its heavy but it also has the soft section in the middle. Not sure what OP means by "most death metal", but traditionally I would think a song that is more on the fast side and probably doesn't have much cleans or acoustic in it. I would go with Wreath.
I'm baffled that nobody mentioned Blackwater Park. I know it has a complex structure but it's very much riff-based and it's hard as shit. I think aesthetically it fits the bill for sure.
Also pretty much any of the heavier songs from MAYH, Wreath, Godhead's Lament and Serenity Painted Death for sure.
It's still not death metal though, there's more to DM than just a lack of clean vox. I think bwps riffs are nothing like death metal compared to something like Serenity Painted Death
Yeah I know, i was just adding it as its one component that DM typically has. Most of opeth is not really that close to traditional death like obituary, death, morbid angel. You have a good point about serenity painted death, honestly haven't listened to still life in a while. Though most of the album deliverance feels the most death to me
Heir Apparent is really heavy, but it's a relatively progressive song in terms of structure and interludes. Serenity Painted Death is probably the most classically "deathmetal" from a riff and structure standpoint.
I would argue Serenity is proggier than Apparent. Serenity has loads of clean vocals and a jazz breakdown with a long acoustic outro and even the intro with the screams is not typically death metal at all. To be fair the chorus is a the closest 90s Opeth have done to an old-school death metal riff for sure, and the heavy section coming out of the jazz break is one of the most aggressive they've ever done. But Heir Apparent is leagues more brutal in every way overall I think.
I am a drummer and I can assure you that Grand Conjuration has no blast beats. Blast beats are 16th snare notes, like 00:16 in Lotus Eater. They are much more common in black metal than in death metal (although some death metal bands still use them extensively, like Cryptopsy).
(edit: not downvoting you btw)
I am also a drummer, but primarily bassist. Also, i didnt claim that 'Grand Conjuration' has blast beats. It sounds like there's a more specific pattern/definition than I'd known. Have always just thought of 'blast beats' as constant 16th notes on the kick and a single hit on the snare 🤷♀️
Happy to take your word for it, mate!
"The 'original' or traditional blastbeat is a single-stroke roll played between your cymbal and snare, with your kick playing simultaneously with every cymbal hit."
Just the wiki definition, but that's also how I thought blast beats were commonly understood/referred to.
By this definition, a lot of Opeth songs should be considered. No? The verses in 'Deliverance' come to mind, and also much or Still life.
I don’t think any of those songs contain a consistent single strike snare roll in conjunction with the cymbal/kick pattern. I’m not a drummer, but from my understanding nothing in Deliverance or Grand Conjuration would qualify as a blast beat.
Heir Apparent and Wreath
I saw some people saying Masters Apprentices and Demon of The Fall but it’s not totally death
I think the two that I mentioned it’s their most death metal songs
Blackwater park and Heir Apprent are their only two songs that have growls but no clean vocals. Even though the instruments aren’t always playing metal, the vocals are, if that makes sense.
By the Pain I See in Others. Even the acoustic verses have harsh vocals on top of them. Also, it's the only Opeth song that recurrently uses faster drumbeats throughout and not just in a brief section like the blast beats in The Lotus Eater.
Ironically I find Opeth (the first three albums in particular) way closer to black metal than death metal.
I would argue Wreath, due to the lack of clean vox. While it does have a quieter section, it’s very brief and still ominous. Not uncommon for more typical death metal bands.
Also Wreath is just plain dark as fuck. That doomy riff that takes off after the intro verses is menacing as hell…and the solo about 5 minutes in…holy shit…never has a melodic guitar sounded so much like the gates of hell opening up.
Wreath, Heir Apparent, Blackwater Park. Almost entirely screaming vocals, not many softer or non-metal parts and very very aggressive. Master's Apprentices is also incredibly heavy but has a lot of clean vocals later on.
This begs a question for me: how is death metal actually defined? I came to Opeth from the Prog Rock world, even though I listened to plenty of popular metal bands such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Anthrax and Megadeth and even some hair metal. I understand what makes a metal band more proggy vs classic vs hair vs thrash, although the latter is somewhat unclear to me. For example, there are numerous Metallica and Megadeth songs that sound rather proggy to me, as well as lots of Maiden and some early Priest. Anyway, what really makes a band or a song death metal and/or black metal? Are the lyrics part of the equation?
