Phonebook Eater Opeth’s third album is a huge step forward from the first two albums. With “My Arms, Your Hearse”, finally the band starts going towards the way that will lead them to glory, “Still Life” and “Blackwater Park”. But it’s obvious that they aren’t quite there yet. Despite being really good, it still shows how much the band still has to accomplish.

What I was most relieved about this is how the production didn’t sound so rough like in “Orchid” or “Morningrise” and I also noticed that they aren’t any more counterparts, but only strong power chords. Musically the album is very different; having a cleaner production, the experimentation increased; the use of strange guitar effects that accompany some acoustic passages, the increased complexity of the structure and the melodies of all the songs, the much better musicianship from each single member.

“My Arms, Your Hearse” is a concept album, like many Opeth albums, and there is also a storyline; a man passes away and becomes a ghosts, and he constantly watches the girl he has loved in life, fearing that her grief for his death would be weak. He then realizes that she finds it hard to keep on living. Maybe not genius storytelling, like the following album “Still Life”, but it’s still a concept that can easily be respected and liked.

Some songs here will be for me great Opeth classics: “April Ethereal” is a ver well constructed and done song, with many time changes and great, evocative, slower passages. Another one of my favorites is “The Amen Corner”, another excellent song. I was disappointed with some songs, like “When” which seems to be a great hit of the band. Also, “Demon of the Fall” didn’t grab my attention much. I do love both the prologue and epilogue, as well as the “Madrigal” in the middle of the album, that really enriched the idea of the concept. “Karma” is another good, with plenty awesome metal moments as well as nice arrangements.

In conclusion, a really solid album, with some weak points, but still very muh worth your time, or money.

bartosso The third Opeth album was the first and most important watershed in their career. Redefinition of sound and song structures, more mature and consistent composition, less black and even more death metal feel about vocals and riffs - the features of MY ARMS YOUR HEARSE determined the band sound for next six releases.

In many people opinion this, along with Deliverance, is the heaviest Opeth' effort. That's true, but this is also one of the most beautiful and genuine records I have ever heard. My Arms, Your Hearse isn't maybe as progressive as Blackwater Park or Still Life, but it was a great step forward which defined future sound of the band . Diversity of themes and tempos, complex harmonies and great bridges make up maturely composed, well flowing concept album.

Songs from My Arms Your Hearse aren't as long as these from two previous releases, but they are still much longer than average metal song. They are also very intense so there is no place for boredom. As an interesting side note, I can add that last words of each song are the title of the next one.

MAYH is a haunting record which transfix with fantastic combination of brutality and beauty. And... okay I'll say it. It may happen that you'll shed a tear of emotion listening to this album. I did.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 10/10: April Ethereal; When; Demon of the Fall 9/10: The Amen Corner 8/10: Credence; Karma; Epilogue

Pekka My Arms, Your Hearse was a major turning point in Opeth's career - after the gigs supporting Morningrise half of the original recording line-up departed or were fired, and Mikael Åkerfeldt grew tired of their early sound and composition style, which resulted in a new band with a new approach.

When April Ethereal blasts out after the short Prologue, the change is apparent. While the early Opeth sound was based on clear, harmonizing guitar melodies and very high-in-the-mix double bass drumming, April Ethereal comes out with big murky minor chords and riffs, and a positively muddy and gloomy sound. The double bass drums are still there, but supporting the riffs underneath instead of being on the forefront. One small but absolutely crucial factor which makes drummer Martin Lopez a brilliant addition to the band, in addition to his versatile style and overall skill, is the fact that his hi-hat came with a pedal, allowing an open flowing sound, which his predecessor Anders Nordin never used.

Guitar melodies are still a big factor in the music, but instead of harmonizing with another melody underneath, the second guitar adds a big carpet of sound with distorted chords and riffs. The acoustic parts that were there already on Orchid are still present, but integrated more seamlessly, which makes the song structures feel less fragmented, which was a big problem for me on Orchid. But while I welcome all this new approach with open arms, the songwriting isn't quite there yet. April Ethereal and Demon of the Fall are great tracks, and there are good parts in other songs as well, but nothing is really killer. But the atmosphere is very strong throughout, making the album as a whole a very enjoyable one despite the lack of true class A material.

On Morningrise Opeth mastered their early style, on My Arms, Your Hearse they're still learning their new chops. Stylistically a step forward, quality-wise a slight step backwards.

Conor Fynes 'My Arms, Your Hearse' - Opeth (7/10)

Following their flawed masterpiece 'Morningrise,' Opeth decides to turn up the brutality and heaviness a notch with this album, as well as introduce the idea of 'concept albums' into the bands catalogue. As a running song cycle without breaks, this became the first album they ever released that let the whole compliment the parts, so to speak.

The first thing one might notice by listening is the great improvement in production quality. While certainly not up to par with the Wilson production era starting with 'Blackwater Park,' theres a very audible development. The traditional formula (heavy/soft passages) Opeth has become known for is still here, albeit in less balance than usual but if you have heard an Opeth album before, there isn't going to be anything here that sounds out of the ordinary.

'My Arms, Your Hearse' was the last Opeth album I bought before I completed my discography, and even though it's nowhere near their greatest, it somehow feels like their most consistent effort to date. 'Demon Of The Fall' seems a fair contender as the highlight track, but aside from that, everything balances out a rather uncompromised level of quality; a feat for any album on it's own.

The predecessor to Opeth's first perfect album 'Still Life,' 'My Arms Your Hearse' shows Opeth experimenting with a binding narrative that would later be improved on with the next. In terms of lyrics, Mikael Akerfeldt weaves together a story that fits the music very well, although it isn't quite as engrossing or effective as the story in 'Still Life,' it helps to tie the album together. More or less, the story revolves around the spirit of a man who died looking down on the woman he loves and being dismayed that she does not grieve for him. However, it is later revealed that her love has blinded her to the reality that he has in fact died, and is therefore in a state of denial. It's a very simple concept, but Akerfeldt works both his music and lyrics to maximize the dramatic effect.

