New Opeth album!

[egan.]

It will be a solid, well played and well produced album that is endlessly critiqued and defended by people who always hated the band or think the first 2 albums they heard are the best and people who think they are infallible. My prediction is 14 page threads.

 

[RemoWilliams]

It will be a solid, well played and well produced album that is endlessly critiqued and defended by people who always hated the band or think the first 2 albums they heard are the best and people who think they are infallible. My prediction is 14 page threads.

Well played sir, very well played.

 

[GarethSE]

Ermin's point about the solos becoming more self-indulgent seems to apply to ALL of Watershed though in my opinion.

I think Opeth's main problem nowadays is that when they find a good riff, they get stuck on it and repeat it for like 2 goddamn minutes, and by then your ability to judge the quality of the riff is lost to the ether because you're so goddamn sick of hearing it repeat.

 

[RemoWilliams]

I'm curious as to what makes a "self indulgent" solo. Does it go over a time limit? Does it not use the Humble Scale? Do you have to limit yourself to certain techniques? Do you have to play it down? No tapping or sweeps? But I guess it all comes down to personal preference or something like that.

 

[mva801]

I think Opeth's main problem nowadays is that when they find a good riff, they get stuck on it and repeat it for like 2 goddamn minutes, and by then your ability to judge the quality of the riff is lost to the ether because you're so goddamn sick of hearing it repeat.

Funny I have that exact complaint about Meshuggah. Never felt that way about Opeth though. They always seem to change it up just in time for me.

I love the first 5 songs off Watershed. That album has one of my favorite drum sounds ever. Opeth as a band has always been very interesting to me because they convey an element which 95% of metal bands completely lack. DYNAMICS.

 

[P-E]

I for one am stoked that Steve Wilson will be mixing this one, but then again BWP is my favorite.

Euuugh, I love Sneap, but his style does not at all work for the band.

It will be a solid, well played and well produced album that is endlessly critiqued and defended by people who always hated the band or think the first 2 albums they heard are the best and people who think they are infallible. My prediction is 14 page threads.

All of this. REALLY stoked for that album.

 

[HandsOfDespair]

Funny I have that exact complaint about Meshuggah. Never felt that way about Opeth though. They always seem to change it up just in time for me.

I love the first 5 songs off Watershed. That album has one of my favorite drum sounds ever. Opeth as a band has always been very interesting to me because they convey an element which 95% of metal bands completely lack. DYNAMICS.

I think we have the same brain . Dynamics are so great in metal, especially for playing live. Watershed is probably my favorite drum sound too.

And my complain about recent Opeth isn't about the repetition, Dirge of november is a great song and is probably the most repetitive Opeth song. I think the weak point in some of the recent songs is the structure of the songs. I think songs like Hessian Peel have a lot of good parts, but the last quarter of the song doesn't seem to lead anywhere and the ending leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. No song pre-Ghost reveries have this problem, (well maybe ''by the pain I see others''). But since Ghost reveries, there is a lot more songs I think have weaker structures. I always hated the structure of The Grand conjuration, especially that transition in the middle of the song, and like I said the last 2 songs on Watershed are the worst Opeth songs IMO.

But anyway, thats just my opinion, music is so subjective that for each thing you hate there is 10 people who will like it.

 

[hkollner]

Great news indeed :hotjump:

Not digging the whole SW mixing the album though.

What musical monstrosities will they bring to the table this time round....Super excited!

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

I'm stoked since to me Watershed was one of their best albums in years, only second to Still Life I prefer the more prog-like style in the 60/70's vein, as their death metal aspect is sometimes too generic. It's very difficult to make death metal that sounds interesting (95 % isn't).

Word to that, I loved every song on Watershed, and I find the production fantastically vibey - also, Fredrik Akesson's solos added so much IMO, I could never tell the difference between Peter and Mike, and holy fuck can ol' Freddy shred (his solo in Hessian Peel = )

That said, I did hate the really long, drawn-out endings of "Heir Apparent" and "The Lotus Eater" (as well as the detuning acoustic at the end of "Burden"), but hey, next track button ftw

 

[XnaySaturo]

Word to that, I loved every song on Watershed, and I find the production fantastically vibey - also, Fredrik Akesson's solos added so much IMO, I could never tell the difference between Peter and Mike, and holy fuck can ol' Freddy shred (his solo in Hessian Peel = )

That said, I did hate the really long, drawn-out endings of "Heir Apparent" and "The Lotus Eater" (as well as the detuning acoustic at the end of "Burden"), but hey, next track button ftw

This, but I actually thought that Peter's soloing was kinda repetitive and too "methodical" really. It's just a stream of notes without much thought about phrasing and stuff. It's not bad or anything, but nowhere close to what Akerfeldt and Akesson can do.

 

[DanLights]

I have to agree with Marcus and Tornio, since I heard the news of fredrik joining Opeth I was super happy, I knew his (tasteful) shredding was exactly what Opeth needed and would go hand in hand with Mikael's beautiful soloing, and it shows off on Watershed, a lot more 70's prog rock influence on that album, I think it works great, plus along with Per's awesome work on the keys and of course Mikael's influence for songwriting, there was really no other way to go on that album. I'm super curious to hear what can come next and await it with open arms. Hell another Damnation would be killer if they decided to do that.

