:30 which ends in the absolute epic "and you are just like them all ...." . Every time goosebumps :(. Absolute epic playing and i've seen a lot riffing you've played in a "more right and opeth way" than like the Standard guitar pro tabs.

[@realmz]

This man never fails to deliver!

[@revolucion4]

Wow! Great idea for a video. Your insight allows me to appreciate the record even more! Outstanding work, thank you!

[@Reads_]

I really liked this video. Thanks for making it.

[@VacationWanter]

You can tell how big an impact this album had just by reading these comments, what a high watermark for the Metal genre as a whole. So few bands can match Opeth when it comes to creating atmosphere. Beautiful album, and great video Ben. You killed it.

[@dantron7073]

Opeth is legendary! Thank you for dissecting this album!

[@FringeSpectre]

You look like Ozzy in that costume. Gotta say i love this album. Opeth is a huge inspiration to my own style of playing. Been meaning to learn Deliverance forever now, as that song really awakened something in my brain when I heard the outro.

[@mockawocka5568]

Love the video. Definitely would check out more in this format.

[@Chimaira555]

Such a great video idea, definitely need more! Or you can go through the whole Opeth discography I wouldn't complain lol

[@seelenwaechter]

Best part about Bleak is the interlude and you completeley omitted it. So sad. But you pointed out how crucial Mendez is for the sound of that album, so thank you. Mendez also carries said beautiful Bleak interlude with a very similar riff. I also would have loved to see an analysis of the Dirge for November main verse. That 3 guitar track (?) harmonization, repeated for ages, really is a good example for your point regarding the mood building (also one of the most interesting progressions in my book).

[@ErikCIng]

Opeth! Such genius.

[@gabrielbarnabe4312]

Man I'm so happy you talked about Patterns in The Ivy II and Still Day Beneath The Sun, such incredible songs

[@jean-maxmansfeld8058]

Awesome video. Love breakdowns like these. I am fairly certain that he said somewhere that of all things, he is most proud of the bass part in The drapery falls.

[@aglees2b]

Fantastic work. You could have spent an entire video on the riffs in the title track alone, such a killer piece of music.

[@ricjenner1120]

I’m going to see Opeth w Mastodon in Nashville next month , can’t wait! Great breakdown of a classic track - Happy Samhain 🎃🔥🤘🏾🤘🏼

[@BenEller]

Have fun!

[@GarrettLoganGriffin]

Also my first Opeth album. It’s such a beast. Instantly hooked. Been a fan ever since.

[@revsharp777]

Fantastic! I would LOVE to see a video for each album from Still Life through to Watershed. It was their golden era.

[@SloeGin-ip1xk]

Loved the video. Opeth = 👍. Would love to see a video on Ghost Reveries or/and Pale Communion.

[@thescottallen]

One of the things I love about this album, is it gives me a lot of Diablo vibes. I have to imagine the guys were fans of the game. I always stayed away from Opeth, not intentionally, but they always felt like I band I wouldn’t be able to get into. I’m honestly not sure why. Then I watched a reaction from Alex Hefner, which was a song off of Watershed. I think it was The Lotus Eater. That song got me immediately hooked. I tried listening to that album and I actually enjoyed it a lot. I remember posting about it, and then a friend recommended me Blackwater Park. Game over. I was hooked immediately and I don’t think I stopped listening until the album was finished. That doesn’t happen very often. Absolute masterpiece of an album.

[@rustyshackleford3995]

Thanks Uncle Ben, learned Dirge For November from you earlier. Love Opeth

[@greghicks3806]

What a cool video of my fav album of all time. Opeth has always been next level alien tech to me, thanks for the breakdown of wth is actually going on.

[@12breacher82]

One of my ATFs from any band, and some of Opeth’s best work.

[@chasinglatitudes1424]

Uncle Ben, seeing I work in the trucking industry… lol check out the terms you call yourself all the time and the new meaning … lmao…. Anyway love the channel.

[@jollyvoqar195]

Funeral Portrait is my favorite Opeth tune. Badass band/album. The growls....

[@hearpalhere]

Awesome video Ben about an awesome album! The first album I heard by them was Still Life and it was mind blowing too. They were so unique and have so many amazing layers to their music. Nice job on the riffs and chords you demonstrated! I'm quite impressed that you can hear all those little dissonant notes in the chords. They are really a defining part of the band's sound.

[@massacrationable]

That tone is on point, Uncle Ben!!

[@frankorion5926]

Awesome video! One of my favorite albums of all time! Maybe one day you can do a video on Funeral Portrait. Transcriptions and videos for that song (including mine lol) are all over the place. I play it a certain way, but would love to see you break it down and teach us something new! I like the idea of this series, please keep it going🤘🏻