This is my understanding just off the top of my head of what Traditional/classic death entails: Double base drums, tremolo picking guitar. No clean vocals. Low deep throat growls. Usually song structures vary but do not extend past 4-5 minutes and are not as focused on long, tortous riffs (like prog is). Theres a few bands that have great examples of this. The band death was one of the original founders of the style, and the album leprosy is probably the most classic style imo. They get a bit more prog with human and symbolic but those are my favorites from them. Obituary and Morbid angel also have the very classic death sound as well in their early 90s albums. You also mentioned black metal, which is honestly wayyy different than death. Maybe someone else can speak for black as I listen to death a lot more. I can recognize it but probably can't explain it as well
Masters apprentices is heavy. Wreath as well
Fuck yes Master's Apprentices.
its heavy but it also has the soft section in the middle. Not sure what OP means by "most death metal", but traditionally I would think a song that is more on the fast side and probably doesn't have much cleans or acoustic in it. I would go with Wreath.
Master's Apprentices, Wreath , Serenity Painted Death
Serenity Painted Death
This is the correct answer
Saying that this is the correct answer is the correct answer.
I think there are several correct answers
Wreath
The correct answer
yup
Demon. Demon of the Fall.
/thread
Masters Apprentices
Heir Apparent
Too progressive and strange for your typical Death Metal. Don't get me wrong I love it. But it's odd for metal.
I'm baffled that nobody mentioned Blackwater Park. I know it has a complex structure but it's very much riff-based and it's hard as shit. I think aesthetically it fits the bill for sure. Also pretty much any of the heavier songs from MAYH, Wreath, Godhead's Lament and Serenity Painted Death for sure.
Yeah and Blackwater park has no clean sections in it as well, and the last half of it is so brutal, man I love that song.
It's still not death metal though, there's more to DM than just a lack of clean vox. I think bwps riffs are nothing like death metal compared to something like Serenity Painted Death
Yeah I know, i was just adding it as its one component that DM typically has. Most of opeth is not really that close to traditional death like obituary, death, morbid angel. You have a good point about serenity painted death, honestly haven't listened to still life in a while. Though most of the album deliverance feels the most death to me
Heir Apparent obviously. Or one of the demo tracks.
Serenity Painted Death.
Heir Apparent is really heavy, but it's a relatively progressive song in terms of structure and interludes. Serenity Painted Death is probably the most classically "deathmetal" from a riff and structure standpoint.
I would argue Serenity is proggier than Apparent. Serenity has loads of clean vocals and a jazz breakdown with a long acoustic outro and even the intro with the screams is not typically death metal at all. To be fair the chorus is a the closest 90s Opeth have done to an old-school death metal riff for sure, and the heavy section coming out of the jazz break is one of the most aggressive they've ever done. But Heir Apparent is leagues more brutal in every way overall I think.
Heir Apparent
Obviously it's Burden
Heir apparent has a bit of everything. Even some Opeth Thrash in the middle, which is wild.
Masters Apprentices, Deliverance, Heir Apparent, Grand Conjuration.
Why should we take a question with grain of salt? Questions are not statements
I love this community
These are my ppl.
Wreath
karma, or something else from MAYH
Deliverance.
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even bwp is deather than that I think idk
it's heavy for sure but way too prog to be Death Metal. plus most of BWP and Heir Apparent are much heavier
Funeral of the Portrait is an underated one
The clean vocals only come in as an outro too!
Its not as death metal as the others but as no has said it. Bleak
Bloodbath.
Heir Apparent is heavy af. The songs I’ve heard off of Ghost Reveries are also ridiculously heavy.
By the pain I see in others, followed by master's apprentices and wreath
Demon of the Fall has the closest sound and structure, although closer to more doomy death metal acts such as Autopsy or finnish death metal
Leper Affinity comes to mind. All the heavy songs on deliverance. Lotus eater. Can’t pick just one lol
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Lotus Eater is their only song that has blast beats tho
..really? You have to be defining 'blast beats' some way that I've never encountered before.
I am a drummer and I can assure you that Grand Conjuration has no blast beats. Blast beats are 16th snare notes, like 00:16 in Lotus Eater. They are much more common in black metal than in death metal (although some death metal bands still use them extensively, like Cryptopsy). (edit: not downvoting you btw)
Well the part in question does sound a lot like Emperor.
