Opeth β My Arms, Your Hearse
- intothewellsabyss
- Aug 18, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 19, 2023
π πππ πππ ππππππ - πππππππππππ ππππ πππππ ππππππππ π’π§ ππ‘π πππππππ π¨πΒ ππππ ππππ & πππππ πππππβ¦
August 18, 1998 β Opeth released their third studio album, My Arms, Your Hearse. It was the band's first album to be released simultaneously in Europe, via Candlelight Records, and in the United States, via Century Black. (Listen)
Candlelight Records re-released the album in 2000 with two bonus tracks; a cover of the Celtic Frost song Circle of the Tyrants and Iron Maidenβs Remember Tomorrow.
(πΏπππππππ ππ πππ πΈπΆπΆπΆ π²ππππππππππ πππππππ ππ-πππππ)
My Arms, Your Hearse was recorded at Studio Fredman, and was produced/engineered by Fredrik NordstrΓΆm, Opeth & Anders FridΓ©n (In Flames) with mixing by Fredrik NordstrΓΆm. It was mastered by GΓΆran Finnberg.
Background:
My Arms, Your Hearse was the first Opeth album with drummer Martin Lopez, who answered a newspaper ad that Opeth put up searching for this spot to be taken after Anders Nordin left. Shortly thereafter the band also brought in MartΓn MΓ©ndez, a friend and previous bandmate of Lopez. However, Mendez did not have enough time to learn the bass parts for the album, so frontman Mikael Γ kerfeldt played bass for the entire recording session. All of the songs on My Arms, Your Hearse are shorter than ten minutes, whereas on Opeth's previous album, Morningrise, every song exceeds this length. The album is dedicated to Lee Barrett (of Candlelight Records).
The title of the album is derived from the lyrics of the song Drip, Drip by the band Comus.
Γ kerfeldt wrote all the lyrics before the music was written, to create Opeth's first concept album. Each song ends with the title of the next song. For example, April Ethereal ends with the word βππππβ, which is the name of the next track.
(πππ ππππππππ πππππ πππππ πππ πππ πππππ ππ πΌπ’ π°πππ, ππππ π·πππππ)
The cover of this album was captured by their guitarist (at the time) Peter Lindgren. The original picture was taken in late 1997, somewhere in Sweden. The effects were added later on. The figure you see in the middle is actually Peter's girlfriend in a costume with makeup on.
Critical Reception:
My Arms, Your Hearse was widely praised by critics. Steve Huey of AllMusic said that it "ππππ π πππππππππ’ ππππ πππ πππππππππππ ππ πππ πππ‘π, πππ πππ ππππππ’ ππππ πππππ ππππ ππππππ πππππππππ ππ πππ‘ππππ πππ ππππ ππ ππππ πππ ππππππππβπ ππππππππ ππππππ’ ππππππππππππ’".
Jeb of Metal Faith magazine said, "ππππ ππππ ππππ ππ ππππ π ππππ πππ πππ‘π ππππππ πππ π ππππ πππππ π πππππππ ππππ".
Jeff of Mid West Metal magazine commented, "ππππππ πππππ ππππ ππ‘πππππ ππ πΎππππ, πΈ πππ ππππ ππππππ ππ π ππ’πππππ π±ππππ πΌππππ ππππ ππππ πππππ πππππ ππππ πππ πππππππππππππ πππ ππππ ππππ ππππ. πΈ ππππππ’ ππππβπ ππ‘ππππ ππ πππ ππππ π πππ ππ πππ π ππππ π πππ π°ππππ π΄πππππππ ππππππ ππ, ππππ ππππ πππππ πΈ ππ πππππππππ! π°ππ π ππππ πππ πππππ πππ ππππ ππππππ πππππ πππ ππππ ππππ-πππ πππππππππππππππ, ππβπ πππππ π ππππ’ πππππππ πππππ ππππ π ππππ π ππ πππππ ππ ππππ πππ πππππππππ πππ πππ ππππ ππππ’ πππ πππππ πππππππ πππππππ ππ ππππ."
Christian Renner of The Metal Crypt wrote, "πππ ππππππππππππ ππ πππππππππ ππ πππ ππ’π πππ πππ πππππ ππππππ ππ ππππ π πππ π’ππ π ππππ ππ‘ππππ ππππ ππππ ππππππππππ’ ππππππππ πππππ. ππππ ππ πππππππ πππππ πππππ ππππ ππππ πππππ πππ πππππ π ππππ ππππ πππππ πππππ πππ ππ ππππ π ππππππ πππ ππππ πππππππππ ππππ ππππππ πππππππ ππ πππ πππππ ππππππ ππππππ ππ πππ Γ ππππππππ/π»πππππππ ππππ."