'My Arms, Your Hearse' is probably the Opeth album I've listened to the least overall, and while it has it's share of faults and problems, this is an excellent album and things would only get better as time went on for this brilliant band. A great example of what a four star album should look like.

arcane-beautiful This is the album, where I find that Opeth had found that sound they were looking for. Yes, the riff were constructed better, there was more clean vocals, intresting acoustic passages and the songs were alot more rememerable.

Having said that, I feel, that only with their next album, would the sound that they had searched for alll along would have been suceeded and made even better.

With this new sound, the band were able to craft it really well, but I feel that they hadn't fully achieved what they were searching to achieve.

This album is also a concept album, very alike what the concept in Still Life. They both deal with obsession over a woman who they know they cannot have, but in this album, the man is a ghost who cannot reach his widower, and Still Life deals with a man who is considered an outcast, who would not be able to have the woman he seeks after.

1. Prologue - Piano and rain. Nice intro.

2. April Ethereal - Reminds me of Bathory and Enslaved. This song proves that they achieved their sought after sound. Very well crafted song. Even though it is not longer as their earlier material, it still matches it and even betters it.

3. When - A scary assault which led from the nice intro. Nice clean vocal harmony section.

4. Madrigal - A Rush reference I believe. Good ryhthmic interlude.

5. The Amen Corner - Very groove orientated riff. Intresting acoustic passages and great links that lead to heavier sections of the song.

6. Demon Of The Fall - Probabbly one of Opeth's most well known songs. It reminds me of a death metal version of Led Zeppelin. The song also has some eccentric jazz sections in it. There's also a nice clean section at the end.

7. Credence - This reminds me of one of the slower songs off of Ghost Reveries. It also has a Benighted vibe.

8. Karma - The song has a very dark undertone under it. The acoustic sections have great vocals. The ending riff is amazing.

9. Epilogue - Sounds like something off of The Wall, with mellotron and bluesy guitar work.

CONCLUSION - I feel that the sound that they were searching for could have been crafted better with catchier hooks and guitar parts. But, it was succeded on their next album, and believe me, it is their best.

bonnek My Arms Your Hearse marks the entry of new drummer Martin Mendez and melodic death metal top-producer Frederik Nordstöm who would both stay on board with Opeth for as long as Ghost Reveries and Deliverance respectively. Largely due to Mendez’ versatile drumming, the album marks the beginning of the progressive Opeth albums. While it doesn't have the finesse of Blackwater Park or the compositional mastery of Ghost Reveries, it simply rules in heaviness and merciless darkness. Olé!

The sound is a lot more aggressive and harsher than the chilly and frost-bitten atmospheres of Orchid and Morningrise. In fact this is Opeth's most surging attack. Later albums gradually became less intense and more polished. And no matter how much Mike announces each new album as “Our next album will be really brutal and awesome and evil”, don't believe his enthusiasm, Opeth never equalled the fierceness and awesomeness of this one and they never will.

That doesn’t mean this is their best album. I honestly wouldn’t know which Opeth album is “the best”. For one thing it depends on which album deflowered you and also on the amount of fury you can handle. If you compare My Arms Your Hearse to Ghost Reveries, then the composition and execution became accomplished, the production improved and Mike’s clean singing took leaps forward. But again, MAYH is darker and simply totally evil. Yes, as a reviewer you got to stick to the artist’s idiom. So there you go.

The clean singing is used only sparingly but that fits perfectly with the material. The heavily distorted chromatic riffs, the furious pace and intensity of the music simply demand for a full-blown cookie monster attack and - rumour goes it was due to a cold Mike had during the recording – his death vocals are in great shape here. The low register and powerful grunts turn this album into a scrumptious chunk of bleak metal. But the main secret for success is the restraint that they applied in the song writing. With only one track over 9 minutes and many short interludes, this is the album with Opeth’s most concise song writing. Each track has plenty of variation and short tracks like Demon of the Fall and the bluesy instrumental Epilogue are unique in their catalogue. There’s not one dip on the entire album and with April Ethereal, When and the opening minutes of The Amen Corner it has some of Opeth’s most gripping moments. Opeth would still grow in execution and this album's production could certainly have been better - making me long for a tasteful reissue like Still Life received - but it has such impeccable song writing and contains such raging intensity that it deserves no less then gold status for me.

Whichever of the Opeth masterpieces that I last hear, usually ends up being my favourite for a while. This one got stuck in the CD-player of my car for almost a year so you can imagine how long this has been a favourite. In my book this is the first in an exceptionally strong string of albums culminating with Blackwater Park.

aiylyn Well...

I don't like Opeth. No, I didn't just download one song and say "the vocals ...!" and forget about it. I owned two of their albums, this one and Blackwater Park and listened to both extensively before deciding that Opeth are simply outside of my musical taste. Of those two albums I had, this is one was by far better. It manages to pack more art into its nine tracks, most of which clock in at over 6 minutes, than most other "metal" bands do in their entire catalogue. Opeth are definitely one of the most talented - both instrumentally and compositionally - bands of recent times; their music will draw you in to paths you never knew existed. Dubbed by some as progressive, and others as death metal, there is much here to appeal to those who are into heavy-yet-intelligent music, and also those who are looking for an introduction to the darker side of metal. The two standout tracks here are April Ethereal and Demon of the Fall. If you're an Opeth fan, you have no excuse for not owning this. If you're looking for an introduction, Blackwater Park may be a better bet, as it is much more overtly commercial than this, which is one of the best metal albums of the 90s. I don't like it.