Opeth – My Arms, Your Hearse (2LP)

Album Info Hide Show Artist: Opeth Album: My Arms, Your Hearse Released: USA, Canada & Europe, 2023 Tracklist: A1 Prologue A2 April Ethereal A3 When B1 Madrigal B2 The Amen Corner C1 Demon Of The Fall C2 Credence D1 Karma D2 Epilogue Info About Buying Vinyl From Our Record Store We are a small independent record store located at 211 High St, Preston in Melbourne, Australia (North of Northcote, between Thornbury & Reservoir) We buy and sell new and used vinyl records – if you have a collection you’d like to sell please click here . We ship Australia wide for a flat rate of $10 for standard shipping or $15 for express post. Free Shipping for orders $150 and over. You can also pick up your order in store, just select Local Pickup at the checkout. We also ship internationally – prices vary depending on weight and location. We ship vinyls in thick, rigid carboard mailers with a crushable zone on either side, and for extra safety we bubble wrap the records. 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You can contact our Melbourne record shop at (03) 9939 3807 or at [email protected] Happy Listening! Description Hide Show By their third album in 1998, Opeth had sharpened their teeth. My Arms, Your Hearse takes the sprawling romance of Orchid and Morningrise and funnels it into something stormier and more focused. Its still progressive death metal at heart, but the songs feel tighter, the atmosphere thicker, and the story at the centre of it all gives the record a strange, spectral pull. Mikael kerfeldt has said this one plays like a ghost story, and that checks out. The lyrics trace a narrator who dies, lingers, watches, and aches. Even the structure hints at hidden links, with each songs final word feeding directly into the next track title, a neat clue that youre meant to sit with it front to back. Studio Fredman in Gothenburg gives the album its bones. You can hear producer Fredrik Nordstrms touch in the bite of the guitars and the roomy, natural drum sound. It also marks the first Opeth record with drummer Martin Lopez, who fits the band like hed been there from day one. The real twist behind the curtain is on bass. New recruit Martin Mendez had joined the fold, but kerfeldt handled the bass parts in the studio, and that unified vision shows in the way the low end welds to the riffs. Its heavy, but it moves. Prologue eases the door open, all fog and melody, before April Ethereal thunderclaps the album to life. That track is Opeth finding their balance between violence and poise. One minute its tremolo swirl and kerfeldts cavernous growl, the next its a lithe acoustic figure that could sit on a 70s folk record. When pushes the drama even harder, with Peter Lindgrens guitar dancing around harmonised leads that feel almost baroque. Then comes Demon of the Fall, the one that still brings venues to a boil. Its a fan favourite for good reason. The verse riff is simple and cruel, the chorus lands like a guillotine, and the whispered clean passage in the middle sets the table for that final headlong sprint. You can hear why it has stayed a setlist fixture for decades. Theres breath in the record too. Credence is the pivot point, a clean-sung lament that clears space without breaking the spell. No distortion, no death growls, just that melancholy Opeth do better than almost anyone. It makes the return to distortion on Karma feel earned. Lopezs cymbals stitch the dynamic shifts together, and the songs last few minutes tumble forward with a clarity that most bands at this speed cant manage. The closing Epilogue is a gentle goodbye, a reverbed guitar and keys wrap-up that feels like dawn after a sleepless night. What still surprises is how modern it sounds. The mix isnt glossy, and it doesnt need to be. The guitars have texture, the bass pulses rather than booms, and the vocals sit inside the music instead of on top of it. You can tell they tracked this in the same rooms where the Gothenburg scene defined itself, but Opeth arent chasing anyone. Theyre bending folk, prog, and death metal into a personal grammar that would bloom fully on Still Life and Blackwater Park. My Arms, Your Hearse is where that language clicks. Opeths catalogue is full of high-water marks, yet this one holds a special spot with fans. Its often the record that converts sceptics who thought the band was all length and no hook. It helps that the story gives casual listeners a thread to follow, while the musicianship is intricate enough to reward return visits. And if youre hunting for My Arms, Your Hearse vinyl, its a satisfying listen on the turntable. The soft-loud swings and the hushed passages in Credence breathe better with space, and the warmth suits the sepia mood of that forest cover. Ive spotted copies tucked away in more than one Melbourne record store, and its a frequent request from folks looking for Opeth albums on vinyl. For crate diggers and new fans alike, Opeth vinyl is a safe bet. You can buy Opeth records online if your local shop is out, and there are reissues floating around that do the album justice. If youre browsing for vinyl records Australia wide and you see that ghostly silhouette on the sleeve, dont second guess it. Take it home, kill the lights, and let the needle ride from Prologue to Epilogue. Even now, the chill of this record feels fresh. Product Reviews Hide Show Write a Review