Pedro Azevedo of Chronicles of Chaos said of the album, "ππππππ ππππ πππππ ππ πππ ππππ πππππ πππ πππππ πππ ππ ππ πππ ππ πππππ (πππ πππππππ πππ ππππ ππππ’ππ, ππ’ πππ π ππ’), πππ ππππππππππππ πππππππππππ ππ ππ πππππ ππ πππ π ππππ ππ‘ππππ, πππ Γ ππππππππβπ ππππππ πππ πππππ ππππ£πππ. πππ πππππππ’ ππππππππ ππππ ππππ ππππππππππ πππ πππππ, ππππππ ππ πππππ’ -ππ‘πππππππ-. πΌπ’ π°πππ, ππππ π·πππππ ππ ππππππ π πππππππππ πππππ ππππ ππ πππππ πΌππππ πππ,π ππππππππ’ ππππππππ."
Tartarean Desire's critic Cseke RΓ³bert wrote, "ππππ ππππππ ππ ππππ πππ πππππ πππ ππππ πππππππππ ππππ ππππ ππ πππππ’βπ πππππ ππππ ππππ πππππ. πππ ππππππ ππππππ ππ π πππ‘ππππ ππ ππππ-πππππ πππππππππ πππ ππππ... πΌπ’ π°πππ, ππππ π·πππππ ππ ππππ π πππ πππππ πππππ ππππ πΈ ππππππππ ππ πππ ππ πππ ππππ ππ πππ πππππ."
Demonic Tutor (Olivier Espiau) of Metal Storm stated the album is a "ππππ ππ ππππππ" and also:
"πΈπ πππ πππππ π±πππππ ππππ πΏπππ πππππππ ππ πΎππππβπ πππππππππππ ππ πππ, πΌπ’ π°πππ, ππππ π·πππππ ππππ ππππππππ πππ πππ‘ππππ ππππππ. πΈ ππππππππππ’ πππππ ππππ ππππ ππππππ ππ πππππ ππ π±πππππ ππππ πΏπππ ... ππππ, πππππ’ πΌππππππππ ππ πππππ πΌπππ ππππ ππππ πππππ. πΈπ π’ππβππ πππππ ππ π’πππ πππππππππ ππ ππ π’ππ ππππ π πππ ππ ππππππππ πππ πππππ£πππ ππ πππ πΌππππ π ππππ, ππ ππππππ’ ππ π’ππ πππβπ π πππ ππ ππππ πππ ππππ ππππ πππ πππ ππππππππππ’, ππππππ ππ πΎππππ... π»ππππππππ ππ πΌπ’ π°πππ, ππππ π·πππππ, πΈ πππ πππ’ ππππ ππππππππππ πππ πππ π ππππ: πΎππππ."
Tim Henderson of Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles (Bravewords.com) said "π’ππ πππ ππ πππ π πππππ, ππππππ’ πππππππππ ππ πππ π±ππππ πΌππππ πππππππ ππ πππ π³πππ ππππ ππ πππ πΌπππ ππ πππ πππ πππππ πππ πππππ’. πΈπ ππππ, ππ πΆππππππ ππππππ π΄ππππππ, ππ ππ π²πππππ ππππ πππππ π πππ ππ΄π, πππ πΌπ’ π°πππ, ππππ π·πππππ ππ πππππ’ πππππππππ".
βπΌπ’ π°πππ, ππππ π·πππππ ππ π πππππππππ ππ βπΏπΆπ π΄π‘πππππ πΌππππ", wrote Chris Bruni in his review for Unrestrained! magazine. He also wrote that the album is "ππππππ’ πππππ ππππ ππππππππ πππππππππππ" and "πππ πππππ πππ ππππππππ, πππππππ, ππππ ππππππππ, π πππ π ππππππππ πππππ ππππππππ’ ππ ππππππ π΅ππππππ, πππ πππ πππ‘πππππ πππ ππππ πππππππππ πππ ππππ ππ πππ ππππ ππ‘ππππππ ππππππππππ ππ ππ πππππ ππ πΌππππ".
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