New OPETH "Heritage" album streaming online now!

[locus_coeruleus]

I'm not a die-hard fan of them, but I thought this album was terrible. It sounds like they took all the horrible parts from Watershit and turned them into songs. It's like a couple of good riffs and then 4 minutes of random crap and the "experimentation" tag over it. Screw that. I see a lotta fans talking about how Opeth is "experimenting" when they are actually describing songs that don't make sense musically, it's like demos of half-written songs stuck together. There's a reason why scientists experiment in labs, and that is for people not to see the bad results. Time for Opeth to stop publishing their experiments...

Ironically, I am sick of seeing this dick-suckery at Opeth's new stuff and calling anyone who doesn't like it a closed-minded person (not meaning that people have done it here). Like I didn't listen to other crazy stuff... Sometimes I can't tell if I hate more Opeth's new direction or their fans.

 

[Virgil.]

I'm not a die-hard fan of them, but I thought this album sucks. It sounds like they took all the horrible parts from Watershit and turned them into songs. It's like a couple of good riffs and then 4 minutes of random crap and the "experimentation" tag over it. Screw that. I see a lotta fans talking about how Opeth is "experimenting", when they are actually describing songs that don't make sense musically, it's like demos of half-written songs stuck together. There's a reason why scientists experiment in labs, and that is for people not to see the bad results. Time for Opeth to stop publishing their experiments...

Ironically, I am sick of seeing this dick-suckery at Opeth's new stuff and calling anyone who doesn't like it a close-minded person (not meaning that people have done it here). Like I didn't listen to other crazy stuff. Sometimes I can't tell if I hate more Opeth's new direction or their fans.

^ Maybe this is Opeth's way of saying "fuck off" to all of you bandwaggoners, hipsters, and scene-kids.

I admire Mikael for wanting to put out an album dedicated to his inspirations and influences. Instead of bitching about it, if you don't like it, don't listen to it. Go listen to some Black Veil Brides.

I'd argue that many of the bands they're paying homage to had the same issue. It's always been a risk with prog rock. When Yes started writing more coherent songs in the 80s (starting with the 90125 record), tons of their fans jumped ship. Heritage is an album for die-hard, old school prog fans, by die-hard old school prog fans.

The whole prog aesthetic, in other words, is always at risk for becoming pretentious, over the top, concept driven, wanky, and lacking compositional elegance. Sometimes you get a record like this, and I definitely agree it's less cohesive (with a couple of exceptions) than past Opeth records. It's still a fun album to listen to in any case, IMO.

Agreed!

 

[locus_coeruleus]

^ Maybe this is Opeth's way of saying "fuck off" to all of you bandwaggoners, hipsters, and scene-kids.

What the hell does that mean? Am I now a scene hipster kid because I don't like new Opeth? Yeah, gonna buy it and throw it on the ground

 

[RemoWilliams]

We may get a quest appearance from Rick Hennemen sometime soon. The Troll Gold Trophy winner.

 

[tfrel]

Don't know why it gets people so upset. Either you like what they're doing or you don't.

When people don't get "different" or "prog" (whatever the hell you wanna call it) music, they automatically dismiss it and call it shit.


An album like this, I'd say, takes many listens to understand.....And I guess history of the band would help too.

 

[locus_coeruleus]

Don't know why it gets people so upset. Either you like what they're doing or you don't.

When people don't get "different" or "prog" (whatever the hell you wanna call it) music, they automatically dismiss it and call it shit.


An album like this, I'd say, takes many listens to understand.....And I guess history of the band would help too.

I'm not upset. I just think it is a bad album. I've listened to Watershed a lotta times and I still find it quite bad, I can't even remember what the last songs sound like because I lose focus as the album progresses. I really like the first track, though. But this album... I find it extremely boring and random. I think it'll work great as background music for studying, but I don't see myself listening to it with devotion.

 

[tfrel]

I'm not upset. I just think it is a bad album. I've listened to Watershed a lotta times and I still find it quite bad, I can't even remember what the last songs sound like because I lose focus as the album progresses. I really like the first track, though. But this album... I find it extremely boring and random. I think it'll work great as background music for studying, but I don't see myself listening to it with devotion.

Fair enough, your own opinion.


I personally love this release. Every listen I hear something new. Gotta love Opeth for stirring up shit with great music! lol

 

[edrush]

+1 Everytime i listen i hear something new. Good Release...

 

[Fifth_Horseman]

I think it's funny how the two bonus tracks are much more coherent songs than most of the actual album. I've had them on constant rotation for the whole evening now, total Damnation vibe there. Loving the solo on "Pyre".
Not sure what to think about the actual album yet, some parts/songs I really enjoy, but some stuff sounds rather weird and disjointed to me.

 

[Benqbasic]

Opeth has almost a cult following of fans. So such a drastic change of style is going to cause a lot of upset.

Not my favorite album by them by any stretch of the imagination, but it does have some sparks that catch my interest.

