Honestly I'm blaming this new album suckage on Peter leaving.
Everyone says he had to contribution to the writing process, but it even says on the Opeth site that Peter and Mike write music together. Honestly i dont think Opeth is the same without him and in a bad way.
Perosnally, when i member that writes music leaves the band, i think they should at least go in the studio with the band in the future and continue to write music. They dont have to tour or anyting. They should just help write, especially if them leaving tears the band's sound up. It would honestly take what, spending maybe a month with the band, and thats it? Half the band memebers that leave bands end up becoming producers so why the fuck dont they just come back to the band and help "produce". I wouldn't think ex-members would hate thier own band so much they dont want to ever have anything to do with it again.
Hopefully Mike finds some better people to write with in the future. Im sure even if Mike writes most of the stuff, im sure that having Peter to write with compared to someone new is a big change, especially because the guitarist used to play for a band that sounds nothing like Opeth and sound quite frankely very sucky. I personally halfway like "the lotus eater" but you gotta honestly sit back and look. It's a great metal song, but its not Opeth at all really, cept for the weird intramental parts.
I mean, the same exact song (at least the first few minutes) could have come from another band in my opinion. Heir Appearant is just too simple for them, and Porcelain Heart is a complete rip off of The Grand Conjuration no matter what anyone says. (3 songs ive heard).
Honestly, the only thing that seems still Opeth is soft vocals, and a good sense of rythem that most death metal bands dont have. Heir appearant doesnt have that normal good Opeth rythem tho, thats why it sucks to me. I love really rythmic death metal bands, to me it makes it sound more evil.
Like on Blackwater Park (the song). The part after the acoustic part with the dual growl and rythmic guitar theme. So evil, rythmic, and just perfect.
Heir Appearant was missing that sorta thing, and The Lotus Eater only had it for a little while. I also wonder if this is missing because of the new drummer.
Drumming add alot of rythem to the music that you dont sometimes notice till its gone. and Honestly i dont think alot of drummers are willing to add ryhtem to death metal. Only 2 examples of ones who do is Opeths old drummer and Dark Tranquillity's drummer.
Honestly, mike needs to at least get the old guys to come back in to at least help write =( or pick people that actually come from good bands that have Opeth like qualities. Like i could see someone from Dark Tranquillity going into Opeth, or someone from Killswitch Engage, or In Flames, or some unique type of band. But Arch Enemy? that band is so typical, and boring, and they sound just like what boring awful metal sounds liek, alot like Lamb Of God in my opinion.
That's like only showing up at work for your pay day. And that Mikael needs to find better people to write with. Uh, no he defintly does not. The whole basis of Opeth (save early album) is his sole compositions which he provides layers for the other members of the band to add their own interpretations. 