Edit: Another Highlight to watershed IMO: martin's best performance with the band so far. Some of the basslines are just perfect, guy's got an amazing taste for laying down the rhythmics, one of my favorite metal bassists ever

 

[Morgan C]

Watershed was decent, but not spectacular. It has some really really nice parts (that solo at 3:38... ), but a lot of it is just meh. And I really don't like the mix, very middy and crowded.

Just looking over my iTunes.. their riffing has changed from really melodic to really rhythmic.. and while there are still amazing moments with melodies over the heavy bits, these are few and far between. BWP, MAYH and Damnation's riffs were all really melodic, and are amazing albums throughout. Their latest stuff seems to me to be 7 minute long songs with a 30 second eargasm in the middle. Hopefully SW will remedy this.

Did SW mix Blackwater Park? I always thought it was Nordstrom. SW's done some cool mixes definitely, but his recent mixes aren't great IMO.
And someone needs to turn Martin the fuck up. He's an awesome bassist but I can't HEAR HIM.

I think Opeth's main problem nowadays is that when they find a good riff, they get stuck on it and repeat it for like 2 goddamn minutes, and by then your ability to judge the quality of the riff is lost to the ether because you're so goddamn sick of hearing it repeat.

Have you HEARD Blackwater Park?

 

[Dexter_prog]

Another thing I feel about Watershed is that I think it lacks acoustic guitar parts, and for some reason I can never finish it. I usually change to something else after track 6 or 7

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

Oh man, I'mistening to Hessian Peel for the first time in a few months, and I love it just as much - the first 5 minutes are beautiful and mysterious, and Per's keyboard work to me makes the band infinitely better (coming back to that love it or hate it prog rock vibe I suppose), and around 5:30 when that riff explodes in, followed by the aforementioned ridiculously awesome Akesson solo and then that really cool sorta groovy acoustic part, and then another heavy ass riff - I think it's one of the best songs on the album, and that's still some damn creative writing there - it just has such a sorta creepy vibe that I love, and I've always really liked "Hex Omega" too, it's just very mysterious, and some fantastic singing by Mikey.

I guess it's just cuz I get so utterly caught up in the vibe of the music that I adore it so much (and that very ending riff starting at 5:18, and when the whole band kicks in, a perfect way to end the album IMO)

Apologies for the stream of consciousness posting, I'm on the train going to work, living inside the riffz And I also feel the need to mention that I'm in love with the guitar tone (JVM + Recto cab )

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

Oh, and btw Dan, I've been saying for years that GR is my favorite of their albums, so you've got another ally

 

[Dexter_prog]

I love GR too, not sure if my fav. is GR or BWP, though. Anyway, I have yet to listen to everything pre-BWP.

 

[iekobrid]

I think Opeth's main problem nowadays is that when they find a good riff, they get stuck on it and repeat it for like 2 goddamn minutes, and by then your ability to judge the quality of the riff is lost to the ether because you're so goddamn sick of hearing it repeat.

I dug that on Deliverance, but they lost me with Grand Conjuration (especially after having to stand through it during an outdoor summer concert, ugh). Nowadays my reaction is basically this:

since I heard the news of fredrik joining Opeth I was super happy, I knew his (tasteful) shredding was exactly what Opeth needed and would go hand in hand with Mikael's beautiful soloing, and it shows off on Watershed, a lot more 70's prog rock influence on that album, I think it works great, plus along with Per's awesome work on the keys and of course Mikael's influence for songwriting, there was really no other way to go on that album. I'm super curious to hear what can come next and await it with open arms. Hell another Damnation would be killer if they decided to do that.

I wouldn't mind if they went straight up Pink Floyd for an entire album.

Everything about this clip gives me wood (well, except for dudes in it )...

http://splicd.com/tETiyedyML8/180/250

 

[AEL89]

Word to that, I loved every song on Watershed, and I find the production fantastically vibey - also, Fredrik Akesson's solos added so much IMO, I could never tell the difference between Peter and Mike, and holy fuck can ol' Freddy shred (his solo in Hessian Peel = )

That said, I did hate the really long, drawn-out endings of "Heir Apparent" and "The Lotus Eater" (as well as the detuning acoustic at the end of "Burden"), but hey, next track button ftw

Heir Apparent ends with a disgusting, cheesy, pointless riff that feels like it was just added onto the end, it isn't cohesive with the rest of the song.

The production, for me, is great. Natural and vibey. Some songs on Watershed have some funny transitions though.

 

[Plankis]

Oh, another half a year of agonizing wait. Great news, going to be interresting to hear what Wilsons going to do with them.

 

[NicholasDWolfwood]

Fucking love Heir Apparent and Hessian Peel. The ending riff in Hex Omega was also really great. But other than that, the weakest and most disjointed Opeth album by far imoafaik.