And Ermz im not sure they haven't quite gone down the DT track.
(btw do you have a release date for your book yet?)

 

[Finsmi]

Got some disturbing news yesterday. Not shure if it is true, but if it is, it´s breaking my heart. A friend of mine told me Mikael lost his growling voice during the watershed sessions:O Apparently, this is why he does not growl on this album at all. He also told me he had recently seen him perform with Bloodbath, and the vocals were just low pitched sloppy grunts:O :O

 

[Virgil.]

Got some disturbing news yesterday. Not shure if it is true, but if it is, it´s breaking my heart. A friend of mine told me Mikael lost his growling voice during the watershed sessions:O Apparently, this is why he does not growl on this album at all. He also told me he had recently seen him perform with Bloodbath, and the vocals were just low pitched sloppy grunts:O :O

Sounds like a load of shit to me. I highly doubt this is the case.

 

[Wohma]

He definitely did not lose his growls, they've been playing their old songs with Opeth and he did growl, but his voice may have changed (hard to judge from festival performances, usually from a cam in the crowd) - I've read some rumours that his ultra low grunt is gone. Who knows...

 

[Mutant]

I said it once and i will repeat...

Changing and "evolving" in music genres and styles is BETRAYING your old fans.

Old fans want more of the old awesomeness, no new totally different shit.

That new shit will get you some new fans for sure and some of the really hardcore old fans will force themselves to like it by listening to it many times until it "grows" on them, but you will lose some of your old fans too.

 

[Ermz]

Even though I dislike this record, I'm not sure I agree with you, Mutant. I think a band are entitled to 'evolve' as they see fit, in order to stay relevant and also keep things fresh for themselves. The point where I start to take issue is where they strip back the music & generally regress rather than actually 'evolve', much like In Flames did 10 years ago, and like Opeth seems to have done right here.

 

[RemoWilliams]

Even though I dislike this record, I'm not sure I agree with you, Mutant. I think a band are entitled to 'evolve' as they see fit, in order to stay relevant and also keep things fresh for themselves. The point where I start to take issue is where they strip back the music & generally regress rather than actually 'evolve', much like In Flames did 10 years ago, and like Opeth seems to have done right here.

I think you've totally summed up how I've felt about the last two Meshuggah albums. It's something I've been trying to pin point for awhile and couldn't really state it in a proper, coherent fashion.

Anywho, sorry for the every brief thread derail.

 

[Mutant]

Changing almost everything and calling it an "evolution" and "oh i grew out of that old silly immature crap" is slapping faces of people who preferred the old style.

If this is evolution (and evolution implies improvement) then was the old material inferior ?

What if now he returns to that "unevolved" style from Orchid ? Will that be a de-evolution ??? LOL !

Evolution is about improving things, not about changing them to something totally different.

 

[Melb_shredder]

Changing almost everything and calling it an "evolution" and "oh i grew out of that old silly immature crap" is slapping faces of people who preferred the old style.

If this is evolution (and evolution implies improvement) then was the old material inferior ?

What if now he returns to that "unevolved" style from Orchid ? Will that be a de-evolution ??? LOL !

Evolution is about improving things, not about changing them to something totally different.

Having said all that... Where did opeth have to go on improving their sound?? They've done a lot of albums, IMO ghost revries is peak for me and I haven't seen much progression/ evolution since IMO. I don't think they could hVe made a better opeth album so to speak. Having said that, this album feels like the husk of a band, as Ermin said, stripped of what made them... THEM. there's not much at all left that made me enjoy almost all their other albums/ venturs as a band. Maybe it's hit the point where Michael is really truly over the 'metal' elements, which is a shame because it puts into perspective how much it's been the akerfeldt show all along

 

[Mutant]

Having said all that... Where did opeth have to go on improving their sound?? They've done a lot of albums, IMO ghost revries is peak for me and I haven't seen much progression/ evolution since IMO. I don't think they could hVe made a better opeth album so to speak. Having said that, this album feels like the husk of a band, as Ermin said, stripped of what made them... THEM. there's not much at all left that made me enjoy almost all their other albums/ venturs as a band. Maybe it's hit the point where Michael is really truly over the 'metal' elements, which is a shame because it puts into perspective how much it's been the akerfeldt show all along

I just compared In Mist She Was Standing with Ghost of Perdition, same excellence in writing, same delicious "Opethness", better sound on Ghost of Perdition and there are 11 years between these two songs...

After Damnation i remember worrying that Opeth will never put out anything i could love, then at night when i was preparing something to eat in the kitchen, i heard Ghost of Perdition on the radio... i was like "whooooooooa this song is fantastic ! sounds like Opeth, but can it really be Opeth ?" then the guy running the show said it was Opeth and it made me REALLY happy.

Heh it was 6 years ago and i still remember that night vividly... tells something about how i love their music.

 

[locus_coeruleus]

I totally agree with you Mutant. They should have created a side project and release it under another name, I doubt they would have lost many fans that way.