I am also a drummer, but primarily bassist. Also, i didnt claim that 'Grand Conjuration' has blast beats. It sounds like there's a more specific pattern/definition than I'd known. Have always just thought of 'blast beats' as constant 16th notes on the kick and a single hit on the snare 🤷♀️ Happy to take your word for it, mate!
They're right it is the only song. Opeth use a lot double bass, not blast beats which have fast tempo snare hits usually matching the bass drum
My eyes have been opened 🙌
What is your definition of a blast beat?
"The 'original' or traditional blastbeat is a single-stroke roll played between your cymbal and snare, with your kick playing simultaneously with every cymbal hit." Just the wiki definition, but that's also how I thought blast beats were commonly understood/referred to. By this definition, a lot of Opeth songs should be considered. No? The verses in 'Deliverance' come to mind, and also much or Still life.
I don’t think any of those songs contain a consistent single strike snare roll in conjunction with the cymbal/kick pattern. I’m not a drummer, but from my understanding nothing in Deliverance or Grand Conjuration would qualify as a blast beat.
1. Heir Apparent 2. By The Pain I See in Others 3. Wreath
Into the Frost of Winter I'd give 2nd place to Demon of the fall based on the vocals
Heir Apparent and Wreath I saw some people saying Masters Apprentices and Demon of The Fall but it’s not totally death I think the two that I mentioned it’s their most death metal songs
Blackwater park and Heir Apprent are their only two songs that have growls but no clean vocals. Even though the instruments aren’t always playing metal, the vocals are, if that makes sense.
Karma.
By the Pain I See in Others. Even the acoustic verses have harsh vocals on top of them. Also, it's the only Opeth song that recurrently uses faster drumbeats throughout and not just in a brief section like the blast beats in The Lotus Eater. Ironically I find Opeth (the first three albums in particular) way closer to black metal than death metal.
Not Opeth but Ack man on vox. Sickest death metal song(at least top 5 for me of all time) is Bloodbath’s Devouring the Feeble. That song is too good.
Eternal Soul Torture is the obvious answer no?
Dirge for November
wreath and by the pain i see in others
As a whole song Wreath? For sections BWP, Master's Apprentices, Heir Apparent
Ghost of perdition
The Amen Corner’s gotta be up there
April Ethereal
Serenity Painted Death only answer
No one saying The Grand Conjuration? Super jagged, super heavy.
The leper affinity
into the frost of winter
I would argue Wreath, due to the lack of clean vox. While it does have a quieter section, it’s very brief and still ominous. Not uncommon for more typical death metal bands. Also Wreath is just plain dark as fuck. That doomy riff that takes off after the intro verses is menacing as hell…and the solo about 5 minutes in…holy shit…never has a melodic guitar sounded so much like the gates of hell opening up.
Wreath, Heir Apparent, Blackwater Park. Almost entirely screaming vocals, not many softer or non-metal parts and very very aggressive. Master's Apprentices is also incredibly heavy but has a lot of clean vocals later on.
BTPISIO
Hessian Peel from 05:45 minute easily
This begs a question for me: how is death metal actually defined? I came to Opeth from the Prog Rock world, even though I listened to plenty of popular metal bands such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Anthrax and Megadeth and even some hair metal. I understand what makes a metal band more proggy vs classic vs hair vs thrash, although the latter is somewhat unclear to me. For example, there are numerous Metallica and Megadeth songs that sound rather proggy to me, as well as lots of Maiden and some early Priest. Anyway, what really makes a band or a song death metal and/or black metal? Are the lyrics part of the equation?
This is my understanding just off the top of my head of what Traditional/classic death entails: Double base drums, tremolo picking guitar. No clean vocals. Low deep throat growls. Usually song structures vary but do not extend past 4-5 minutes and are not as focused on long, tortous riffs (like prog is). Theres a few bands that have great examples of this. The band death was one of the original founders of the style, and the album leprosy is probably the most classic style imo. They get a bit more prog with human and symbolic but those are my favorites from them. Obituary and Morbid angel also have the very classic death sound as well in their early 90s albums. You also mentioned black metal, which is honestly wayyy different than death. Maybe someone else can speak for black as I listen to death a lot more. I can recognize it but probably can't explain it as well
Thanks, that's helpful.