Still Life is the fourth album by progressive metal band Opeth, released on October 18, 1999. It is the band’s first album to include longtime bassist Martin Mendez, who joined the band late in the production of their previous album, 1998's My Arms, Your Hearse. It is the band's only studio album released on Peaceville Records, though the 2007 live album and DVD The Roundhouse Tapes was also released on that label despite the band having been on Roadrunner Records at the time.
The album is a narrative-based Concept Album about an unnamed protagonist who was banished from his town by a powerful religious council. The protagonist risks his life by returning to the town to find Melinda, the love of his life.
The album was remastered and reissued in 2008 with remade cover art and a bonus DVD containing a 5.1 surround sound mix of the album plus the performance of "Face of Melinda" from The Roundhouse Tapes.
Tracklist:
- "The Moor" (11:26)
- "Godhead’s Lament" (9:47)
- "Benighted" (5:00)
- "Moonlapse Vertigo" (9:00)
- "Face of Melinda" (7:58)
- "Serenity Painted Death" (9:13)
- "White Cluster" (10:02)
Principal members:
- Mikael Akerfeldt: Vocals, guitar
- Peter Lindgren: Guitar
- Martin Mendez: Bass
- Martin Lopez: Drums
If you'll bear with me, you'll trope of me:
- And There Was Much Rejoicing: A crowd gathers in white to celebrate the execution of their town pariah.
- Bittersweet Ending: Melinda is killed and the protagonist is executed, but they become Together in Death
- Breather Episode:
- "Benighted" is a mostly acoustic ballad.
- Averted with "Face of Melinda", despite it also being a ballad with no Harsh Vocals. It’s one of the most plot-relevant songs on the album.
- Concept Album: About an outcast returning to claim the love of his life.
- Corrupt Church: The Council of the Cross is implied to be one. They drive the protagonist out of his town based on his faith.
- Epic Instrumental Opener: "The Moor" takes more than three minutes for the vocals to come in. Most of the first two consist of a melodic guitar loop that fades in and gradually gets louder.
- Epic Rocking: Dominates the album as it does with most other Opeth albums. The shortest track ("Benighted") is exactly five minutes long.
- Franchise Codifier: This album solidifies the progressive death metal sound that would define Opeth throughout the 2000s.
- Longest Song Goes First: "The Moor" (11:26) takes up the entire first side of the vinyl version.
- No Ending: "Serenity Painted Death" ends abruptly To signify that the protagonist has been captured.
- No Name Given: The protagonist is unnamed.
- Period Piece: The exact period is unclear, but Mikael Akerfeldt set the album at a time in which Christianity had a stronger influence on society. The title of the first track implies that the protagonist is a Moor
. - Roaring Rampage of Revenge: "Serenity Painted Death" sees the main character flies into a vengeful frenzy towards those responsible for killing Melinda.
- Religion Rant Album: According to Mikael Akerfeldt, the album contains anti-Christianity themes, with the Council of the Cross declaring the protagonist an outcast based purely on his faith.
- Together in Death: The last lines of the album: "And the last sight I did see is still here, beckoning right behind me..."
