After touring, Opeth returned home to rehearse frequently, and booked Unisound Studio again to record the album.

[8][9] Despite the singing, Murat Batmaz of Sea of Tranquility magazine said that the song "Black Rose Immortal" "ends with one of Akerfeldt's most violent and longest screams in his career which could only be rivaled by his guesting on Edge of Sanity's Crimson album", and that Opeth created a "dark atmosphere on this album, which is simply unique.

[11] Lyrically, the song "The Night and the Silent Water" is about the grandfather of vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt, who had died shortly before the recording of the album.

[9] "To Bid You Farewell", the album's final song, was notable at the time for having a lighter sound and featuring only clean vocals.

[9] This album also features Opeth's longest recorded song, "Black Rose Immortal", which lasts over 20 minutes.

Vincent Eldefors of Tartarean Desire stated "ever since I first heard my first Opeth song "To Bid You Farewell" ... they have been among my favorite bands".

In my opinion, it's difficult to write on guitar intricate songs that fully involve the listener, but Opeth manages to keep your attention.

"[16] Murat Batmaz of Sea of Tranquility wrote that "the melodies, both on this song ["Advent"] and the entire album, are immortal."

He also wrote, "Though I prefer their current lineup, I don't believe Morningrise would have been so amazing without Johan De Farfalla and Anders Nordin adding their touches.

They literally employ tens of changing riff patterns and incomparable melodies on a single track, with which other bands could more than likely write two full albums" and claimed that the song "Black Rose Immortal" is a "magnum opus".

He also stated "the more personal nature of the lyrics on Morningrise are another thing that make it a much more intense listen than the stories that would follow.

"[17] Drew Schinzel of Chronicles of Chaos said that the songs are "melodic and well played, with great vocals and the occasional guitar solo".